For the hour cometh, and is now, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship him. And the end of all things is at hand; be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer.
We are rapidly approaching the end times and a tipping point where we will have to put down our pride and repent of our sins if we expect to escape the wrath of God. II Chronicles 7:14 states it beautifully by saying If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, pray, seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and heal their land.
We as a people are in desperate need of some serious prayer. Here are some things we should look at as directed in God’s word.
THE DUTY OF PRAYER
- Seek his strength and his face – Ps. 105:4
- Seek him while he may be found and while he is near -Ps. 55:6
- Lift up our hands – Lam. 3:41
- Pray that ye not enter temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak- Mat. 26:41; Mark 14:38
- Pray that you will be accounted as worthy and will escape the things that will come to pass – Luke 21:36
- In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be made known to God – Phil. 4:6
- Pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands without wrath or doubting – 1 Timothy 2:8
- Whosoever would not seek the Lord God of Israel should be put to death whether small or great, man or woman – 2 Chr. 15:13
- Seek the Lord and ye shall live – Amos 5:6
CONDITIONS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER
- I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised; so shall I be saved from my enemies – 2 Sam. 22:4; Ps. 18:3
- The Lord saveth his anointed; he will hear from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand – Ps. 20:6
- For in thee, O Lord, do I hope thou wilt hear, O Lord, my God – Ps.38:15
- As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord will save me – Ps. 55:16
- When I cry unto thee, then shall mine enemies turn back; this I know for God is for me – Ps. 56:9
- In my day of trouble I will call upon thee for thee will answer me – Ps 86:7
TRUST
- Commit thy way unto the Lord, trust also in him, and he shall bring it to pass – Ps. 37:5
- Trust in him at all times, ye people, pour out your hearts before him. God is a refuge for us, Selah – Ps. 62:8
- It is good for me to draw near to God. I have put my trust in the Lord God, that I may declare all thy works – Ps. 73:28
- Put your trust in God and not your confidence in man – Ps. 118:8
PRAY BELIEVING
- Whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive – Mat. 21:22; Mark 11:24
- If ye abide in me and my words shall abide in you, ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you – John 15:7
PRAY IN FAITH
- The Prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he has committed sins, they shall be forgiven him – John 5:15
- Ask in faith, not wavering. That man (who doubts) should not think he will receive from God – James 1:6,7
- Without faith, it is impossible to please him for he that cometh to God must believe that He is and that he is a rewarder of those that diligently seek him – Heb. 11:6
PRAY WITH CONFIDENCE
- If we ask anything according to his will, he hears us, and if we know he hears us, whatsoever we ask we know we have the petitions that we desire of him.
- Let us come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
THE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS ARE HEARD
- Know that the lord has set apart him that is Godly for himself. The lord will hear when I call unto him. – Ps. 4:3
- The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and his ears are open to their cry. – Ps. 34:5
- The Lord is far from the wicked but he hears the prayers of the righteous. -Prov. 15:29
- Now we know that God heareth not sinners; but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, will him, he heareth. -John 9:31
- For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers. – 1 Peter 3:12
- And whatsoever we ask we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight. 1 John 3:22
- When we require the Lord to be a vital necessity and we seek Him with all our heart we will find him. -Jer. 29:13 But it is Lord that determines whether He will allow Himself to be found. In other words, if the Lord wants to hide himself, we will not find him no matter how hard we seek him.
THE PRAYER OF THE WICKED IS NOT HEARD
- They shall cry unto the Lord but he will not hear them; he will even hide his face from them at that time, as they have behaved themselves ill in their doings. – Micah 3:4
- They shall go with their flocks and with their herds to seek the Lord, but they shall not find him; he hath withdrawn himself from them. -Hos. 5:6
There will be times when you will feel down or depressed when you are engaged in spiritual warfare. At this time, it would be helpful if you had some scripture to go to which would lift you up and edify you. Keep the following verses in mind when you go through the following trials, tests, or temptations.
HOLY HOTLINE SCRIPTURES- All Lines Are Open 24/7
- Faith If you feel your faith is getting weak or you are lacking faith know that it is impossible to please God without faith. – Heb. 11:6 and faith comes by hearing [what is told], and what is heard comes by the preaching [of the message that came from the lips] of Christ (the Messiah Himself) –[Romans 10:17]
- Questions If you lack wisdom, feel free to go to God who gives to everyone (who asks) liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding because God is not a respecter of persons. [James 1:5]
- Doubt If you ever expect to receive anything from God, do not doubt. God considers doubting as being double-minded. Always ask in faith and do not waver or act in hesitation. [James 1:6-8] I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. [Phil. 4:13] Greater is he that is in me than he that is in the world. [1 John 4:4] I have the power to be an overcomer by the blood of the lamb and the word of my testimony [Rev. 12:11]
- Fear Fear not, for I am with you; do not look around you in terror and be not dismayed, for I am you God. I will strengthen and harden you to difficulties, yes, I will help you. Yes, I will hold you up with My victorious right hand of righteousness and justice. [Isaiah 41:10 Ampl] …The Lord says this to you: Be not afraid or dismayed at this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God’s. [2 Chronicles 20:15 Ampl.]
- Temptation …but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able, but will with the temptation also make a way of escape, that ye may be able to bear it. [1 Cor. 10:13]
- Sickness But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities, the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed. [Isaiah 53:5]
- Depression The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit. [Ps. 34:18]
- Loneliness- It is the lord who goes before you. He will march with you; he will not fail you or let you go or forsake you; [let there be no cowardice or flinching, but] fear not, neither become broken [in spirit-depressed, dismayed, and unnerved with alarm]. [Deut. 31:8 Ampl]
- Anxiety and Exhaustion It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up fate, to eat the bread of sorrows; for so he giveth his beloved sleep.
- Complacency If you are lukewarm and neither hot nor cold, God will spit you out of His mouth. [rev. 3:16] It is time for you to get on the same page with God and get hot for God.
CONCLUSION
In good times and in bad, there is nothing that can replace the importance of prayer. It is our gateway to our intimate relationship with God. From prayer, we get revelation knowledge, counsel, direction, and peace. For the spirit knows the mind of God and in groans and utterances can present our needs to God much better than we could.
May the remnant of believers who are prayer warriors lift up our country and ask for God’s mercy so that He does not unleash His wrath. Pray He will continue to protect the integrity of His word as in Isaiah 48 where He says, although He could destroy us, He will not give His glory to another by reneging on the promises He made to us.
Did you enjoy reading this post? If so, I’d love to hear your comments.