Transcript Prophecy Series

Minor Prophets,
Major Message
The Power
of Prayer
© 2008 Brett Peterson
Our Winter Series at Living Water
Pastor Brett Peterson
1
We have been talking about the challenging times that
we live in.
© 2008 Brett Peterson
Saints of God, we are told very clearly that in the last
days difficult times would come.
• Our New Years message was how to survive the days ahead.
• Today, we must complete that message with the most
important thing.
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2Ti 3:1 But realize this, that in the last days difficult
times will come.
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Mar 13:13 "You will be hated by all because of My
name, but the one who endures to the end, he will be
saved.
• Endures – “To remain faithful under persecution, i.e., to
persevere, endure, sustain, bear up under, suffer victoriously,
as a load of miseries, adversities, persecutions or
provocations.”
1Pe 4:17 For it is time for judgment to begin with the
household of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be
the outcome for those who do not obey the gospel of God?
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1Pe 4:18 AND IF IT IS WITH DIFFICULTY THAT THE
RIGHTEOUS IS SAVED, WHAT WILL BECOME OF THE
GODLESS MAN AND THE SINNER?
• The Minor prophets are all about God’s judgment coming
against His people.
• He gives us the tools to endure.
Joe 1:14 Consecrate a fast, Proclaim a solemn assembly;
Gather the elders And all the inhabitants of the land To
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the house of the LORD your God, And cry out to the
LORD.
• It is time for God’s people to once again become people of
prayer!
• It is time for Churches to once again become houses of
1Pe 4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of
sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of
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prayer.
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Act 2:42 They were continually devoting themselves to
the apostles' teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking
of bread and to prayer.
Act 2:43 Everyone kept feeling a sense of awe;
• This is our model!
1. Devote yourself to the Word of God
2. Devote yourself to be at Church for solid teaching
3. Devote yourself to fellowship with those in the Church
4. Devote yourself to PRAYER!
1Ti 3:15 but in case I am delayed, I write so that you
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will know how one ought to conduct himself in the
household of God, which is the church of the living
God, the pillar and support of the truth.
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1Pe 2:5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as
a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up
spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus
Christ.
• The House of God is mainly for one purpose – Jesus tells
us…
Mar 11:17 And He began to teach and say to them, "Is
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it not written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A
HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS'?
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At first, prayer was physically walking and talking with
God!
Gen 3:8 They heard the sound of the LORD God
walking in the garden in the cool of the day, and the
man and his wife hid
After the fall, we no longer had access to God!
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We then had no mediator between us and God!
• Prayer became ‘calling out’ to the Lord!
Prayer began when Adam’s third son, Seth, had a son:
Gen 4:26 To Seth, to him also a son was born; and he
called his name Enosh. Then men began to call upon
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the name of the LORD.
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Today, prayer is once again talking with God, since
Jesus made the way and restored us into right
relationship with God!
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However, there is also the aspect of repentance and
calling upon the name of the Lord for Grace!
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Jon 3:8 "But both man and beast must be covered with
sackcloth; and let men call on God earnestly that each
may turn from his wicked way and from the violence
which is in his hands.
• God is calling us to Prayer!
• The Minor Prophets are all about turning back to the Lord
in the last days!
• It’s time to wake up!
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Eph 5:14 For this reason it says, "Awake, sleeper, And arise from the
dead, And Christ will shine on you."
Eph 5:15 Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but
as wise,
Eph 5:16 making the most of your time, because the days are evil.
Eph 5:17 So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of
the Lord is.
Rom 13:11 Do this, knowing the time, that it is already the
hour for you to awaken from sleep; for now salvation is nearer
to us than when we believed.
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Rom 13:12 The night is almost gone, and the day is near.
Therefore let us lay aside the deeds of darkness and put on the
armor of light.
No longer do we hide from God like Adam did!
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Prayer is all about seeking the Lord!
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Pro 8:17 "I love those who love me; And those who
diligently seek me will find me.
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Psa 105:1 Oh give thanks to the LORD, call upon His name; Make
known His deeds among the peoples. 2 Sing to Him, sing praises to
Him; Speak of all His wonders. 3 Glory in His holy name; Let the
heart of those who seek the LORD be glad. 4 Seek the LORD and
His strength; Seek His face continually.
Psa 105:5 Remember His wonders which He has done, His marvels
and the judgments uttered by His mouth,
Jer 29:13 'You will seek Me and find Me when you
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search for Me with all your heart.
• Much of prayer is seeking the face of God!
What do you seek?
Are you seeking God?
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Prayer is the only way to connect with God!
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Isa 55:6 Seek the LORD while He may be found; Call
upon Him while He is near.
Isa 55:7 Let the wicked forsake his way And the
unrighteous man his thoughts; And let him return to
the LORD, And He will have compassion on him, And
to our God, For He will abundantly pardon.
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“I’d rather be able to pray
than be a great preacher;
Jesus Christ never taught His disciples how
to preach,
but only how to pray.”
–D.L. Moody
Psa 116:1 I love the LORD, because He hears My voice
and my supplications.
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Psa 116:2 Because He has inclined His ear to me,
Therefore I shall call upon Him as long as I live.
• Prayer only has to reach from your head to your heart!
• The Holy Spirit lives in YOU!!!
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1Co 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of
God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you?
1Co 3:17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God
will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that
is what you are.
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1Jn 4:15 Whoever confesses that Jesus is the Son of
God, God abides in him, and he in God.
1Jn 4:16 We have come to know and have believed the
love which God has for us. God is love, and the one
who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in
him.
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1Co 6:19 Or do you not know that your body is a
temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you
have from God, and that you are not your own?
1Co 6:20 For you have been bought with a price:
therefore glorify God in your body.
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Rom 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness;
for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit
Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words;
27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of
the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to
the will of God.
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However, there are prayers that God does not hear!
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Psa 66:18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord
will not hear (my prayer);
• Regard – “1) to see, look at, inspect, perceive, consider,
approve
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Joh 9:31 "We know that God does not hear sinners;
but if anyone is God-fearing and does His will, He
hears him.
• Sinners – “One who is devoted to sin, who makes sin part of
his or her lifestyle.
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Pro 28:9 He who turns away his ear from listening to
the law, Even his prayer is an abomination.
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This is a common theme in the Minor Prophets…
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Mic 3:4 Then they will cry out to the LORD, But He
will not answer them. Instead, He will hide His face
from them at that time Because they have practiced evil
deeds.
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Zec 7:13 "And just as He called and they would not
listen, so they called and I would not listen," says the
LORD of hosts;
1Pe 3:7 You husbands in the same way, live with your
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wives in an understanding way, as with someone
weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a
fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will
not be hindered.
• Hindered – ‘cut down’ ‘Stopped’ ‘prevented from
accomplishing anything’;
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Mat 5:23 "Therefore if you are presenting your offering
at the altar, and there remember that your brother has
something against you, 24 leave your offering there
before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your
brother, and then come and present your offering.
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Pro 15:29 The LORD is far from the wicked, But He
hears the prayer of the righteous.
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Pro 15:8 The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination
to the LORD, But the prayer of the upright is His
delight.
• ‘But Lord, I do all these good things – I have sacrificed to
serve You’
• God delights in our talking WITH Him!
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1Sa 15:22 Samuel said, "Has the LORD as much
delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices As in obeying
the voice of the LORD? Behold, to obey is better than
sacrifice, And to heed than the fat of rams.
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2Sa 22:20 "He also brought me forth into a broad
place; He rescued me, because He delighted in me.
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Psa 37:4 Delight yourself in the LORD; And He will
give you the desires of your heart.
We must only pray to God!
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We must put away mysticism!
Col 2:18 Let no one keep defrauding you of your prize
by delighting in self-abasement and the worship
(praying to) of the angels, taking his stand on visions
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he has seen, inflated without cause by his fleshly mind,
• Self abasement does not earn God’s attention
• Praying to angels is idolatry!
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We must not pray to angels, to beings, to people, or
anyone else but God alone!
1Co 8:5 For even if there are so-called gods whether in
heaven or on earth, as indeed there are many gods and many
lords,
1Co 8:6 yet for us there is but one God, the Father, from
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whom are all things and we exist for Him; and one Lord, Jesus
Christ, by whom are all things, and we exist through Him.
1Ti 2:5 For there is one God, and one mediator also
between God and men, the man Christ Jesus,
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1Ti 2:6 who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the
testimony given at the proper time.
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1Ti 2:7 For this I was appointed a preacher and an
apostle (I am telling the truth, I am not lying) as a
teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth.
1Ti 2:8 Therefore I want the men in every place to
pray, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and
dissension.
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How should we pray?
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Prayer should be directed to God the Father. Eph. 5:20; Matt.
6:9; 1 Peter 1:17
Prayer should be made in the name of the Lord Jesus
Christ. John 14:13: 15:16
The power for prayer is through the ministry of the
Holy Spirit. Eph. 6:18
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Eph 6:18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times
in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with
all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
• NOTE: When you pray for someone, in the Spirit, you are
right there with them! Prayer connects us through the Spirit,
no matter where we are in the world!
© 2008 Brett Peterson
1Co 5:3 For I, on my part, though absent in body but
present in spirit, have already judged him who has so
committed this, as though I were present.
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1Co 5:4 In the name of our Lord Jesus, when you are
assembled, and I with you in spirit, with the power of
our Lord Jesus,
• Prayer is not a soliloquy, but a dynamic exchange with a
Holy God!
• It is a great privilege! We have access to God! And He hears
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Mat 6:5 "When you pray, you are not to be like the
hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the
synagogues and on the street corners so that they may
be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their
reward in full
Mat 6:6 "But you, when you pray, go into your inner
room, close your door and pray to your Father who is
in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in
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secret will reward you.
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Mat 6:7 "And when you are praying, do not use
meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they
suppose that they will be heard for their many words.
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Our model for prayer…
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Mat 6:9 "Pray, then, in this way: 'Our Father who is in
heaven, Hallowed be Your name.
Mat 6:10 'Your kingdom come. Your will be done, On
earth as it is in heaven.
• 1. Praise and worship God
• 2. Pray for the end times to start and Christ to return
• 3. Pray for God’s will to be done in all things
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Mat 6:11 'Give us this day our daily bread.
Mat 6:12 'And forgive us our debts, as we also have
forgiven our debtors.
• 4. Pray for your needs and the needs of others
• 5. Ask God to help you forgive others and ask Him to forgive
you
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Mat 6:13 'And do not lead us into temptation, but
deliver us from evil. [For Yours is the kingdom and the
power and the glory forever. Amen.]'
• 6. Ask God to give you a way to escape temptation
• 7. Ask God to deliver you from evil
• 8. Praise Him and thank Him!
The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work,
prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom,
but trembles when we pray.
© 2008 Brett Peterson
Samuel Chadwick
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1Pe 3:11 "HE MUST TURN AWAY FROM EVIL
AND DO GOOD; HE MUST SEEK PEACE AND
PURSUE IT.
1Pe 3:12 "FOR THE EYES OF THE LORD ARE
TOWARD THE RIGHTEOUS, AND HIS EARS
ATTEND TO THEIR PRAYER, BUT THE FACE OF
THE LORD IS AGAINST THOSE WHO DO EVIL."
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Jas 5:16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another,
and pray for one another so that you may be healed.
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish
much.
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Prayer is the most powerful force in the Universe!
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James 4:2b You do not have because you do not ask.
Jas 4:3 You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong
motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.
Jas 4:4 You adulteresses, do you not know that friendship with the
world is hostility toward God? Therefore whoever wishes to be a
friend of the world makes himself an enemy of God.
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Mat 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and
you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.
Mat 7:8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who
seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
• How do we ask?
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Joh 16:23 "In that day you will not question Me about
anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the
Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you.
Joh 16:24 "Until now you have asked for nothing in
My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy
may be made full.
Jesus says we can ask ‘anything’ in His name, and we
will get it!
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Remember – interpret scripture with scripture…..
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1Jn 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before
Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He
hears us.
1Jn 5:15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever
we ask, we know that we have the requests which we
have asked from Him.
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We need complete faith in God in order for our prayers
to be answered as well…
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Jas 1:6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting,
for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven
and tossed by the wind.
Jas 1:7 For that man ought not to expect that he will
receive anything from the Lord,
• Why? Because when the miracle comes, we will explain it
away rather than giving God glory!
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• And without faith
it is impossible to
please God,
because anyone
who comes to
Him must believe
that He exists and
that He rewards
those who
earnestly seek
Him.
Hebrews 11:6 (NIV)
• But when he
asks, he must
believe and
not doubt . . .
James 1:6 (NIV)
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• Consequently,
faith comes
from hearing
the message,
and the
message is
heard through
the word of
Christ.
Romans 10:17 (NIV)
•
16.
. . take up the shield
of faith, with which
you can extinguish all
the flaming arrows of
the evil one. 17 Take
the helmet of salvation
and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the
Word of God. 18 And
pray in the Spirit on
all occasions . . . be
alert and always keep
on praying for all the
saints.
Ephesians 6:16-18 (NIV)
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•
16
Let the word of
18 . . .be filled with
•
Christ dwell in you
the Spirit. 19 Speak
richly as you teach and
admonish one another
to one another with
with all wisdom, and
psalms, hymns and
as you sing psalms,
spiritual songs. Sing
hymns and spiritual
and make music in
songs with gratitude in
your heart to the
your hearts to God.
17 And whatever you
Lord, 20 always
giving thanks to
do, whether in word or
deed, do it all in the
God the Father for
name of the Lord
everything, in the
Jesus, giving thanks to
name of our Lord
God the Father
Jesus
Christ.
through him.
Eph. 5:18-20 (NIV)
Col. 3:16-17 (NIV)
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• They devoted
themselves to the
apostles' teaching
and to the
fellowship, to the
breaking of bread
and to prayer.
Acts 2:42 (NIV)
• We will . . . give
our attention to
prayer and the
ministry of the
word."
Acts 6:3-4 (NIV)
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We have access to the very throne of God through
prayer!
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Heb 10:19 Therefore, brethren, since we have
confidence to enter the holy place by the blood of Jesus,
Heb 10:20 by a new and living way which He
inaugurated for us through the veil, that is, His flesh,
Heb 10:21 and since we have a great priest over the
house of God,
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Heb 10:22 let us draw near with a sincere heart in full
assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled clean
from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with
pure water.
1Pe 4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of
sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of
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prayer.
We need to be people of prayer!
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Even pray about the little things!
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Php 4:6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by
prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your
requests be made known to God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all
comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds
in Christ Jesus.
Mar 11:17 And He began to teach and say to them, "Is
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it not written, 'MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A
HOUSE OF PRAYER FOR ALL THE NATIONS'? But
you have made it a ROBBERS' DEN."
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Joh 16:26 "In that day you will ask in My name, and I
do not say to you that I will request of the Father on
your behalf;
Joh 16:27 for the Father Himself loves you, because you
have loved Me and have believed that I came forth from
the Father.
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Col 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it
with an attitude of thanksgiving;
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Eph 6:10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His
might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to
stand firm against the schemes of the devil.
Eph 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against
the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this
darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly
places.
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(18) With all prayer and petition pray at all times in
the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all
perseverance and petition for all the saints,
The number one reason prayer isn’t a priority is
because we have taken a wartime ‘walkie-talkie’ and
turned it into a ‘peacetime’ intercom.
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John Piper
I Peter 5:6-10
humble yourselves [realizing you can’t make it
without God’s help]under the mighty hand of God, that He
may exalt you at the proper time, 7casting all your anxiety on
Him [PRAY], because He cares for you. 8Be of sober spirit
[not influenced by anything but God’s Word], be on the alert.
Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion,
seeking someone to devour. 9But resist him, [Jam 4:7 Submit
therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you. ]
firm in your faith, knowing that the same experiences of
suffering are being accomplished by your brethren who are in
the world. 10After you have suffered for a little while, the God
of all grace, who called you to His eternal glory in Christ, will
Himself perfect, confirm, strengthen and establish you.
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6Therefore
William Cowper’s hymn expresses it well:
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And Satan trembles when he sees
The weakest saint upon his knees.
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John Wesley put it this way:
“Give me 100 people who fear nothing
but sin and desire nothing but God . . .
such alone will shake the gates of hell .
. .”