Sunday 29 November 2015

The Lord's Prayer ~ Final ~ Rabqa

We now come to the final part of the Lords Prayer. We previously saw the that The Lords prayer opens & closes with praise. Praise is the Word's most dynamic commandment, because regular worship & praise reconstitute God's people – restore us to the spiritual state that God intended - & give believers the dynamic – the supernatural energy & force – so vital to victory, wholeness & harmony. Therefore, we need to learn how to let our hearts go out to God in praise & thanksgiving, magnifying & exalting His perfections & mighty deeds & thanking Him for all His benefits.

The Bible states that unrighteous refuse to offer praise to God. Rom 1:21 because, although they knew God, they did not glorify Him as God, nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened. & Rev 16:9 And men were scorched with great heat, and they blasphemed the name of God who has power over these plagues; and they did not repent and give Him glory.
But God's people have & always will be a people of praise. It isn't surprising that the Word of God reveals many ways to express our love, gratitude & worship to the Lord. A survey of Scripture reveals we are to praise God with our mouths, through our bodily movements& through the playing & singing of music.

Thee Hebrew words of the Old Testament demonstrate how believers are to use their mouths in praising God. (1) Hallal means "to be vigorously excited; to laud, boast, rave, & to celebrate." This type of praise is done with aloud voice. (2) Barak Is "to bless, to declare God the origin of power 7 success, prosperity & fertility; to be still." This praise may be quite & hushed, (3) Shabach, means "to commend, address in a loud tone, to shout." As we set our hearts on worship God acceptably, the Holy Spirit will teach us how & when to use our mouths in offering praise to God.

Bodily movement is also associated with praise, as we see in two old Testament words for praise (1) Todah means "to extend hands in thanksgiving." (2) Yadah is to worship with extended hands-to throw out hands, enjoying God."

It is time God's people realised that raising hands in worship is not a new charismatic fad; rather it is a scriptural principal. For example, the psalmist commanded, "Lift up your hands in the sanctuary & bless the Lord" (Ps 134:2). In Psalm 107 urges longingly " Oh that men would praise [yadah] the Lord for His goodness & wonderful works to the children of men."

So as you worship God, obey the leading of His Holy Spirit. Don't be afraid to stand, knell, bow, dance, clap your hands or lift them up to the Lord. Each of these forms of praise is perfectly scriptural when done decently & in order.

We are not only to use our mouths & our bodies in worship; we are also employ music in praise, Zamar means "to pluck the strings of an instrument, to praise with song," & tehillah is the word for singing in the spirit or singing the hallals or psalms. We can worship God through singing songs of praise.

We must not be afraid to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit & to let Him teach us how to our mouths & bodily movements & our music to worship the Lord.

After we have brought our petitions to God our Father, we should return to praise. The words,
"For thine is the kingdom & the power & the glory for ever & ever," are idle words to most people. many believers do not realise that God has lovingly invited us to become participants in His kingdom, His power & glory.
"For the kingdom is the Lords," declared the psalmist Ps 22:28 & Jesus said "Thine is the kingdom Matt 6:13. He also said "Fear not little flock; for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." Lk 12:32.
Paul also teaches that we are partakers in God's kingdom. "Giving thanks to the Father... Who has delivered us from the power of darkness & has translated us into the kingdom of His dear Son" (Col 1:12-14). To Timothy Paul said " & the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, & will preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom: to whom be the glory for ever & ever" 2 Tim 4:18)

Therefore as you pray "For thine is the kingdom" praise God your Father who delivered you from the powers of darkness & translated you into the kingdom of love & light. Make the faith declaration " The Lord shall deliver me from every evil work & preserve me into His heavenly kingdom." Give God praise because He has invited you to be a participant in His kingdom.

David wrote, "In thy hand is power & might) 1 Chron 29:12), & he declared "Be thou exalted, Lord, in thou own strength so we will sing thy power" (Ps 10:12). God made the earth by His power for ever.(Ps 66:7) Yet God our Father has made us participants in His power. He gives strength & power to His people (Ps 68:35) & gives power to get wealth (Deut 8;18) He gives power to faint (Isa 40:29) & keeps us by His power (Pet 1:5) And God both raised up the Lord and will also raise us up by His power (1Cor 6:14).

Jesus declared Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Lk 10:19 Just before His ascension, the Lord instructed His disciples.

Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.” Lk 24:49 In Acts 1: 8 we read again the words of Jesus promising the power of the holy Spirit: But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might. & in 1 Corinthians 4:20 He affirms For the kingdom of God is not in word but in power. Give praise to God your Father because He has invited you to be a participant in His power & has made His power available to you. This what the psalmist says who the King of glory is: The Lord strong & mighty, the Lord mighty in battle (1 Chron 16:20) God Himself declares. I am the Lord: that is My name: & my glory will I not give to another, neither My praise to graven images. Isa 42:8 God's Glory is the manifested perfection of His character, especially His righteousness. We know all people short of the glory of God (Rom 3:22), yet He has invited believers to be participants in His glory. Jesus made it possible as we see in Heb 2: 9,10 But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels, for the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor, that He, by the grace of God, might taste death for everyone. Paul assured believers that if we suffer with Him, we will also be glorified together. Suffering was of little consequence to Paul, for he knew that the presence sufferings cannot be compared with the glory which will be eventually be revealed (Rom 8:18) As we behold the glory of the Lord that is His character &ways of God exhibited through Christ-we are slowly changed into His image by the Spirit of God (2Cor 3:18),& the character & ways of the Father & the Son are formed within us. As we are Brought into Christ's likeness we will enter into eternal blessedness, for God our father has called us into eternal glory. (1Pet 5;10) Is it any wonder Paul charged believers that you would walk worthy of God who calls you into His own kingdom and glory. 1 Thess2:12 David urges believers to witness to others of God's kingdom power & glory: All Your works shall praise You, O LORD, And Your saints shall bless You. They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, And Your dominion endures throughout all generations. Ps 145:10-13

We praise You Father, for thine, is the kingdom the power & the glory forever, yet you have invited us to become participants. May we never leave or enter Your presence without humbling bowing before You & offering a sacrifice of praise. May we proclaim with David: Therefore David blessed the LORD before all the assembly; and David said: “Blessed are You, LORD God of Israel, our Father, forever and ever. Yours, O LORD, is the greatness, The power and the glory, The victory and the majesty; For all that is in heaven and in earth is Yours; Yours is the kingdom, O LORD, And You are exalted as head over all. Both riches and honor come from You, And You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great And to give strength to all. “Now therefore, our God, We thank You And praise Your glorious name. 1 Chron 29:10-13

Prayer outline1. The Kingdom A. Praise the Lord because He has translated you out of the kingdom of darkness & into the kingdom of love & light. B. Make the faith declaration: "The Lord shall preserve me from every evil work, & preserve me unto His heavenly kingdom." C. Praise God because He has invited you to be a participant in His kingdom. II The power. A Praise the Lord because He has invited you to be a participant in His power. B Meditate on the power of God your Father. Measure your problems against His mighty, miraculous works & His great love for you. C. Make this faith declaration: "I am strong in the Lord & in the power of his might. I have been endued with power from on high. Greater is He who is in me then he who is in the world. My Father gives me strength & power to get wealth. He gives power to the faint. As my day so shall my strength be. He keeps me by His power. He has given me power to tread in serpents & scorpions, & power over the enemy. Nothing by any means shall harm me.
III The Glory A Behold the glory of the Lord-the character & the ways of God exhibited through Christ. Ask the Holy Spirit to that you be transformed by the renewing of your mind by the Word of God. B. Ask the Lord to help you walk worthy of Him & to help you serve Him as He deserves to be served. C. Praise Him & give Him glory. If the anointed presence of the Lord seems to be fading in our lives this may be because we are not rising early day by day, worshipping & receiving from Him what we need. If we are not beginning each day by entering into God's presence with thanksgiving & into His courts with praise, we are carelessly neglecting God's exceeding & precious promises by which we are partakers of the divine nature (2Pet 1:4). & not allowing Him to be our righteousness, sanctifier, peace, healer, provider, banner, shepherd & the overflowing present One in us. Therefore often taking His name in vain.

If we do not set the rudder of of our life (that is our tongue) upon God's priorities for our life declaring, " Thy will be done in me, my family, my church& my nation," our priorities will seem to be upside down much of the time. If we are not praying specifically & tenaciously every day, "Give us this day our daily bread," Then we will not prosper in many areas. When we do something wrong we must confess our failures to Him & He will freely forgives the moment we do. If we don't rise every morning & say "I confess every known sin to the Lord, even the ones we don't know we have committed – I accept that you have forgiven me, & I also set my will to forgive those who have sinned against me." We do not need to fight battles of fear & depression, we can expect to win when we put on the Lords armour, then we know how to effectively wield the sword of the Spirit, or skilfully employ the shield of faith to ward of the devils attacks.

How can we fight the good fight of faith when we do not pray in our prayer language daily &live in an attitude of prayer. Praise may not continually flow out of or spirit to God, but we can & should put on the garment of praise (tehillah) for the spirit of heaviness by singing songs of praise to God. Isa 61:3 Each day Of our life we need to thank God that, because of the blood of Jesus, we can call Him Father. We must also praise His glorious names, appropriate his mighty promises & seek to sanctify His name through our manner of living. I am so busy these days, but it's mostly work for the Lord, so I have His peace inside of me, in my home & at church, this is because I prayer over myself, my family & my church, also this nation, "The Great South Land of The Holy Spirit," declaring that God's priorities in those areas are set in order.

 I go boldly into His Throne room & declare that His righteousness, joy,& peace shall come & that His will be done. No longer am I worried of frustrating circumstances. Instead experience the abundant provision of Jehovah-jireh, He sees my needs ahead of time & makes provision for them, but I do not take God's blessings for granted. Every day in prayer I set my will to make God's kingdom my priority, & then I pray my needs, claiming & receiving God's promised provision. You too can experience more & more freedom from frustration by setting your priorities straight. The day you answer the call to prayer, He will meet your every need. If you are plagued by guilt or problems with people, remember you must forgive. Believe me that just doesn't happen automatically. Every day we need to forgive our debtors before we can receive God's washing & cleansing, then set our wills to forgive those who may have wronged us that day. As we learn to release & forgive our offenders & offences to God, we become candidates for the supernatural. If you want to stop letting the devil pushing you around, if you want to leave him sitting in the dirt for a change, you must learn to put on the whole armour of God each & every day, & pray a hedge of protection around yourself, your loved ones & all you have. Learn to overcome satan in prayer & by the blood of the Lamb & by the word of your testimony, if you do, you will be an overcomer. If Jesus needed to pray every day, how much more must we. In order to illustrate the importance of prayer in the life of our Lord, here is just one day in His life. After walking along the shore of the Sea of Galilee calling Peter, James & John to follow Him & become fishers of men, Jesus went into the synagogue at Capernaum, there He taught the people, concluding His message by casting out an unclean spirit out of a man who had disrupted the service. Next He went to the home of Peter & Andrew & healed Peters mother-in-law of a fever. That evening when the sun had set, a crowd had gathered at the door of Peters home. They brought to Jesus everyone who was sick or demon possessed & He healed them. He may have been quite exhausted when His head finally hit the pillow. I don't think so because everything He did would have been in His Fathers strength. In the next verse we see Mk 1:35 

Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. That pattern continued throughout Christ's ministry. At the place of prayer Jesus found the power & guidance He needed to fulfil His Fathers will each day. He was the Son of God, yet He prayed. Jesus was the busiest, most important man who ever walked the face of the earth, yet prayer was the primary focus in His life. It is time we made an agreement with God to meet Him every day, If you choose to make it early morning, jump out of bed as soon as the alarm goes off, don't roll over & mumble the reasons why you need more rest, get up & give your heavenly Father the first part of your day. If you need coffee to wake you up then those extra minutes spent in the kitchen will be time well spent. To develop an effective prayer life, you must overcome three enemies: interruptions, drowsiness &wondering thoughts.

The telephone & the doorbell can become dire enemies of the believer who seeks to make a discipline of prayer. That's why many choose to pray early morning before the distractions begin. David didn't have a telephone or a doorbell but he did have eight wives, ten concubines twenty two children & a kingdom to run, so it's not surprising that he chose to prayer early in the morning, in Psalm 5:3 he said: My voice You shall hear in the morning, O LORD; In the morning I will direct it to You, And I will look up. If you feel the enemy of drowsiness when you pray you could try standing & or walking rather then sitting I ask the Lord to keep me awake & He does. If your thoughts wander & you have a difficult time concentrating, I generally come & sit quietly at His feet (so to speak) & sooner or later I come into His presence this takes time maybe ten minutes or much longer but I get in to the place where I can pray in His presence. Always pray aloud & not quietly in your head, Pastor Anne Edgar at Victory life Bible training Centre said that was only thinking about prayer & not praying.

I thank God for that lady, she taught me all I know about prayer. Always be sensitive to the Holy Spirit & pray over each request in the manner He directs, for God has sent His Spirit to come to your aid in prayer & plead in your behalf with groanings to deep for utterance (Rom 8:26). Learn to be sensitive by using your prayer language, praying in the spirit & listening for the Holy Spirit's promptings. At times the Spirit will lead you to verses of Scripture & turn them into petitions or bold declarations of your faith. Sometimes you may find yourself weeping or travailing over an urgent need. Sometimes you will break out into worshipful singing or laughter as God's peace & joy flood your heart. Prayer Guide. 1. Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. A. Picture Calvary & thank God you can call Him Father by the virtue of the blood of Jesus. B. Hallow the Names of God corresponding with the five benefits of the new covenant, & make your faith declarations.

Benefit. Name. Meaning. Sin Jehovah-tsidkenu The Lord My Righteousness Jehovah-m'kaddesh The Lord who Sanctifies. Spirit Jehovah-shalom The lord Is Peace Jehovah-shammah The lord Is There Soundness Jehovah-rope The Lord Who Heals. Success Jehovah-jireh The Lord's Provision Shall Be Seen Security Jehovah-nissi The Lord My Banner. Jehovah-rohi The Lord My Shepherd. II  Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done. A. Yourself. B. Your family (mate, children, other family members. C. Your Church (pastor(s), leadership, faithfulness of the people, harvest. D. Nation (city, state, & national political & spiritual leaders, a specific nation. III Give us this day our daily bread A. Be in the will of God (prayer life, church, work habits, obedience in giving. B Believe it is God's will to prosper you in all areas of your life. C. Be specific. D. Be tenacious. IV & forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. A . Ask God to forgive you. B. Forgive & release others.

C. Set your will to forgive those who sin against you V & lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. A. Put on the whole armour of God. 1. The belt of truth. 2. Breastplate of righteousness. 3. Feet shod with the preparation of peace (readiness) of the gospel of peace. 4. Shield of faith. 5. Helmet of salvation. 6 Sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. 7. Praying always in the Spirit. B. Pray a hedge of protection. The Lord is your refuge, your fortress, your God; in Him will you trust). 1. Because you have made the Lord your habitation. 2. Because you have set your love upon Him.

3. Because you have known His name.

IV For thine is the glory, & the power & the glory, for ever & ever. A. Make your faith declarations. B. return to praise.


Acknowledgement Larry Lea.

Sunday 22 November 2015

Forgive Us Our Trespasses...~Ganeida

Those of you present will notice certain illustrations & comments are missing from these notes.  Please bear in mind they are only notes & you were blessed with  extra insights from the Holy Spirit. ~ Ganeida

Now we come to that section of the Amidah that deals with forgiveness.

I don’t actually feel qualified to speak on forgiveness ~ but that’s ok.  I pretty much figure no human is qualified to speak on forgiveness.  We know very little about forgiveness ~ both the offering of forgiveness & the receiving of forgiveness.  That it is asked of us is the extending of God’s grace into a fallen world because unforgiveness is easily exploited by satan.

So when the scriptures talk about forgiveness, what exactly are they saying?

There are 2 O.T words & 2 N.T words that are translated as Forgive. They are:

·      Hanan ~ to show mercy or favour, to be gracious

·      Kasa ~ to cover

·      Katallage ~ restoration to favour

·      Aphiemi ~ dismiss, to let go, to cancel

Forgiveness is not the same as restoration. In Hebrew that would be raphe ~ to heal.  It has a Greek equivalent in apokathistemi.  The other Greek word is katarizo, meaning to prepare, to put in order, to restore. I am not going to discuss a 3rd word which refers specifically to that time when Jesus will restore all things.

I postulate that Kasa ~ to cover ~ is a term that applies to believers whose sins are covered by the blood of Christ: Hebrews 9:22 There is no redemption without the shedding of blood.

When we ask forgiveness for our own sin it implies it is to be covered by the shed blood of Jesus Christ.
Now to forgive means 2 things in reality: to remit a debt & to pay for it.  The same word is used. This is what Jesus did on the cross; he remitted the debt of our sin & at the same time he paid for it.  Now his blood covers it.

So what does forgiveness mean for us?

The 1st thing I would point out is the need for the truth.  Confession of our own sin requires we be completely honest with God.  In forgiving others the first requirement is that we admit we have been sinned against.  We don’t like it.  It isn’t pleasant.  It doesn’t feel good. However we are not responsible for others actions.  We are responsible for our own. We are responsible for our response.

Eph 4:26 In your anger, do not sin.

Romans 12: 19~ 21 enjoins us to Defeat evil with good & Romans 12:18 commands us as far as possible to be at peace with everyone.

There is a meme going round FB that is pertinent to forgiveness. It says: You are free to choose; you are not free of the consequences of your choices.

We need to understand there are consequences to forgiveness & there are consequences to unforgiveness.  Forgiveness is never a whitewashing of an offence. It never denies that the offence has taken place. I will give you a few examples because Paul warned us to be as gentle as doves but as wise as serpents so in exercising forgiveness we also need to be wise. 

If a family member has molested you, you would be unwise to ever leave that person alone with your child. You must forgive but you are not required to provide fodder for this person’s perversion.

If someone has gossiped about you, you must forgive the offence but you would be unwise to ever again share a confidence with that person.

The door must be left open for full restoration but it is conditional.  You see this on the cross.  Jesus asked forgiveness for those who had put him there but that forgiveness did not remove the consequences of their actions. The thief who was restored repented.

1 John1:But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.  Note that little word *if*.  Our forgiveness is dependent on our confession, our agreement that we have committed an offence. And yes, it is there in the Greek!

We do others a disservice when we do not admit that an offence has taken place.  We effectively enable them to deny that they have sinned.

If your brother sins, rebuke him; if he repents forgive him (Luke 17:3).

Matthew 18:15~19 outlines the steps we are to take when it is another believer who has sinned against us. The whole idea is to get that person to confess their fault & be restored to fellowship.  If they will not listen to you, you engage the church but if they still won’t repent they are to be treated as a pagan or corrupt tax collector.  Believers are to be quick to confess & restore each other.

What does biblical forgiveness look like?

Like agape love, forgiveness is an act of the will.
  • The forgiving person does not attempt to take revenge upon those who have wronged him (Romans 12:17).
  • The forgiving person does not hate the offender; rather, in spite of the person’s evil, he loves (agape) him still. The forgiving person is kindly disposed and tender hearted toward his adversary (Ephesians 4:32).
  • The forgiving person is approachable; he leaves the door for reconciliation wide open and longs for the welfare of the transgressor. Matthew 5:44
  • The forgiving person is not merely passive in waiting for the offender to repent; he actively seeks the repentance of the one who wronged him (Matthew 18:15-17).
How then are we to respond?

Proverbs 4:23 Guard your heart above all else,
    for it determines the course of your life.


2 Corinthians 10:5 and every arrogance that raises itself up against the knowledge of God; we take every thought captive and make it obey the Messiah.

Scripture always encourages believers to be active participants.  We are to be doers of the word.  We are to actively guard our hearts.  In other words we don’t nurse our grievances.  We don’t coddle them.  We don’t give them our time & allow them to take root in our hearts where they will grow until we reap a harvest of bitterness.  We take our thoughts captive.  We make them obey the ordinances of Christ.  We speak life, not death, into our circumstances.

In Matthew 5:23-24 Jesus tells us:

23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice[a] at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

Forgiveness is not an academic exercise.  It is a practical application to help us rub along together.  There is no point in praying if we have not also taken action. We are to do what we can but where the other person is unreceptive we are to let it go & leave it to God.  God is the one we talk to about it if it still bothers us.  It is not something to be gossiped about in an effort to win people to our side or viewpoint.  None of us are perfect because we all feel the need to dump sometimes but God wants us to dump on Him, not on each other.  We are not made to carry the burden; He is.

Part of guarding our heart could include  putting on the full armour of Christ & praying protective hedges around ourselves, though I believe this more properly belongs in the next section of the Amidah: And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil….  Pro~active planning is far more effective than attempting to rectify the damage once it’s done.  It keeps us from sinning & pre~prepares our response if we find ourselves in conflict with another.

When we come to this section of the Amidah we come to a point of self examination such as David cries in psalm 139:
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts:
24 And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

We have praised God & put our petitions before him but now we come to that moment of truth wherein we examine ourselves to see if there is anything displeasing to the Lord residing in our hearts as well as considering our actions. And we give it to Jesus because it has already been dealt with on the cross.  It is absolutely imperative that we examine ourselves in the searing light of the Holy Spirit ~ not for God.  God knows already.  For ourselves!
This is also the place to pray for the larger concerns of the world: Paris, Syria, Nigeria ~ Boko Haram, Isis.  We must forgive these atrocities also, understanding that without the Light of the World these people have no real understanding of what they do & are incapable of being anything than what they are: the devil’s children.  We are to be wise but we are not to be dominated by our fear because Jesus was clear in saying that He has overcome the world.

We have spent a good deal of time one way or another considering the person & leading of the Holy Spirit this year.  His love & leading are imperative when it comes to forgiveness.  Only He knows the heart of another. Only He can guide us in the timing of when & how to offer forgiveness because there is a difference between forgiving  & offering Forgiveness. There is a difference between forgiveness & reconciliation to another. 
I’m not a big fan of liturgy.  Too often it has
simply become rote & without meaning but when done properly it becomes the prayer that Jesus prayed. The first people who nutted out the wording searched the scriptures & understood something about the nature of sin & forgiveness: Almighty and most merciful Father,

we have wandered and strayed from your ways


    like lost sheep.


We have followed too much the devices and desires


    of our own hearts.


We have offended against your holy laws.


We have left undone those things


    that we ought to have done;


and we have done those things


    that we ought not to have done;


and there is no health in us.


But you, O Lord, have mercy upon us sinners.


Spare those who confess their faults.


Restore those who are penitent,


according to your promises declared to mankind


    in Christ Jesus our Lord.

That pretty much covers it. If we harbour unforgiveness it ferments within us, even to the point of affecting our health ~ remember our Hebrew word for reconciliation? Our father is as careful to weed sin out of our words & thoughts as He is to weed it out of our actions.

In this, our broken world, forgiveness & reconciliation are sorely needed.  We must practise it because unto us has been given the ministry of reconciliation. 2Cor 5:11~21 It is by forgiving & being forgiven we understand how much Christ has done for us & only then can we display that grace to others.

Thursday 19 November 2015

The Lord's Prayer cont.,...Rabqa

God Our Father comes to us & asks, "May I reign over you?" 


Often our answer would be "Who are you & what good have you done for us that we should except Your reign?"

Now God need not reply, yet out of love He does: "I am Your Father, the creator God, who loved the world so much that I gave My one & only Son that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. His shed blood brought righteousness & sanctification, peace & access into My presence. With the stripes on His back you were healed & made whole.

He redeemed you from the curse of falling short. He sees you your needs ahead of time & makes provision for them. He is your banner who goes into battle before you & breaks open the way. You do not have to fear death or hell because He is the Good Shepherd who laid down His life for His sheep, abolished death & brought life & immortality to light".

Then once more God asks, "May I reign over you?" God reigns over you when you obey Him, accept His rule & authority in your life & become active in Jesus' kingdom movement to defeat evil, redeem sinners & bring mankind the blessings of God's reign. This essentially, is what we are earnestly desiring when we declare, "Thy kingdom come. thy will be done." We are submitting to God & calling upon Him to perform His will on earth.

Consider the verbs in these two statements" Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in heaven". In the Greek, the verbs are placed at the beginning of these two statements for emphasis. The meaning can be translated to say that it is like a man firmly & decisively putting his foot down. "Come, kingdom of God be done, will of God"

In other words I am drawing the line here, this is the way it's going to go, I am putting down my foot." That is the is the idea of these two statements. therefore it is neither arrogant nor presumptuous to declare boldly, "Come kingdom of God. Be done, will of God.

God has a will for each day of your life; therefore put your foot down in prayer. Instead of constantly mouthing weak little prayers such as:
"Oh Jesus please help me," begin boldly declaring God's promise. Stand in the victory that Christ has won for you. refuse to let satan's puny attempts to intimidate you hinder God's mighty purposes. Declare that God's will shall be done, that His kingdom shall come. Paul tells us Rom 14:17
for the kingdom of God is not eating and drinking, but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Spirit.

We want God's priorities to become established in our lives, but so often we allow many things that cause anxiety & trouble to crowd out the important things, things that should be given top priorities.

For example have you ever buttoned up your shirt & missed the top button? you glance down & realise that everything is out of line & you have to unbutton it & start over. Life is like that if you don't have God as your top priority, nothing else will line up as it should. Your health, emotions, goals, & relationships get off centre.

As you give time to prayer & seek God's wisdom, the Lord will begin to correct & realign your schedule, revealing solutions to your time management problems.
Ordering your time priorities is important, but next you must establish prayer priorities. As you pray, you must declare that God's kingdom come & His will be done in these four major areas:
1. Yourself 2. Your family. 3. Your church. 4. Your nation.
Begin with yourself James 5:16 says
...The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Unless you are right before God, your prayers will not be effective. Each day pray that God's kingdom-His righteousness, joy, &peace-be-established in you & that His will for you that day be set in your spirit.

You need divine wisdom & revelation if you are properly to administrate your home, business, resources & so on. When you pray, "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done." Invite Jesus to assume His rightful place of the throne of your heart & to rule your spirit, soul, & body. Then pray over the particular concerns in which you will be involved in throughout the day.

Ask the Holy Spirit to empower you ability, efficiency & might. In the words of Jude 20
But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,

Stay before the Lord till the course of your day is set & the Holy Spirit is functioning in you. This is vitally important, for if Jesus is not Lord in you, He will not be Lord in your second priority – your family.

If you are married pray for your mate. Pray that righteousness, peace, & joy rule in their life. Making the faith declaration, " Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done," pray over their needs until the Spirit releases you to move on in prayer. This is vitally important because if you loose your own house, your work for the house of God will be greatly hindered.

Our families must come first. some of the most remorseful people are individuals who tried to win the world for God but lost their own families in the process.
If you have children declare, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done," in each of there lives. Make specific petitions. Listen to what the Spirit of God is saying to you regarding your children.

Pray also over the person they will marry & pray that they will not get out of the perfect will of God for their lives.

Ask the Lord to lay other family members on your heart. Allow the circle of your concern & compassion to be enlarged.

At times when you are in prayer there will be times when you can't leave one person. When that happens be sensitive to the Holy Spirit because He know what that person needs that day. Make sure you do not rush through some prayer formula, but pray until the Holy Spirit releases you.
If your prayer time has gone & you have not prayed through all the topics in the Lords Prayer, stop & then pick up the prayer outline where you left off at the first opportunity later that day – driving your car, working around the house, before going to sleep. Let your life become a life of prayer. Learn to "pray the price" for what you need.

Everyday when God Asks, "May I reign in you?," Joyfully say: Yes! Yes! Thy kingdom come, Lord!

Thy will be done. I call upon you to perform your perfect will in me & my children & in my loved ones. I place your will before my own desires."

Your third prayer priority is your church. Prayer for the Pastor(s), the leadership of the church, the faithfulness of the people & the harvest.

As you prayer for your Pastor(S), ask God to anoint him or her, speak to him or her & direct him or her, Petition the Lord to giver your pastor(S) a shepherd's heart to impart wisdom & to make him or her a pure channel through which the gifts & power of the Holy Spirit can flow.

When you pray for the leader's say their name, as you pray for them one by one, the Holy Spirit often will show who you specific needs. Pray for the people in the church who are ministering in ways that touch your own life directly. The Lord will make various groups & organisations in the church. Ask the Lord to show them how to breath in through fellowship & breath out through evangelism.
Pray that the people of the church will be faithful to their families, to the vision God has given your church & to Jesus. Entreat the Holy Spirit to plant
them in the house of the Lord, so they will bring forth fruit as soul winners & intercessors. Pray that they will be faithful to bring their offerings into the storehouse so that they serve God as He deserves to be served.

When praying for the harvest use the passage in Is 43:5-7 which is passage God gave me to pray my children into the kingdom:
Fear not, for I am with you; I will bring your descendants from the east, And gather you from the west; I will say to the north, ‘Give them up!’ And to the south, ‘Do not keep them back!’ Bring My sons from afar, And My daughters from the ends of the earth— Everyone who is called by My name, Whom I have created for My glory;
I have formed him, yes, I have made him
Therefore as we pray over our church, we speak to the powers & principalities of the air who work in the children of disobedience (Eph 2:2). These powers & principalities hold the reins over certain areas, so we speak to the north of our church as if it were a person & say, "North, you have people of God who wills them to become part of our church. I command you in the name of Jesus to release every person who is supposed to become part of this body."

Then we speak to the south, east & west, & in the spirit we look them right in the face. & command them release to everyone-not every other one-that God has ordained to be saved, planted, strengthened & established in our church. We must tarry there in prayer till we have a release in our spirit that the evil powers are listening & relinquishing what belongs to us.

Through the Holy Spirit we then face those geographical areas & challenge them until they drop the reins of control. Then in Jesus name we ask for the ministering angels to be dispatched to the hearts of salvation. (Heb 1:13-14).

Your fourth prayer priorities is your nation. Pray that the prime minister will have the wisdom of God; that spiritual leaders will walk in wisdom, be people of prayer & be kept by the power of God, pray specifically, naming your city, state, & national leaders. Intercede for your country. Pray for revival.

The Lord also commands us to pray for Jerusalem (PS 122:6) Pray also for the success of Israel.

You may like to ask the Lord to lay another nation on your heart, like communist nations, countries experiencing revolution or famine, & so forth. Allow the Spirit of God to enlarge your boarders of concern & compassion.

You now may realise how simple it is to pray for one hour. you are now learning how to pray for multitudes of things that once caused you to fear, worry, frustration. & now instead of thinking, How could I ever pray for an hour? you may be wondering, How can I ever get through in one hour?

You see our problem has been simple. Not knowing what to say or do when we prayed, we wore ourselves out in about ten minutes. But Jesus said. "After this manner pray ye"& He gave us an outline to follow.

In the context of this prayer are five major themes that have been restored to vitality in the church in our time. They are praise & worship; kingdom authority; prosperity; relationships; & spiritual authority. Each of those themes is there, in perfect balance. In the context of this prayer is everything you need in order to live full & free in spiritual victory.

Being in the will of God requires four things:
1. Fellowship with Jesus through prayer & Reading the Word of God.
2. Fellowship with God's church.
3. Diligent balanced work habits.
4. Obedience in giving.

Fellowship with Jesus. To be in the will of God, daily fellowship with Jesus in the word & prayer is essential. If like the rich young ruler (Mk 10:17-22), you have religion but not a relationship with God, you will not experience God's peace, purpose, or power. (Acts 1:8 Amp)

But you will receive power and ability when the
Holy Spirit comes upon you; and you will be My witnesses [to tell people about Me both in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and Samaria, and even to the ends of the earth.” Fellowship with one another. Heb 13:17 Obey those who rule over you, and be submissive, for they watch out for your souls, as those who must give account. Let them do so with joy and not with grief, for that would be unprofitable for you. It is God's will that we relate to our brothers & sisters in our local church.

We should also be committed & submitted to our pastor. We are commanded not to forsake the assembling of ourselves together; we are to exhort one another (Heb 10:25). Exhort means to admonish, to urge one to pursue some future course of conduct. It is wonderful to fellowship with believers who can impel us morally, encourage & urge us forward & stimulate us to good works. Balanced diligent work habits. The next prerequisite to being in the will of God is to have diligent, balanced work habits. Paul gives instructions regarding work.

 1 Thess 4:11,12 that
you also aspire to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, that you may walk properly toward those who are outside, and that you may lack nothing. Paul warned us not to be neglectful of duty & pass out lives in idleness, being busy with other peoples affairs instead of our own, thus doing no work. 1 Thess 3:11,12 Now may our God and Father Himself, and our Lord Jesus Christ, direct our way to you. And may the Lord make you increase and abound in love to one another and to all, just as we do to you, Paul also said that "If any should not work neither should he eat. 2 Thess3:10 Obedience in giving. The fourth prerequisite to be in the will of God is obedience in giving Mal3:10 God promises if we bring our tithes into the storehouse, He will open the windows of heaven & pour out so many blessings we cannot contain them. Acknowledging God as our source & giving unselfishly back to Him helps destroy the root of evil, the love of money (1Tim 6:9). If we take care of the root of evil, we will not have the fruit of evil in our lives. Mal 3:8,9 says that if you rob God then He promises to curse you. Obedience in giving is essential if we are to receive God's best. We need to realise there is a proper order to giving & receiving. First, we give that there may be meat in God's house; then He blesses our house. First we give; then it is given to us. (Lk 6:38) Matt 6:33 But seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness, and all these things shall be added to you. When we give to God first, rather then hoarding our limited resources, we acknowledge that He is our source. We must also obey God when He asks us to give the unusual or unexpected. Believe that it is God's will to prosper you in all areas of your life Phil 4:19 says And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus. Our Father is faithful to keep His promise to His children who seek blessings in order that they might be able to stretch out filled hands to the needy. God doesn't bless us so that we can tear down out barns to build bigger ones. 

Believers sometimes misunderstand the purpose of God's blessings & drown in there own stew. God knows that money is a necessity, the Scriptures are full with instructions of how to make, save, give, & manage money. God wants His children to be givers, not takers; to be the head, not the tail; to be lenders, not borrowers. Another aspect of praying God's provision is making specific requests. we need to bring specific needs to God everyday & not just expect the answers to come in. Give us this day our daily bread. By this we know that we are to pray daily over our specific needs. Immediately after Jesus gave his disciples the Lords Prayer in Luke 11, He related a parable illustrating the importance of asking specifically. Lk 11:5-6 And He said to them, “Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him’; The man asked specifically for three loves of bread. When you pray Give us this day our daily bread, ask specifically!

 First we must pray for the specific needs for the house of God, then we pray for the specific needs for own house. Prayer outline. 

1. Be in the will of God A. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you develop a consistent, daily personal prayer life & in time the Word where you fellowship daily with Jesus. 

B Pray the Lord will plant you in a local church & make you contributing, functioning, healthy part of that body. 

C. Examine your work habits. Are you slothful? A workaholic? Ask the Lord to give you ability, efficiency, might & balance. 

D Examine your giving. Are you obeying the Lord in bringing in your offerings to the storehouse? Or are you greedy or a poor manager? Do you pray your bills & have a reputation as a fair honest person who keeps your word? Take time to pray along these lines. II Believe it is God's will to prosper you.

A. Memorise Scriptures such as Luke 6:38 & Philippines 4;19 to use as a faith declarations as you pray in your provision.

 B. Meditate upon the Word of God until you truly understand & Believe it. III Be specific A. Bring specific needs daily before God. 

B. Decide to pray instead of worry. IV Be tenacious.

 A. Repossess lost ground the devil has stolen from you. Discouragement & unbelief have robbed you of answers to prayer. Take up those petitions again & persevere until the answer comes. 

B. Praise the Lord because He is Jehovah-jireh: He sees your need beforehand & makes provision. 

Acknowledgement Larry Lea.