3 stages of effective prayerprayer
W Rob Lewis II
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Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. [1]
There is mentioned in the bible a time when Jesus preached a sermon. Yes I know the Gospels are full of remarks ,parables and quotes of Jesus. It is sometimes called the sermon on the mount, there is a second reference sometimes called sermon on the plains. Whether thus is the same sermon is not sure but the content is the same.
But found in Matthew chapters 5-7, is probably the most concise rendering of Jesus’ philosophy.
For in that sermon, he gives us truth, hope and direction.
He gives us the beatitudes
Where he talks about how God blesses. And he shook them up because the common thought that God blesses those who were rich, and powerful, but Jesus says that it is the humble , merciful the peacemakers ,and yes even the poor that shall inherit the Kingdom.
He says that he came not to abandon the law but to fulfill it, to give it its true meaning. One of love and not rules.
He teaches about attitudes and anger, and even adultery.
He teaches about forgiveness and loving your enemy.
He teaches about money and possessions and where your true treasure lies.
He teaches about judging others, and he special thing he about teaches about is prayer.
He gives the our father, a model prayer Tells about that secret closet, that at times prayer is just between you and God , in your your secret closet and he talks about our scriptural reference today effective prayer.
Come with me to the 7th chapter of Matthew, found is the 7 and 8 verse our found these words.Matthew 7:7-8
“Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.
[1]Tyndale House Publishers. (2015). Holy Bible: New Living Translation (Mt 7:7–8). Tyndale House Publishers.
Fathe God, i come humbly before the throne of Grace seeking your grace and your mercy, Father i am not worthy that i should come under your roof, but speak but a word and my sould will be healed, my soul will be cleaned.
Allow me to speak your words with boldness and conviction. That something i say will bring someone to the altar asking what i must do to be saved. Father, I give you all the praise and the Glory.
I call this sermon three stages of Effective prayer.
I don’t know about you but this particular scripture lifted up has been debated by me and probably misunderstood.
You see if we read the words they seem to say that if you ask, you will receive. The scripture seems to say that the answer, blessing is there merely for the asking. I have had many people say to me ,but i asked and the scripture says that if i ask i shall receive, does not it say that pastor?
My response today is two-fold to that question; 1, I gave you the new living translation version because it more accurately reflects the greek word and the tense of the words , so it is not ask and you will receive , but keep on asking and you will receive what you ask for. and 2, I now interpret this scripture as a three stages of the same prayer.
Ask
Ask
Keeping asking, keep seeking,and keep knocking.
for you will, receive, you will find, and the door will be opened.
The question is asked why do you think it is the same prayer, well I am glad you asked.
Scripture leads me to that conclusion.
throught the gospels,Jesus tells us to be persistent, the widow who would not stop, the foreign woman persistence when her daughter was possessed by an evil spirit. so we know Jesus wants us to continue to pray even when initially denied.
but moreover it is the progression of the request.
Asking is forming the request. When i ask I realize his power and i believe that he can,, I know that he is able. I trust that he will, because I know he can.!
but do i trust him enough to let him bless according to his wisdom. or my request or Do i have enough faith to wait on him, to on him, do i have enough faith to say anyway you bless me. Do I have trust to say nevertheless, your will be done, Do I have enough faith to say your grace is sufficient.
I believe that is where the second stage of prayer comes in, seek and you will find!
Seek
Seek
The question then is posed Seek what, seek who?
well the what you should seek is the kingdom of God for scriptures says
Seek you first the Kingdom of God ,and his righteousness and all these things shall be added unto you. What things, wealth, food, possessions ,everything that you need to survive. I believe if you put God first, then those will come. Or the the things you wanted will not be as important as what God has for you.
Seek God and his righteousness, do you understand that if you seek god’s righteousness ,you got to approach hime right, you can’t approach a righteous God , unless you are wiling to be righteous yourself.
Seek who oh GOD says in psalm 27
When you said seek my face, i said your face I will seek.
That means you want to be face to face with God.
Moses couldn’t face God because his glory is that great.
But the second phase of prayer is getting ready to face god. getting righteous , doing the right thing, going to your secret closet. And just like asking , you keep on seeking . what is seeking ?
Seeking is getting close to god, coming close to Jesus. Trying to get to the Holy place, climbing that Holy mountain.
those with a clean hands and a pure heart, that is how you seek the Lord, a pure heart and clean hands.
I am always shocked when people are surpised that there prayers are not answered and they are not obedient, they are doing any and everything but het expect the Lord to bless them anyway. the lord is a loving God but he is a just god also. But we who have been raised in new life with Christ , who have accepted him as lord and savior, we may not be perfect but we are trying. As we seek the Kingdom, as we seek his face, as we seek his righteousness, then we change. We start to to become more like Christ. When you get close to Christ your thoughts change, your thoughts become more of heaven and less about earth. More about heavenly less about earthly things. When you get there in spirit ,you seek him and he is found ,the place you meet is Holy ground! What is holy ground that time when you do reach God And like Moses you have a burning bush experience!Like Jacob you are meeting him at a rock ,and like Jacob you can say surely God is in this place.
And your prayers become more in line of what God wants for you then what you want for you.
Not my will Jesus but your will be done And you can say bless me anyway you want to lord. something like give me this day my daily bread, one day at a time sweet jesus!
Knock
Knock
The third face of the prayer is knocking and it will be answered.
the reason you can knock is that you have approached the dwelling place of the most high. In order to knock you have to be close. within arm distance .
Then you have sought god with your heart and Soul and so you are within knocking distance then the door of mercy will open. The gate of grace will open.
You see asking is all about us, seeking put’s god’s needs first, and knocking shows we are ready for him. And he will answer, he will be found and he will open the door. And when the door is open, that means we have established a relationship.
And because of the relationship prayers will be answered.
for believe there is a God love him,
If there be a Christ love him.
if there is sin, avoid it ,
if there is pardon accept it.
For is there is a heaven seek it,
if there is a hell escape
For then you put your needs in God’s hands, for he knows what you need, he knows your sorrows , and then we can we will not limit him, and then we can look for those unexpected blessings. For we know his promises are larger than our prayers. For he will make away out of no way ,and he will take care of you.
For as we seek God
we pray with humility
We pray often
we pray without doubt
We pray with the right motives
.we pray according to God’s will.
For we believe that he will answer our prayer. For we know according to the power that works in us , that power that saved us , that washed us in his blood, a that power that fills us with his spirit, will work for us, meeting every emergency, meeting every crisis, in every circumstance against every adversary.