Prayer
1. WHAT IS PRAYER?
1.1 INTRODUCTION
The simple answer is that prayer is talking to God. We can speak to God about anything, whether it is our fears, hopes, and dreams. We also ask God what we need when we pray.
In Matthew 7:7, Jesus told His disciples that they should ask, and it shall be given unto them. In John 14:14, he also said that if we ask for anything in His name, He will do it.
There are Bible verses that tell us what is prayer for and that we should ask God for what we need.
1 John 5:14 says that if we ask for anything according to God’s will, He will hear us.
James 1:5 says if we need wisdom, then we should ask God for it, and it shall be given.
Ephesians 3:20 says that God can do above what we can ever ask or think.
Matthew 21:22 says that whatsoever we ask in prayer, we shall receive if we believe.
1.2. WHY IS IT IMPORTANT TO PRAY?
Why is prayer important? Do we only need to pray to God when we need something, or should we pray to him every day? We should look at those who were the most righteous to answer these questions.
Daniel prayed three times a day every day according to Daniel 6:10. We read about Jesus praying and mostly prayed for others (John 17, Luke 22:32). He even told us to pray for those who hate us, including our enemies, in Matthew 5:44. In the bible, it also says that Jesus had participated in all night prayers to God (Luke 6:12). God’s house is called a house of prayer (Mark 11:17).
In Acts 6:2-4, we read about the disciples wanting to focus on prayer continually and the ministry of the Word of God. Prayer should be part of everyday life and not occasionally done (Romans 12:12, Ephesians 6:18). The apostle Paul says in 2 Timothy 1:3 that he prayed day and night.
1.3. REASONS TO PRAY
Matthew 26:41 says that we should pray that we do not enter into temptation.
Mark 9:29 says that there are demons that come out of a person if there is prayer and fasting.
Luke 10:2 says that we should pray that more people will go and evangelize to lost souls.
Should pray to ask God who should be included as part of the church’s leadership (Acts 1:24).
Prayer can manifest miracles. In Acts 9:40, we read about how Peter prayed, and a woman was raised from the dead.
We cannot be close to God without prayer and cannot bear righteous fruit without abiding in Christ (John 15).
Prayer can get us out of trouble and become free from those who want to hurt us (Acts 12:5).
To obtain wisdom from God (James 1:5).
The prayer of faith heals people from sickness (James 5:15).
1.4. HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY?
When the disciples of Jesus asked Him how they should pray, He taught them the Lord’s Prayer (Luke 11:1). When you look at the prayer structure, we should aim to use it as a framework for our prayers.
Philippians 4:6 and Colossians 4:2 say that we should pray with thanksgiving.
There are two types of prayers. There is public and private prayer. Public prayer is when we pray as a group, and private is when we pray alone. Matthew 6:6 says that we should pray in secret, meaning that only God should hear our private prayer, and it should not be a public display like hypocrites who pray at street corners to be seen by people (Matthew 6:5).
We should avoid vain repetitions and tell God what we need (Matthew 6:7).
1.5. HOW TO GET PRAYERS ANSWERED?
There are conditions to getting your prayers answered, and the various reasons can be found in the bible.
If you want God to forgive your sins, then you need to forgive the sins of others (Mark 11:25).
You should not involve yourself with evil or wickedness (1 Peter 3:12).
We should not pray for God to give us things so that we can use them for wrong reasons and fulfill wicked desires (James 4:3).
2. IMPORTANCE OF DAILY CONFESSION OF SINS
Isaiah 59:2 says the iniquities can separate a person from God, and He hides His face from those who are in sin and does not hear them.
Our sins interfere with the relationship that we have with God. They cause God not to hear us. Therefore, we need to confess our sins and repent to restore our relationship with God.
Many Christians will state that the book of Isaiah is in the Old Testament, and we are in the New Covenant and that all our sins were blotted out when Jesus died on the cross. But is this true?
The concept that Jesus forgives all our sins, past, present, and future, is a common teaching that I have heard in many churches, especially the Pentecostal and Charismatic Churches. This teaching implies that whatever you do during your life as a Christian does not matter since the blood covers them and all your sins, past, present, and future, have been forgiven.
However, what does the bible say that all sins, including future sins, have been forgiven?
When you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior, the sins that you committed in the past before you accepted him are forgiven, and God sees you as a new creature in terms of 2 Corinthians 5:17.
The bible says that all your sins are forgiven; however, it does not specify what it means by the word “all”. It is reasonable to believe that only the past sins are forgiven and not the future sins because of the following reasons:
The book of 1 John, which is addressed to believers, tells us that when we sin, we need to confess sins that we have committed so that they are forgiven. Our sins are forgiven after we confess them according to 1 John 1:9, and Jesus is our Advocate (1 John 2:1).
The bible does not specify whether it is past, present, and future sins that were forgiven when Jesus died on the cross. However, if you read 1 John 1:9 and John 2:1, then it can be concluded that future sins are not forgiven.
Because if all our sins, past, present, and future, are forgiven, then why do we need to confess our sins that we commit every day if they have already been forgiven?
Jesus also taught us how we should pray and gave us the Lord’s Prayer. One of the requests is to ask God to forgive our trespasses (sins) as we forgive those who sin against us. (Luke 11:4, Matthew 6:12). If all our sins will be forgiven after he had died on the cross, then it would not be necessary for Jesus to state that we should ask God for the forgiveness of our sins in the Lord’s Prayer.
Therefore even after we are saved, it is crucial to continue to repent and to ask God for forgiveness for the sins that we continue to commit every day. Otherwise, God will not hear us, and those sins which are not confessed will not be blotted out.