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Bible Study: All Kinds of Prayer

Prayer that Gets Results!
Portions of this study are taken from Sparkling Gems of the Greek: by Rick Renner.

Scripture Reference:
"Praying always with all prayer..." [Ephesians 6:18]
 

WHEN PRAYING DOESN'T WORK:
I do not enjoy spending time on anything that does NOT produce results! What about you?

Many Christians have already come to discover personally - there is such a thing as INEFFECTIVE prayer! They have already discovered that more often than not - it seems like the Lord never even heard their prayers because their praying never produced the results that they wanted.

Consequently they ask questions like:
• How can I have my prayers answered by God? 
• Why does it seem like God never answers my prayers?
• Why aren't my prayers being answered?
• What is the right way to pray?
• What is the "Prayer of Faith"?
• What is "Spirit Led Prayer"?
• What is "Intercessory Prayer"?
• Why do we pray "If it be thy will"?
• How do I pray to get results?

Unanswered Prayers?
Very few things are more discouraging than unanswered prayer! It can cause one to give up, lose hope, and toss in the towel when it comes to following God. After all, what good is praying if it doesn't work?

Unfortunately, too many Christians are like I used to be. By that I mean that they have a very 'hit-or-miss' prayer life. Their prayers may - or may not - be answered, and if they are, they may - or may not - get ALL of the results that they were praying for! In other words, they never really know what the ultimate end will be as far as their prayers are concerned.

Yes, they certainly hope that the Lord will give them all that they asked for - and that He will give it when they need it - but past experience has shown that most (if not all) of the time they only get some of what they asked for - and when it comes it is usually late!

I call that ineffective - wouldn't you? 
Imagine if Jesus had those kinds of results! And after all, we are supposed to be imitating Him - and like Jesus - OUR prayer life should ALWAYS produce the results we are seeking - 100% of the time - not just sometimes!

QUESTION:
Does that kind of result sound like what the Bible promises? 

I don't know about you, but my Bible makes a number of statements regarding "asking and receiving" - and the results most Christians are getting don't even come close to what is said in the Bible.

That can only mean one thing: somewhere, somehow, we got it wrong. 

Let's face it - If God's Word is true -the problem must lie squarely on our shoulders. Either what we believe is wrong, or our method is wrong - possibly both! "Jesus answered and said unto them: You are mistaken, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God." [Matthew 22:29]

"And he said unto them, you reject the commandment of God (the scriptures) so that you may keep your own tradition (ideas & beliefs) ... And, through your tradition, you make the word of God ineffective" [Mark 7:9-13]

Notice that Jesus said the problem here was not with God - nor was His power insufficient to provide them with everything they needed - rather the problem that they were wrong in what they believed about the Word of God (the scriptures) - and because they were wrong, the power of God was not being accessed as it could be. The power was there, but they had nullified it to a point where it was not able to work - all because they believed something that was not true. 

• It is only the TRUTH that brings deliverance [John: 14:17]
• It is only the TRUTH that will set us free [John: 8:32]
• It is only the truth that brings on the power of God [John: 16:13 o Romans 1:16]
• It is only the TRUTH that enables the Spirit of God to do His word [Acts: 1:8]

And that truth is the WORD OF GOD. [John 1:1,14 • John: 14:6]
It is not our ideas, opinions, imaginations or interpretations. It is ONLY the Word of God -as stated by God that is true. Anything else is a lie - and God will not honor a lie, nor is He obligated to do anything where truth is NOT present. He is only obligated to perform HIS word - and nothing else. [Is 55:10-11]

When we believe something that is incorrect, whether knowingly or unknowingly - it is still a lie. And, like the Pharisees, we have nullified the Word of God and taken the power out of it just as they did.

WRONG THINKING - PRODUCES WRONG BELIEVING:
"And Jesus could do no mighty work there, except to lay his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them…. And he marveled because of their unbelief." [Mark 6: 5-6]

"And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief." [Mt: 13:58]

Notice what happened when people believed something that was not true. Even Jesus himself was unable to do miracles when the people were filled with unbelief. And why were these folks filled with unbelief? Simply because they did not know the TRUTH - they believed Jesus to be simply the son of Joseph and Mary, and nothing more. They did not know that He was actually the Son of God.

And, because they were wrong in what they believed - Jesus (the Word of God) was unable to do the miracles that He (the Word of God) could have done had they only believed the truth instead of a lie.

WHAT DOES THAT HAVE TO DO WITH PRAYER?
A lot! If what you believe about prayer is untrue, or if there are things about prayer that you should know - but don't - then your prayers will not be as effective as they could be.

If you, like many Christians, as mistaken about things such as: HOW to pray or - WHAT to pray for or - WHEN you should pray - Etc - then the odds are that just as the Pharisees were unable to access the power of God because of their wrong thinking - neither will you when it comes to prayer. 
 
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TEST YOURSELF:
"Examine yourselves, and see whether you are in the faith; prove your own selves." [2Cor: 13:5]

"… The Lord worked with them, and confirming the word with signs following" [Mark 16: 20]

I love these scriptures! Why? Because it tells us exactly HOW to see whether or not what we believe - is TRUE! According to these scriptures - if what we believe is true - there will be PROOF. In other words RESULTS!

If we are NOT getting the results that the Bible promises - then there is either something wrong with what we believe - or the way that we are applying it!

QUALITY CONTROL:
If you did a quality control check on the effectiveness of your prayers - how would it rate? 

Could you honestly say that ALL of your prayers were answered - ALL of the time - with 100% of the results you were praying for? Did you get EVERYTHING you prayed for - ON TIME - or were the results something less than you asked for?

If you answered NO to this question, then it may very well be that there are some things that you have yet to learn regarding prayer - and very possibly there are some things that you believe that are not scriptural: after all, the LORD promises several things regarding prayer:

• "And whatsoever you shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." [John: 14:13]
• "If you shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it. John: 14:14]
• "Verily, verily, I say unto you, whatsoever you shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. " [John: 16:23]:
• "Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full. " [John: 16:24]
• "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he hears us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we KNOW that we have the petitions that we desired of him." 1 John 5: 14-15]

Reading the above promises - one has to admit that if we are not getting the results that God (who cannot lie) PROMISED - then WE must be doing something (if not many things) - WRONG.

THE GOOD NEWS:
Fortunately, the Bible does promise that there is a way to pray EFFECTIVELY! 

"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man does much good - and it makes tremendous power available." [James 5: 16]

Notice that it says the 'EFFECTIVE PRAYER' of a righteous man! It is not the 'ineffective' prayer that does this - but rather the effective prayer that will throw back the forces of hell that come against you, your family, your business, your ministry, your finances, your relationship, or your body.

EFFECTIVE PRAYER:
There are several things I could discuss about praying effectively - but the FIRST KEY to effective prayer is, understanding that there are DIFFERENT types of prayer - and they each have a Biblically defined set of spiritual LAWS that govern their operation. Violating the spiritual laws that govern any type of prayer will render that prayer ineffective - and produce little results (if any!).

I know that this is going to come as a shock to many people - especially to those who have spent long hours crying out to God hoping for an answer - and none came. Instead, the problem just went on, and on, an on, and on with no end to it. 

I understand this because I used to be one of those people. But once we begin to study the subject of prayer, and press in with a pure heart that is willing to acknowledge that we don't know everything - and that we may need to LEARN some things - and we may need to make some necessary changes - then God can begin to teach us the things we need to know so that we can get results ALL OF THE TIME - instead of just sometimes!

SPIRITUAL GROWTH PRODUCES FRUIT:
If you want to GROW in your spiritual walk - one thing that you MUST purpose to do is to make prayer a central part of your life. But in order for prayer to be the great adventure God wants it to be in your life, you must understand that there are different kinds of prayer. 

What Do You Mean?
The Bible tells us that there are several kinds of prayer, and we need to learn to use PROPERLY every kind of prayer that's available to us - as well as how each form of prayer operates. [And there is a difference!].

WORD STUDY:
Ephesians 6:18 Says: "... praying always with all prayer...." 

The first thing I want you to notice is that this verse commands us to pray 'always'. The word 'always' is taken from the Greek phrase 'en panti kairo'. 

• The word 'en' would be better translated 'at'. 

• The word 'panti' means 'each and every'. You could say that this word 'panti' is an all-encompassing word that embraces everything, including the smallest of details.

• The last word in this Greek phrase is the word 'kairo', the Greek word for 'times or seasons'.

When all three of these words are used together in one phrase ('en panti kairo') as in Ephesians 6:18 - they could be more accurately translated like this: "Praying at each and every occasion and at every possible moment."

"WITH ALL PRAYER:":
But I want you to also notice that this verse goes on to say that you are to pray 'With all prayer'. This phrase is taken from the Greek phrase 'dia pases proseuches' - and when this phrase is translated so as to bring out the full meaning of the phrase, it suddenly becomes much more: 'with all kinds of prayer'. 

Here is how other translators have rendered this passage:

• "Use every kind of prayer." [Goodspeed] 
• "Pray - with all manner of prayer..." [AMP]
• "Pray - with all kinds of prayers" [NIV]
• "Pray - with all kinds of prayers that are available for you to use" [REV]

Just think - In order to assist the Church in maintaining a victorious position in life, God has given His people various kinds of powerful prayer.

DIFFERENT KINDS OF PRAYER:
Most people don't even realize there are different kinds of prayer. But according to this verse, God has actually made many types of prayer available to us to use as needed. Different types of prayer include:

• The prayer of faith [James 5:15]
• The prayer of agreement [Mt. 18:19]
• The prayer of Supplication [Phil 4:6, Eph 6:18, 1 Tim 2: 1-2]
• The prayer of Praise and Worship [Luke 24: 52-53, Acts 13: 1-4]
• The Prayer of Commitment [1 Peter 5:7]
• The prayer of consecration or service [Mt. 26:39]
• Intercessory Prayer [Is 59: 16,Rom 8:26-27, 1 John 2:1]
• Prayer in the Spirit [1 Corinthians 14: 14 - 15]

What many Christians do not understand is that different spiritual laws govern different kinds of prayer. 

For example: Although EVERY prayer should be prayed "in faith" - not every prayer is what the Bible calls the "Prayer of Faith" [See James 5:15]. 

There is a big difference between the prayer of "Consecration and Service" such as Jesus prayed in the Garden [Mt. 26:39] and the "Prayer of Agreement". [Mt. 18:19]

Both of these should be prayed 'in faith' - yet because they are different kinds of prayer - they operate under different rules or spiritual laws. Attempting to pray a 'Prayer of Agreement' or a 'Prayer of Faith' while using the laws governing the prayer of 'Consecration and Service' produces NO results. Many have already discovered this for themselves (though they may not understand why or even realize it).

This is one reason why so many Christians have very little or no results when they pray. Too often people try to use the rules governing one type of prayer to get results from another type - and this just won't work!

THINK OF IT THIS WAY:
Imagine trying to play football while using the game rules for basketball - it just won't work! 

Or imagine trying to play tennis while trying to use the games rules for hide-and-seek. Not only can you be sure that nobody would score - but also the results would be disastrous!

A COMMON MISTAKE: 
Some people always attempt to use the same rules for every kind of prayer, never realizing that different kinds of prayer require different rules. You certainly would not try to pray the 'prayer of agreement' if nobody agreed with you - would you? (At least I hope not!). 

Why? Because it won't work! You need at least one other person to stand in agreement with you in order to achieve any results from this type of prayer. It's how the spiritual LAWS governing this type of prayer work. How can you expect results if there was no one who agreed with you?

Nor should one use the rules governing a prayer of  'consecration' [Mt. 26:39] when trying to pray a 'prayer of faith' [Mk 11:24]. 

Why? 
Because, attempting to pray 'in faith' while using the spiritual laws that govern a 'prayer of consecration' will not produce results - it won't work. The prayer of faith requires (you guessed it) - FAITH! And, faith can ONLY be present when the revealed will of God is known. Read more about this subject at: http://www.biblecities.com/prayer-of-faith.htm 

SUMMARY:
Sometimes life can be difficult and challenging. For one thing, the devil doesn't want you to be blessed or successful in your endeavors. So in order to face the inevitable attacks that arise against your marriage, finances, body, job, and career, you must come to realize that PRAYER IS INDISPENSABLE. You cannot succeed as a Christian without an ACTIVE and EFFECTIVE prayer life.

No matter how anointed, skilled, or gifted you may be - or how bold and courageous you think you are, you simply cannot maintain a victorious position in life apart from prayer. Without prayer, you can be sure of absolute and total DEFEAT. But as you develop a lifestyle of prayer, taking advantage of every form of prayer available to you, you will find that victory is yours in the midst of every challenge!

The various kinds of prayer have all been given to you for your benefit and spiritual growth. So take the time to study the Word and learn not only HOW to pray with 'All kinds of prayer' - but also how each kind operates. Don't let this day go by without spending quality time in prayer with the Heavenly Father. There is victory waiting on the other side!

PRAYER FOR TODAY:
Lord, forgive me for the times I get so busy that I neglect my prayer life. I really want this inconsistency in my Life to be broken; I want my prayer life to get stronger and more stable. I realize that when I don't spend time alone with You, I make it difficult for you to show me everything you want me to know. Inconsistency is a work of the flesh, so I am asking you to help me break this pattern and learn how to make prayer one of the most important pillars of my life.

Lord, I believe that you heard my prayer so I declare by faith that from this day forward prayer is a central and significant part of my life. You have great spiritual adventures planned for me, and you want to reveal them to me during my time of prayer. I am steadfast, immovable, and consistent in my time with you. Nothing is as important to me as those moments I enjoy with you. As I spend time with you each day you refresh my spirit and enlighten my mind with the knowledge that you want me to know. My prayer time is a key to the success that You're giving me in my life. I Pray this in Jesus' Name: Amen!
 
Read Part 3: Understanding The Prayer of Faith
Listen to Part 1 for Free: Building A Foundation to Get Results

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