Wednesday: Our Freedom
Have you ever wondered why prayer is so vital? Why do we have to ask Him for the Holy Spirit? Isn’t He willing to give the Holy Spirit to us?
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The answer to these questions lies in understanding God’s respect for our freedom of choice. He has created us with the ability to make moral choices. God is doing everything He can for us and through us before we pray, but He is limited by our choices (Ps. 78:41, 42).
In prayer we freely acknowledge our total dependency upon God and give Him the freedom to intervene in our lives. The more we pray, the more we acknowledge His all sufficiency. When we pray, His Holy Spirit prepares our heart to receive more of Him. The more we pray, the more we allow the Holy Spirit to “crucify” our sinful desires. In the great controversy between good and evil, prayer enables God to work more powerfully in our lives.
Analyze 2 Corinthians 10:3-5.
How would you define the expression, “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God” (NKJV) ? What are these weapons? What kind of warfare is Paul talking about here, and why would he use that kind of imagery? How are we to understand the battle in which we are engaged?
As Seventh-day Adventists, we understand the reality of the great controversy between Christ and Satan. We know that it is real and that we all are involved in it. Left alone, we would be hopeless against Satan. Our only hope is our connection with Jesus, and central to that connection is our prayer life-a spiritual weapon for a spiritual battle, a weapon that none of us can do without. If Jesus needed to pray, how much more so do we?
“We, too, must have times set apart for meditation and prayer and for receiving spiritual refreshing. We do not value the power and efficacy of prayer as we should. Prayer and faith will do what no power on earth can accomplish.”-Ellen G. White, The Ministry of Healing, p. 509.
In what ways have you experienced in your own life the harsh reality of the great controversy between Christ and Satan? How has prayer aided you in this struggle? Where would you be without it?
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We need to be connected to God as the cooker is connected to the socket to be giving electricity for daily efficient work.
Thanks Luke, I have more input here: Prayer is a way of coming to God and of opening oneself (being honest with God) up to Him. We do not pray so that God will know the things that we need. Jesus Himself says that "your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him" Mat 6:8. We pray because prayer is a way of exercising /using our faith in God. It is a way of making our faith stronger, more real and useful. Who has not experienced how prayer can help to make one's faith grow and improve one's relationship with God? Prayer helps you to remember that you have been bought with a price. It is a way to remind yourself that you are not your own. It is a way to connect with God on a very personal level. If we don't pray we would fall and die in a world full of powers and forces that could quickly crush you into the dirt. Prayer is an act of faith. In prayers we reach out beyond what we see or feel or even fully understand.
So if God knows our need, why pray? Because He respect our own choices and since there so many other gods, He wants us to recognise Him as our Creator and Provider through worships, praises and prayers. Prayers makes our faith stronger, whether our prayers are answered or not!
Keep on praying and you will notice a lot of changes in your spiritual life and you will also be confortable of what you receive or you dont receive from the Provider.
Amen.
i truely commend on what you're doing, we as believers of the word shouldn't stay in our churches & wait for people to rush in
Pray without ceasing ... Converse with God always ... Continually in every circumstance. This does not magically move God, but rather brings us into a place of awreness of His reality, presence love and power.
Weapons of mass destruction are in the heart much as tools of construction are in that same heart,it depends on whose influence the heart is following for these to be useful. If God is the influence through our prayers to Him then tools of construction are at work and the opposite is true: mass destruction in a prayerless life!
So true. Well said!!! Prayerlessness is weapon of mass destruction of the Devil.
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We must stay connected and submit to God in order to resist any temptations that Satan may bring our way. By praying daily without ceasing and studying God's word. Satan will flee. James 4;7
In my thoughts, words and actions, I cannot be like Jesus. I must pray always that I will be like Him. It is the work of the Holy Spirit every moment that keeps me on the right pathway. I choose, but I must ask for the will and the power (See Philippians 2:12, 13.) "Faith Is the Victory!" as the old song says!
That's one of my favorite texts. I have it memorized and recite it when temptations knock on my heart's door. Phil 2: 12, 13, "For it's God who works in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure."
We need to pray for the holy spirit to transform, revive and reform us. when it comes it will convict, convince and convert us.
[Edited] "It" will never come because "it" cannot move. We need a living God. The Holly Spirit is a living being. He will come in response to prayer.
As workers for God we must reach men where they are, surrounded with darkness, sunken in vice, and stained with corruption. But while we stay our minds upon Him who is our sun and our shield, the evil that surrounds us will not bring one stain upon our garments. As we work to save the souls that are ready to perish we shall not be put to shame if we make God our trust. Christ in the heart, Christ in the life, this is our safety. The atmosphere of His presence will fill the soul with abhorrence of all that is evil. Our spirit may be so identified with His that in thought and aim we shall be one with Him.The ministry of Healing pg.511
Prayer is the only way we can communicate anything to Our Creator.There is no other way or means we can get connected to God other than genuine prayers.
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I have experienced the controversy, as I look on at the lives of my children, and agree with Sister White that there is no barrier to sin, except in Christ Jesus. It is with helplessness, that a parent has to look on as his children make their own choices. And a deep prayer life is so necessary to maintain within the controversy!
The more we pray the more we allow the Holy Spirit to crucify our sinful desires
I can recall six months ago, complaining to the Lord that I'd wished I could talk to Him like I do a friend or family member who's sitting on the couch across from me. Not long after that complaint, He manifested Himself to me, first saying to me, "I'm going to give you something better." Amazingly, in His communication to me, His response to my questions came in neno-seconds, in a flash. Honestly, no sooner is the thought, thought, that He has a response. I love His personal approach. When you think of the seven billion people existing on this planet today, and if all were talking to Him simotaneously, in His all Greatness, He would be able to answer us all appropriately instantaneously...Yes, He's Sovereign, Omnipotent, Omniscient...Absolutely amazing! What a priviledge it is to be able to communicate with the Creator of the Universe!
Hey, that's a fascinating testimony. I'd love to hear real stories of our real God.
I Thank God for the Weapons of war (Prayer) he has given us to fight the Devil for protection and for offense. In order to access this power, we must first submit ourselves to Him and be obedient to his will. We must fight in the Lord's name. "For though we live in the flesh we do not war according to the flesh for the weapons of our war fare are not carnal but MIGHTY IN GOD pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of GOD, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of CHRIST" (2 Corinthians 10:3-5). I know of no other weapon as mighty as this. How I wish the energy spent in family fights, Board meetings fighting self and quarreling, is spent on our knees in prayers? Surely God is able to do for us more than we ask or even imagine.
Humanbeings are like car, without fuel it can not work.
Without the Holy Spirit we can do nothing, therefore Satan will take over our lives. Through prayer we can get or have access to the Holy Spirit. The more we pray, the more we get closer God and the Holy Spirit will then stay in us. As Corinthians says we are the temple of God Holy Spirit.
By praying for divine intervention, we need to set aside all the works of the flesh. May the good Lord bless us all
Please help me with this question: Is it good to repeat or always pray on a certain problem you have asked God to do for you? Lets say, i need a certain amount of money to pay my school fees and always when i pray i repeat it.
Hi Boakye,
The Bible tells us to be persistent in prayer (Romans 12:12, Colossians 4:2, Luke 18:1), expectant in prayer (Matt. 7:7, Luke 18:1-8) but not demanding (Psalms 78:18-19, 26-31). And whatever you ask, do so with complete submission to the will of our Heavenly Father, just as Jesus did (Matt. 26:39-44). God bless you and I pray that He will answer your prayers according to His will.
Yea that's ok. Jesus prayed three times for the violent cup to be taken from Him in Gethsemane. Moses also prayed repeatedly to make it to Canaan. None of them received what they asked but it brought them closer to God (which is the ultimate purpose of prayer.)The primary objective of prayer is not getting what we want from God (that's just a side benefit.)
We are warriers in Christ Jesus; Without HIM we are just hopelessly lost....
Mechelle, thank you for sharing your experience, for I have just gone through the trying of my faith. I went through the fire of affliction for six months and didn't let go of my doing it!
The day came when the LORD showed me my holding on to ME!!!!! My doings and let go, GOD not only filled me with peace but also gave me victory over my horrific situation. Praise GOD and thank HIM for Prayer life for without that we have nothing but just nothing!
Thank you to Jesus for the gift of the Spirit. Let all live to be connected with Our Father to keep us on the path to our Home.
Prayer is the key to open Heaven doors
Indeed communication to God is more important in our lives and is only through prayer we give our worries and wants to him.so we have to be committed to him always because he says whoever comes before me in mi name I should. I answear says the Lord
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I was wondering for a long time why the need for continuous( I do not mean continuous as in second by second, non stop, but as in day by day) prayer to the Lord as if He relishes in our continuous begging like some sort of royalty getting kicks from the pleadings of the beggars.
No, no, no, it is His respect for my "freedom of choice", His respect for this mindset of this entity named "Neven", on continuous(daily) basis. He knows that I may want to change my mind about my relationship with Him, so He is giving to Neven the freedom to reject Him on continuous(daily) basis. He does not posses a mind like the Evil One does when once the Evil One is invited he stays unless forcefully evicted.
The Lord remains in our minds through/by His Spirit by daily invitation and is willing to kindly leave when He detects that He is no longer welcome.
What an awesome comment. The Devils kicks the door while Jesus knocks. The Devil doesn't even leave unless you call the heavenly sheriffs to get him forcefully evicted. While Jesus, upon detection of a slight unwelcome, steps outside and knocks on the door again.
God wants to occupy our souls, and that is conditioned upon the power of choice He gifted to us. in order for us to be free from the enemy's attacks, Christ must always residing and abiding in us. The moment we neglect His presence, we become victims of the enemy. Prayer is the acknowledgement of Christ's presence with us and the exercising of our faith in God. Our freedom is only found in our connection with Christ. Christ declared; "Apart from Me you can do nothing, but with me all things are possible. Our total existence is in God's control. Every breath and heart beat is in God's control. My prayer is that we may always be aware of our number one priority in all things, and that is our daily abiding in Christ and Christ abiding in us. Victory is only found in Jesus.
The great exchange takes place in prayer. It is here that our filthy rags are replaced with His robe of righteousness, our hopelessness is replaced with His helpfulness, and our selfishness is wipe away by His indwelling of the Holy Spirit. It is in and through prayer that our Father no longer sees us as sinful creatures but as sons and daughters that has been picked from the ashes, cleansed by His blood, and refined through the fires of trials. It is all about Jesus and it is His blood that transforms us to our rightful place through the interceding of the Holy Spirit. How can He intercede for us without prayer? He cannot, for it is in asking that we receive.