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Covenant Love Discipleship Lesson Three - THE LIFE OF PRAYER by Jeff Tyler
The second mineral/vitamin that we need to grow healthy and mature in the Spirit is Prayer. Remember, without a balance of all four key ingredients, Word, Prayer, Fellowship, and Works (activity), you will not grow up into maturity in Christ nor become what God wants for you and your destiny. And God is very passionate and serious about your prayer life. In Scripture, Prayer is mentioned 542 times in 510 verses!
You would not marry someone, and then spend your time doing other things and never talking to them. When Jesus came to live in you heart, essentially you said, “Yes, and I do.” You became engaged to be married, and entered into a marriage contract as a Bride with the Groom, being the Son of God. Now He expects relationship and conversation, even though He already knows your every thought. God created you to be with Him. He wants you to walk with Him in the cool of the day. He asks you to cry out and to talk and to use your emotions. (Genesis 3:8)
Prayer is so important that Jesus Himself did it, and very often, and very intensely. It is recorded throughout the Gospels. The Bible says that Jesus did only what He saw the Father doing. He saw this thru being filled up with Holy Spirit in times of prayer. (John 5:19-20) If the very Son of God needed to pray, then how much more do we? Prayer is absolutely vital and necessary for your walk in Jesus.
I’ve heard it said that who you are in private is really who you are in the core of your being. I want to add that who you are in the privacy of your prayer closet is who you will be in public. How you spend your private time, is a sure sign of who you really really are as a person. So what is your prayer life like? What is your private time like? Is it spent in seeking more of Jesus or watching TV or doing other things? Give God your quiet time, idle time, and your alone private time. Keith Green taught and sang, “Make my life a prayer to you.” He wanted to be a living altar of prayer. We should desire that, too.
Jesus has given you incredible power in prayer, as long as you believe what you are praying. Some of the Memory Verses below bear this out. In fact, these memory verses are a good assignment for you, and you should especially study the prayers of Jesus in the Gospel of John, chapters 15 thru 17. The Lord says we have what we wish if we really believe what we are asking. He even says you can say to mountains and obstacles to be cast in the sea, and they will be.
But mostly, your prayer life changes YOU. You cannot get into God’s presence and commune with the lord without it changing YOU. Just as you grow from being with your husband or wife or loved ones intimately throughout your conversations day and night, you will grow in the Spirit in prayer conversations with the Lord, your bridegroom lover. Something happens when we seek the Lord in prayer. Many things happen in the invisible realm. There is a cleansing and a peace that comes on, too. Things change, but mostly it’s YOU that changes. This is another reason we must pray daily, especially in these seasons and times that we live in. It’s more critical now than ever.
Prayer basically is communicating with God. You can do that at any time because God is with you at all times, no matter where you are. Most people like to pray in church or in the altars. But it is totally okay to pray while driving, walking, singing, at home, in the restaurant, or anywhere on this planet. Communicate with God and just be honest. Some prayer is quiet and some loud. Some like to kneel, some get on their faces, and some stand or walk. Some are solemn and some dance. Be careful judging how people pray and worship. Give them grace as that is what God is doing in their lives at that time.
There are many types and kinds of prayer. As we are all engaged to be married to the Son, we are all called to pray. These prayers could be intercession for others or ourselves and our needs. We must learn to trust and believe as we grow and grow in our prayer lives. As you do grow, your prayer life will grow, and at times become even more intense. There is a special ministry, anointing, and calling for some people as well, to be full-time prayer warriors and intercessors.
The bottom line is PRAY! What would you ask from God today?
OUR PRAYER CD – We do offer a Teaching CD on prayer and the worldwide prayer movement for $10. If you are interested in this awesome life-changing CD, please e-mail us at info@thenightwatch.com.
Memory verses on prayer – Old Testament – Your assignments…. 2 Chronicles 7:14 Job 42:10 Psalms 4:1, 5:2-3, 6:9, 17:1, 32:6, 55:17, 66:20, 102:17, 122:6, 141:2 Proverbs 15:8, 15:29
New Testament – Mark 1:35, 11:17, 11:24 Luke 6:12, 6:28, 11:1-4, 18:1-8, 18:10-14, 21:36 John Chapters 15 thru 17 are among the most awesome prayer chapters in the Word as Jesus prays for His disciples and us. Acts 1:4, 2:42, 4:31, 6:4, 10:4, 10:31 Romans 8:26, 10:1, 12:12, 15:30 Ephesians 1:6, 6:18 Philippians 4:6 Colossians 1:3, 1:9, 4:2 I Thessalonians 1:2, 5:17 II Thessalonians 1:11 I Timothy 2:1, 2:8 I Timothy 4:5 James 4:1-3 James 5:13-18 I Peter 3:7, 3:12, 4:7 Jude 1:20 Revelation 5:8, 8:3-4
If you have questions, e-mail Info@TheNightWatch.com.
If you need prayer, e-mail Prayer@TheNightWatch.com.
Interested in Samuel Jeanrenaud and possibly a Night Watch Team coming to your church, conference, or ministry organization and teaching on Discipleship? Click here.
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