I Thessalonians 5:16-18
- Rejoice evermore.
- Pray without ceasing.
- In every thing give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
Heb. 13:15
Through Him therefore let us constantly and at all times offer up to God a sacrifice of praise, which is the fruit of lips that thankfully acknowledge and confess and glorify His name.
We pray for many reasons. At times we pray to receive wisdom and guidance. Other times, we pray just because we want to fellowship with God. But the truth is that a great majority of the time, we pray because we need the power of God to work on our behalf.
Traditional religious teachings have often discouraged us from trying to lean about how to understand and tap into that power. They promoted the idea that God intends for His power to remain a mysteriously unpredictable force that strikes like lightning wherever and whenever you least expect it.
But the Bible doesn’t’ say any such thing. In the prayers of the apostle Paul, he tells us that it’s God’s will for us to know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe. ~ Eph 1:18 amp.
God’s Word is not to be a mystery to us. He wants us to know how it works and flows. He wants us to know Him and know how to flow and cooperate with Him.
John 1:1-15
Here we see that the power of God is identified as life, light and the ability to create. Therefore, if you have sickness in your body, you can expect the life of God to drive it out. If you have darkness and oppression, the light of God will free you. If you are lacking something good, the God who made all things can create it for you and you should expect Him to.
Acts 10:38 … confirms the operations of the power of God.
Romans 6:4 … we see that Jesus was raised from the dead by the glory (power) of God.
When your hopes and dreams are as good as dead, when you are past human help, the power of God can raise you up.
What kind of prayers best access this power?
Actually, every prayer prayed in faith will to some degree bring the power of God on the scene. But there is one prayer that is particularly effective, and it is often overlooked ! Not only in our daily lives, but also in times of need and crisis, when we require the power of God most.
It is the prayer of praise, worship and thanksgiving.
In Solomon’s day worship was not just a Sunday event that connect the people to the Word. It was a time when the people bowed their hearts and worshipped God.
Many people today don’t now about heartfelt worship. They just know forms and formulas. But forms of godliness deny the power of God. Power does not flow from empty heartless worship.
When we allow our minds to wonder during worship we are disconnecting the power of worship. When we are prayer - less, praise - less, thank - less, at home we are leaving our homes power - less and void of God’s help.
Psalms 112:1 amp
The rest of this psalms list the rest of the blessings we all want. It says the person who worships God will have mighty offspring. Wealth and riches will be in his house. He will have light during the dark times and victory over every enemy.
Now Worship is not just singing a song to the Lord. It is not just bowing down and looking submitted. It is a heart condition and attitude. Services can be an act of worship. Your financial giving can be an act of worship. Worship is much more than singing and ministering in music.
Why is it so important to worship?
First:
because God is God and deserves it! He gave us every good thing we have and to refuse or fail to worship Him is sin. It’s arrogant and ungrateful to take what He gives us and then not bless and thank Him in return.
Second:
God has ordained it as a way for us to access His power. Worship releases blessings.
One reason worship paves the way for God to move is because worship is the language of faith. It you believe that God has heard you pray and that He’s moving on your behalf you will thank Him.
Heb. 13:15 amp Acts 2:46-47
We are to always offer praise. Always be thankful. It should be the language of the Christian believer.
God is just waiting for us to come to him. He wants to hear from us all the time. He wants to bless us, give us good and perfect things. He wants us to have things to thank and praise Him for, to give Him Glory.
Look at how Paul as a minister thanked God:
I Cor. 1:4 Eph. 1:16 Phil. 1:3-4 I Col 1:3 I Thess. 1:2 I Thess. 2:3 I Thess 2:13 II Thess. 1:3
One of the pitfalls of prayerfulness is that too often people get off into heaviness and pride. They do this when they believe that all good is coming because of them and their praying. NO … prayer is our part, but God is the one who releases all manner of blessings into to our lives.
And if we would be people who pray, know that God has heard us, and then give Him thanks we would stay out of heaviness and spiritual pride.
On the flip side, there are people who pray and pray and never believe God is doing his part and they live a very thankless miserable life. We must know that God is a re-warder of those who in faith diligently seek Him.
Listen there will always be evidence of what the devil is trying to do in your life. But don’t focus on that.
- Magnify what God is doing.
- Thank Him for hearing your prayers and answering.
- Praise Him for His goodness and ability.
- Worship Him for his Holiness.
When you do you will find that things begin to turn around in your life more quickly than you could have imagined.
*special thanks to the late Rev. K.E. Hagin and Rev. Pasty Cameneti for their ministries from which todays blog was derived
