Tuesday, September 11, 2018

Confidence In Prayer

Too often Christians try to handle their situations without asking the Lord for direction or help. Perhaps they think the situation is not big enough to bother God. Or maybe they think because they are responsible for causing the mess in the first place, they should be responsible for fixing it. That, however, is not true. The Lord wants to help us, no matter how small or who is responsible for causing it. He delights in meeting our need!

Wouldn't it be better to spend time with the Lord before each day's responsibilities and demands begin to pull on us? Through our fellowship with the One Who has a plan for our lives, and knows what we should do in every situation, we prepare ourselves for His direction throughout the day.

Each day, usually early in the morning, Jesus spent time in communion with His Heavenly Father. Not only did He listen for direction and instruction but He claimed to be unable to do anything without it.

"I am able to do nothing from Myself [independently, of My own accord—but only as I am taught by God and as I get His orders]. Even as I hear, I judge [I decide as I am bidden to decide. As the voice comes to Me, so I give a decision], and My judgment is right (just, righteous), because I do not seek or consult My own will [I have no desire to do what is pleasing to Myself, My own aim, My own purpose] but only the will and pleasure of the Father Who sent Me" (John 5:30, AMP).

Jesus didn't make His own decisions; He acted only after receiving instructions to act! That's why He always experienced the right results—100% of the time. Now that's success!

If we want to experience success in our daily lives, then we must make decisions only after we hear God's direction. We can't look to our own plans; instead, we must ask the Lord to show us His plan, and then we can be sure of success.

Some Christians don't ask the Lord for direction because they don't have the confidence in either what they pray or their ability to hear. However, 1 John 5:14-15 assures us how to have confidence in prayer.

"And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: we are sure that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. And if (since) we positively know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know with settled and absolute knowledge that we have granted us as our present possessions the requests made of Him" (AMP).

What's important is that we ask according to God's will. I've known people who hear specific instructions from God, but before long they begin to add to God's instructions. I often wonder if they feel that what God told them doesn't sound spectacular enough.

Our lives become hard when we do things God does not initiate. But what He initiates, He supplies the strength, grace, and power to accomplish.

1 Peter Chapter 1

King James Version (KJV)

1 Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia,

2 Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied.

3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead,

4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you,

5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

6 Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations:

7 That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ:

8 Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing, ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:

9 Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls.

10 Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you:

11 Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow.

12 Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.

13 Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ;

14 As obedient children, not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in your ignorance:

15 But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation;

16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.

17 And if ye call on the Father, who without respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear:

18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers;

19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot:

20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,

21 Who by him do believe in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith and hope might be in God.

22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:

23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever.

24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:

25 But the word of the Lord endureth for ever. And this is the word which by the gospel is preached unto you.