30 April 2013

8 Essential Ingredients For Daily Prayer (Part 2)

By John Ollis

In the last blog I said that this teaching is not a formula, but that you can begin to see a clear progression, starting with  Confession (clearing the decks of any unconfessed sin).   Let me remind you that prayer is an area in our spiritual lives that needs someone to walk with us until it becomes a lifestyle – (‘bosko’ ministry).   I offered to do this at the conclusion of my last blog, but you can also ask a friend to be a “Prayer partner” with you, and you both can encourage/challenge each other every couple of days, with questions like “are you doing No.1 (confession)?”  “Is it working”?  “Do you feel you now have an open heaven and God is listening ?”  “Are you doing No.2 (surrender)?”  “Is it working?”  “Are you asking Jesus to tie you down to the altar?”  “Is the level of surrender becoming higher in your life?” “Are you able to stay on the altar longer?”
Now we come to Ingredients #3 & #4.
Turn with me to Psalm 100:4“I will enter His gates with THANKSGIVING”
This is the 3rd essential ingredient.  Are you a thankful person?  We are born unthankful, our parents had to tell 100’s of times “say please”, “say thank you”. We must develop AN ATTITUDE OF GRATITUDE!   DO YOU REMEMBER THE CHORUS “Give thanks with a grateful heart”?
Do you thank God for the breath you breathe?
Do you thank God for the clothes on your body?
Do you thank God for the roof over your head?
Do you thank God for the money in your wallet?
Do you thank God for the food you eat?   (many Christians don’t even say Grace before meals anymore)!
The Bible says in James 1:17 “Every good and perfect gift comes from above”.  The things above are an example of what actually came from the Lord.  We take so many of the things we have for granted!  It may help to make a list of everything you have in your life, it may help you become more thankful.
Now we come to the 4th ingredient.
Again, let’s look at Psalm 100:4  “I will enter His courts with PRAISE.”
For ease of teaching, I put all the practical things under ‘thanksgiving’, but in reality, there is not that much difference between Thanksgiving and Praise.  I put all the “spiritual things under praise!   Do you ever ask yourself these questions?
Where would I be today, but for the goodness of God?
Could I have become an alcoholic?
Could I have become a drug addict?
Could you be in prison today?
Could you be dead today BUT for the grace of God?
The psalmist thanks the Lord for being taken out of the horrible pit, and the miry clay!
Psalm 103:2-5 lists many the Lord’s benefits to us:
He forgives all our iniquities
He heals all our diseases
He redeems our life from destruction
He crowns us with lovingkindness & tender mercies
He satisfies our mouth with good things
Our youth is renewed like the eagle’s ….
I praise the Lord for His cleansing blood, that my name is in the Lamb’s Book of Life, ….     Hasn’t the Lord done so much for us?
Again, why don’t you write down all that the Lord has done for you as far as your spiritual life is concerned.
It is so important to sit in His presence and thank the Lord for all that He does for us and to praise Him for His “So great salvation” Heb. 2:3.
Can you see the progression ??
Confession →   Surrender →   Thanksgiving →   Praise 
This will surely produce something in our hearts that we will talk about in the next teaching blog.
Can I ask Four (or Five) things of you today?

  1. Please find a prayer partner and walk together, encouraging and challenging each other.  Within a few short weeks the 8 ingredients will be a part of your life, and you will have fallen in love with Jesus more than ever before.
  2. Please subscribe to my blog, I really want to be a blessing to you (you will see where you can do it on the right-hand side of the page).
  3. Please send in your questions and comments, if there is something you are not sure of, please ask!
  4. To my English speaking/reading Indonesian friends, would you share with your friends (who do not read English) the Indonesian translation at johnollisindo.wordpress.com
  5. To my English speaking/reading Chinese friends, would you share with your friends (who do not read English) that there is also a Mandarin translation. The work is in progress so if some parts are not translated yet, give it some time.