When You Pray 2

Hello Everyone,

Not only did Jesus expect us to pray, He commanded us to pray:

But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, Matthew 5:44 NKJV

Therefore pray the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." Matthew 9:38

Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man." Luke 21:36 NKJV

He also taught His disciples "that they should always pray and not give up" Luke 18:1.

An additional command is given in 1 Thessalonians 5:17, "Pray continually." “Without ceasing,”

The Bible is full of examples of prayer. It lets us know that prayer is essential to Christian life.

Prayer is necessary to keep us from falling into temptation:

Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matthew 26:41 NKJV

It will help to keep us in a state of readiness for Jesus’ return.

*Sin brought a resistance to prayer.

*Self-exaltation refused to recognize the greatness of God.

*People wanted to make a name for themselves.

“And they said, "Come, let us build ourselves a city, and a tower whose top is in the heavens; let us make a name for ourselves, lest we be scattered abroad over the face of the whole earth." Genesis 11:4 NKJV

Prayer is meaningless unless it recognizes God’s greatness and God’s POWER and, recognizes our human weakness and dependence on Him.

This does not mean that we wait for times of trouble, difficulty, or tragedy before we pray.

Someone once said, “Prayer is not a crutch that we use only when we are too weak or disabled to walk on our own. Rather, prayer is the very breath of life to us.”

Greater Things Are Still To Come!

Pastor Phil