Sermons on Prayer
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
It is not in vain that God reveals to us the holiness and greatness of some ascetics of the spirit. Many others, probably unknown to us, rest in the glory of God; but some are revealed to us so that we can learn something from them. Today the Church remembers a saint whose name perhaps few of us know: St. Ioannikis the Great. And I want to dwell on one of the aspects of his life that was decisive for him and from which I think we can learn.
He lived in the 8th century, was born in Bithynia and was a warrior. And then, leaving the service, he returned to his native village. He was a simple man, illiterate, who, according to our concepts, had no education. He went to church, listened to readings, took in what he could; until the day when he heard one word from the letter of the Apostle Paul; this word struck him in the soul and revealed to him the perfect meaning of life. This word was: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).
He left the temple and never returned to his hut, but went to a mountain that was nearby, and decided that the word he heard not only with his ears, but with his whole being was God’s call, and that if God calls, then He will give and strength, and intelligence, and help. He knew only one prayer: “ Our Father
" And he began to say this prayer, slowly, carefully, bringing to the depths of his heart every request of this prayer, every word of it, becoming one, as far as he could, with his prayer. And while the day lasted, things went well; he was accustomed to a harsh life from a young age; he picked berries, ate what he could, and prayed. And then night came, full of darkness, fears, unusual sounds in the thickets around him...
Years later he met another ascetic. By that time he had grown to his full measure and became a man of prayer; it was all prayer, like a fiery torch in the face of God. And the ascetic asked him: “Tell me, father, who taught you to pray like that?” Ioannikis looked at him and said: “I will give you the answer, because I think you will understand: demons taught me unceasing prayer.” And he went on to say that after the first day, when night fell and fear attacked him, he felt infinitely helpless and defenseless. He sat surrounded by unknown danger, full of fear, and could not even read the Lord's Prayer; he could only say: “ Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me!”
“And so he cried out in fear all night.
When daylight came and he began to wander, he knew that danger was lurking all around. While picking berries, he knew that the animals he had heard at night were hiding in these very bushes. And so he continued, making his way through the bushes, making his way through the forest, looking around, trying to find protection and help in this cry: “ Lord Jesus Christ!”
Son of God! Have mercy on me! “And night came again, and he screamed more and more insistently; and so he shouted from day to day and from night to night.
Very soon he discovered that he could cope with the fear of the physical danger surrounding him; but then other dangers arose. He began to see the evil that lurked in his own heart, the division of mind, the wavering of the will, the demands of the flesh - everything that was born from within. And when he began to fight this, he discovered that dark, evil forces were using every weakness, every flaw in him to destroy him from the inside. And Ioannikios continued to cry out to God with the same words, until one day peace finally came. That’s why he said that the demons, the evil that characterized him, taught him to pray incessantly: not through an effort of will, but out of inescapable need, he shouted with his whole being for protection, and then for salvation.
We can ask ourselves: why don't we have such an urge? Partly because we are not surrounded by danger; there is nothing around that would make us scream for protection from things that we cannot cope with; we don't feel helpless, we feel strong, we feel safe, we feel protected.
But there is another reason: we are very insensitive to the danger that lurks within ourselves, we are very insensitive to the shortcomings and destructive evil within ourselves. I remember the words of one spiritual writer about this fight against passions, against evil. One day he was asked by a student: “Why don’t I see this? I don’t feel that evil is attacking me, that I am being pursued by temptations; what is the difference between the saints and us? And the confessor replied: “Evil has no need to pursue you; You yourself are chasing after everything that excites and awakens passions in you: why should evil take up arms against you when you are only looking for an opportunity to serve it?”
Let’s think a little about this: both about Saint Joannikius and about these words. Why are we so calm? Materially this is easy to understand, but spiritually? Is it because we never resist the enemy, never engage in mortal combat against any evil living inside us? Is it because we imagine that evil is only pain, suffering and grief around us, from which we are protected?
Let's think about this, because our Christian calling is to be warriors, to defeat the evil within our hearts and install Christ as the King of our lives. The Kingdom of God begins within us. While we are captive to any impulses that pull us in all directions, why should evil reveal its own face, reveal its presence? Only if we take upon ourselves a good deed
in order to subordinate our entire being to holiness, so that our body, our soul, our mind, everything in us would be as if a continuation of the presence of Christ, a place of indwelling of the Holy Spirit, so that we could become participants in God’s work and God’s life - then it will only begin for This is a struggle for us. But in this struggle we must remember the words of Christ: “Do not be afraid! I have overcome the world” (John 16:33) We can overcome because the Cross not only testifies to human hatred of God, it also testifies to God's victory through love, which can overcome suffering, rejection and death itself. Amen.
November 17, 1985
Prayer is between you and God
Even in corporate prayer, you should be so focused on God that you do not notice the people standing next to you.
(Matthew 6:7) And when you pray, do not talk too much, like the pagans, for they think that for their many words they will be heard.
Some believe that more people need to be gathered so that God can hear. This is not what Jesus said. You can accomplish more with two strong believers and five minutes of prayer than with two thousand worshipers and millions of words.
The answer to prayer does not depend on the number of people and words.
God hears the prayer of those who believe Him
In the last decade we have seen a lot of strange things in prayer: verbosity, shouting, but all to no avail.
When you come to prayer, believe in God's word.
(Matthew 6:8) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.
Why pray if He already knows everything? Because the Lord asked, that’s why we need to pray.
(Matthew 6:9) Pray like this: Our Father who art in heaven! Hallowed be Thy name.
It was a time of transition from Old Testament principles to New Testament principles. The blood of Jesus Christ has not yet been shed.
Some call this prayer the sinner's prayer because at that time there were no born again people. You can learn a lot from the Lord's Prayer. You can see the principles on how to pray.
God gives instructions on how to pray.
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About the necessary conditions for prayer.
Perfect devotion to the will of God, awareness of one’s sinfulness and extreme unworthiness and a sincere desire to correct one’s life. If someone asks and does not receive, this does not mean that his prayer is not heard by God. Perhaps what is asked in prayer can serve to harm a person, or perhaps one needs to strengthen one’s request and not give up.
Any prayer requires compulsion, effort on the part of a person. The attitude of prayer is a gift from God. Some, due to the degree of purity and acceptability, can soon feel the presence of this gift, then prayer becomes inexpressibly sweet and comforting. And others must work hard to arouse this blessed feeling in themselves.
Reflections on the salvation of the soul.
These reflections are most necessary; they will cleanse prayer from all vain things, from thoughts, encourage you to change your life in many ways, and make you think about your soul. It is worth spending at least a few minutes every morning after prayer thinking about the fact that the hour may be approaching when the soul must be separated from the body, and what fate may await it. If you do not devote a little time every day to such thoughts, then worldly worries, like waves, can carry a person into the sea of \u200b\u200blife and death will overtake him unprepared.
What prevents your prayer from being answered?
Sinful thoughts
“If I had seen iniquity in my heart, the Lord would not have heard me”
(Psalm 65:18) What does it mean to
“see iniquity in my heart”
?
This means flirting with sinful fantasies; intend to do something, knowing that it is a sin; to have some kind of lawlessness in our hearts that we do not want to part with. It could be unforgiveness, hatred, or a sin you are thinking about and planning to commit. In other words, if you know it is a sin and deliberately think about it and plan to commit it, God will close his ears to your prayers!
What can you do to make the Lord again incline his ear to your prayer? - Repent. God will hear the prayer of repentance. Therefore, it is best to start each morning by asking the Holy Spirit to show us what we need to repent of. And the Bible promises us:
“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (1 John 1:9)
The Greek word
"confess "
means
to agree with God
, to look at your sin as God looks at it, to feel what God feels and to agree with God's opinion about this sin. And the Bible promises that God will free us from this sin and cleanse us from sin and its consequences.
Wrong Prayers
“You ask and do not receive, because you ask evilly...” (James 4:3)
The original says:
ask for the wrong thing
. How will be correct?
1 John 5:14 has the answer:
“And this is the boldness we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14)
So,
the right prayer that the Father listens to is prayer in accordance with His will, according to His word.
Additionally, when you realize that you are praying in accordance with God's will, you will have courage and boldness. If you need healing, find what the Bible says about healing. Study these Scriptures and pray according to this Word and you will receive your answer.
Lack of Faith
“Jesus said to him, “If you can believe as long as you can, all things are possible to him who believes” (Mark 9:23)
The opposite statement will also be true:
if you do not believe, then nothing will be possible
.
When I receive a new assignment from God for my ministry, the first thing I begin to do is prepare my mind to accept the new thing that the Lord assigns. Because if God entrusts something to me, then the Lord is confident that I am the person who can do it. The Bible says we can do all things through Jesus Christ who strengthens us, so we better agree with what God says about us. So I begin to work on my thinking, renewing my mind by reading God's word and preparing my mind to carry out God's assignment. “Now it’s up to me to complete this task
, I say.
– My faith must increase.
I must begin to speak according to what God says, to think as He thinks, to believe with God, what He believes, and the way He believes it .
Try to think and believe correctly, because what you believe is what you will get!
Negative confession
If you pray for something and then immediately say the exact opposite, you are canceling the effect of your prayer with your words!
It must be in your heart what you are praying for because the words come out of your heart! Jesus said clearly: “...for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned” (Matthew 12:37)
“From the fruit of a man’s mouth his belly is filled; He is satisfied with the product of his mouth" (Proverbs 18:20)
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruit” (Proverbs 18:21)
What you say is very important!
Your words must match what you are praying for.
If you pray for a blessing, then do not curse your own prayers with words. What you say after prayer is just as important as what you say during prayer!
Broken relationship
Jesus teaches us:
“Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there you remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar, and go first and be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift. " (Matthew 5:23-24)
It is important to maintain good relationships with people so that there is no obstacle in prayer.
And if, right during prayer or worship, the Holy Spirit reminds us of someone we have sinned against, either accidentally or intentionally, we should repent and try to restore the relationship. If the Holy Spirit tells you to connect with someone, do it immediately!
Spiritual opposition
The Bible clearly tells us that there are spiritual powers, principalities and powers:
“For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” (Ephesians 6:12)
And these spiritual unclean forces are trying to resist us. It is possible that the answer to your prayer is on the way, but due to the spiritual opposition of these forces, it is delayed.
The 10th chapter of the book of the prophet Daniel describes the situation of such a confrontation. Daniel fasted for 21 days without receiving an answer, when finally an angel appeared to him and said:
“Do not be afraid, Daniel; From the first day that you set your heart to gain understanding and humble you before your God, your words were heard, and I would come according to your words" (Daniel 10:12)
In the next verse the angel explains the reason for his delay on the journey.
He speaks of a battle in the spiritual realm between an evil spiritual force called "the prince of the Persian kingdom"
and Michael, one of God's chief angels:
“But the prince of the kingdom of Persia stood against me twenty-one days; But behold, Michael, one of the first princes, came to help me, and I remained there with the kings of Persia” (Daniel 10:13)
Based on this scripture, we can clearly see what is happening in the spiritual realm during our prayers and why, in order to receive an answer, Daniel had to fast for so many days,
“fight his way in the spirit,”
and participate in this spiritual battle with his fasting and prayer.
Having such a vivid illustration, the command of the Apostle Paul becomes more understandable:
“Be constant in prayer, watching in it with thanksgiving” (Colossians 4:2)
Don't stop praying!
Prayer is a spiritual battle and it must be won! And this takes time.
Time factor
Sometimes the response is delayed simply because there is a time factor.
Farming can serve as a very good example here. Before sprouts appear, a certain time must pass: the planted seed must germinate. First, the seeds should have roots, and then the sprouts will rise above the ground and become visible. This is exactly what happens with the seeds of prayer - it takes time for the answer to become obvious. Here is an example from my childhood. As a boy, I had the opportunity to plant corn. The first time, without waiting for the shoots to sprout, the very next day, I decided that something was wrong with the seeds, and dug them all out. But each seed had already taken root and was ready to sprout. Alas, the harvest was ruined by impatience! The next year I acted a little wiser, waiting for the shoots. But, this time, I did not take into account another important point - the fruits need time to ripen and the harvest was not destined to please me... I waited for a long time, rejoicing at how the stem grew and the ears shot out. In the end, unable to bear it, he opened all the cobs before they were completely ripe! Sometimes the harvest doesn't come as quickly as we would like. Each crop has its own time for fruit ripening.
Time is an integral factor in obtaining a harvest. To do this you need to learn to wait!
“Let us not become weary in doing good, for in due season we will reap if we do not give up” (Galatians 6:9)
Don't give up, don't stop doing the right thing - and your harvest will come!
Rick Renner
Principles of the Lord's Prayer
(Matthew 6:9) Pray like this...
Many consider this prayer to be a New Testament model for the modern Church, but this is not so. This prayer is not in the name of Jesus. Jesus gave this prayer to His disciples at a time when the Old Testament was passing away and the New Testament was coming into force.
Before Jesus left, he said:
(John 16:23-24) And on that day you will not ask Me anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name, He will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be complete.
In the Lord's Prayer you did not ask for anything in the name of Jesus, but now you ask. Here is only a brief summary of the prayer law of Jesus Christ.
A comment!
The Lord's Prayer is the foundation of a prayerful relationship with God. It sets forth the principles of Christ.
(Eph 3:14) For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.
We must pray to our Father in the name of Jesus Christ.
God is the Creator of everything. However, He is not the Father of everyone. You must be born into His family for Him to become your Father.
(John 1:12-13) And to those who received Him, to those who believed on His name, He gave power to become children of God, who were born neither of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
Prayer Begins with Worship
Prayer must begin with worship.
The Lord's Prayer teaches the same thing. This prayer should be viewed as a guide or instruction for prayer, not as a prayer that we should pray.
Previously, we came to Heavenly Father, glorifying His name: “Hallowed be Thy name.” Now we come in with the Blood of the Lamb, that's how we become His children.
(Acts 4:23-24) Having been released, they came to their own and related what the chief priests and elders had said to them. Having listened, they unanimously raised their voices to God and said: Sovereign God, who created heaven and earth and the sea and everything that is in them!
(Acts 4:30-31) Whereas You stretch out Your hand to heal and to do signs and wonders in the name of Your Holy Son Jesus. And through their prayer, the place where they were gathered was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.
With the Blood of Jesus Christ we come to God with thanksgiving
Heavenly Father! I thank You for the Blood of Jesus.
Thank you that through the Blood of Jesus I can call You Father. Thank you that thanks to the Blood of Christ, I have acquired the opportunity to turn to You when I am in difficulty. Help me, Lord, to be holy and pure. Help me, Lord, to act with love. Thank you that through the Blood of Jesus, I know Your will and have access to all wisdom and spiritual knowledge. Thank you that thanks to the Blood of Jesus, I am healthy mentally and physically. Thank you that thanks to the Blood of Jesus Christ, the presence of the Holy Spirit never leaves me. Thank you that through the Blood of Christ, I have the right to receive answers to my prayers.
Before you move on to requests, you need to enter God's presence with thanksgiving. You enter into His presence through the Blood of Christ with thanksgiving and praise!
