16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing,
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.[1]
Prayer is of great importance, for us to spend time with the Lord, and for others to intercede for us. E. M Bounds one of the greatest prayer warriors of the late 1800’s said, “Prayer with so many of us is simply a form of selfishness; it means asking for something for ourselves—that and nothing more.”[2] However, prayer needs to be much more than that, it needs to be a chorus of Adoration to our Heavenly Father in honor of Who He is and for what He has done. Our prayers need to be a Confession to God, laying bare our sins, asking our Savior to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1.9). God’s Holy Word says, “He will remember our sins no more as far as the east is from the west, He has removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103.12). Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah from the Lord, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43.25, NIV).[3] Also the Lord spoke through the prophet Micah to His people saying, “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea (Micah 7.19, NIV).[4] When we confess our sins. God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1.9), Praise The Lord!
As we continue to pray our prayer should contain Thanksgiving for all the wonderful things God has done in our lives. It might seem difficult, because not everything is wonderful, but God is worthy of praise in the good times and the bad. He is the One Who gives us the guidance and direction we need to make it through each day, no matter what. Think about Psalm 23.4, “Ye though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” This is all our trouble, trials, difficulties and so on. It is the deep dark places of life, where we are struggling and it seems like we will never find the light of day. The Psalmist goes on, “…I will fear NO evil for Thou art with me Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” God is right there in the valley, walking right beside us, guiding us and giving us direction. His rod and staff are tools of a Shepherd, used to keep the sheep moving in the right direction or to pull them out of trouble, or fend off the enemy. God is ready, willing and able to protect His children at all cost, even if it means dying for them as Jesus Christ did on the cross.
Finally, as we pray, we need to offer Supplications or Intersessions for others. This is the time when we stand in the gap for them, asking God to do a mighty work in their lives, helping them, healing them or whatever it might be they need. A. C. T. S. is a good model to follow for prayer; it can help us stay focused on the important things while we pray and not get side tracked as we pray. Paul calls us to, “prayer continuedly” (I Thessalonian 5.17), to be in a ready mode of prayer. We can and must have ourselves in this position so we are able to intercede when called upon. So, we can praise God when necessary, or give thanks for what He is doing in our lives or be able to confess our sins without fear God will not hear us (Psalm 66.18).
So, let us pray, let us come before a God Who is more than ready to answer our prayers and willing to grant our request. Pray without ceasing, and see what God will do in our lives.
Application
Prayer
Our Father Who Art in Heaven Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Lord I thank You for all You have done in my life, but today I come as a sinful person, asking for You to cleanse me of my sin. I know I have sinned against You and You alone (Psalm 51.4). Lord, I ask that You forgive me and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I know You are faithful and just and will remember my sins no more, thank You for that. Lord, thank You for the wonderful day, for my parents, for brothers and sisters, for my friends, and teachers. Lord thank You for my church family and Lord I thank You for all that You have taught me. Lord help me to teach others Your amazing love and truth. Give me the courage and strength to say the right thing and the opportunities to do so. Lord I lift my teachers up to you help them to teach well, and be safe as they do it. Lord protect my parents give them wisdom as they instruct me, help me to be obedient to them. Lord I lift up my pastor to you, give him the wisdom to lead Your church and minister to Your people. My dear Heavenly Father I just cannot thank You enough for all You have done and will do, You are amazing, All this I pray in Your Dear Son’s Name, In Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Th 5:15–18). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[2] https://www.kevinhalloran.net/best-e-m-bounds-christian-quotes-on-prayer/
[3] The New International Version. (2011). (Is 43:25). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[4] The New International Version. (2011). (Mic 7:19). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.[1]
Prayer is of great importance, for us to spend time with the Lord, and for others to intercede for us. E. M Bounds one of the greatest prayer warriors of the late 1800’s said, “Prayer with so many of us is simply a form of selfishness; it means asking for something for ourselves—that and nothing more.”[2] However, prayer needs to be much more than that, it needs to be a chorus of Adoration to our Heavenly Father in honor of Who He is and for what He has done. Our prayers need to be a Confession to God, laying bare our sins, asking our Savior to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1.9). God’s Holy Word says, “He will remember our sins no more as far as the east is from the west, He has removed our transgressions from us” (Psalm 103.12). Listen to the words of the prophet Isaiah from the Lord, “I, even I, am he who blots out your transgressions, for my own sake, and remembers your sins no more” (Isaiah 43.25, NIV).[3] Also the Lord spoke through the prophet Micah to His people saying, “You will again have compassion on us; you will tread our sins underfoot and hurl all our iniquities into the depths of the sea (Micah 7.19, NIV).[4] When we confess our sins. God is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1.9), Praise The Lord!
As we continue to pray our prayer should contain Thanksgiving for all the wonderful things God has done in our lives. It might seem difficult, because not everything is wonderful, but God is worthy of praise in the good times and the bad. He is the One Who gives us the guidance and direction we need to make it through each day, no matter what. Think about Psalm 23.4, “Ye though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death…” This is all our trouble, trials, difficulties and so on. It is the deep dark places of life, where we are struggling and it seems like we will never find the light of day. The Psalmist goes on, “…I will fear NO evil for Thou art with me Thy rod and Thy staff they comfort me.” God is right there in the valley, walking right beside us, guiding us and giving us direction. His rod and staff are tools of a Shepherd, used to keep the sheep moving in the right direction or to pull them out of trouble, or fend off the enemy. God is ready, willing and able to protect His children at all cost, even if it means dying for them as Jesus Christ did on the cross.
Finally, as we pray, we need to offer Supplications or Intersessions for others. This is the time when we stand in the gap for them, asking God to do a mighty work in their lives, helping them, healing them or whatever it might be they need. A. C. T. S. is a good model to follow for prayer; it can help us stay focused on the important things while we pray and not get side tracked as we pray. Paul calls us to, “prayer continuedly” (I Thessalonian 5.17), to be in a ready mode of prayer. We can and must have ourselves in this position so we are able to intercede when called upon. So, we can praise God when necessary, or give thanks for what He is doing in our lives or be able to confess our sins without fear God will not hear us (Psalm 66.18).
So, let us pray, let us come before a God Who is more than ready to answer our prayers and willing to grant our request. Pray without ceasing, and see what God will do in our lives.
Application
- When you pray try using the A.C.T.S model which was spoken about above. Giving Adoration to the Lord, then Confessing your sins to Him, giving Thanksgiving to Him for all He has done in your life and then Supplication or Intercession for others.
- When is the last time you have prayed for someone else? How was the prayer answered? Please explain.
- Are you always in a mode of prayer? If not, why not? Please explain?
- How can you help yourself stay in a “constant mode of prayer?” Please explain.
Prayer
Our Father Who Art in Heaven Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy kingdom come Thy Will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Lord I thank You for all You have done in my life, but today I come as a sinful person, asking for You to cleanse me of my sin. I know I have sinned against You and You alone (Psalm 51.4). Lord, I ask that You forgive me and cleanse me of all unrighteousness. I know You are faithful and just and will remember my sins no more, thank You for that. Lord, thank You for the wonderful day, for my parents, for brothers and sisters, for my friends, and teachers. Lord thank You for my church family and Lord I thank You for all that You have taught me. Lord help me to teach others Your amazing love and truth. Give me the courage and strength to say the right thing and the opportunities to do so. Lord I lift my teachers up to you help them to teach well, and be safe as they do it. Lord protect my parents give them wisdom as they instruct me, help me to be obedient to them. Lord I lift up my pastor to you, give him the wisdom to lead Your church and minister to Your people. My dear Heavenly Father I just cannot thank You enough for all You have done and will do, You are amazing, All this I pray in Your Dear Son’s Name, In Jesus Christ’s Name, Amen.
[1] The Holy Bible: English Standard Version. (2016). (1 Th 5:15–18). Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles.
[2] https://www.kevinhalloran.net/best-e-m-bounds-christian-quotes-on-prayer/
[3] The New International Version. (2011). (Is 43:25). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.
[4] The New International Version. (2011). (Mic 7:19). Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan.