ASKING GOD FOR ABUNDANT BLESSING

Asking God for Abudant blessing

1chronicles 4.10

¹⁰And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep me from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested.

God had promised that it is His Good pleasure to give us the kingdom. He longs to lavish His abundant grace and mercy upon all that will ask. Are we ready to expect the extraordinary? It is time to ask God to release His favor upon our life as well as the life of our family. It is reported that when the early church spent time in prayer, prison doors would open and mighty moves of the Spirit would fall upon all in the house.

Our prayer is, “Lord do it again and again!”

Acts 4:29-33

²⁹And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,

³⁰By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.

³¹And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness.

³²And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common.

³³And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all.

Acts 12:5-18

⁵Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.

⁶And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.

⁷And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands.

⁸And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.

⁹And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.

¹⁰When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.

¹¹And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the LORD hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.

¹²And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying.

¹³And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda.

¹⁴And when she knew Peter's voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.

¹⁵And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel.

¹⁶But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished.

¹⁷But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place.

¹⁸Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter.

DEVELOPING DISCIPLINE TO PRAYER

The majority of believers comprehend the need to pray and many feel the responsibility to pray, but few have developed the discipline of prayer. Few will “pray the price”. Prayer is not some religious duty to be dreaded but rather it is a true delight of our soul in the coming before our Lord, as a friend speaking to a friend. It is not hard to spend time with your best friend. True friends cherish their time together, spending hours just talking and sharing life together.

What a privileged to spend time with the creator of the universe. As the psalmist pondered and declared,

Psalms 8:3-4

³When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained;

⁴What is man, that thou art mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou visitest him?

Can you imagine that almighty God longs to fellowship with you? You have touched His heart.

What a wonder of wonders. God has been realizing the spirit of intercession in a travailing manner, much like a woman giving birth. The Spirit of God is encouraging the church to PUSH. Just as a woman giving birth is encouraged to push and to put forth an effort to bring forth-new life, the Body of Christ is being called to push into prayer on a much deeper level. It is time to PUSH! PUSH! PUSH!

PRAY UNTIL SOMETHING HAPPEN!

Many will praise prayer publicly, but will often pass over it privately. The Holy Spirit is releasing much needed instruction to the body of Christ on the subject of prayer. Prayer must never be viewed as a duty but rather a delight. It is spending time in the presence of the One who is altogether lovely and it is communing with the Lover of our soul.

The disciples who walked and worked with Jesus every day , still had to ask Him to teach them to pray.

Luke 11:1

¹And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

If they needed to be taught how to pray, it is clear that we must have needed to be taught as well. So we should not be surprised that we also need motivation and guidance. Prayer is not just a bunch of religious words; but rather we must be taught the promise of answered prayer. It is beneficial to study the scriptures in order to be more aware of the revealed will of god, so we will be asking according to His will

1 John 5:14

¹⁴And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

True prayer is praying back to God what He has promised, which will always release for us Heaven’s provision. Jesus said, in

John 15:7

⁷If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.

The prophet Hosea reported that God´s people were being destroyed because of lack of knowledge in Hosea 4:6. however, the prophet Daniel states that those who truly know God will be strong, display strength, and take action according to Daniel 11:32.

In 2 Timothy 2:15

¹⁵Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

Now it is time to pack our heart full of the promises of God. This is so that when we pray, we pray back to God what He has promised to release for us.

Isaiah 45:11

¹¹Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.

PRAYER FOR A GENERATION -01

The Dynamics of Prayer

God has given the human race great dignity by giving us free will, which means we have been given the ability to make real decision that have both temporal and eternal consequences. While the nobility of choice can be glorious if exercised in righteousness, it can also be perilous if swayed by sin and rebellion.
A failure to soberly recognize the response the word of God necessitates will result in a life of squandered opportunities.
However, the wisdom of a lifestyle of obedience to the precepts of scripture will have dramatic impact on our lives in this age, and will be forever rewarded in the age to come. On of the wisest choices that we can make in this life is to pray. Prayer can be expressed in many edifying forms, raging from:

• quiet devotional meditation,

• Corporate intercessor prayer for revival.

Psalms 2 reveals an astounding facet of the relationship between the father and the Son, bestowing significance to prayer that we can scarcely fathom. In verse 8, God the Father says to the Jesus the Son, “Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for Your inheritance, and the ends of the earth for your possession.”
Peering into the mystery of the Godhead, we see that the man Jesus, as the Second person of the trinity, operates His government through Intercession.

• Throughout His days on earth, He was ever retreating in seclusion to prayer.

Like 6:12
12And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.

• In hours leading up to His crucifixion He cried out to God on behalf of His disciples (John 17).

Jesus role in prayer stretches far beyond the bounds of His first coming. He sits at the right hand of God and ever lives to make intercession.

Rom 8:34
34Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.

Heb 7:25

25Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them.

When He returns and rules the earth from Zion, his government will function as a house of prayer for all nations.

Isaiah 56:7
7Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people.

These are only glimpses into the majestic truth woven throughout scripture: that prayer is the primary mode God has chosen for Jesus to release the Father’s power and usher in His everlasting Kingdom.

As His Bride.

as his bride, when we pray, we are entering into partnership with Him, the eternal intercessor.
As Christ sought friends to watch with Him in the garden of Gethsamane

Mark 14:32-38

32And they came to a place which was named Gethsemane: and he saith to his disciples, Sit ye here, while I shall pray.
33And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy;
34And saith unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death: tarry ye here, and watch.
35And he went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from him.
36And he said, Abba, Father, all things are possible unto thee; take away this cup from me: nevertheless not what I will, but what thou wilt.
37And he cometh, and findeth them sleeping, and saith unto Peter, Simon, sleepest thou? couldest not thou watch one hour?
38Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak.

, forever He invites His people into the intimacy and authority of Prayer.

Our decision to embrace this invitation or to neglect it has profound ramifications. Regardless of what people or demons do, God will accomplish the main events of the plan He has determined for the future: such as

• Jesus second coming,
• His reign over the whole earth,
• Satan being cast out in the lake of fire…

However, He has given us a dynamic role, through our response to Him:

• In prayer,

• Fasting,

• And obedience, in determining some of the “quality of life” we experience in the natural and in the spiritual. He opens doors of blessings and closes doors of oppression in response of our prayers.

• There are blessings God will only release as His people ask for them in the intimate partnership of prayer.

• There are demonic oppressions that only leave as a result of prayer and fasting

Matt 17:21
21Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.

Isaiah taught that He longs to release His grace and power, but actually waits until He hears the cry of His people in intercession. “the Lord longs to be gracious to you, and therefore he waits on High to have compassion on you… he will surely be gracious to you at the sound of your cry; when He hears it, He will answer you”

Isaiah 30:18-19
18And therefore will the LORD wait, that he may be gracious unto you, and therefore will he be exalted, that he may have mercy upon you: for the LORD is a God of judgment: blessed are all they that wait for him.
19For the people shall dwell in Zion at Jerusalem: thou shalt weep no more: he will be very gracious unto thee at the voice of thy cry; when he shall hear it, he will answer thee.