HE PRAYED AGAIN… (6 PRAYERS OF PAUL)
By Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
David had seasons of spiritual failures to the point of hopelessness and despair. But David refused to allow his failures to define his prayer life. David could have allowed his guilt and sin to hinder his prayer life. David refused to allow his personal limitations to hinder his prayer time with God. He stood on the promises of God’s word. David says: The Lord will hear my requests and my pleas, He will answer my prayers. DAVID LEARNED THAT PRAYER WAS HIS MENTAL AND SPIRITUAL VENTILATION THAT RELEASED THE POWER OF THE HOLY SPIRIT TO FIND THE HEART OF GOD…
Psalm 6:9 The LORD hath heard my supplication; the LORD will receive my prayer.
PRAYER IS A GREAT PRIVILEGE AND A TOOL IN THE HAND OF BELIEVERS. FAILURE MUST NEVER HINDER YOUR DAILY PRAYER LIFE… LISTEN?
THERE IS A GREAT ART OF LISTENING AND LEARNING. Will we claim, apply the lessons and grow to maturity? Ever heard of MICHAEL JORDON? Listen to the life lessons Michael has learned: Michael was cut from his varsity team. I have missed over 9,000 shots in my career. I have lost over 300 games. 26 times I have been trusted to take the game winning shot and I missed it. I have failed over and over and over again in my life. AND THAT IS WHY I HAVE SUCCEEDED.
MICHAEL JORDAN HAS A FEW LESSONS HE WOULD LIKE PEOPLE TO LISTEN TO AND THEN DO…
1. OBSTACLES DON’T HAVE TO STOP YOU. If you run into a wall, don’t turn around and give up. Figure out how to climb it, go through it, or work around it.
2. You have to expect things of yourself before you can do them…
3. Do not fear failure. I missed 9,000 shots.
4. Just try, I can accept failure. But I can never accept NOT TRYING HARD.
5. Don’t give up, INSTEAD OF WHINNING AND COMPLAINING, DOUBLE YOUR EFFORT.
6. Hard work, PUT IN THE WORK, THE RESULTS WILL COME.
7. Make things happen, SOME PEOPLE WISH, OTHERS MAKE IT HAPPEN.
8. Have passion, love life, love the game.
When they back the Hearse up to the front door, they are not making a practice run.
ELIJAH WAS A HUMAN BEING JUST LIKE US… HE PRAYED! THEN HE PRAYED AGAIN… AFTER HIS SECOND PRAYER LIFE STARTED AGAIN… NATURE CAME BACK TO LIFE…
James 5:17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
Then, when he prayed again, God opened the windows of heaven, God heard Elijah’s second prayer and sent down rain. The second prayer brought new life and the earth began to yield its crops. WILL WE PRAY? WILL WE CONTINUE TO PRAY…??? WILL WE PRAY AGAIN?
WHAT IS THE GREATEST DISTANCE YOU KNOW?
The diameter of the earth is 7, 917.5 miles. The moon is 238,900 miles from the earth.
The sun is 93.5 miles from the earth.
BUT WHAT IS THE GREATEST DISTANCE ON EARTH? I CAN TELL YOU IF YOU WILL LISTEN.
18 INCHES, the average distance from the brain to the heart! Many find HEAD KNOWLEDGE, FEW FIND HEART PASSION AND COMPASSION…
WE MUST STIR UP OUR PRAYER LIFE. PAUL KNEW GOD ON THE HEAD LEVEL BUT PAUL GREW TO KNOW GOD AT THE HEART LEVEL. PAUL LEARNED MANY LESSONS ABOUT OUR SPIRITUAL LIVES. PAUL LEARNED THE VALUE OF PRAYER. HE ALSO LEARNED THE BEAUTY OF PRAYING AGAIN. PAUL WANTED TO TEACH US A 6 LEVEL PRAYER LIFE.
1. PAUL ASKED US TO PRAY IN UNITY, THE POWER OF AGREEMENT… EARNESTLY AGREE… STRIVE TOGETHER
Romans 15:30 Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me;
Paul had a request for his friends to come into agreement to Pray. Paul knew to have effective prayer we must pray earnestly, fervently (hot). Good prayer needs to be prayed strenuously in the power of AGREEMENT—
At times we must recognize prayer can be a hard struggle by faith.
Matthew 18:19 Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
There is POWER IN AGREEMENT… synergy… a three fold cord is stronger. PAUL IS ASKING THAT OUR PRAYERS MUST COME TOGETHER. Let us all pull together. A farmer knows one horse can pull 800 pounds, another 600 pounds but together the horses can pull 2,200 pounds, that is an increase of 800 pounds together.
2. PAUL TEACHES US THAT WE MUST PRAY FOR DELIVERANCE… DIVINE DELIVERANCE.
Romans 15:31 (a) That I may be delivered from them that do not believe in Judaea;
Deliverance: set free, liberated, rescued, surrender, to make accessible, to help or assist, to give birth, produce.
3. PAUL TEACHES US TO PRAY FOR ACCEPTANCE… (OF THE SAINT?)
Romans 15:31 (b) and that my service which I have for Jerusalem may be accepted of the saints;
This prayer request is kind of different. The request is not that sinners or the world would accept each other… the prayer request is sure… pray that saints would be accepting of each other. No CLIQUES, no us four and no more… Seems so many desire to debate and argue petty differences. We seem to agree on 95% of the Biblical issues. As long as you accept the Bible as the source of truth and Jesus as the son of God. Why can’t we accept each other as brethren.
4. PAUL TEACHES ANOTHER GREAT LESSON ON PRAYER… HE SEEKS PRAYER ABOUT WALKING AND LIVING IN JOY. The joy of the Lord is our strength.
Romans 15:32 (a) That I may come unto you with joy by the will of God, …
God designed us that OUR JOY MAY BE FULL. God also designed us that our JOY MAY REMAIN. Paul knew there was a satanic plan to sneak into the enemy’s camp and steal our joy. DO WE EARNESTLY PRAY FOR THE JOY OF THE LORD IN OUR FAMILIES AND OUR CHURCHES?
5. THE 5TH ISSUE PAUL ASKED US TO PRAY ABOUT WAS A REFRESHING FROM GOD… ENCOURAGEMENT, EDIFY… WE NEED A SERIOUS SPIRITUAL AND PHYSICAL REFRESHING… REFRESHING IS A BENEFIT OF SERVING GOD…
Romans 15:32 (b) and may with you be refreshed.
God wants to RECHARGE, encourage, edify and refresh us… But God desires us to encourage each other…
REFRESH: restore strength, revive, renew, update.
Acts 3:19 Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;
6. PAUL’S LESSON ON PRAYER ENDS WITH THE PRAYER FOR THE OPEN DOOR… OPPORTUNITY?
Colossians 4:3 Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:
We are walking in the last moments of the last days. We must redeem the time that we have.
CONCLUSION: We must make the choices to walk and live wisely among those who are not believers, and make the most of every opportunity. Some will go to HELL if we do not seize the opportunity before us.
His servant, Wade Martin Hughes, Sr. Kyfingers@aol.com
I am asking you to partnership with me and enlarge my hands and pass my work on to others? Will you?
