FACETS OF PRAYER
The lord desires that we pray all kinds of prayer as recommended by his words (1 Timothy 2:1-4 : Ephesians 6:8) Believers can pray different types as follows:
1.
ADORATIVE/PRAISE:- it is an ac of worshiping God b declearing his majesty, power and glory: recognizing that he is the sovereign creator and merciful redeemer and praising him for his incomparable attributes
( Exodus 15:11, Psalm 103:1-5, 111:1-9, Acts 4:24) Prayers of praise and adoration strengthen our faith in god and also attrct his presence and power in our lives and situation
( Act 16:24,25) 2.
THANKSGIVING:- It is the act of appreciating God and giving him thanks for all what he has done in our lives. We are commanded to give thanks to God in all situations we find ourselves
(1 Thessalonians 5:18) Being thankful is being grateful to God for all spiritual, physical and material blessings such as salvation from sin, sanctification, baptism of the holy spirit, the gift of the holy spirit, protection, sound health and spiritual blessings in heavenly places
(Ephesians 1:3-12; 1 Samuel 2:1-9; 1 chronicles 16:8-34; Psalms 92:1-2; ) Giving thanks to God especially in the midst of seemingly negative circumstances, is a way of expressing implicit trust in God for what we believe He is doing presently and what He is still going to do. “As it is written, Eye hath not seen , nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which god hath prepared for them that love him”
(1 COR 2:9)3.
PETITION/SUPPLICATION:- Petition is asking god to do or change something while SUPPLICATION is earnestly asking God for help/assistance. This is prayer for specific personal needs such as cleansing from sin, daily bread, accommodation , employment, wife or husband, etc. It is a very humble request made to God by an individual or group of people for a divine assistance. Hannah prayed for a child
(1 Samuel 1:9-20,27) jabez prayed for a divine visitation
(1 Chronicles 4:10). Hezekiah prayed for healing from an enemy (
2 kings 19: 14-20; Isaiah 38:1-5) The earlier Christians to prayed for the baptism of the holy spirit, direction, boldness to preach the gospel and signs and wonders
(Act 1:14,24: 4:29-31) Prayer of supplication and petition is sometimes coupled with fasting
(Nehemiah 1:1-6, Esther 4:16)4.
INTERCESSION:- This is prayer for other people here, one stands in the gap for someone else, to plead pn their behalf for forgiveness of sins, restoration from backsliding, spiritual strength, comfort, protection, provision and other needs. Abraham prayed for Sodom and Gomorrah; and later for Abimelech and his household
(Genesis 18:22-23, 20:17,18) Moses, Daniel and Samuel interceded for Israel
(Numbers 21:7; 1 Samuel 12:23) Jesus prayed for the disciples and for believers in general
(Luke 22:31,32) the early church prayed for Peter’s deliverance
(Acts 12: 1-8)Paul the apostle interceded for the Ephesians
(Ephesians 1:15-23) and the Epaphras prayed for the Colossians
(Colossians 4:12)5.
AUTHORITAIVE PRAYER:- This is the kind of prayer in which we exercise our spiritual authority as given to us by God in his words (Matthew 18:18)a way of doing this is using our God-given power to blind the forces of darkness and set their captives free
(Mark 3:27) or it could be by authoritatively restraining Satan and his agents from causing havocs in our lives and families without necessarily calling on God to do for us. We just take our place and issue the command as children of God.
“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God imaginations, and every high thing that lift itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (2 Corinthians 10:4, 5)6.
PRAYER OF AGREEMENT:- This is the prayer of two or more people coming together to agree with one another and with the word of God that something definite should be done (matt 18: 19-20; Exodus 17:8-13) God has given power and authority to believers to stand with one purpose, share a joint vision and trust God for his word to be fulfilled or that his power be released for victories and breakthroughs.
7.
PRAYER OF FAITH:- This involves praying fervently, consistently and perseveringly according to the will of God until there is a breakthrough. Prayer of faith is rooted in our confidence in God’s promises, power and faithfulness. Elijah believed that God would not fail to do until there was rain
(1 Kings 18: 1, 41-44) Blind bartimaeus and the woman with the issue of blood knew that Christ had the unlimited power to heal them. This gave them strength to ignore every limitation and press through the crowd until they received their miracles
(Mark 10:46-52; MATT 9:20-22; James 5: 13-18).
Note however that the different types of prayers listed above are not mutually exclusive; that is, they can be used together at the same time, depending on the goals of the person praying and the leading of the Holy Spirit.
FAULT THAT HINDER PRAYER
As simple as prayer seems to be and as important as it is, not all prayers are answered by God. The determinant of a good prayer is therefore not the glowing language used to express our desires, but the spiritual state of the petitioner. As much as God delights in answering prayers, many things can hinder our prayers from being answered.
Among which are:
Sin
(Psalm 66:18; Isaiah 59:1,2; Proverbs 28:13)
Neglect of mercy
(Matt 7:2: James 2:13-17)
Disobedience and self-will
(Proverbs 1:24-30; 1 John 3:21, 22)
Being unthankful to God
(1 Thessalonians 5:18)
Unforgiving spirit
(Matthew 5:43-48; 6:12; 18:23-35; Luke 6:37)
Doubts/lack of faith
(Matthew 17:19, 20; Hebrews 11:6; James 1:6-8)If you will like to be recieving daily e-mails from me, please send your e-mail address to dailygodword@rocketmail.com and also add the e-mail address to your address book so you might not recieve the e-mail as spam mail.
REMAIN BLESS!!!