How to Pray Successfully

Rip Van Christian

2008-11-03T13:28:00.006-05:00

Katie, bar the door!!

Tis the season

If you’re one of the many that have begun to fast and pray for the election please accept my thanks and gratitude. It’s an endeavor worthy of our time. I mean, surely, with what’s at stake right now in our country we need to snap to attention and man the watch towers at such a time as this, right? Right? We’re looking at a possible HUGE swing in the congressional seats coming up for re-election. Supreme Court appointments will definitely be happening and many current rights which we now hold as sacred will be assaulted with a ferocity on a level most of us have never witnessed before. So, this would seem like a logical time to fast and pray, no? A real good time to get serious with the principalities and powers of the air and draw the line in the sand to show just how tough we are spiritually.

Yeah, um, did you happen to notice the horse left the barn quite a while ago? While many of us were jamming the prayer lines to heaven hammering God with making sure He kept His prosperity promises, such as Malachi 3:10 and 3 John vs 2, hell had a field day moving into our government. I’d still like to welcome you to the party though. Albeit, somewhat late. It might be a good time to have that bible study we’ve been meaning to have on Gen. 4:7 “If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door.”

Have a seat, Hannibal

I’m pretty sure that our sin no longer lies at our door waiting for us, but, has actually moved in with us, taken over our home, set the dinner table and is about to serve US as the meal.

You know those prayers you’ve been praying holding God’s feet to the fire using verses such as Psalm 34:10 “...but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing” and II Cor. 9:6-11 about sowing and reaping? Well, you may want to keep those handy because you’re going to be needing them. All of the discipline you’ve garnered and honed assaulting the gates of heaven the last few years for a newer home or nicer clothes or constantly reminding God of His promises to heal you are going to come in handy the next few years.

I know you kinda’ know it because today you’re fasting and praying about it. And, really, we’re grateful to have you. There’s some nice ego stroking involved to think that you may be helping to usher in an “Ester” type episode.

Rip Van Christians

You see, it’s only been very recently that most of us have crawled out of our malaise and have come to realize that ANY prosperity in this country (once richly blessed by the gracious hand of God) is about to come crashing down around our holy ears. Powers that are about to take the reins of the once greatest economy ever known to man are sending shivers down the spines of those who cared little about the plight of their fellow men dropping off by the millions into an eternity where nice clothes are VERY low on the priority list.

Yeah, welcome to the party. We’re glad to have you. Fast and pray. Maybe God will be lenient and merciful and turn His ear to you in your current time of need. Maybe. My gut feeling is that we really are about to reap what we’ve sown for the past 2-3 decades and we’re not going to like it one bit. By the way, nice sweater.

How to Pray Successfully Part 3

2008-10-26T21:39:00.007-04:00

(Artwork courtesy of NarrowisthePath.com)

Warning: Get the Duct Tape Ready!

The charge to pray successfully moves forward! The contents of the following article MAY actually cause your head to explode. We are recommending you wrap your head in duct tape to prevent injury to yourself and anyone in a close proximity. Be forewarned! But to be truly successful read on my friend.

Question? Do you care about the future of the souls in your city? Hell does.

There's More Than Us

Why, you may ask, did he ask such a question? Success hinges on it. The reason is because I'm wondering if we care MORE than hell. When you prayed this week did you feel deeply and passionately moved that so little of the citizenry are just a breath away from never coming back to this world? Did you feel moved to pray at all for the societal losers? The winos? The bag ladies? The prostitutes? The addicts? The abused? Just the lost in general? Hell excels at success.

We're you able to pray more than, say, 15 minutes a day? How about just 10? Just compassion for the addicts should drive us to pray for hours. I'm not sure we see the real value of a soul. Hell does. When we look at the loser on the street corner what do we see? I mean if we actually look at him for more than 3 seconds. Hell see a trophy. Have you ever wondered what happened to him? What caused his plight? But, for the grace of God, there go I. But, he's still a soul. Probably a lost soul. No one talks to him. Everyone scorns him. Some mock him. But, no one feels his humiliation, his pain. I doubt he wants to be that way. I doubt he chose that life. Hell's happy to claim him. What would successful prayer mean for his future?

Now apply that to the beaten. The abused. The ones no one really wants to talk about. Cigarette burned children. Maimed women. Destitute men and women. Multiplied many times over. Each city has it's share. Many more than most of us realize. But, they all have one thing in common. Jesus, our Jesus, died for them just as He did for you and me. He loves them with the same love and feels the same pain and loss for them that He does for us. We're not anything to brag about, we just think we are. Successful prayer determines their eternity. Do you care about the condition of the souls in your city? Hell does.

Single Christians Want to Meet You

Get the Duct Tape

(Warning: this is where the earlier warning comes in. Get the duct tape and small children should be tucked into bed at this point)

I bring this up today because I heard a pastor saying this morning that in his efforts to reach his city, this halloween at his church he will be dressed up as Willy Wonka and handing out candy to children that come by. He's hoping to reach 1500 kids. Think success here folks. Now, bear with me here while I work this out in my simple mind. Do you think he reached this decision after fasting and praying for as long as he could? Do you think that God maybe, finally ran out of other options and told him Willy Wonka was the best he was going to do to challenge hell for souls of his city? Would you consider him successful?

Truthfully, and I'm being honest with you here, I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around this thing. I mean, did Billy Graham miss some great opportunity for success here? Could he have avoided having to preach the gospel and pray for people when he could have dressed up as an Oompuh Loompuh? I understand trying to have something different for the kids of his church, but, this is their outreach program. Did anyone pray about this? THIS is the victory plan of God? Has anyone read the Old Testament? God's a warrior. He believes in battle. In success.

When Jesus was questioned by his disciples about why they didn't have success casting a demon out of a man he replied (somewhat exasperatedly) "Because of your unbelief...Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting." Matthew 17:20 Did I miss the part about dressing up as a clown or Little Bo Peep? Maybe I've got the wrong translation. Someone hand me my Barnum and Baileys version.

So I ask, if it took that for ONE man to be relieved of a demon what would it take for a city to be successfully freed from it's strongholds and bondages? Uh, maybe the same thing only multiplied by many more brothers and sisters? And NOT dressed up as Spiderman.

Our Heritage

Question time. Do you think hell is concerned? Or laughing? Do you think that hell feels terrified that strongholds are now going to come crashing down because a minister is dressed as a clown and handing out candy?

Ok, try this look at success and compare:

Paul. Fasted and prayed and preached. Stoned, left for dead, whipped and abandoned.

Stephen. Fasted and prayed. Full of the Holy Ghost and power. Stoned.

Peter, James, John. Fasted and prayed. Jailed, beaten. James killed by Herods sword. Peter eventually crucified upside down, John boiled in oil and banished to Patmos.

Hebrews 11

Foxes Book of Martyrs, etc.

21st century minister. No fasting. No real praying. Dresses like cartoon character. Hell laughs.

I'm sorry, but, did we check our brains at the door when we became Christians? Apparently we checked something at the door. This gets back to my earlier points, both in this article and previous ones. That is, it's DIFFICULT to pray for real. The truth is that no strongholds will be torn down, no bondage broken, no souls won for Christ until we get real.

I'm broken hearthearted here. Human debris litters our towns and cities and streets. Real souls slip off into an eternity never to come back, never to get a "do over" and THIS is our best? Somehow I just don't see Spurgeon or Finney or Jonathan Edwards feeling proud of having passed the torch to our generation. You really want to know how to pray successfully? Ask God.

Pray. Please. Like you never have before.

Peace Ray

How Not To Pray (part II)

2008-10-20T19:01:00.004-04:00

He Can't Be Pleased With Us

Oh, how precious is time, and how it pains me to see it slide away, while I do so little to any good purpose.
David Brainerd

Real success in prayer won't come through lists. If you pray hoping to only plow through your bullet point to-do list for God you won't be successful. I'd go so far to say that except for the discipline you established by setting aside a consistent time, you'd probably be more successful filleting fish instead of thinking that your prayers are storming the gates of heaven.

And part of the problem is coming from our pulpits. No experience, hence no proper teaching. Back to my orginial point that He can't be pleased with our prayer lives. I know I'm not. And I'm not even God (thank goodness).

Here's an example of what we're getting from the pulpits of New England:

Another Sunday down the drain. Another Sunday without a mention of Jesus (the only exception being the fact His Name came up in one of the new worship songs). Another Sunday without a real concern for the lost of our city. I'm sensing a pattern here.

Let me interject here that there seems to be something up here in New England. New Hampshire in particular. I'm guessing it has to do with the "seeker friendly" movement that appears to be popular across the country nowadays. Here's what I mean: I actually heard from our pulpit that we should each go out this week and ask a sinner why they don't come to church. Because, "...it's all about them." Really? I was thinking maybe it's about a Creator that has graciously given His Son as our gift (not because we deserve it or because of our righteousness). See, it' actually about Him.

What, no big screen tv?

Now, you may be asking yourself (and I hope you're not) "What's wrong with asking the lost why they won't come to church?" Wellllll, what do we expect them to say? My assumption is that they don't like being preached to. Nothing like a sermon against sin to keep 'em at bay. Would you want to go to a place where they preach against YOUR pet sin? I wouldn't. But, the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness. Someone needs to stop and say that we need an army of people that will pray for the conviction of sins in our graveyards we call cities. Otherwise all we're going to hear is "Well, hot coffee would be nice," or "Gee, maybe if you'll had recliners I'd be more apt to come".

They're LOST. Or, to be more accurate, they're dead. Dead in their sins. And unless the FATHER draws them they're not coming to our churches. And they shouldn't. I don't care why THEY don't think they should be in church. I'm interested in why God hasn't drawn them to church. If God's not drawing them then I wonder what the problem could be? And, by the way, I'm also not interested in numbers. I'm concerned with conversions. Prayer brings conversions because first it brings convictions. That's success. Real heart felt, Jesus loving, can't wait to get to heaven but in the meantime how can I serve Him, conversions. I'll take true Holy Ghost filled, Jesus loving folk that are dirt poor, but, can't wait to get to church so they can worship Jesus with other believers any day over a church full of nice looking, appropriately dressed, nicely coifed decent folk that just want to fulfill a Sundays obligation.

The Way We Were

You know, I spent some years in Kansas and, at least in the church I attended, most of the congregation couldn't wait to gather at church. They prayer room was always full, even an hour before service! They loved being with each other during the week (whodda thunk that was possible), people were looking for a reason to gather and pray, the worship portion of the service was explosive and folks just loved the gospel being preached.

And by the gospel I don't mean a sermon about how we're owed some kind of material bounty. We heard about heaven and hell, living a sanctified, righteous and HOLY life. Seems to me sacrifice was mentioned once in while as well. Kinda along the lines of fasting. Giving, not getting. You know, the opposite of todays sermons.

Really, it hurts me to see the turn the church has taken to reach the lost. Early I asked what the problem could be if God's not drawing them to our services. It's us. We really don't care that they're lost. We lose no sleep over them. We rarely witness to them. And ultimately, it's because our hearts aren't the heart of God.

P.R.A.Y.

Now, having said that, I do believe there is a remedy and that remedy is prayer. If we spent quality time with Jesus we'd be more in tune with His heart. We'd weep for broken, the lost, the maimed, the hurting, the poor, the abused, the ones society has cast away. We'd ask Jesus to send them our way so we could tell them of the good news. We ask Him to have our paths cross with them and that we'd be sensitive enough to know when it happened. We wouldn't be asking them why they don't come to church. We'd be finding a way to fit them into the pews. That would be success wouldn't it? We'd love them enough to ask them if they know Him and His peace. And healing. And deep love for them. We'd tell them He sees them in their hurt and He understands. He doesn't look down on them or have disdain for them (just the hypocrites do).

Okay. That's it for today. The point is just like before. Pray. Success in the kingdom requires it. So would our love for Jesus.

Peace. Ray

How Not to Pray

2008-10-18T07:08:00.002-04:00

Our Prayers Are Making Me Sick.

I'm sorry if you recently read this article and have come back only to find out it's been altered, but, the more I read my own writing the more I wanted to puke over the pablum I wrote.

The truth is are prayers are killing us. Actually, it's the quality of our prayers that are killing us. Did you know (and there are many that don't) that it's possible to pray all night for someone or something? Have you ever heard of David Brainerd? How is it that were not ashamed of our anemic approach to the throne?

Where are those that believe in approaching the throne of God with authority? Can we really be so void of our position in Christ that we almost have to back up to the throne hoping for an audience with the King? "The violent take it by force" I believe is the correct quote (and it's not taken out of context).

Forgive me for the lengthy quote about to follow from E.M. Bounds, but, I feel it's necessary for us to see what CAN be done if we actually wanted to do it. Here, from "Power through Prayer":

"BISHOP WILSON says: "In H. Martyn's journal the spirit of prayer, the time he devoted to the duty, and his fervor in it are the first things which strike me."

Payson wore the hard-wood boards into grooves where his knees pressed so often and so long. His biographer says: "His continuing instant in prayer, be his circumstances what they might, is the most noticeable fact in his history, and points out the duty of all who would rival his eminency. To his ardent and persevering prayers must no doubt be ascribed in a great measure his distinguished and almost uninterrupted success."

The Marquis DeRenty, to whom Christ was most precious, ordered his servant to call him from his devotions at the end of half an hour. The servant at the time saw his face through an aperture. It was marked with such holiness that he hated to arouse him. His lips were moving, but he was perfectly silent. He waited until three half hours had passed; then he called to him, when he arose from his knees, saying that the half hour was so short when he was communing with Christ.

Brainerd said: "I love to be alone in my cottage, where I can spend much time in prayer." William Bramwell is famous in Methodist annals for personal holiness and for his wonderful success in preaching and for the marvelous answers to his prayers. For hours at a time he would pray. He almost lived on his knees. He went over his circuits like a flame of fire. The fire was kindled by the time he spent in prayer. He often spent as much as four hours in a single season of prayer in retirement.

Bishop Andrewes spent the greatest part of five hours every day in prayer and devotion.

Sir Henry Havelock always spent the first two hours of each day alone with God. If the encampment was struck at 6 A.M., he would rise at four.

Earl Cairns rose daily at six o'clock to secure an hour and a half for the study of the Bible and for prayer, before conducting family worship at a quarter to eight.

Dr. Judson's success in prayer is attributable to the fact that he gave much time to prayer. He says on this point: "Arrange thy affairs, if possible, so that thou canst leisurely devote two or three hours every day not merely to devotional exercises but to the very act of secret prayer and communion with God. Endeavor seven times a day to withdraw from business and company and lift up thy soul to God in private retirement. Begin the day by rising after midnight and devoting some time amid the silence and darkness of the night to this sacred work. Let the hour of opening dawn find thee at the same work. Let the hours of nine, twelve, three, six, and nine at night witness the same. Be resolute in his cause. Make all practicable sacrifices to maintain it. Consider that thy time is short, and that business and company must not be allowed to rob thee of thy God."

It's a subject full of controversy. How to pray, when to pray, what to pray, where to pray and to who to pray. All things which come up in the normal course of discussion about such an important subject. Sadly, one could reasonably say that more time and effort is given in the discussion of prayer than is put forth into the endeavor itself.

Over the years I've encountered too many "gimmicks" in Christianity geared toward prayer. Things such as prayer clocks, prayer stones, prayer oil, prayer cloths and so on just gives me headaches. So much money and time lost for something so simple and yet so profound. The weight of the doing keeps many of us from rendering the time it requires.

E.M. Bounds again wrote:

" Praying is no light and trifling exercise. While children should be taught early to pray, praying is no child's task. Prayer draws upon the whole nature of man. Prayer engages all the powers of man's moral and spiritual nature. It is this which explains somewhat the praying of our Lord described as in Hebrews 5:7: "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications, with strong crying and tears, unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared."

What a mouthful! Childlike and yet no child's task. We're given the privilege and honor to come before God Almighty and intercede for others, but, so many of us stumble over such a task. It's an awesome commandment to fulfill and yet so few of us actually understand it or even do it. And when we do we spend so much time on frivolous items such as material goods that the greater tasks of prayer for lost souls goes undone. Given the requirement to pray, it would do us well to spend as much time in the task as possible.

One of the downsides to too little prayer is that we end up not fully understanding our relationship with God. Reading through epistles such as Romans and Ephesians should be extremely helpful helpful to us in our comprehension of who we are in Christ. Especially the Book of Ephesians. And I'm not talking here in any way about personal gain such as is in the "prosperity gospel" being preached in so many corners. Even a cursory look at the early forefathers and Christian before us would and should give us pause as to how and why we pray today.

Men like George Mueller and David Brainerd should convict us and convict us deeply about how shallow we are in this 21st century. Our prayers reflect it. Our government reflects it. So do our schools and neighbor hoods. Do you know of anyone that weeps and travails for their neighbors? Or for their city? Forgive me for what I'm about to say, but most pastors spend more time and effort on fund raising than they do engaged in prayer for the souls around them that are dropping off into eternal flames never to return. I repeat, never to return. No second chances. No "Oops I made a mistake". No "do overs".

So go on. Prayer for a new car, new home, better job, nicer furniture. But while you do I'll be praying that God burns a desire so deep in our hearts that they have to tear us from our prayer closets. By the way, there seems to be plenty of room in the prayer closet so don't worry about it getting over crowded. Such is the task set before us. Weighty, but in it, joy. Somber and yet a task to be relished. I'll write more about prayer in upcoming articles. Until then, strive for a powerful, prayerful life.

Peace. Ray

Praying Successfully-A How To

2008-10-16T19:32:00.010-04:00

(I want to give you fair warning. The books listed on this page will PROFOUNDLY affect your prayer life. This isn't hype. That's why they're so cheap. BUT, if you are sincerely interested in making changes to you prayer life THESE are some of the finest resources around. Glad to have you stop by. Don't say you weren't warned! Ray)

I've been a Christian for many, many years and over those years have compiled quite a list of favorite items that I've always wanted to share.

This page is for those interested in a deeper walk with Jesus. I have listed some ebooks that I personally own, that have deepened my prayers and that I have found to be profoundly impacting on my Christian walk. I have purposely kept the pricing low ($4.oo plus $.99 s&h) so that as many people as possible could benefit from them. If you're serious about having a prayer life that is successful (and not necessarily through the eyes of man), these are a great place to start.

First up is: "Prayer Essentials" by E.M. Bounds ($4.00)

My friend, if you've never read anything by E.M. Bounds then prepare yourself. His take on prayer is profound yet simple, convicting yet inspiring. No one, except for Jesus Himself, has had a more dramatic impact on my life and especially in the arena of prayer! Here are a couple of excerpts:

"The men of olden times who wrought well in prayer, who brought the

largest things to pass, who moved God to do great things, were those

who were entirely given over to God in their praying. God wants, and

must have, all that there is in man in answering his prayers. He must

have whole-hearted men through whom to work out His purposes and plans

concerning men. God must have men in their entirety. No double-minded

man need apply. No vacillating man can be used. No man with a divided

allegiance to God, and the world and self, can do the praying that is

needed."

and

"It is man's business to pray; and it takes manly men to do it. It is

godly business to pray and it takes godly men to do it. And it is godly

men who give over themselves entirely to prayer. Prayer is far-reaching

in its influence and in its gracious effects. It is intense and

profound business which deals with God and His plans and purposes, and

it takes whole-hearted men to do it. No half-hearted, half-brained,

half-spirited effort will do for this serious, all-important, heavenly

business. The whole heart, the whole brain, the whole spirit, must be

in the matter of praying, which is so mightily to affect the characters

and destinies of men. "

Now, these are just from the FIRST CHAPTER!!!

You better find yourself a prayer closet because you're gonna need one!

This book will bless you and create in you a desire and conviction about prayer like you've never known. God Bless and Enjoy!

Ray

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Next is: "Power Through Prayer" by E.M. Bounds ($4.00)

How about an excerpt?

" The praying which makes a prayerful ministry is not a little praying

put in as we put flavor to give it a pleasant smack, but the praying

must be in the body, and form the blood and bones. Prayer is no petty

duty, put into a corner; no piecemeal performance made out of the

fragments of time which have been snatched from business and other

engagements of life; but it means that the best of our time, the heart

of our time and strength must be given. It does not mean the closet

absorbed in the study or swallowed up in the activities of ministerial

duties; but it means the closet first, the study and activities second,

both study and activities freshened and made efficient by the closet. "

Ouch!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

A Classic (trust me!)

Next is: "Purpose in Prayer" by E.M. Bounds ($4.00)

Care for a sample, hmmm?

"These men knew how to pray and how to prevail in prayer. Their faith in

prayer was no passing attitude that changed with the wind or with their own

feelings and circumstances; it was a fact that God heard and answered, that

His ear was ever open to the cry of His children, and that the power to do

what was asked of Him was commensurate with His willingness. And thus these

men, strong in faith and in prayer, ‚ subdued kingdoms, wrought

righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the

power of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, from weakness were made

strong, waxed mighty in war, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.

Everything then, as now, was possible to the men and women who knew how to

pray."

I just LOVE it! Convicting, no? Stirring, no? Challenging, yes?

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Just the excerpt coming up next will drive you to pray!

Next is: "The Weapon of Prayer" by E.M. Bounds ($4.00)

Care for another sample, hmmm?

"If prayer puts God to work on earth, then, by the same token, prayerlessness

rules God out of the world’s affairs, and prevents Him from working. And if

prayer moves God to work in this world’s affairs, then prayerlessness

excludes God from everything concerning men, and leaves man on earth the

mere creature of circumstances, at the mercy of blind fate or without help

of any kind from God. It leaves man in this world with its tremendous

responsibilities and its difficult problems, and with all of its sorrows,

burdens and afflictions, without any God at all. In reality the denial of

prayer is a denial of God Himself, for God and prayer are so inseparable

that they can never be divorced."

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------