The Christian Broadcasting Network

Related Link

More Teaching Sheets on CBN.com

More Prayer and Counseling on the Spiritual Life Channel

 
CBN TEACHING SHEETS

A Passion for Prayer

By CBN.com

What is prayer?

Prayer is communication with God. It is the closest, most intimate relationship with the Creator you can have.

Prayer is not playing magic games, spinning prayer wheels, reading off a list, or asking for things to be done. It is a communion. In Psalm 42:7, NKJV, the Bible says, “Deep calls unto deep.” In prayer, the depths of your spirit are in communion with the depths of the Spirit of God. Out of this can come instruction, guidance, or a burden to pray for certain things.

We can learn much from the Lord’s Prayer, the model prayer, Matthew 6:9-13, NASB. The first thing is that if we are to structure prayer, we should begin with an acknowledgement of the One to whom we are talking – God, our Father. We should also include adoration, “Hallowed be Your name.” We are to glorify and worship His name, His very Being.

Then, we must be concerned about the extension of His kingdom. We ask that men should come to know Him and submit to Him. “Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Next to the Name and the Person of God Himself, the most important thing in prayer is the extension of God’s kingdom.

After that, we ask God for our daily bread. It may be food, clothing, a house, or it may be money to feed the poor. It could be any of a number of things. We ask Him to give us, day by day, bread that is sufficient for us. That is the petition part of prayer. The first part of prayer is praise, the second is intercession for others, and the third is petition, when we ask for our needs to be met.

Finally, we seek God’s protection that we might not be led into temptation and that God will keep us from evil. We ask Him to keep us walking in His way, so that we might be covered by His power and anointing and not be susceptible to Satan’s influences.

Forgiveness is Key

We must remember that prayer is rooted in forgiveness. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” The relationship of God’s people to Him comes about because of continuous forgiveness. If we are going to see miracles in our lives, we have to be willing to forgive other people, even as God is willing to forgive us.

Christians should always be in an attitude of communion with God. Prayer can take place in every circumstance. In my life, as events pass by, I may find myself talking to Him, wanting to know something, asking for advice and counsel, or seeking favor and blessing. The Christian’s life should be filled with prayer. In addition, we should set aside specific times, at least once a day, for prayer and reading the Bible.

As we read the Bible, we should pray, worship God, speak to Him about our needs, and listen to His answers. This should be a time of communication between two spirits that sets the order of events for each day.

How do I pray for miracles?

When we are faced with a great need, either for ourselves or others, we should begin by humbly seeking to know what God’s will is in the matter. “Father, what do You want to do in this situation?” Jesus said, “My Father has been working until now, and I have been working” (John 5:17, NKJV). He listened to the voice of the Father, and He watched Him. Be careful not to start or end a prayer by saying blindly, “If it be Thy will.” Rather, you should seek to know God’s will in the situation and then to base your prayer upon it. Say, “Father, in advance, tell me what Your will is and what You are doing.” Then you can ask Him to perform the miracle that you know He wants to bring about.

Most people ask God for a miracle, but many omit a key requirement – the spoken word. God has given us authority over disease, demons, sickness, storms, and finances. We continue to ask God to act, when, in fact, He has given us the authority to act with divinely empowered speech. We are to declare that authority in Jesus’ name. We are to command the money to come to us, command the storm to be stilled, command the demon to come out, command the leg to grow, command the cancer to leave.

Moving Mountains

Jesus said, “Whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says” (Mark 11:23, NKJV). Believe in your heart that it has already happened! With the anointing of faith that God gives you, you speak it forth.

When we face seemingly insurmountable challenges in our lives, remember the words of Paul to the Thessalonians: “Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18, NASB).

  • Translate
  • Print Page


CBN IS HERE FOR YOU!
Are you seeking answers in life? Are you hurting?
Are you facing a difficult situation?

A caring friend will be there to pray with you in your time of need.

Do You Know Jesus
Grow In Your Faith

Need Prayer?

Call 1-800-700-7000
Email your prayer request

Email iconSign up for E-mail Updates Full List

 E-mail: