Hello dear reader!
I just finished reading a great book that I think every Christian should read. It speaks deeply about how prayer has the power to move the kingdom of God and to accomplish His will!
Thinking about it, I want to share with you all a little bit about prayer. Actually, there are some different kinds of prayer that you can direct to God, and every one is important to Him. It will help you whatever the situation you are in, here are some of them:
Thanksgiving prayer: We should always start by thanking God for who He is and what He already done in our lives. Be grateful helps us to keep in mind that God is always good and faithful. Start giving thanks for what you already have and things will change for you. This kind of prayer changes our perspective. A thankful atitude pleases the Lord.
Psalm 100:4-5 ESV
” Enter his gates with thanksgiving, and his courts with praise! Give thanks to him; bless his name! For the Lord is good; his steadfast love endures forever, and his faithfulness to all generations.“
John 11:41 ESV
“So they took away the stone. And Jesus lifted up his eyes and said, “Father, I thank you that you have heard me…”
Philemon 1:4-5 ESV
I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints…”
Repentance prayer: There are moments when we recognize that we”ve sinned and confess our wrongdoings before God and before others. A honest and contrit heart is always willing to ask for forgiveness and it pleases God. Recognizing your sins before God and repent leads you to salvation! Be willing to do that, whenever you need to.
2Corinthians7:9-10 “As it is, I rejoice, not because you were grieved, but because you were grieved into repenting. For you felt a godly grief, so that you suffered no loss through us. For godly grief produces a repentance that leads to salvation without regret, whereas worldly grief produces death…”
Acts2:37-39: “Brothers, what shall we do?” And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.”
Luke 15:7 “Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance.”
James 5:16 ESV
”Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person has great power as it is working.
Petition prayer: This prayer is to present your concerns to God. Whatever you are going through, big or small, God can help you. More important than the help, is to understand that God wants to be involved in our lives. Don’t overthink your problems, instead, present them to God, believing that He can and will fight your battles.
1 John 5:14-15 ESV
“And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. [15] And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.
Mathew7:11 “And if you hard-hearted, sinful men know how to give good gifts to your children, won’t your Father in heaven even more certainly give good gifts to those who ask him for them?”
John15:5-8 “But if you make yourselves at home with me and my words are at home in you, you can be sure that whatever you ask will be listened to and acted upon. This is how my Father shows who he is...”
Intercession prayer: this kind of prayer is powerful and the most amazing way to take our eyes from ourselves and look around, to help and bless others. You can intercede for your family members, for a friend, present a situation that involves your community,church,your city, your nation!
Intercession moves the heart of God, but more importantly, it aligns our heart to His, so we can be compassionate and intentional toward others.
2 Thessalonians 3:1-3 ESV
“Finally, brothers, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may speed ahead and be honored, as happened among you, and that we may be delivered from wicked and evil men. For not all have faith. But the Lord is faithful. He will establish you and guard you against the evil one”.
Exodus17:10: “So Joshua did as Moses told him, and fought with Amalek, while Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 Whenever Moses held up his hand, Israel prevailed, and whenever he lowered his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses’ hands grew weary, so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it, while Aaron and Hur held up his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side. So his hands were steady until the going down of the sun.”
Colosssians1:9-10 “Be assured that from the first day we heard of you, we haven’t stopped praying for you, asking God to give you wise minds and spirits attuned to his will, and so acquire a thorough understanding of the ways in which God works. We pray that you’ll live well for the Master, making him proud of you…”
Declaration prayer: I love this one. It is important to use the bible to guide you, so then you know you are praying according to God’s will. Choose a passage and declare it over your life, your family, your nation. It is powerful!
Psalm 67:1-3 “May God be gracious to us and bless us
and make his face to shine upon us,
that your way may be known on earth,
your saving power among all nations.
Let the peoples praise you, O God;
let all the peoples praise you!
No matter which one you are praying , always remember that this is what God wants from us, that we communicate with him and that means that we must listen too, not only talk.
Prayer is even more, is a weapon against the dark rulers of the spiritual world, it is a way to fight back and stand in faith, believing that God will act in our favor.
He is always ready to listen those who walks with Him. But remember, prayer also requires intimacy with God and obedience. He is not a genie in a bottle, He is our Lord and savior.
If you are interested to understand more about how prayer works, I strongly recommend that you read the book “This present darkness” by Frank Peretti. Even though it is a Christian fiction, it shows us very clear what happens when we pray together as the church of Christ, according to his will, and also, the disastrous results of division and gossip, that makes us stop praying.
Another great book for Christians to understand the spiritual realm is “The Screwtape Letters”, by C. S Lewis. It is a must read book!
If you ever experience doubt about how or what you should pray, just use your bible as your guide, and you will never be mistaken. Jesus teached his disciles how to pray.
I hope it help you and inspire you,like it did to me!
Last but not least, next week in january 31, we will be gathering here in Brazil in 5 states, in 5 different stadiums to pray for our nation and worship God! It will be amazing!
Join us at Youtube, so can follow live and pray with us at The Send!
This will be a great moment to pray and intercede for your nation as well. See ya.
Have a nice day, friends!
Philippians 4:6 ESV
“…do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.
Daniel 10:10-13
“And behold, a hand touched me and set me trembling on my hands and knees. And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly loved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for now I have been sent to you.” And when he had spoken this word to me, I stood up trembling. Then he said to me, “Fear not, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and humbled yourself before your God, your words have been heard, and I have come because of your words.…”
Mark 11:23-25
“Truly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will come to pass, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.”
I was lost. His love found me! 