Why Should We Pray



		WHY SHOULD WE PRAY? A Bible Study given by James Dale Coldiron on the Warriors of God Christian Forums in December 2006-January 2007. This study looks at the foundations of prayer and why we are commanded to pray. Table of Contents Why Pray? A Bible Study on the Absolute Necessity of a Prayer Life Part 1 Click here to listen to the first audio lesson with your Real Player. Jesus gave us an all-important commandment about prayer, and to always being praying. There is a promise given to those Believers who watch and pray always. Luke 21:31-36 (KJV) " 31 So likewise ye, when ye see these things come to pass, know ye that the kingdom of God is nigh at hand. 32 Verily I say unto you, This generation shall not pass away, till all be fulfilled. 33 Heaven and earth shall pass away: but my words shall not pass away. 34 And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. 35 For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. 36 Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man. " Luke 21:36 (AMP) " Keep awake then and watch at all times [be discreet, attentive, and ready], praying that you may have the full strength and ability and be accounted worthy to escape all these things [taken together] that will take place, and to stand in the presence of the Son of Man. " Jesus told His disciples here that it was vital for them to watch (be vigilant and not be drunken on the things of the world) and to pray always (without ceasing... having a spirit of prayer about you and not losing it through the circumstances of life), and that this is how that you can stay "worthy" or spiritually hot (which the Laodicean Church was told to repent and become in Revelation 3) or wise (Matthew 25) and miss all of the Tribulation (as the Philadelphian Church will be in Revelation 3). We can have the full strength and ability that we need to be overcomers through having a REAL prayer life with the Lord! There is no other way that we can be ready when the time of the Catching Away of the Church comes. This is first to Christians... you must be born again for your prayers to be effective. The only real effective prayer of the lost is a prayer of repentance, calling on the name of Jesus Christ in faith believing Him for salvation. But once we are saved, our spiritual growth depends a lot on us learning and hearing and taking into us the Word of God (the truth), and PRAYING... or opening up the communication and worship to God from us... and applying that Word to our lives. That opens the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives (through prayer), and that prayer that brings submission of our lives to God and His Will is what brings that power of God to bear in us and transforms us by the Spirit. We become true worshipers of God (John 4), and worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. That takes a "REAL" prayer life. In fact, if we want anything from God, we must pray. It is the Lord's commandment to pray here if we want to avoid the coming judgment on the Earth. It was His will for His disciples (believers) to miss it, for He told us to pray that we would miss ALL of it that shall come to pass on all that dwell on the whole Earth. In fact, this is not the only time that Jesus told us to pray. In Luke 18, Jesus gave us an example in a parable to let us know that men ought to pray always and not to faint or get weakened by not praying. Luke 18:1-8 (KJV) " 1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; 2 Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: 3 And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. 4 And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; 5 Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. 6 And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. 7 And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? 8 I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? " Jesus made the comparison between an unjust judge, and a just, merciful God... and how that prayer moves God and how that God will take care of us and take care of those who persecute us and do us wrong. Notice though the last thing that Jesus says in this. Once again, there is a connection with prayer and faith when Jesus, the Son of Man returns to planet Earth. He asked, will He find faith? There is actually a danger of this... He is telling us to pray so that He will find faith! NOW, THIS IS WHERE SOME PEOPLE MESS UP PRAYER. IN FACT, THEY USUALLY HAVE A SHALLOW PRAYER LIFE AND TRY TO MAKE THE POINT THAT GOD ALREADY KNOWS WHAT WE NEED... WHY SHOULD WE HAVE TO EVEN PRAY? THIS IS THE FOCUS OF THIS STUDY. WHY SHOULD WE PRAY? WHY DO WE HAVE TO PRAY? WHAT IS IT ABOUT PRAYER THAT GETS GOD INVOLVED IN OUR LIVES, AND WHY HAS GOD MADE IT MANDATORY IF WE WANT TO SEE HIM MOVE? ONE THING YOU NEED TO REMEMBER IS THAT THE PLACE WHERE JESUS TELLS US THAT GOD KNOWS WHAT THINGS THAT WE NEED IS WHERE HE TELLS US THAT WE DON'T NEED TO MAKE VAIN REPITITIONS IN OUR PRAYER, OR DO A BUNCH OF RITUALS TO GET GOD TO MOVE. THEN HE GOES ON AND TELLS HIS DISCIPLES HOW THAT THEY DO NEED TO PRAY DAILY! HE ISN'T TELLING US NOT TO PRAY, BUT NOT TO USE VAIN REPETITIONS AND RITUALS. HE GIVES US A FORMAT ON WHAT WE CALL THE DISCIPLE'S PRAYER (Though most people call it the Lord's Prayer... it was given to the Disciples to use as a format of the things that they need to cover when they pray. It was never meant to just be repeated as a vain repitition as He just talked about above that - but a guide over the things to cover when you do pray). Matthew 6:6-8 (KJV) " 6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. " WHY PRAY? To fully understand what is going on when we pray in faith and ask God to intervene in our lives... we need to go back to Genesis to when God made Adam. Genesis 1:26-28 (KJV) " 26 And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. 27 So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them. 28 And God blessed them, and God said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. " DOMINION = raw daw = to subjugate, to reign and rule over... to have the authority of rule over. Man has the authority over: 1. Sea creatures 2. Flying creatures 3. Cattle and beasts 4. Creeping things - insects and reptiles and all life of that sort 5. THE EARTH ITSELF AND ALL LIFE WITHIN IT Genesis 1:26 (AMP) " God said, Let Us [Father, Son, and Holy Spirit] make mankind in Our image, after Our likeness, and let them have complete authority over the fish of the sea, the birds of the air, the [tame] beasts, and over all of the earth, and over everything that creeps upon the earth. " [Ps. 104:30; Heb. 1:2; 11:3.] Psalms 8:1-9 (KJV) " 1 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. 2 Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger. 3 When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained; 4 What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him? 5 For thou hast made him a little lower than the angels, and hast crowned him with glory and honour. 6 Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; thou hast put all things under his feet: 7 All sheep and oxen, yea, and the beasts of the field; 8 The fowl of the air, and the fish of the sea, and whatsoever passeth through the paths of the seas. 9 O LORD our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! " Genesis 9:1-2 (KJV) " 1 And God blessed Noah and his sons, and said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth. 2 And the fear of you and the dread of you shall be upon every beast of the earth, and upon every fowl of the air, upon all that moveth upon the earth, and upon all the fishes of the sea; into your hand are they delivered. " James 3:7 (KJV) For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: Note also that at this time, Satan (the old serpent, the dragon, Leviathan, or whatever you want to call this angelic reptilian cherub) had already fallen to Earth and was actually in the Garden with the man and woman. Jesus, as the Eternal Word of God saw him fall to earth as lightning. Luke 10:18-19 (KJV)18 And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. 19 Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you. " I don't want to get into a real heavy study in the age of the Earth and how that this differs with the age of man, but notice that God told the man to "replenish" the Earth... or to fill the Earth "BACK UP" with life "AGAIN". That's what replenish means. I recognize that the word can be translated "fill up". But this fits the context of the rest of the text. That however, is another study altogether. In Isaiah, you read how Satan had a throne on a mountain and wanted to ascend above the clouds (the first heaven of the atmosphere of the Earth actually) into the 3rd Heaven by the sides of the North above the other stars or angels of the congregation and put his throne equal to God's (Yahweh). That is when he was cast down to the Earth and cast out of heaven and went from being named Hallayl (Lucifer is a badly transliterated Latin version of the Hebrew name - the original name is a praise to God) to the fallen cherub known as Satan or the Devil. The text in Isaiah 14 is speaking of the coming Antichrist and the actual fallen angelic cherub, Satan (Lucifer) and how that he will manifest through this coming one. But it also speaks of Satan's ancient past when he fell from being one of God's own angels. Isaiah 14:9-15 (KJV) " 9 Hell from beneath is moved for thee to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the dead for thee, even all the chief ones of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations. 10 All they shall speak and say unto thee, Art thou also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? 11 Thy pomp is brought down to the grave, and the noise of thy viols: the worm is spread under thee, and the worms cover thee. 12 How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! 13 For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: 14 I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High. 15 Yet thou shalt be brought down to hell, to the sides of the pit. "[/b] By the way, he is the spiritual king of Tyrus. That is where his throne is... that's an interesting study in and of itself. But Leviathan (which is revealed in scripture to be Satan who the Lord will punish with His Sword on the Day of the Lord) lives in the sea... the Mediterranean to be exact. He has a throne there... off of modern day Lebanon... and is the spiritual king (every nation has a spiritual angelic king... either a good one if the people of that nation are righteous and PRAY, or an evil one if the nation is one used by Satan to persecute the people of God... like Babylon and Greecia and Rome - See Daniel 9). Ezekiel tells us some interesting thing about this cherub that fell. Ezekiel 28:12-19 (KJV) " 12 Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him, Thus saith the Lord GOD; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. 13 Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. 14 Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so: thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. 15 Thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. 16 By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with violence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. 17 Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. 18 Thou hast defiled thy sanctuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. 19 All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more. " OKAY, WHY ARE WE LOOKING AT THE FALLEN ANGEL, SATAN ON THE EARTH IF THIS IS ABOUT PRAYER? THIS IS WHY! Satan or the serpent was a prisoner and already fallen to Earth when the man and the woman (the race of Adam) was given dominion or authority over him. Satan was a prisoner, and this creation of God that was made last by God's own hands... and had the breath or spirit of God breathed into Adam making him a living soul, was in the image or a reflection of the glory of God. Adam, before he fell to sin, glowed with the glory of God. He was the image or reflection of God and shined with His glory. He was the keeper of Satan. When Adam decided to SIN and follow Satan in rebellion, something terrible happened. Not only did Adam start to die, and put himself under the curse of sin and lost much of the glory of God from his life, but he gave Satan authority through his sin over his own life. Hebrews 2:14-15 (KJV)14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; 15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage. Through sin, came death and a bondage... and the one who was first the prisoner (Satan), through that very sin put mankind into bondage. That is the curse. And the thing is, that when we sin, we literally give the enemy of our souls (and God's enemy) an advantage over us. We submit to Satan through the sin of our own flesh. Just as the woman followed Satan in a sin of pride of wanting to be like the most high... and Adam through following his wife in suit, we quite literally entangle ourselves into a bondage that the force of the enemy use to manipulate us. Sins are the strings of the demonic puppet-master that attach to us through the connectors of our own lusts in our own flesh. 2 Peter 2:19 (KJV) While they promise them liberty, they themselves are the servants of corruption: for of whom a man is overcome, of the same is he brought in bondage. Galatians 5:1 (KJV) Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage. Romans 6:12-19 (KJV) " 12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. 13 Neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin: but yield yourselves unto God, as those that are alive from the dead, and your members as instruments of righteousness unto God. 14 For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but under grace. 15 What then? shall we sin, because we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. 16 Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? 17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. 18 Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness. 19 I speak after the manner of men because of the infirmity of your flesh: for as ye have yielded your members servants to uncleanness and to iniquity unto iniquity; even so now yield your members servants to righteousness unto holiness. " You can be born again, and if you are then your soul is redeemed, or bought out of the bondage of sin and delivered or saved! But nothing has happened to your flesh yet. The day of redemption when the first resurrection or the catching away of the church occurs has not happened yet, and your body is not yet redeemed and transformed into an immortal body that will never sin, hurt, get sick, or die. That is coming, but until it does, we have to deal with the pull of sin in our flesh. It is a spiritual battle daily. The Main Spiritual Battle that we must deal with is within our own lives with our own flesh, and I tell you know that even without any demonic help, the flesh would sin unless we PRAY and SUBMIT our minds and bodies to the LORD JESUS CHRIST. When we are overcome by certain dominant sins, then we are put into bondage by those sins... they literally become the strings that demons can use to manipulate us and twist us into doing the things that we really do not want to do, and become things that we do not want to become. In fact, when we give into sin, we usually become the very thing that we hate the most... because usually that is the thing that is the weakness in our own lives. Just as King Saul in his totally backslidden and rejected by God state, consulted with the Witch of Endor and her Familiar Spirit, when he had built his earlier kingdom on a policy of stamping out idolatry and all witchcraft. He became the very thing that he hated the most. BACK TO HAVING DOMINION... mankind has been given dominion or authority over this Earth by the Lord God (Yahweh). We have the "CHOICE", no matter what theological school of thought has to say... this is foundational to understanding why we must pray. If you understand this, it will transform your life. We have been given the choice over the things that we interact with in this life. We have been given the choice by God... and the authority to choose which we will put into power over a situation... GOD THROUGH PRAYER or SATAN AND HIS MINIONS THROUGH SIN. When we pray, we are saying... GOD, BE GOD OVER THIS SITUATION... I PRAY THAT YOUR WILL AND YOUR PRESENCE BE INVOLVED IN THIS PERSON OR THIS SITUATION AND THAT YOU WOULD MANIFEST HERE INSTEAD OF WHAT IS NATURALLY TRYING TO COME THROUGH THE PROCESSES OF THIS WORLD SYSTEM. When we pray, we are not only (as one minister said) protesting against the status quo, but we are literally inviting the presence of God into our lives and into the lives of others. We can do this because God gave us the choice as the ones with dominion over this planet. We are stewards... and as stewards, we can choose who that we wish to spiritually rule our lives, our homes, our communities, our churches depending on our prayer lives or our sin lives. The reason that most Believers are low-impact, high-maintenance Christians (thank you Mario Murillo for that term) is because they do not have a REAL PRAYER LIFE. They might go through the motions of prayer here and there, or at church when the time comes... but they do not keep that prayer in your heart fellowship that God desires, because God wants to saturate our lives with Him and His love and His blessings (that come with His presence). We don't have to pray to be blessed, friends... we need to pray for God's presence in our lives and His will to be done, and we can't help but be blessed when HE DOES AND IS! James Coldiron aka FireStorm End of Part 1 Recorded December 2, 2006 Copyrighted © 2006 by James Dale Coldiron Click here to return to Table of Contents Click here to leave a message on the forum about this study Why Pray? A Bible Study on the Absolute Necessity of a Prayer Life Part 2 Click here to listen to the second audio lesson with your Real Player. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (KJV) " 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. " 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (AMP) " 16 Be happy [in your faith] and rejoice and be glad-hearted continually (always); 17 Be unceasing in prayer [praying perseveringly]; 18 Thank [God] in everything [no matter what the circumstances may be, be thankful and give thanks], for this is the will of God for you [who are] in Christ Jesus [the Revealer and Mediator of that will]. " Lets take a look at this instruction from the Word of God about God's will for our lives. There is actually more to this passage than this, but this is the part that directly relates to prayer. And this specifically says that it is God's Will that we pray and maintain a rejoicing attitude. I guarantee you that you will not be thankful and not have the joy of the Lord, if you do not pray. Our sufficiency is not dependant upon our circumstances or our own abilities and power. If you are trying to be sufficient on your own "self" or you are relying on another person or riches or power or a job or anything else to make you happy and content, then you are going to be a very disappointed and miserable person eventually. Things can give you short-term satisfaction, but it is a fleeting thing with the flesh. The only way that you can truly be "fulfilled" is to have God fill you! 2 Corinthians 3:4-5 (KJV) " 4 And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5 Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; " 2 Corinthians 9:8 (KJV) And God is able to make all grace abound toward you; that ye, always having all sufficiency in all things, may abound to every good work: Philippians 4:11-14 (KJV) " 11 Not that I speak in respect of want: for I have learned, in whatsoever state I am, therewith to be content. 12 I know both how to be abased, and I know how to abound: every where and in all things I am instructed both to be full and to be hungry, both to abound and to suffer need. 13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. 14 Notwithstanding ye have well done, that ye did communicate with my affliction. " Philippians 4:11-13 (AMP) " 11 Not that I am implying that I was in any personal want, for I have learned how to be content (satisfied to the point where I am not disturbed or disquieted) in whatever state I am. 12 I know how to be abased and live humbly in straitened circumstances, and I know also how to enjoy plenty and live in abundance. I have learned in any and all circumstances the secret of facing every situation, whether well-fed or going hungry, having a sufficiency and enough to spare or going without and being in want. 13 I have strength for all things in Christ Who empowers me [I am ready for anything and equal to anything through Him Who infuses inner strength into me; I am self-sufficient in Christ's sufficiency]." If your contentment or source of joy, peace, life, love, hope is in the Lord Jesus Christ, then God fills your life with His presence and your circumstances do not dictate your joy or victory no matter the situation. You can have fellowship with the Lord no matter what storm is raised against you knowing that Jesus walks the storms of life and gives us the power to walk on water if that is what is required. He is our source of power and victory, and we have that through walking in Him. He is our sufficiency... sufficient means that it is always enough. No matter the need, God is our sufficiency and is always enough to deal with the situation and the problem. If and when we fail in life, it is because we tried to do it our way and in our power. The Lord is always sufficient unto all things and empowers us so that we may abound in every good work. There are times when we overflow with material blessings and there are times that we need material things, but it really doesn't matter. God is there giving us the power to be overcomers in all of it no matter which situation is there. Our contentment is in Jesus Christ and the circumstances cannot take us down. THIS IS THE ABUNDANT LIFE THAT JESUS PROMISED US! John 10:10 (KJV) The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. Consider as a case study, Paul and Silas, who for the act of casting a demon of Pythos or a spirit of divination out of a young girl who was trying to corrupt their ministry by associating what she did with them, was beaten mercilessly and cast into a Roman Dungeon. This young example of an early Psychic Network lost her power and her masters who made money off of her was enraged! This was a work of God... a good work, yet the spirit of this world does not want the works of God being done in it. Don't expect the world to applaud you when you start flowing in the will of God, and God begins to use you. Understand this... John 15:18-21 (KJV) " 18 If the world hate you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. 19 If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. 20 Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also. 21 But all these things will they do unto you for my name's sake, because they know not him that sent me. " John 16:33 (KJV) " These things I have spoken unto you, that in me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world. " They hated Jesus and they will hate you also, but be of good courage for Jesus Christ has already overcome the world. But to know this personal victory requires some things from us. Jesus has already at the cross defeated the world, but to have Him daily let us walk in that victory takes a walk of faith that is brought alive by prayer and thanksgiving. Acts 16:23-26 (KJV) " 23 And when they had laid many stripes upon them, they cast them into prison, charging the jailor to keep them safely: 24 Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. 25 And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. 26 And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. " Paul and Silas was hurting. Some people preach and teach like Jesus and the disciples and Apostles like Paul did not have feelings and show their humanity. Paul was a human being and he was hurting. Don't you think that the flesh wanted to despair? Don't you think that the flesh felt a bit betrayed because, here they were doing the works of God and they are beaten and thrown under the prison for their efforts? Don't you think that it was at least tempting to have fear especially during the beating when they could have lost their lives? Yes, Paul and Silas had faith but they were human with human weaknesses as well! They were hurting, chained in the kind of stocks that disjoints you and is so painful that it is difficult to even think... what did they do? See, we must be disciples or disciplined to do what we are taught by God and the Word to do in these circumstances. IF YOU DO NOT GET THE BASE FOUNDATION OF THE WORD OF GOD, THEN YOU WILL PANIC OR GIVE UP WHEN THE CRISIS COMES... AND CRISES HAVE A WAY OF COMING. What did they do? Did they moan and groan and complain and murmur? Sometimes it amazes me how some people who are full of victory on Sunday will go on to complain when the slightest problem or obstacle comes up before them. IS NOT GOD STILL GOD WHEN THESE THINGS HAPPEN? THEN WHERE DID THE VICTORY GO? IF you lose it with the circumstances, then your victory is not based on the right thing, and your LACK of a PRAYER LIFE is showing sorely. We cannot pray in faith and complain and murmur and despair at the same time. Faith and fear are mutually exclusive. Faith and prayer go together, and produce results, but fear and complaining always grieves the Holy Spirit. 1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 (KJV) " 16 Rejoice evermore. 17 Pray without ceasing. 18 In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. 19 Quench not the Spirit. " Notice verse 19 tacked on to our main text for today. Quench not the Spirit. If you do not rejoice, and you do not pray, and you are not thankful and disobey the will of God in Christ Jesus, then we WILL QUENCH THE HOLY SPIRIT. And that will stop the flow of the fruit and empowerment of the Holy Spirit in our lives and bring a carnal walk that is powerless that leads to more and more defeat. WHEN CIRCUMSTANCES arise and attack and hurt us, what do we do? If we are not already thankful and praying and rejoicing, then we will not have the power of the Holy Spirit flowing in us to deal with us and we will crumble and complain and share our misery with others. That is what complaining is: it is sharing our misery with whoever will listen so that they can be miserable, too and make us feel better about ourselves! What did they do? THEY PRAYED AND SANG PRAISES UNTO GOD!!!!! Notice that they prayed first. Sometimes, when you are hurting, you have to pray and have contact with God first and then you can sing praises to the Lord. I will tell you this also, if you are able to have a song in your heart, then no chains or prison can bind you... you will be free. Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty! James Coldiron aka FireStorm End of Part 2 Recorded December 9, 2006 Copyrighted © 2006 by James Dale Coldiron Click here to return to Table of Contents Click here to leave a message on the forum about this study Copyright © 2007 by James Dale Coldiron and Voice of the Watchman Feel free to forward or redistribute as long as original message text and this Copyright is in intact and unchanged. For permission to change to use in another work, please contact me at webmaster@voiceofthewatchman.org ... thank you.