Living Word Interdenominational Church

                                                                                       The Prayer God Answers

Mat 16:18  And I say also unto thee, That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Mat 16:19  And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
LISTEN
Jesus intended for the Church to be His RULING BODY ON THE EARTH!!!!!   COME ON
We are to GOVERN and ADVANCE His Kingdom
He is the Rock, and the Church is the Vehicle through which He REIGNS and RULES on the earth.
Christians are the ONLY people DIRECTLY in Relationship with the One who RULES from the Throne of the universe.
He has Appointed YOU AND I as His Representatives on earth where we live.
He hears our prayers and answers them….shout hallelujah
Prayer is not so much a DUTY as a DELIGHT for God and His creation.
It is the place where we get to Fellowship WITH HIM…..
A place where we get to KNOW His heart and He ours
A place where we get to PARTICIPATE with Him in the affairs of His creation.
Pro 15:8  The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright is his delight.
When we pray, we are turning our eyes to our Father and Communicating our love, joy, faith and expectation in Him.
We are calling on His name that is the FULLNESS of EVERY Promise/Blessing
In prayer there is an EXCHANGE.
We give up pour praises and petitions and it is HIS DELIGHT to answer us.
When we come, we should come expecting His open arms and open door
Mat 7:7  Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:
Mat 7:8  For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.
This is the POSTURE Jesus tells us to take when we come,
Mat 21:22  And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.
IT’S A FUNNY THING
HOW HARD it is to get people to PRAY
HOW HARD it is to GET MYSELF to PRAY SOMETIMES….
COME ON CAN WE BE HONEST?????
YET The RESULT is ALWAYS the SAME…..
Whenever I pray…The result of all prayer is JOY
Because His PRESENCE is IN THE PRAYER TIME
In His presence is JOY, LIFE, PEACE, HOPE…
COME ON
And it DRAWS YOU AND I….doesn’t it?
A life of prayer will draw us CLOSER and closer into abiding relationship with Him
SO the ????????? IS         How Do We Pray
1. The Name of Jesus:
First and foremost we pray in the name of Jesus.
Joh 14:14  If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
His name carries the riches of Heaven and every blessing and promise found there!!!
2Co 1:20  For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.

2. With Praise and Thanksgiving:
Psa 100:4  Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
Our Focus will determine the effectiveness of our prayer.
Thanksgiving sets your eyes and your heart on the AWESOMENESS of God.
It brings you into harmony with THE TRUTH
THERE IS NOTHING IMPOSSIBLE FOR GOD!!!! COME ON
It shows you are ANXIOUS for NOTHING
3. Without Condemnation:
Jesus, our great High Priest, has gone before us with His cleansing Blood.
He paid your debt in FULL
Rom 8:1  There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
His righteousness is now yours, and you can boldly enter before the Throne in full confidence!!!
Our HOPE is IN Christ, and that is how the Lord EXPECTS us to approach Him in prayer.

Kingdom Key
Psa 66:18  If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:
When we pray from the standpoint of our own limitations and failures, we are putting ourselves in Slavery to what we alone can do.
LET GO of your Doubts/Fears                                              SHUT OUT the accusation of the enemy                                                  STEP into faith to receive the Power and Generosity of God
Rom 8:31  What shall we then say to these things? If God be for us, who can be against us?
Rom 8:32  He that spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?
Rom 8:33  Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth.
4. Right Motive:
Effective prayer is prayer that glorifies God.
Joh 14:13  And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
On the flip-side, prayer that is from the wrong motives, goes unanswered
Jas 4:3  Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
MAKE SURE what you ask is FOR HIS GLORY
5. Right Relationships:
When it comes to prayer, our relationship with one another is as important as our relationship with God.
Jesus includes it in His model prayer, "Father...forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors" (Matthew 6:12).
It is so integral to prayer that we pray with RIGHT Relationships
1Pe 3:7  Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
Let NOTHING when it comes to REALTIONSHIPS STAND IN THE WAY
FORGIVE     COME ON
6. Directed by the Holy Spirit:
True prayer is like dancing with God.
As He leads us and as our hearts are joined to His, our steps follow His.
We come into alignment with His will.
Being led means being governed by the Holy Spirit day to day, finding moment to moment fellowship with God
The Holy Spirit will direct our prayers, dropping His thoughts and desires into our hearts.
And when we do not know what to pray, we can pray in the Spirit, and He will pray through us:
His power working in us and directing us will bring God glory through prayer
7. According to God's Word:
When we pray God's Word, we pray the will of the One who committed it to us.
Heb 4:12  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.
The LIVING WORD of GOD!!!  COME ON
One of the most powerful prayers is that of Mary, "Be it unto me according to Thy word" (Luke 1:38).
Her Agreement with God's Word made her the vessel for the Son of God to come into the world and answer every heart's cry.
When you make your heart's cry ALIGN with God, your prayers will DO THE SAME.
Daily time spent meditating on and reading Scripture will breathe life into your prayers.
Take note of scripture that the Holy Spirit highlights for you, and begin to pray those words.
You can also pray the great prayers of the Bible….
When you do so, you are praying for the desires of God's heart
How many of you want to pray according to God’s heart???
Like what?
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Psalm 122:6).
His covenant promises for Israel, her land and people have not passed away
When you pray for the restoration and peace of natural Israel, you are praying the WILL of God
Next week the world is gonna try to force Israel to accept a Palestinian State.
Perspective would be a new country established in the middle of America…
Pray for Israel
CONCLUSION
Mat 18:19  Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.
Mat 18:20  For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Effective prayer is like a symphony.
.
The Holy Spirit is the Conductor, God's Word is the score,
The instruments are you and me, each with a part to play,
and the voice of many giving sound together is the music.
Jesus said that if two of us will harmonize together as touching anything, it shall be done for us!
Prayer is where everything begins and ends in the realm of the Spirit.
God is calling the Church today to corporate prayer and intimate communion with Him.
Be assured, if we call, He will answer.
Prayer is God's original design for His Kingdom advance.
All authority was given to Jesus
He has released that authority to us, His followers
Lets Pray