Sunday Sermon with Apostle Chisale
Greetings beloved nation in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. 1 John 5:14, “And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us.”
The subject of prayer is very important and cannot be over emphasised. Prayer is critical in the life of a believer because it connects us to God, it helps us in our spiritual growth, and it gives us victory among other things. So cultivating a life style of prayer is very important in the life of a believer.
It’s unfortunate that many people have not truly understood the mystery of prayer and they pray without understanding.
The bible tells us to ‘pray without ceasing’ so meaning our lives should be the lives of prayerful people. One time in the book of Luke 11:1 when Jesus had finished praying, one of the disciples approached him and said, ‘Lord, teach us to pray’.
I believe the disciples were praying, but their prayers were not producing the results that they saw being produced when Jesus prayed. So they had to ask him to teach them to pray. So meaning prayer must be taught, otherwise we pray amiss and end up with no results to our prayers.
The reason why a lot of people hate to attend prayers or to pray individually is probably because they have tried and failed in their effort to get whatsoever they wanted and they were discouraged.
Probably they have concluded that what they have asked for from God, God has not heard them or their request is too big. 1 John 5:14 says that if we ask according to his will, he hears us, the key words being ‘according to his will’.
So meaning there is a pattern to follow when we pray that will enable us to get the results we want. God is a God of patterns.
If we follow these patterns we will see the desired results. In Luke 11:2- 4, Jesus then goes on to teach the disciples the pattern of prayer. Ladies and gentlemen there is a way to pray that brings answers, prayers that will command the attention of heaven. God does not answer all prayers.
In the book of Genesis 21 we see Hagar being sent away with her son Ishmael into the desert. When their water had finished she left the boy under a tree and went off to a distance.
She lifted her voice and cried and so did the boy. Both of them cried, but only the cry of the boy moved God, because the bible tells us that, ‘God heard the boy crying.’ So meaning your tears can touch God but they do not move God.
If God is moved by your prayers, your tears, he takes action. So if God is to take any action on your behalf, it must be according to his pattern.
There are some keys I want to talk about, that will command the attention of heaven and bring the results we want.
Key 1: Heartfelt prayer. James 5:15-18 Before your prayer touches the throne room of heaven it must be heartfelt.
A prayer that will move heaven is a prayer that moves you first. If your prayer cannot move you, it will not move heaven. Elijah prayed earnestly and the heavens were shut.
When it was time, he prayed and travailed in prayer and the heavens opened. The kind of prayer that touches heaven must be heartfelt from the depth of the spirit.
In the book of first Samuel 1, we are told about Hannah. She would cry every time she went to Shiloh, crying for a child, because God had shut her womb and Peninnah kept provoking her.
But there came a time when she prayed a heartfelt prayer before the altar and she poured out her soul and God was moved by her prayer.
Key 2: The name of Jesus. John 14:13, John 16:23 Jesus tells his disciples that ‘whatsoever you shall ask in my name, I will do it’.
He also says ‘my father, God the almighty, will give you whatsoever you ask, as long as you ask in my name’. So meaning the name of Jesus gives us access to the father.
This is because he has legal standing before the father because of the finished work at Calvary.
So as we pray it is important to ask using the name of Jesus, because that assures us of answers to our prayers. Key 3: Pray according to the will of God. 1 John 5:14 As believers we may pray heartfelt prayers and use the name of Jesus, but if it is not according to the will of God, it will not be answered.
The one thing that challenges the devil is the word of God, which is a testament of his will. So if we pray using the word of God, which is his will, then we are assured that God will answer our prayers.
Key 4: Prayer with thanksgiving. Philippians 4:6 When we pray with thankful hearts, when we thank God for who he is and for what he has done in our lives, we shall see our prayers answered.
Prayer is not just about presenting a list of demands to God. Prayer involves thanksgiving and this a mystery that opens doors and gives us victory in the face of our enemies.
The bible tells us in Psalm 65:2, “O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come”. David came to a conclusion that there is a God in heaven who answers prayers.
Ladies and gentlemen, God does indeed answer prayers when we pray according to his pattern. Once again I would like to invite you to receive Jesus as your personal Lord and saviour, by believing in your heart and confessing with your mouth that Jesus is your Lord and saviour, and you shall be saved. God bless you all.
Feedback: dominionlifechurch01@gmail.com/ Whatsapp number: 0772494647