And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him. Lord, teach us to pray… (Lake 11:1)
When you
study the lives of the early prophets and the apostles, even the Lord Jesus
Christ, you’d find they were very effective in their prayer lives. In our
opening verse, disciples asked Him to teach them how to pray because they
observed His prayers' effectiveness. So, it’s not just enough to pray; it’s
the effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous man that produces results.
There’re scriptural rules and guidelines for
effectual prayers. There are some things you have to pray about continually, you
intercede continually; and there’re things that you pray for only once because
if you keep praying about them, you’re getting into unbelief, rather than
applying faith.
Meanwhile,
there’re things you’re not even supposed to pray for, because no matter how
long you pray about them, God is not going to respond because your request is
spiritually illegal. So, there are different kinds of prayer and different rules
governing them. You don’t just pray; you pray according to the rules, and the
rules follow the different kinds of needs.
Of course,
in prayer, something important you always require from God is direction. It’s
not like you’re going to be asking Him all the time how to pray about a
particular situation. Still, even without you asking Him, He gives you direction through the Holy Spirit, because that’s one of the things the Holy
Spirit came to do in your life. This is one of the reasons you must pray often
in other tongues.
The Holy
Spirit and the Word are your keys to effective prayer. He’ll bring the Word of
God to your consciousness as you pray. Remember, Jesus said, He’d guide you
into all truth. He’ll teach you all things (John 14:26). He’ll show you what to
do in every situation. Jesus said, “… He
who follows me shall not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John
8:21). How do you follow Him? It’s through the Word and the guidance of the
Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is alive in you today, but He gives you the
scriptures, God’s Word, to guide you in all things, including how to pray
effectively.
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