Jesus’s Instructions for our Prayers

How Did Jesus Teach Us To Pray?

This topic came up for me while I was visiting another blog.  Once I compiled my response I thought it would be good to put something up here.

I believe the topic of prayer is a biggie, especially in the charismatic (manic) camps.  Many have gotten away from teaching and practicing prayer as Jesus did, swapping it out for decreeing, declaring, speaking things into existence, claiming our words have the power to create and cause things to happen.

These methods sound good to us, but I believe they are wrong, even dangerous, not found in the  bible, nor taught or practiced by Jesus! They appeal to our flesh, that part of us that says, “I want, I get”.  That, stamped with an elevated sense of authority and power, and the result  is nothing short of a Christian practising witchcraft.

Most of the time, this prayer simply does not work.  It catches a lot of attention, it brings in lots of cash, creating fame and fortune for it’s claimers.  I’ve been in more than a few conversations with other believers on this. Usually, once this is practiced and found be be worthless, we can often fall into the trap of comparing ourselves with them, “the blessed”, thinking that God does not love us as much as they as they seem to be, or at least claim to be receiving blessing upon blessing and prosperity.  From then on, there is a loss of faith.

More often than not, the blessing, the prosperity claimed to be “from God” is really from man; many faithful and deceived followers of man, giving of their own time, money and resources.  Ungodly means, ungodly gains.  There is a difference.

So, how did Jesus pray?  When asked by His disciples He taught them what we refer to as the Lord’s prayer.  We are to ask the Father for the things we need.

Luke 11:2 So He said to then, “When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.  Your kingdom come. You will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

3 “Give us this day our daily bread.

4 “And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.

At verse 5, Jesus begins explaining the concept of “ask, seek, knock”; what will be given is done so out of persistence.

9 “So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened.

10 “For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.

In Matthew 6:9-13 the prayer is repeated, adding these words in the latter part of verse 13 for Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

So there we have it – prayer by Jesus, God in human flesh acknowledging Our Father God who is in heaven, His kingdom, His will, asking for the things most important – food, forgiveness, deliverance of evil things, again acknowledging His kingdom and His power and glory.  No proud, rude, loud, declaring, decreeing going on there!

Who are we to command God?

The following point is made in the article Word Curses, but it is important and fits this discussion.

Oftentimes we hear this scripture quoted to support the idea that our words have power.  It’s only a fragment of a scripture, twisted and completely taken out of its meaning.  You will recognize – “call things that are not as though they were”.  This claim is a twist on Romans 4:16-17,  with the emphasis solely on the latter part of verse 17-

¹⁶ Therefore, the promise comes by faith, so that it may be by grace and may be guaranteed to all Abraham’s offspring—not only to those who are of the law but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham. He is the father of us all. ¹⁷ As it is written: “I have made you a father of many nations.” He is our father in the sight of God, in whom he believed—the God who gives life to the dead and calls things that are not as though they were.

Power belongs to God and to Him alone and that is what this verse is getting at. It is God who calls these things, not people.  It was God who spoke the planets into existence, not Adam.

So, for whatever you need, ask, seek, knock and it will be given. It is the promise of the Father. And if what you are asking for doesn’t come, continue to wait and to ask, be disciplined!  Don’t give up and don’t sell out for this method of prayer that is sinful, wicked Christian witchcraft!

Mark 11:23 “For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.”

Blessed be the Name of the Lord!

http://mkayla.wordpress.com/2009/06/11/how-did-jesus-teach-us-to-pray/

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