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Prayer Guidelines

by Wesley Pierce  
9/18/2011 / Prayers

Dan 10:12
12) Then he continued, "Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them.

("humble" = the opposite of self-pride and egotism; unpretentious)

Jam 4:10
10) Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Heb 10:22
22) let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.

Jer 29:13
13) You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

(we must first sincerely want to know God; he will not force himself on anyone)

Jam 4:8
8) Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded.

1John 5:14
14) This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. (see entry below)

Luke 22:42
42) "Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done."

(only God knows what is best for each individual in order to fit into his far-reaching plans. Sometimes his answer is simply "no", or perhaps "not now, but later". Even Christ left it with God the Father in the verse above)

2Cor 12:8-9
8) Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me.
9) But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

(weakness often draws us closer to God, making us need his help, which he loves to give. Very important we understand "not my will, but yours be done") see entry above and below.

Rom 8:26-28
26) In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.
27) And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.
28) And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose.

(leave it with God, then wait days or weeks if necessary so his Spirit has time to work through people near or far if needed. Whether he answers yes or no, it will work out for good in the end)

Php 4:6-7
6) Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.
7) And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

(read and re-read Rom 8:26-28 above to learn how to "not be anxious about anything")

1John 3:21-23
21) Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God
22) and receive from him anything we ask, because we obey his commands and do what pleases him.
23) And this is his command: to believe in the name of his Son, Jesus Christ, and to love one another as he commanded us.

(as stated, to "receive from him anything we ask" we must first "obey his commands and do what pleases him", which means accepting Christ as our substitute in taking punishment for our wrongdoings, plus applying principles such as 1Cor. chapter 13 and Gal 5:15-26 into our lives daily as we grow in faith)

John 15:7
7) If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

(remember "if my words remain in you". Digesting the Bible is the main way to learn about God, and how to pray in his will. Get into the New Testament first; daily is best)

John 9:31
31) We know that God does not listen to sinners. He listens to the godly man who does his will.

(none of us can be perfect, but we must be sincere. After receiving Christ, God is patient with our mistakes if we do our best to overcome the old, selfish nature)

Psa 66:18
18) If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;

(we must give up old attitudes and habits we cling to, of which we know God disapproves, or he will not hear) see entry below.

Isa 59:2
2) But your iniquities have separated you from your God; your sins have hidden his face from you, so that he will not hear.

Jam 4:1-4
1) What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don't they come from your desires that battle within you?
2) You want something but don't get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. You do not have, because you do not ask God.
3) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
4) You adulterous people, don't you know that friendship with the world is hatred toward God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Mat 6:5-8
5) "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
6) But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
7) And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
8) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him


*NOTE: Researcher comments in parentheses added for clarification

*To see other articles from this collection, go to "Bible Studies" or "Christian Living" categories within Faithwriters.com pages

Wesley Pierce has been a student of the Bible for over 35 years, plus a student of being led and blessed, or taught and disciplined by the Lord's inner Spirit daily, as any sincere seeker experiences.

*Copyright 2011, all rights reserved

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