Building The Inner-Man Through Prayer

 

A. To build a “Spiritual House” that will last; there are certain types of material that must be included within the composition of the house. You must first consider or analyze the house as to what you expect it to accomplish or what is going to be required of it. It is not what makes up the exterior of the house, but what is inside the house that determines what the house is able to accomplish.  After careful consideration; it has been determined that the following materials would be required for this “Spiritual House” to be successful. 

1. Studying the word of God (Bible-King James Version) on a consistent basis.

2. Worship on a daily basis.

3. Faithfulness (continually).

4. Evangelism, spreading the good news about salvation to everyone that you see.

5. Prayer & Fasting (at least one day a week).

 B. Why I need to pray

1.   For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.

2. Through increased communication with the Lord, we learn of his ways. We establish a bond or relationship.

3. Without prayer, we become weak and anemic and start exhibiting signs of immaturity. You have the same results in the physical when plants in your garden aren't properly fertilized or receive neccesary nutrients or are not properly cared for. A good pastor that is a genuine man of God makes all the difference in the world to a congregation and their "spiritual maturity" within the kingdom of God.

4. Spiritual maturity can only be obtained through prayer and fasting. Therefore, we must pray daily, (preferably three times daily) and we must have an active fasting schedule which we religiously adhere to. James 1:5 if any of you lack wisdom, let him/her ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given to him. (KJV)

 Jude 1:20

1.  The closer I get to God, the more I know him and understand his power and ability to do all things.

2.  Prayer brings a “confident faith” in God, (Phillippians 4:19), But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (KJV). He did not say all of your want or desire, he said all od your need.

3.  Without faith it is impossible to please God, and it is impossible to have true faith without being committed to an active prayer life.

C.Prayer gives me spiritual strength: 1 John 4:4

1. Prayer is our greatest weapon against the Devil. 

2.  It gives the power to overcome the enemy.

3.  Prayer keeps the power of God alive in us.

 

D. Helps us to subdue the flesh

Matthew 26:41

Galatians 5:16

 

E. Prayer is a place of:

 

1. Preparation for the future.

a. We should always spend prayer time seeking the will of God for our lives.

b. We should seek the Lord for direction to fulfill his will in our lives.

c. We should pray and ask God to strengthen us and to prepare us for trials and temptations that may be coming our way.

 

2. Restoration from the past.

a. Prayer is a time that you can take to God all your failures and ask for his forgiveness.

b. Prayer is a time of confession during which you can find and receive spiritual healing.

c. Prayer is a time when you can make everything in your life right with God.

d. You should leave your time of prayer with a fresh outlook and a fresh experience with God.

 

3. Evaluation for today:

a. In prayer, you can get your spiritual life and your natural life in order by submitting your flesh to the Holy Ghost.

b. In prayer you can get your priorities straight and find direction for your life, both short-term and long-term.

c. It is in our personal prayer lives that God converts us into vessels that will be profitable to the kingdom of God. Without a personal and dedicated prayer-life, you will not ever find personal fulfillment. You will not reach that level of "completeness" that you need when your foundation is not built on "prayer & fasting."

* Prayer is a time when you must let God speak to you and let God evaluate your walk with him and the work that he has called you to do.

* We must evaluate our walk with God and the work that we're doing for God on a weekly basis while we're engaged in prayer.

 

What should I pray for?

 

A. I should pray that God will keep me from falling into temptation.

Matthew 26:41. Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation:The spirit is indeed willing, but the flesh (is) weak.(KJV).

 

1.  Only the power of God can keep us from falling.

 

2.  God can only keep us when our flesh is under subjection to his spirit.

3.  It is important to remember that temptation does not come from God, and he will keep us from falling if we remain faithful. Doesn't the Bible say that the adversary is the "temptor"?  He even tried to tempt Jesus after he had fasted for forty days!

 James 1:13

B. I should pray and ask God for strength.

I Chronicles 16:11

I do not always know what i'm going to be facing in life, but God knows that I should ask him to give me strength to overcome whatever daily trials, temptations, etc that I'm going to have to go through.

 1, I should ask the Lord to help me to be properly equipped to be a strong and courageous Christian warrior.

2. I should come to God in faith and anticipation and pray for Spiritual healing .

 James 5:13-16

C. Is any sick among you? Let him call for the elders of the Church; and let him pray over him/her anointing them with oil in the name of the Lord; and the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise them up; and if ye have committed sins, they shall be forgiven you!

 

1.  It is the plan of God for us to be healed from our sickness according to his will. Remember that Paul went to the Lord on three separate occassions in prayer for "healing of an affliction" in his flesh.  The Lord did not heal him; however, the Lord told Paul that his "Grace" was sufficient. So, when you pray for healing remember that the Lord wants it to be according to his will!

 

2.  Our first recourse in sickness should be for us to go to God in prayer. Just be honest and sincere before God. Put the carnality of the flesh aside and let God be God. 

D. We should pray for our enemies:

Matthew 5:44

1. Prayer should never be an attitude of vindictiveness.

2. We should pray that our enemies would become our friends and that  we will become their friends.

3. We should pray for the salvation of our enemies.

4. We should pray for one another.

 James 5:16

1. When we know that someone has fallen or failed God, we should not speak harshly of them or to them, but rather we should pray for them. In the military...when a soldier falls on the battlefield, we send two or three other soldiers and bring him back so he can be restored. How much more should we as Christian Soldiers be aware of our brothers/ sisters in the Lord?

2. One of the marks of Spiritual maturity is to be aware of your brothers and sisters faults and to not hold them against them, but to pray for them that God will strengthen and restore them. Brethern, if a man/woman be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, (restore such) an one in the spirit of meekness: considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.

Galatians 6:1

3. I should pray that others are blessed by God more than I pray for God to bless myself. I should never entertain the spirit of selfishness in anything I do.

E. You should always pray for the ministry. They are your watchmen on the wall. They are leading the battle against the enemy on your behalf.

II Thessalonians 3:1

1. You should pray especially for your pastor everyday because he is your spiritual leader.

2. You should pray that God will give him wisdom to lead.

3. You should pray that God will anoint him to preach/teach the Gospel. When we study about Jesus and the work he did here on earth...we find that he did a lot more teaching than he did preaching. Preaching is good...but you have to have a foundation to build on and that comes from good solid doctrinal teaching.

4. You should pray that God will give him boldness and that he will have no fear or favor for man.

5. You should pray that God will bless the pastor just like you want the pastor to pray that God will bless you.

6. You should pray for the other ministers in the church.

7. Pray that the Lord will let you be a blessing in the church.

8. You should pray that their ministries will prosper.

9. You should pray for all ministers who are in the truth.

10.You should pray for all men/women.

 I Timothy 2:1-2

 

1.  The love and compassion of God demands that we should pray for every-one.

 

2.  We should never allow anything to affect us in such a way that we could not pray for someone else.

F. We must pray to the Lord of the harvest, to send laborers to work in the fields.

 Matthew 9:38

1. Without laborers, the lost have no hope.

2. When we pray for laborers, we will be more inclined to go ourselves.

3. You must always remember that prayer is your spiritual lifeline.

4. You can not live for God and be a profitable servant without a consistent prayer life.

5. Prayer is your deepest communication with God.

6. Prayer will change or transform your life in a manner that nothing else can. When you enter into a season of prayer...lay aside all carnality of the flesh and make the transition from the flesh to the spirit, this is pleasing unto God. It's in the "spirit realm" that the Lord is able to do "spiritual surgery" on us and remove things that are impediments or hindrences and "graft in" whatever we are lacking. The Bible says that we are complete in him. (Colossians 2:10).

 Scripture References:

1. Psalms 127:1

2. Colossians 1:19, 2:10

3. James 1:5, 5:13-16, 1:31

4. Jude 1:20

5. Phillipians 4:19

6. I John 4:4

7. Matthew 26:41, 5:44, 9:38

8. Galatians 5:16, 6:1

9. I Chronicles 16:1

10. II Thessalonians 3:1

11. I Timothy 2:1-2