PRAYER IS THE GREATEST PRIVILEGE OF ALL

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PRAYER IS A TWO-WAY CONVERSATION WITH GOD

Prayer is worship that includes all the attitudes of the human spirit in its approach to God.  The Christian worships God when he adores, confesses, praises, and supplicates to God in Prayer, (Supplicates means to make requests to God). The highest activity of which the human spirit is capable of is communion with God, so long as the due emphasis is upon divine initiative.

Jesus tells us that ideal prayer holds both a request for personal forgiveness and a request for a forgiving spirit.

A man prays because God has already touched his spirit. 
The biblical doctrine of worship emphasizes the character of God, the necessity of a man's being in a saved relationship with Him. Thus, allowing access to all the privileges and obligations of that relationship with God.

God speaks to our spiritual ears, revealing Himself to our spiritual eyes, and draws near to touch with our spiritual hands.

TO WHOM SHOULD WE PRAY?

Looking at the unique roles that each member of the Trinity plays when it comes to prayer, will best answer this question.

GOD THE FATHER - THE SOURCE OF ALL OUR NEEDS

God, the Father, occupies the seat of sovereignty and acts on behalf of His spiritual children.  The Father desires that we approach Him with the warm, tender cry of a child - "Abba, Father."  Jesus pointed His disciples to the Father when they spoke in Prayer, and always addressed the Father in His prayers.

JESUS CHRIST - THE MEDIATOR

The Son's role in prayer is the Mediator, the High Priest, and the Revealer of God.  By His death for us, Jesus Christ opened the way to the Father and gave us His name to carry our concerns to the Father in Prayer. He became our eternal High Priest, interceding for us with the Father because He understands our fears, giving us the confidence to draw near to God (Hebrews 4:14-16).  

The standard practice of the apostles and the saints is to address the Father in Jesus’ name. We ask Jesus because He is the high priest that intercedes for us before the throne of God. Jesus argues our case for our standing in Him just as a lawyer would do in court.

THE HOLY SPIRIT - THE ENABLER

The Holy Spirit, as the third member of the Trinity, acts as the Enabler and the Interceder in Prayer.  The Holy Spirit makes the believer aware of his status as a child of God (Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6). He motivates and empowers us as we "pray in the Spirit" (Ephesians 6:18).  The spirit also comes alongside the believer in prayer and helps "carry the load" and directs the believer when they do not know what to ask or how to pray (Romans 8:26-27).

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LESSONS FROM THE MASTER

 “So, shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

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JESUS WAS TEMPTED THREE TIMES

These sins, "the lust of the flesh. The lust of the eyes.  And the pride of life." All depicted in Jesus' temptation in the wilderness.

First, Jesus was tempted to sin against God by pursuing worldly things rather than God. He was tempted by His physical needs, the lust of the flesh when He was tempted to turn the stones into bread.

Next, Jesus was tempted to do something spectacular by throwing Himself off the temple and having His angels rescue Him, the lust of the eyes.

Finally, Jesus was tempted to receive all the kingdoms of the world if He worshiped Satan; this is idol worship and the pride of life (See Matthew 4:1).

These three temptations that Jesus resisted in the wilderness mirror Adam and Eve's temptations and sin in the Garden and reflects what John defines as loving the world, the sins of "the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life."

The temptation of Jesus by Satan (Luke 3:1-14) parallels Genesis three. The devil wanted Jesus to turn the stones into bread (flesh), to gaze at all the kingdoms and their glory (eyes), and to jump down from the Temple to prove He was the Messiah (pride of life). The methods of Satan never change.

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GOD’S SPIRITUAL WAR CHEST 

SPIRITUAL TOOLS FOR WINNING THE BATTLE 

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 In this chapter, we will examine each piece of armor to understand how vital they are in the believer's life and how to use them according to God's purpose and power. God has divine resources for our trials, temptations, and warfare. We only need to know what is available to us and let God use them through us.

Our warfare alongside Christ: As Paul sums up the book of Ephesians in Chapter 6, he tells us that we have all the resources, all the power, and all the principles to live the Christian life.  However, there is one thing left that we need to know:  It will not be simple living the Christian life! The change that occurs at your rebirth is more dramatic than the change that will happen when you die.

Even though we have the power and the principles, our enemy, Satan, will try to prevent the divine purpose in our lives.  So, in defining the Christian life, the best term to use would be warfare.  Repeatedly in Scripture, we see the Christian life in terms of combat. Whether you're at the beginning of your Christian experience or the end of it, you're going to be in the same battle; and if you think it will get more comfortable, you're wrong!

The more productive you become as a believer; the harder Satan will work against you. It's always been a war, and it will never stop being a war here on earth.  However, the longer you fight, the more victories you will gain; and the higher the strings of wins, the more confidence you will have in God.

We are the people of God, and we are set in this world to carry out the goals, plans, and purposes which God Himself designed.  Because of this, God has given us tremendous resources.

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"BE RENEWED IN THE SPIRIT OF YOUR MIND"

God's Eternal Purpose Is to Make Us Like Himself

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 Putting on the mind of Christ is essential in controlling our thought life. But first, we must put off our old carnal mind. God has made promises and provisions for us to change our way of thinking. His Word instructs us on how to submit to the will of God. As we have discovered in earlier chapters, God's ways are not our ways.

When we start to think in a carnal way, we must stop our thoughts, take dominion over them in Jesus' name, and "not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”(Romans 12:2). The question should always be, “What would Jesus think and do?”

In this chapter, we will examine how vital our thought life is in winning our spiritual battles. “For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war after the flesh: (For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds;) Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ; And having in a readiness to revenge all disobedience, when your obedience is fulfilled” (2 Corinthians 10: 3-6).

Scripture has commanded us to "Put on The Whole Armor of God." Once on, we are to keep it on. Our victory in spiritual battles come in the power of the Holy Spirit. We prepare for warfare by bringing our thoughts into captivity and obedience by asking yourself in all situations, “what would Jesus think, do, or say,” and then imitate Him. Our real battles, our real warfare is not physical. They are spiritual battles with spirit entities that surround us, and there is spiritual warfare continually going on. One only needs to look around them to see the effects of pure evil in this world ruled by Satan.

Although, we walk in the flesh; that is, we are in a body of flesh; our real warfare is not fleshly.  Paul, writing to the Ephesians, said, "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, and powers, and spiritual entities in high places" (Ephesians 6:12).

“We walk in the weakness of the flesh," but though we WALK in it, we do not WAR according to it. We walk in faith and not by sight. Thus, the importance of increasing our confidence. Paul exhorts us concerning one piece of armor much needed, “above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked” (Ephesians 6:16).

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CRUCIFYING OUR OLD IMAGE

“If children, then heirs – heirs of God and joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer for Him, that we may also be glorified together” (Romans 8:17).

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THE RESURRECTED LIFE ALWAYS FOLLOWS THE CRUCIFIED LIFE

The Cross was the tool God used to prepare the way of salvation. We must also believe that God raised Jesus from the dead because this is where the power of God enters our lives. We died at the Cross to our old life. We begin our new life in the resurrected power of the Holy Spirit. As we live the resurrected life, we enter the fellowship of Jesus’ suffering. Thus, preparing us for trials and the spiritual battles we will fight.

The earthly form of Christ is the way He died on the cross. The image of God is the image of Christ crucified. It is this image that the life of the disciple must live. In other words, they adjusted to His death. 

A life of crucifixion. Anybody living in the strength of Christ's baptism lives in the power of His death. Thus, a daily dying in the war between the flesh and the spirit. The suffering which all his disciples on earth must undergo.

Christians called according to His purpose will find the Cross a necessary path to maturity. We are opening the way to enter the fellowship of His suffering. Thus, living in the power of His resurrection, resulting in a true reflection of His Image for all to behold. Remember, the resurrected life always follows the crucified life. When we take an area of our lives to the Cross and put it to death, God resurrects that area in newness for His glory.

Jesus is dead serious about His Word; in fact, He died to keep His Word. He says that we must be born again of the Spirit. Enter the fellowship of His suffering, be conformed into His image, and live in the power of His resurrection. We are also told to do good works on earth, lay our treasures up in heaven, and seek the kingdom of God more than anything else. Knowing that the truth will set us free, we will rely on the author and finisher of our faith (Jesus) to teach us the doctrinal truth in everything.

It is through the fellowship of His suffering we grow in faith. And as we look to Jesus, the author, and finisher of our faith, all things are possible. “Wherefore seeing we also are compassed [surrounded] about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God” (Hebrew 12:1-2).

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A PARABLE IS AN EARTHLY STORY CONTAINING A HEAVENLY MEANING

It has applications for us today on earth and in eternity to come.

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 The Parable of The Sower Paraphrased:

A farmer spreads seed that falls into four types of soil. The birds eat the seed that falls on hard soil because it never sunk into the ground. A seed that falls on rocks springs up quickly but withers due to a lack of root. The seed that falls in weeds is choked out and overtaken for lack of sun. The seed that falls in GOOD SOIL produces much fruit.

This parable explains that the four soils symbolize four types of hearts and the responses after people hear the proclamation of the kingdom of God. The parable challenges us to receive the Word about the kingdom of heaven. To focus on that message and grow. A real hearing and understanding of the message of the Kingdom of God becomes a crucial lesson and can help a believer in producing a productive life. 

The purpose of a parable is always to explain the truth. When a person cannot understand or see a fact, then you use a story. You take something familiar to them, something that they can understand, and incorporate this into an account that teaches the principles that you are trying to get across to them.

Jesus noticed that the people were not listening when He spoke simple truths, so He began to tell stories to encourage the people to listen to Him. Jesus spoke in the language of the people – He taught at their level. Jesus taught this way to convey the message of salvation and the kingdom clearly and straightforwardly.

THE SOWER: The emphasis of the parable is not on the sower; it is on the seed, and what happens to the grain when it falls on different soils. A sower went out to sow, and as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside on a stony place among thorns on good ground. In this parable, the seed fell on four distinct types of soil. So, the "sower" in this parable likely refers to Jesus.

THE SEED: The seed is the Word of the Kingdom - (Matthew 13:19a). The seed also stands for the Gospel of the Kingdom, which was the theme of Jesus’ preaching – (Matthew 4:23).

LET’S REVIEW THE FOUR SOILS:  1) Seed that falls on hard soil, 2) Seed that falls on rocks, 3) Seed that falls in weeds, and 4) Seed that falls in GOOD SOIL.

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REPAIRING GOD’S IMAGE IN US

“Come now, and let us reason together,” Says the LORD, “Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; Though they are red like crimson, they shall be as wool” (Isaiah 1:18).

                    JESUS SPILT HIS BLOOD ON THE CROSS FOR OUR SALVATION.

         IF WE GET A SPLINTER PICKING UP OUR CROSS, IT WILL NOT KILL US.

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WHOSOEVER MEANS YOU

Christ died on the CROSS for WHOSOEVER would in faith believe and receive the gift of salvation. Jesus’ past workings on the Cross fulfills His promise to anyone today who will respond to it. Therefore, faith is believing God’s Word and acting upon it.

The Cross of Christ is the most urgent message this world will ever hear. In Galatians 6:14, the apostle Paul said, “But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” In other words, all he had received through inheritance or accomplishments in life was nothing compared to His relationship with God through His Son Jesus. Paul’s position, riches, influence, reputation, and physical comfort lost their meaning when weighed against the redemption that was his through the crucifixion.

God’s ways are infinite, and we are finite in our knowledge of His preordained plans. Our carnal intellect wants a process to follow with, step-by-step-directions of God’s predestined plan for our lives. Isaiah 55:8 states, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways,” says the LORD.”

The Good News is we do have a roadmap to follow, and it is the WORD of GOD. We are to study to show ourselves approved, rightly dividing the Word of Truth. (2 Timothy 2:15).

He also sent us the Holy Spirit to enlighten us, “But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you” (John 14:26). If we lack understanding, ask God in prayer, and He will increase our faith to understand His wisdom and truth.

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GOD IS THE PROMISE-KEEPER - You can bet your life on it!

“For all the promises of God in Him are Yes, and in Him Amen, to the glory of God through us” (2 Corinthians 1:20).

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Understanding God’s promises are vital for every trial and temptation we face in life. There are promises to deliver us from them, to help guide us through them and teach us spiritual lessons to mature us. There are over 3,000 promises in the Bible. Jesus promises us that He will be with us even to the world's end. God promises to only give good things to us. God promises us eternal life if we believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. There are many, many other promises awaiting your response.

There are two Principles we need to learn about God’s Promises. 1) We must understand that "God's past promises/workings meet our present response." 2) And, "Faith is believing God's Word and acting upon it."

For example, we have a promise that if we believe in Jesus Christ and are born again, we will receive eternal life. Therefore, applying the Principle in faith brings the blessing.  Without these two Principles, the Process of Transforming us into the Image of Christ will not take root to change our lives.

We first believe in faith that God will fulfill His promise, and then we apply the Principles of teaching by doing those things that prove we accept and love God. You say you have faith then prove it.

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“Liar-Liar, Pants on Fire, Nose as Long as a Telephone wire!”

“But above all, my brethren, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or with any other oath. But let your “Yes” be “Yes,” and your “No,” “No,” lest you fall into judgment.” (James 5:12)

Promises are to be kept or not made at all. In Matthew Chapter 26, we find one of the most significant broken promises in all the Bible. Peter promised Jesus that he would never stumble or never deny Him. Jesus said to him, "Assuredly, I say to you that this night before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times." Peter did deny Him three times as Jesus foretold. And Peter remembered the word of Jesus who had said to him, “Before the rooster crows, you will deny Me three times.” So, he went out and wept bitterly.” 

Our promises should be commitments to God made in faith, founded in His Word, approved by His will, implemented through His principles, for the improvement of the Church and bringing Glory to God. Our eternal relationship is more significant than our gratification. 

• God is more concerned with our character than our comfort. His goal is not to pamper us physically but to perfect us spiritually.

When you think about it, these lessons we learn through Peters's spiritual highs and carnal lows represent our Christian walk. We confess Christ as Lord, then as we sojourn, we deny Him, we backslide, we have seasons of the soul and we must repent. God is gracious to restore us when we ask Him for forgiveness. Peter in one breath proclaimed Jesus to be the Messiah, the Son of the living God. Next breath we find him rebuking Jesus.

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THE IMAGE OF THREE IN ONE

"And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly." 

1 Corinthians 15:49

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The Bible says that God has an overwhelming purpose behind everything that He does. He wants to Redeem us and Make Us Like Him. God is not just satisfied saving us from eternal torment; He has a higher purpose for our lives.

God's purpose for each of us is to transform us into the Image of His Dear Son Jesus Christ. His plan in the beginning after creating heaven and earth was to populate this earth with men and women who would bear His Image and Likeness.

We had an interruption into God's Great Plan. Satan came into the garden and tempted Eve, and she ate of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and so did Adam. Thus, forfeiting their spiritual relationship with God and displacing the Image and Likeness of God.

Although this interfered with God's plan, it did not cause God to change His plan. That is, God's plan is still to populate this earth with those who would bear His likeness and image.

“For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren” (Romans 8:29).

You are those who follow Christ and destined to bear His Image. And to be the brethren of the firstborn Son of God. The goal is to become "as Christ."  Christ's followers always have his image before their lives to make them more like their Master.

In life and death, Christ revealed. His divine Image. The incarnation of Jesus, His death on the cross, His burial, and resurrection are all indispensable parts of that image. Therefore, put on the mind of Christ and be conformed into His Image.

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