EFFECTIVE PRAYER II

Acts 9:40 "But Peter put them all forth, and kneeled down, and prayed; and turning him to the body said, Tabitha, arise. And she opened her eyes: and when she saw Peter, she sat up."

From the previous day's article, Peter remembered the words of Jesus when he said if ye shall ask anything in My name, I will do it.The raising of Dorcas from death proves that Jesus is a faithful God and He answers prayers. Please know that when Peter was faced with this challenge, he did not complain, worry, nor murmur. The Bible says he prayed and the miracle happened after the prayer. Prayer moves the hand that moves the world.

To be effective in prayer you must abide in the word of God. Do not just read your bible but study it. The word gives birth to prayer. Jesus said if ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, yes shall ask.... John 15:7
Also prayer must be a daily activity. God will only work with an individual who contact Him daily. Please do not only pray when you are in need. Prayer must be your lifestyle.
Now let us look at some of the things to know as a Christian that will enable you to have an effective and prevailing prayer.

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Matthew 6:9-13 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 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

• Our Father. This means a personal relationship with God. To have an effective prayer, you must know your relationship with God; He is your Father. You cannot call Him your father if you do not love Him, and you cannot love Him without the Holy Spirit in your life

Galatians 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out, “Abba,[a] Father.”

The only place Jesus did not call God Father is on the cross. Because He took upon Him our sin. When there is sin in us, our intimate relationship with God is cut.

• Which art in heaven.. This speaks of our Citizenship. You are first a citizen of heaven before any other citizen. God hears only heavenly citizens. This means you must live your life not according to the pattern of this world. Your life is hidden in Christ in heaven. You must know that all sources of blessings comes from Heaven.

• Hallowed be thy name. This speaks of worship. At the beginning of your prayer you must spend time with the Lord through worship. Please do not be in a haste. True worship from the heart attracts the power of God into your life.

• Thy Kingdom come... During prayer, you must put God's interest first not yours. You must desire to know what God wants from you before you ask for your needs. When the Kingdom of God comes into your life, it breaks the power of evil.

• Thy will be done in earth... How can you know the will of God without knowing His word. You have to be walking with God to know His revealed will. As you study the word of God daily you shall know the revealed will of God progressively. We now come to the place that we can ask something from God

• Give us this day our daily bread. We tell God the details of our need. At this point you are in the right position to ask God whatever you want. Please do not complain, worry or be anxious . Cast all your burden upon Him. see Matthew. 11:28.

• And forgive us our debt.. Here what Jesus meant was that your requests will not be met when your sins has not been forgiven or if you are living in unforgiveness. You must therefore wash yourself with the blood of Jesus daily.

• Lead us not into temptation. At this point, you must pray for deliverance from sin.

• Deliver us from evil. It means you must pray for the strength to resist the devil.

• Thine is the Kingdom. This means you must end every prayer with praise and Thanksgiving.

Note
We must have faith in God and believe that He answers prayer. Unbelief will block the move of God into our lives. When Peter was cast into prison, the bible says the Church prayed for him (see Acts 12). God answered their prayer and opened all the doors for Peter to escape, but when he went to where the believers were praying they did not believe it was actually Peter who was knocking at the door. Therefore Peter was left at the back of the door for some time. In this case, all doors were opened for Peter but the door of unbelief kept Peter at the gate. It is my prayer that God moves a prayer revival in your life.

Stay Blessed and Have a wonderful Monday. Begin the week with prayer and keep to it. God Bless you. Remember to pray for your friends, enemies and this community, Heartchurch. Prayer can move mountains. Bye for now.