Battle Plan for Prayer - Week 9

Teaching using  The Battle Plan for Prayer by Stephen Kendrick & Alex Kendrick. Chapters 16,17,18,&19.

Faith verse Doubt

But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one

who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.
That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
James 1:6-7

When we pray we should rest in the knowledge that God is knowing, caring, able, and willing to answer our prayers. If we allow doubt to creep into our thought then we may be creating a roadblock for our prayers.

The author gives four misconceptions that led people to avoid praying.

The first misconception is: God does not know or understand my needs. 

But God does know and understand. He is all-knowing. He sees every sparrow that falls to the ground. (Matthew 10:29) He know the number of hairs on your head. (Matthew 10:30) He is able to count the stars in the universe. (Psalm 147:4) God knows everything you need before you ask. (Matthew 6:8)

But if God knows everything without us asking, then why do we need to pray. The easy answer is because God wants a relationship with us. We are not simply praying to get what we want. We pray to intimately know him, worship him, and love him. We pray to line up ourselves with his will and ways. We pray to access and advance his kingdom.

If a good parent knew everything a child wants without the child talking to the parent, would the parent be satisfied to be ignored by the child and simply provide things without a relationship? Neither is God satisfied when we don’t pray. He wants a relationship with us. He wants to walk with us through life. He understands everything we want and need. He is always there for us.

The second misconception is: God isn’t able to help. 

Paul stated that God is overly able to do far more than we expect.

Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all
we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us,
Ephesians 3:20

If God can put the stars in the universe and give each one a name, if he can talk to billions of people simultaneously, then surely, he is able to do what we ask.

Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is
impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Matthew 19:26

The third misconception is: God does not care. 

But God does care. He died a horrible death on the cross to show us his love and his willingness to restore us to our loving father.

In Luke 11, Jesus told the parables of the persistent neighbor asking for bread from a sleeping neighbor. Through his persistent his sleeping neighbor finally got out of bed and gave him some bread. In Luke 18, Jesus told the parable of a persistent widow who wore down an uncaring judge with her constant request for justice. The judge finally gave the widow what see sought.

In both parables Jesus was showing that if uncaring people will give what you want or need due to your persistence then a loving father will also give you what you ask.

“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
Luke 11:9

The fourth misconception is: God isn’t likely to do anything anyway. 

But. the Bible tells us God is willing to listen, counsel, direct, respond, comfort, and encourage us.

When a leper approached Jesus in faith, Jesus felt compassion and was willing to heal the man.

Jesus was indignant. He reached out his hand and touched the man.
“I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!”
Mark 1:41

God is willing and able. We are the ones who are weak and unwilling. We are unwilling to wait, to listen, to accept the answer, and to trust God to know what is best. Jesus is always interceding for us with the Father.

Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him,
because he always lives to intercede for them
Hebrews 7:25

God is not Santa Claus. He may choose to not do what we ask. It is up to us to trust that his reasons are just and best. In his loving compassion for us he does what is best for us rather than simply giving us whatever we ask.

The more time we spend with God in prayer the better we will know him. The easier it will become to trust him and believe he is all-knowing, completely able, caring, and acting on our behalf.

Secret verses Show

“The secret things belong to the Lord our God, 

but the things revealed belong to us and to our sons forever,

that we may observe all the words of this law. 

Deuteronomy 29:29

In scripture Jesus prayed in public a few times but mostly Jesus prayed in private. He rose early in the morning and go out to pray, or he sent everyone away to go into a solitary place to pray, or he prayed after everyone went to sleep.

In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, 

left the house, and went away to a secluded place, 

and was praying there. 

Mark 1:35

After bidding them farewell, He left for the mountain to pray. 

Mark 6:46

 It was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray,
and He spent the whole night in prayer to God. 

Luke 6:12

However, the Pharisees, the religious elite did the exact opposite. They enjoyed praying on the street corners, or in the temple. They prayed loudly so everyone would see them. They wanted everyone to praise them for being holy before God. But Jesus called them hypocrites.

“When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and 

pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. 

Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. 

Matthew 6:5

This does not mean it is wrong to pray in public before a crowd. In the Bible, Moses, Joshua, David, and Solomon prayed publicly before the people of Israel. But they were not putting on a show for the praise of men. They were leading others to focus on God.

Our prayers whether in private or public should be to praise and honor God not to seek the praise of other people in the room. Our public prayers should lead others to praise and honor God also.

For am I now seeking the favor of men, or of God? Or am I striving to please men?
If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a bond-servant of Christ.
Galatians 1:10

We should remember that God created us. He is the ruler of all that exist. It is to him and him alone we will give account for our actions, not to men. Pleasing God should be our greatest concern. We should approach God with humility, reverence, and sincerity, always checking our motives. Pride and praise of men should not be the motives to pray.

Praying in public is an important part of church life. But praying in private, alone with God is an important part of our personal walk with God. Our daily prayer life should be in a private place. People who pray for praise have received their full reward from the people around them. God will give no further reward.

But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and 

pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees 

what is done in secret will reward you.
Matthew 6:6

Praying for praise or refusing to pray for fear of no praise are both rooted in pride. God hates pride.

Everyone who is proud in heart is an abomination to the Lord;
Assuredly, he will not be unpunished.
Proverbs 16:5

This people honors Me with their lips,
But their heart is far away from Me.
Matthew 15:8

Praying in secret allows you to remove distractions, focus on God, confess your sin, and thank him for his blessings. It allows us to humbly present our request to him without seeking any reward other than knowing him.

Another benefit is that God rewards prayers prayed in secret. God is there in the secret place with you. Jesus mainly sought the father in secret and he commands us to do the same. When we are alone with God we can approach him with a sincere heart. Spending time in the secret place with God allows us to show God is a priority in our lives and God will reward us.

For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle;
In the secret place of His tent He will hide me;
He will lift me up on a rock.
Psalms 27:5

Obedience verse Rebellion

let us draw near with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, 

having our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience 

and our bodies washed with pure water.
Hebrews 10:22

The author tells a story of children being told to go clean their room. When the parent checks in on them later, the children are sitting in a circle, holding hands. They are praying for knowledge on how to clean the room, for strength to clean the room, and for the Spirit to equip them with supplies to clean the room. Needless to say, the parent is angry and yells at the children to stop praying and get busy.

This is an example of prayers without submission. The children were in rebellion and using prayer as an excuse to postpone cleaning. Obviously, the children did not need to pray. They needed to submit to the parent’s command.

Unfortunately, some Christians hide their rebellion behind prayers. They hope that as long as they keep praying, God will not notice their procrastination. There is scripture where God tells people not to pray because of there rebellious hearts. Joshua suffered a serious defeat at the town of Ai. He was praying to God to understand what happened. God tells him to stop praying because of Israel’s sins.

So the Lord said to Joshua, “Rise up! Why is it that you have fallen on your face? 

Israel has sinned, and they have also transgressed My covenant which I commanded them. 

And they have even taken some of the things under the ban and have both stolen and deceived. Moreover, they have also put them among their own things.
Joshua 7:10-11

God also told several of the prophets to stop praying because of Israel’s wayward behavior.

“As for you, do not pray for this people, and do not lift up cry or prayer for them, 

and do not intercede with Me; for I do not hear you. 

Do you not see what they are doing in the cities of 

Judah and in the streets of Jerusalem?
Jeremiah 7:16-17

When you offer your gifts, when you cause your sons to pass through the fire, 

you are defiling yourselves with all your idols to this day. And shall I be inquired 

of by you, O house of Israel? As I live,” declares the Lord God, 

“I will not be inquired of by you.
Ezekiel 20:31

Obedience is important to God. However, it is not a legalistic way to get what we want. As a follower of Christ, we should be learning to walk in greater obedience to God. If we are simply doing as little as possible to please God and ignoring our sins, then God will ignore our prayers.

And everyone who has this hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure. … 

Little children, make sure no one deceives you; the one who practices righteousness 

is righteous, just as He is righteous;
1 John 3: 3 & 7

Praying with a clean heart is more effective than praying with a rebellious heart.

Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; 

and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His 

commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
1 John 3:21-22

Persistence verses Impatience

Indeed, none of those who wait for You will be ashamed;
Those who deal treacherously without cause will be ashamed.
Psalms 25:3

Persistence is an important part of praying. God may answer in twenty minutes or twenty years, we should continue to pray until the matter is resolved. God is pleased when we are patiently trusting him to do what is best. He may delay answers to prayer to reveal our hearts and show our motives.

King Saul grew inpatient waiting for the prophet Samuel to arrive, and decided to offer the sacrifice himself. While God commanded that only the priest was allowed to offer the sacrifice. Samuel arrive soon afterwards and told Saul because of his actions he would lose God’s blessing.

Samuel said to Saul, “You have acted foolishly; you have not kept the commandment 

of the Lord your God, which He commanded you, for now the Lord would have established 

your kingdom over Israel forever. But now your kingdom shall not endure. 

The Lord has sought out for Himself a man after His own heart, and the Lord has appointed 

him as ruler over His people, because you have not kept what the Lord commanded you.”
1 Samuel 13:13-14

Zacharias waiting on the Lord for a child and was amazed when God provided him with a child who would become John the Baptist.

But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your petition 

has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, 

and you will give him the name John.
Luke 1:13

The Bible tells us to pray always and without ceasing. We are to devote ourselves to prayer.

But keep on the alert at all times, praying that you may have strength to 

escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Luke 21:36

pray without ceasing;
1 Thessalonians 5:17

Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
Colossians 4:2

Scripture teaches us we are not to pray only once and be finished. We are to pray continually until the matter is settled.

“Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. Or what man is there among you who, when his son asks for a loaf, will give him a stone?
Matthew 7:7-9

As in the parable of the persistent widow, we are to keep praying. Even the ungodly give us our desire if we continue asking. A loving and kind God is more willing to give us what we ask when we are persistent.

Our lack of patient can cause us to not trust God. So much of our lives revolves around instant satisfaction. Things such as fast-food, instant texting, and fast uploading speeds teach us to become inpatient when our desires are delayed. But God works in his time not in ours. God’s ways and timing are always perfect.

Elijah was persistent in prayer and his prayers were answered in different ways. When Elijah met the false prophets of Baal, he prayed once and fire immediately fell from heaven.

Answer me, O Lord, answer me, that this people may know that You, O Lord, are God,
and that You have turned their heart back again.” Then the fire of the Lord
fell and consumed the burnt offering and the wood and the stones and the dust,
and licked up the water that was in the trench.
1 Kings 18:37-38

When trying to revive the dead son of a widow, Elijah prayed three times before the child returned to life.

Then he stretched himself upon the child three times, and called to the Lord and said, 

“O Lord my God, I pray You, let this child’s life return to him.” The Lord heard 

the voice of Elijah, and the life of the child returned to him and he revived.
1 Kings 17:21-22

When Elijah prayed for rain, he prayed seven times before the rain arrived.

But Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and he crouched down on the earth
and put his face between his knees. He said to his servant, “Go up now, look
toward the sea.” So he went up and looked and said, “There is nothing.” And he said,
“Go back” seven times. It came about at the seventh time, that he said,
“Behold, a cloud as small as a man’s hand is coming up from the sea.”
1 Kings 18:42-44

We do not know if God will answer immediately or if he will wait days or years. We should continue in prayer and wait faithfully. Sometimes God will answer before we pray and other times God will wait.

God waiting decades before giving Abraham a son. But when Abraham’s servant searched for a wife for Isaac, God answered before the servant finished praying.

Before he had finished speaking, behold, Rebekah who was born to Bethuel 

the son of Milcah, the wife of Abraham’s brother Nahor, 

came out with her jar on her shoulder.

Genesis 24:15

George Muller began an orphanage in London. He kept a prayer journal and saw over 50,000 prayers answered in his lifetime. George Muller said “I live in a spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk about, when I lie down and when I rise up. And the answers are always coming. Thousands and tens of thousands of times have my prayer been answered. When once I am persuaded that a thing is right and for the glory of God, I go on praying for it until the answer comes.” George Muller never gave up.

God may answer a prayer quickly or he may wait for a time. We are to keep the faith and never give up.

Rest in the Lord and wait patiently for Him;
Psalm 37:7

Wait for the Lord;
Be strong and let your heart take courage;
Yes, wait for the Lord
Psalm 27:14

Yet those who wait for the Lord
Will gain new strength;
They will mount up with wings like eagles,
They will run and not get tired,
They will walk and not become weary.
Isaiah 40:31