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(Hebrews 4:16) “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.”
Prayer is an important component in having a close walk with God. At times, we all struggle to make time to pray and seek the Lord. However, if we are too busy to talk to God, then we are too busy. Remembering that it is a privilege to pray – an honour to approach God and talk with Him – will help us to set aside time to pray. Oswald Chambers said, “Beware of placing the emphasis on what prayer costs us; it cost God everything to make it possible for us to pray.” Prayer brings us into the Presence of God in a special way. We can go into God’s presence at any time of the day or night to obtain mercy and grace. It is a place where we commune with God. We can have the privilege like Moses to speak with God in an intimate way. Exodus 33:11 “And the LORD spake unto Moses face to face, as a man speaketh unto his friend...” Dwight Lyman Moody, “The Christian on his knees sees more than the philosopher on his tiptoe.” As we set aside time to pray there are some things we must remember while praying: 1. Prayer calls down the power of God Jeremiah 33:3 "Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things which thou knowest not!'” Prayer is seeking God to do the impossible in our lives. No prayer - no power. Hudson Taylor said, “The prayer power has never been tried to its full capacity. If we want to see mighty wonders of divine power and grace wrought in the place of weakness, failure and disappointment, let us answer God’s standing challenge,” 2. Remain passionate in our prayers We must guard against going through the motions. It is easy to pray without thinking. Remember, we are addressing the God that is in Heaven. John Bunyan said, “In prayer it is better to have a heart without words, than words without a heart.” Matthew 6:7 “But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.” Dwight Lyman Moody, “Some people’s prayers need to be cut off at both ends and set on fire in the middle.” 3. Unconfessed sin will hinder our prayers (Psalm 66:18) “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:” (Proverbs 15:8) “The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.” External acts of worship may be repulsive to God when the heart of the worshiper is not right with God. 4. We must pray according to God’s Will. (1John 5:14-15) “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: vs 15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” To pray according to God's will is to pray seeking what God desires, not what we would desire or insist that He do for us. Oswald Chambers: “Never make the blunder of trying to forecast the way God is going to answer your prayer.” We should not pray just to get from God, we ought to pray for His direction. Corrie ten BOOM: “Is prayer your steering wheel or your spare tire?” 5. Prayer must be mixed with Faith. 1 Timothy 2:8 “I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.” A life that is lived by faith will cause us to pray in faith. George Muller once said, "“I believe God has heard my prayers. He will make it manifest in His own good time that He has heard me. I have recorded my petitions that when God has answered them, His name will be glorified.” Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” The following subject headings for the various sections of the Psalm 119 are based primarily on F. W. Grant's notes:
vv. 1-8 The Blessedness of Obeying the Word vv. 9-16 Cleansing By the Word vv. 17-24 Discernment By the Word vv. 25-32 Sense of Personal Insufficiency Through the Word vv. 33-40 The Power of the Word vv. 41-48 Victory Through the Word vv. 49-56 Rest and Comfort Through the Word vv. 57-64 Perseverance in the Word vv. 65-72 The Pricelessness of the Word in Good and Evil Times vv. 73-80 Insights Through the Word vv. 81-88 The Afflicted One Sustained By the Word vv. 89-96 Eternity of the Word vv. 97-104 Wisdom Through the Word vv. 105-112 The Word a Lamp and Light For All Occasions vv. 113-120 The Wicked and the Word vv. 121-128 Separation and Deliverance Through the Word vv. 129-136 Joy and Communion Through the Word vv. 137-144 Zeal For the Word vv. 145-152 Experience Through the Word vv. 153-160 Salvation Through the Word vv. 161-168 Perfection of the Word vv. 169-176 Prayer and Praise Through the Word John 3:16 “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.”
This verse (John 3:16) is a famous Bible verse amongst the believers and non-believers. It is a rich verse that proves God’s love through one of the greatest promises ever given to man – the promise of “everlasting life”. DL Moody once said, “God never made a promise that was too good to be true.” God planned, prepared, and promised eternal life with Him in Heaven before the world even began. Titus 1:2 “In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began.” Unfortunately, in the beginning of creation the devil effectively deceived people into rebelling against God and living life without Him, causing them to miss out on God’s greatest promise. To rebel against God and live without the Creator is sinful and has brought about an eternal death, which has been passed on to all of humanity. Romans 5:12 “Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned:” Notice what Jesus said prior to John 3:16…John 3:14 “And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:” In John 3 Jesus is speaking to a Pharisee named Nicodemus, and Jesus points him back to the time when the children of Israel fell into sin as Moses was leading them to the Promised and Land (which is a picture of eternal life). Jesus was reminding Nicodemus of God’s Great Salvation that he offered them. John 3:16 reminds us about a few things regarding Salvation: 1. The Source of Salvation John 3:16 “For God so loved the world…” 2. The Sacrifice of Salvation John 3:16 “…that he gave his only begotten Son…” 3. The Scope of Salvation John 3:16 “…that whosoever believeth in him..." 4. The Seriousness of Salvation John 3:16 “…should not perish..." 5. The Security of Salvation John 3:16 “…but have everlasting life.” Jesus said in John 10:10 “...I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.”
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