Prayer 101 :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: September 20, 2020 by RR7

Prayer is an important part of a Christian’s life, or it should be. It’s our way to communicate with God, but too often we don’t talk with Him enough. Throughout Scripture we are given examples of people who pray.

Hannah prayed at the altar asking God to allow her to have a child. “Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken” (1 Samuel 1:13). She wasn’t drunk, but was earnestly praying to God from her heart. God gave her a son, and her prayer of thanksgiving is recorded in chapter 2. Of course, we know that King David prayed, “My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up” (Psalm 5:3). This is just one of many Psalms that are prayers of praise. Solomon, Isaiah, and Jeremiah were men of prayer, as was Daniel. “And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes” (Daniel 9:3).

The many prayers recorded in the Old Testament should teach us that talking to God is important in the life of a person who loves Him.

The New Testament gives us insight about the prayer life of the early Christians who knew they needed daily guidance from the Lord. The Apostles tried to care for all the needs of all the Christians, but were overwhelmed. It was decided that godly men would be chosen to minister to the needs of the Christians. “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word” (Acts 6:4). Because they sought God’s guidance in prayer and listened to His answers, Christianity reached the far corners of the world.

Because a group of people earnestly prayed, Peter was miraculously released from prison. “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5). The people who prayed for Peter didn’t really expect an answer, but God did answer by sending an angel to release Peter from the prison. After his release, Peter went to the house where the people prayed for him. “And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel” (Acts 12:13-15). They had prayed, but when their prayer was answered they didn’t believe God had answered perfectly.

Too often we pray out of habit or because it’s just something else to try when everything else has failed.

There are many examples of prayer in the New Testament, and it would be wise to study these prayers. James tells us a thing or two about praying. “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much” (James 5:15-16).

Brothers and sisters, prayer should be a big part of every Christian’s life, and we need to take it seriously. Jesus prayed, and His example is the one we should follow first.

The question is, how do we pray? Is God a buddy whom we joke around with? Is He to be feared to the point that we’re afraid to speak? Do we even pray to Him directly? After all, the pope says to pray to a person he deems as a saint or to Mary. Let’s start with that one first. No. No, no, no. The pope has no power over anything in Heaven; he can’t deem anybody a saint. Mary, was a very special woman who was obedient to God’s will, but she was no more than human. Nowhere in Scripture are we directed to pray to anyone but God.

Jesus simplified all the questions by giving us a model prayer, which is an example of how we should pray. We call it The Lord’s Prayer, and most of us memorized it very early in life. In a few short words, Jesus gave us a way to shape our prayers to honor God. He led up to this example by first giving bad examples. “And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward” (Matthew 6:5).

A person’s motive for praying matters. A hypocrite is someone who pretends; an actor who plays a part. If you pray in order to impress people, then you’re a hypocrite. On the other hand, if your prayers are prayed with the purpose of drawing attention to God, and sincerely seek Him, then your motive is correct. There are many reasons to pray, and they all boil down to honoring God. Petition God to help your husband as he goes to his job every day to support his family. Pray for sons and daughters that the temptations of life won’t dazzle them and draw them away from the Lord. Pray a prayer of praise for all that God has done. God loves you and is worthy of praise.

“After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name” (Matthew 6:9). In giving this example of prayer, Jesus said to start by recognizing who you’re speaking to. You are addressing Almighty God who is all knowing, all seeing, and all powerful. Christians are able to know Him on a personal level because of Jesus, who is God the Son. Because of our faith in Jesus, we are also God’s children. “But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name” (John 1:12).

In this life we have an earthly father, and if he is a God-fearing man, he has been an example of love to you. Jesus says we can call God our Father, because He loves you and cares for you more than anyone on earth. Even if your earthly father wasn’t a loving man, you can still look to God to be the loving father you can trust. God deserves our respect, and we need to understand that He is holy.

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). In heaven, God’s will is done without question. There’s no taking His words out of context and twisting their meaning to fit your ideas. When God dispatches an angel on an errand, that errand is accomplished without question. When Lucifer rebelled, evil entered creation, and we can see the results of disobedience to God. If God’s will was done on earth today, what a glorious life we would have.

Jesus says we should pray for His kingdom to come, and one day it will come. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of evil to be faced before that day. As Christians, we shouldn’t let the evil around us stop us from doing God’s will. If you think about it, if you don’t want to do His will now, what makes you think you’ll want to spend eternity doing the perfect will of God? If you pray these words, then you need to mean them and strive to live according to God’s will today.

“Give us this day our daily bread” (Matthew 6:11). Pray for the needs of today. We need food daily, and this prayer shows us not to pray for bread next week or a year from now, but bread for today. Later in this same chapter, Jesus said, “Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:31-33). God knows you need food and clothing and will provide, but Jesus said to seek the kingdom of God. That means to live to honor Him now, and do His will “…in earth, as it is in heaven.”

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors” (Matthew 6:12). A debt is something owed. If you buy a car, you owe the bank for lending you money. If someone does a favor for you, you owe a debt of gratitude. There is a greater debt we owe. One that encumbers our life and drags us down. It’s the debt of sin that Satan has encumbered us with. If you’re a Christian, then your sin-debt was paid in full at the cross and you’re forgiven. We all sin, but that sin can be forgiven. Jesus said that even thinking a lustful thought is the same as committing the sin. It’s easy to sin without intending to, but if we’ve accepted Jesus for salvation, then our sins are forgiven.

If you’ve been forgiven, then you need to forgive others. It’s not easy to forgive someone who has done evil to you, but if God forgave your sin, then you need to forgive other people. Notice, this prayer says “as we forgive our debtors.” Think about it and you’ll come up with people you need to forgive.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen” (Matthew 6:13). Most modern translations say “…but deliver us from the evil one.” Evil doesn’t come from God, but comes from Satan who is pure evil. He puts temptation in our way. Temptation can stumble even the strongest Christian, and most temptations come from us putting ourselves in its way. God will never deliberately lead us into a situation where we are tempted to succumb to sin, but will be our strength to rescue us from the temptation. “The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be punished” (2 Peter 2:9).

It would be easier for us if we were never tempted to sin once we give our life to Christ, but God will lead us away from it. In the prayer that Christ prayed not long before His arrest, He prayed for you. Did you know that? He prayed for the men who had been His disciples, then turned His prayer to future followers. “I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth… Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; that they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me” (John 17:15-17 & 20-21). Jesus prayed that you and I would be kept from evil, that we wouldn’t stumble. Again, modern translations say “evil one.”

If God is first in our thoughts, then it’s harder for Satan to tempt us. It’s God who is to be followed, honored, and praised.

This prayer can be said quickly and without thought, but that’s not how it’s meant to be prayed. Each word has a deep meaning; and if this is the only prayer you pray, then mean what you say. It’s a basic prayer and a format for prayers from your heart… prayer 101. God is your Father, but He is still God. Submit to His will and glorify Him in all you do.

God bless you all,

Nathele Graham

twotug@embarqmail.com

www.straitandnarrowministry.com

ron@straitandnarrowministry.com

Ron and Nathele Graham’s previous commentaries archived at https://www.raptureready.com/featured/graham/graham.html

All original scripture is “theopneustos” – God breathed.

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Secret Faults and Presumptuous Sin :: By Nathele Graham

Published on: September 12, 2020 by RR7

King David loved the Lord. That love was manifested in many psalms which praise God. Although many are filled with praise, they also hold petitions asking God to help him be a better person. Psalm 19 is one of those psalms that begins with such heartfelt praise that we can feel David’s joy in serving the Lord.

“[[To the chief Musician, A Psalm of David]]. The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handywork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night sheweth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof” (Psalm 19:1-6).

David had spent a lot of time watching flocks of sheep and had time to be in awe of God as he looked upon all of God’s creation. His mind wasn’t filled with questions about big bang theories, evolution, or any other fairytales that detract from God’s truth. If we believe that evolution happened over many billions (or is it trillions) of years, then God is removed from moral guidance. If God didn’t create the world and all that’s in it, then the Bible must be wrong. If Scripture is wrong about creation, then it must also be wrong about the wages of sin being death. In fact, without Biblical guidance, there’s no moral standard at all. Make no mistake, the Bible is God’s inspired word from the first verse in Genesis to the final verse in Revelation. David loved God and honored Him in songs of praise. Although King David was a sinner just like you and I, his desire was to be pleasing to the Lord.

Loving God will result in praise, but it will also result in a deep desire to please Him. After praising God for His handiwork, David turned his thoughts to what God expects of His followers.

“The law of the LORD is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple. The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes” (Psalm 19:7-8).

God has rules. David had a very honest assessment of the law and understood that there was no fault in the perfection of God’s law. The word David chose that’s translated “perfect” is “tamiym.” It’s the same word used in Genesis to describe Noah as being “perfect in his generation.”

“These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God” (Genesis 6:9).

Noah’s genome wasn’t corrupted by the fallen angels, which is why God chose him and his family to be saved through the flood. It’s also the same world used to describe the standard of selecting the Passover lamb.

“Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats” (Exodus 12:5).

The sacrificial lamb was to be unblemished (perfect), as was our Lord Jesus Christ whose blood was pure and untainted by sin. This qualified Him to take our sin away through faith in Him. If we love Him, then we need to have the same respect for God’s ways as King David. We need to desire to please Him.

It’s a sign of the end times as prophesied in Scripture that people have stopped fearing the Lord. The hatred and violence we see today is a result of a lack of love, respect, and fear of the Lord.

“The fear of the LORD is clean, enduring for ever: the judgments of the LORD are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb” (Psalm 19:9-10).

When God is mocked and seen as a fairytale, there’s no end to the evil that is then accepted. People will stoop as morally low as possible, just as it was in the days of Noah. There’s a demonic spirit that’s fueling moral decay, and human hearts are growing colder by the day. The only thing that can turn away evil is fearing God and giving Him the respect He is due. He hasn’t kept anything secret. His moral standards are clearly set forth in Scripture. When He is rejected and sin is embraced, His judgment will come. It will be made without prejudice and it will be a righteous judgment. If a person fears the Lord, they will turn to Him and honor Him. Fear of God will cause a person to live according to His moral laws.

King David recognized how important it is to desire God’s righteous ways. Christians have even more reason to desire to honor and respect God. We have placed our faith in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, we bear His name to describe our faith, and we know He’s going to call us Home soon. We need to praise Him, respect Him, and submit our lives to His perfect way.

God does give us guidance and warns us of the judgments that come from ignoring His laws.

“Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward” (Psalm 19:11). Is anyone able to perfectly live up to God’s standards? No. The Apostle Paul called the law a school master.

“Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith” (Galatians 3:24).

The law made it clear what God’s standards are, but it was fulfilled by Jesus Christ. We no longer have to make animal sacrifices to show our sorrow over sin. By faith in Jesus Christ, we are made righteous before God. Every Christian should sing God’s praise and desire to please Him. Our salvation is secure by our faith, so what’s the reward in living a God-fearing life? Disease caused by immoral choices won’t ravish your body because you won’t choose fornication over sexual purity. You won’t have the stress of remembering lies you’ve told. You won’t have to live with guilt over hurting people with gossip or angry words.

The rewards of a clean conscience are many. Knowing that you’ve pleased God by choosing to love other people rather than to be angry and hurtful in your words and actions will result in a happier life.

Instead of trying to find a loophole so that he could sin and still be in fellowship with God, King David wanted God to show him his faults. It’s easy to make excuses for our own sins, but when we truly desire to serve God, we’ll ask Him to show us where we fall short. Sin can cripple our walk with Jesus and make us ineffective in witnessing to others.

“Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults” (Psalm 19:12).

What are the “secret faults” David spoke of? The “secret faults” are things we don’t think anybody knows about and are able to justify in our own life. What do you look at on the internet when you think nobody sees? Pornography? Maybe you secretly harbor jealousy or hatred towards another person but hide it behind a smile. When you go out of town on a business trip, do you find it easy to cheat on your spouse? Things you think are done in secret are known to the Lord.

“And he said, That which cometh out of the man, that defileth the man. For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness: all these evil things come from within, and defile the man” (Mark 7:20-23).

Even if those sins are kept secret, they need to be brought to your attention so that you can repent and turn away from them. God knows what we think and what’s in our heart and will bring our secret faults to our mind and help us overcome the sin.

David didn’t stop with secret faults. He didn’t want anything to come between him and His God.

“Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression” (Psalm 19:13).

All sin comes between the sinner and God. Secret sins, “in your face” sins, and also presumptions sins. The Hebrew word “zed” is translated “presumptuous” and means “arrogant, proud, insolent, presumptuous.” Pride is one of those “presumptuous sins,” and we read in Proverbs, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall” (Proverbs 16:18).

Do you build yourself up by putting down others? Do you take pleasure in the failures of others? Are you quick to be angry at someone over a misunderstanding or if they don’t live up to your ideals? These things are all sin that become habits. Our desire should be to remove all sin from our way of life. Not only will you please God, but you’ll be a happier person.

Prayer is the best way to confess your sin and ask God to show you where you fall short. The way to know God’s truth is to study Scripture. Be sure to read and study in context. Study with the purpose of knowing God’s ways rather than looking for a loophole to justify your sin.

“Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer” (Psalm 19:14).

Meditation is wrong if it’s the Eastern type, contemplative prayer, or yoga inspired. Those practices will empty your mind so that any passing demon can enter your mind and destroy your life. Meditating upon God’s word will let you see the errors you make in your life. Fill your mind and thoughts with God’s word and really think about it. The Holy Spirit will guide you, and Scripture will make much more sense with His help. Truly seek to please God rather than the world.

“For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart” (Hebrews 4:12).

Study Scripture and pray for God’s guidance to change your heart. You can only change yourself, and for that you need God’s help.

Secret faults and presumptuous sin will come between you and your walk with Jesus. Praise God with all your heart, and ask Him to help you to remove those sins from your life in order to draw closer to Him.