JESUS IS WORTHY OF WORSHIP – 4B

INTERCESSORY WORSHIP 2

Prayer is not only a great privilege, but it is an essential part of our life as a Christian! We are the temple of the Holy Spirit (I Corinthians 3:16). God’s house is to be a place of much prayer in a holy temple… (Luke 19:46). He promises to make us joyful in His house of prayer.

Isaiah 56:7 – “…I will…. make them joyful in my house of prayer…!“

Special note: How much do we value prayer? Are continuing in prayer? (Colossians 4:2;). As we pray, God promises to make us joyful! If you want to experience more joy, be a faithful, steadfast prayer warrior!

Romans 12:12 – …continuing steadfastly in prayer…

Ephesians 6:18 – …praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit…

The apostles considered PRAYER one of their top priorities in life.

Acts 6:4 – we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.

WHAT DID JESUS SAY about answers to prayer?

When two agree in prayer, it SHALL BE DONE!

Matthew 18:19-20 – “… I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Special note: Obviously, He was talking about agreement in faith, believing for that beings asked for. together.

Prayer

WHAT IS PRAYER?

PRAYER is simply communicating with God, and Him with us. It is a dialogue of communication between God and man.

 It’s a “hot  line”! (Every Christian has a “hot line” for direct communication with God available to them at all times).

It is a channel for appropriating God’s resources for our needs (Hebrews 4:14-16). As Children of God we are invited to “Come boldly to the very throne of God” and stay there to receive His mercy and to find grace to help us in our times of need.

Hebrews 4:16 – So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.

Who Can Pray?

All can pray, but those who receive Jesus Christ as Savior, and those who have clean hearts have special access to Him in prayer.

Psalm 66:18 – If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

Isaiah 59:1-2 – Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor his ear too dull to hear.² But your iniquities have separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.

Special note: Dealing with sin and having a pure heart is an established rule of prayer!

1 Peter 3:12 – For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

EFFECTIVE PRAYER

Repentance and confession of sin are essential for good praying!

Those who are victorious overcomer’s – those who are living a holy and righteous lifestyle can be confident of answers to prayer!

Matthew 6:13 (Jesus taught us to pray)…Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil…

FORGIVENESS

Those who have a forgiving spirit will also be forgiven.

Mark 11:25 –  But when you are praying, first forgive anyone you are holding a grudge against, so that your Father in heaven will forgive your sins, too.)

Matthew 6:12 (Jesus taught us to pray) …And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

Special note: If you do forgive, it will purify your heart.  The answers to your prayers do not just depend on what your adversary does or does not do.  They depend on what you are willing to do!

THOSE WHO PRAY IN FAITH

James 1:6-7 – But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7 That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.

FAITH CLEARLY IS A VERY IMPORTANT  RULE OF PRAYER. LET’S PRAY IN FAITH!

John 14:14 – If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

Mark 11:24 – Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Matthew 21:22 –  And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”

I John 5:14,15 –  Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. ¹⁵ And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.

WHY WE ARE TO PRAY

• When we pray, it brings glory to God.

John 14:13 – And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

• We PRAY because God commands and instructs us to do it.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 – …pray without ceasing.

Matthew 26:41 – Watch and pray…

Luke 18:1 – Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart…

2 Chronicles 7:14 – If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.

• WE PRAY TO COMMUNICATE WITH GOD, AND HE COMMUNICATES WITH US.

Jeremiah 33:3 – Call unto me and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things..

• WE PRAY TO HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD.

Proverbs 15:8 -… But the prayer of the upright is His delight.

• To achieve results for the glory of God.

John 11:43 –  Jesus lifted up His eyes and said, “Father, I thank You that You have heard Me. ⁴² And I know that You always hear Me, but because of the people who are standing by I said this, that they may believe that You sent Me.” ⁴³ Now when He had said these things, He cried with a loud voice, “Lazarus, come forth!” ⁴⁴ And he who had died came out bound hand and foot with graveclothes, and his face was wrapped with a cloth. Jesus said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.”

James 5:16-18 – The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. ¹⁸ And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

PRAYER IN SOLITUDE

Matthew 6:6 – But you, when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father which is in secret; and your Father which sees in secret shall reward you openly.

(AMP) But when you pray, go into your most private room, close the door and pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees [what is done] in secret will reward you.

(GW) When you pray, go to your room and close the door. Pray privately to your Father who is with you. Your Father sees what you do in private. He will reward you.

(NLT) …when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.

UNITED PRAYER (CORPORATE PRAYER)

Special note: God not only hears and rewards prayer in private (as seen above in Matthew 6:6), but He also rewards corporate prayer when more than one person unite together in PRAYERS in faith. It is not one or the other — BOTH kinds of praying ARE IMPORTANT!

Acts 4:24 – …When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God:…

Acts 1:14 – They all met together and were constantly united in prayer.

THERE’S POWER IN UNITED PRAYER!

Acts 16:26 – (As Paul and Silas prayed and praised the Lord together…) – Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off!

Acts 2:42 – All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals (including the Lord’s Supper), and to prayer.

Acts 12:3-17 …But while Peter was in prison: prayer was made without ceasing of the church (the church PRAYED very earnestly for him) unto God for him,… 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...And he went out… And 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...

USHERING in THE GLORY OF GOD THROUGH UNITED PRAYER

2 Chronicles 5:6, 7, 11-14 – There, before the Ark, King Solomon and the entire community of Israel sacrificed so many sheep, goats, and cattle that no one could keep count! ⁷ Then the priests carried the Ark of the Lord’s Covenant into the inner sanctuary of the Temple—the Most Holy Place—and placed it beneath the wings of the cherubim. ¹¹ Then the priests left the Holy Place. All the priests who were present had purified themselves, whether or not they were on duty that day. ¹² And the Levites who were musicians—Asaph, Heman, Jeduthun, and all their sons and brothers—were dressed in fine linen robes and stood at the east side of the altar playing cymbals, lyres, and harps. They were joined by 120 priests who were playing trumpets ¹³ The trumpeters and singers performed together in unison to praise and give thanks to the Lord. Accompanied by trumpets, cymbals, and other instruments, they raised their voices and praised the Lord with these words: “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!” At that moment a thick cloud filled the Temple of the Lord.¹⁴ The priests could not continue their service because of the cloud, for the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple of God.

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 – When Solomon finished praying, fire flashed down from heaven and burned up the burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the glorious presence of the Lord filled the Temple. ² The priests could not enter the Temple of the Lord because the glorious presence of the Lord filled it. ³ When all the people of Israel saw the fire coming down and the glorious presence of the Lord filling the Temple, they fell face down on the ground and worshiped and praised the Lord, saying, “He is good! His faithful love endures forever!”

THE URGENCY OF PRAYER

Prayer is such an important part of our walk with Christ! Connecting with God in focused prayer has great contribution to our growth as a Christian.

WHY IS PRAYER URGENT?

It make a huge difference in our life and environment! It is important in helping men to be saved and come to know the Lord.

1 Timothy 2:1-8 – Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men, ² for kings and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and reverence. ³ For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, ⁴ who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. ⁵ For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, ⁶ who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time, ⁷ for which I was appointed a preacher and an apostle—I am speaking the truth in Christ and not lying—a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth. ⁸ I desire therefore that the men pray everywhere, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting; …

Because… We are in a battle (Ephesians 6:18); Others are in a battle; People need the Lord (Romans 10:1; 1 Timothy 2:4); All men need God’s help.

Luke 6:12, ‘Now at this time, Jesus went off to the mountain to pray, and He spent the whole night in prayer to God.’

Special note: “If Jesus put such a high priority on prayer, shouldn’t we do the same?

WHEN PEOPLE PRAY, GOD DOES WONDROUS THINGS

Acts 16:20-34  ^…Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening… Suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were loosed. Then he (the jailer) called for a light, ran in, and fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. ³⁰ And he brought them out and said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” ³¹ So they said, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and your household.”…And immediately he and all his family were baptized. ³⁴ Now when he had brought them into his house, he set food before them; and he rejoiced, having believed in God with all his household. 

“PRAYER IS NOT AN OPTION BUT A NECESSITY!” (Billy Graham)

“Praying for individuals, small groups, elders, pastors, and our government leaders is Scriptural”‘

(CSB) First of all, then, I urge that petitions, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for everyone, for kings and all those who are in authority, so that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good, and it pleases God our Savior, who wants everyone to be saved and come to the knowledge of truth.’  – 1 Timothy 2:1-4

Ephesians 6:18 – Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.

THE TRUE CHURCH IS A HOUSE OF PRAYER

The church is purposed and designed to be a house of PRAYER (Luke 19:46). Jesus does not describe it as a place of entertainment, or a social club. It is to be a place where fervent PRAYER is actively pursued, participated in, and appreciated! It is not just a place people come and go to every once in a while… It is the family and household of God! It is a family that loves to pray together, spend time seeking the Lord together, worship Him, and hear His Word communicated.

Weekly PRAYER meetings should be greatly respected, and prioritized, not despised. It grieves the Lord when His people won’t gather to PRAY together. The PRAYER meeting according Jesus definition, design, and purpose of the church should be one of the most attended, and participated functions of the local church. Why is it not attended? Is it because our lives are cluttered and distracted with things of lesser value, priority, and importance?

JIM CYMBALA’S TESTIMONY and prayer encouragement ⁽¹⁾

At a very difficult time in his personal life and in their church, he sensed the Lord impressing him with an unforgettable message:

“If you and your wife will lead my people TO PRAY and CALL UPON MY NAME, you will never lack for something fresh to preach. I will supply all the money that’s needed, both for the church and for your family, and you will never have a building large enough to contain the crowds I will send in response.”

He faithfully responded with these instructions to his church, which since then has become very fruitful, and a glory to the Lord throughout the world — “From this day on, the prayer meeting will be the barometer of our church. What happens on Tuesday night (their prayer meeting night) will be the gauge by which we will judge success or failure because that will be the measure by which God blesses us. If we call upon the Lord, he has promised in his Word to answer, to bring the unsaved to himself, to pour out his Spirit among us. If we don’t call upon the Lord he has promised nothing – nothing at all… the future will depend upon our times of prayer. This is the engine that will drive the church. Tuesday night (prayer meeting) is what it’s really all about.”

“You can tell how popular Jesus is by who comes to the prayer meeting.”

“The condition of the church may be very accurately gauged by its prayer meetings. So is the prayer meeting a grace-ometer, and from it we may judge of the amount of divine working among a people. If God be near a church, IT MUST PRAY. And if He be not there, one of the first tokens of his absence will be a slothfulness in prayer.”

The great Scottish devotional writer Andrew Bonar wrote: “… there is no hope but in PRAYER. Herein lies the Church’s power against the world.”

“Prayer has to be born out of a whole environment of felt need. We need to be driven to pray! The more we pray, the more we sense our need to pray, and the more we sense a need to pray, the more we want to pray.”

POWERFUL, EFFECTIVE PRAYER

Matthew 18:19-20 – “Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Matthew 16:18 – On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell (hades) will not prevail against it.

There is a kind of intensity in PRAYER that is sometimes needed to release God’s intervention, and to help break through spiritual opposition. When Peter was released from prison, the church was earnestly praying to God for him (Acts 12:5)

James 5:16, 17 … The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.…  Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain …

EFFECTS OF PRAYER AS A WEAPON OF ATTACK

• Prayer enforces the promises of God’s Word.  Our prayers help make the promises of God’s Word effective and applicable to our personal situation.

Daniel 9:2-3 – In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.³ Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

• PRAYER releases the intervention of angels on our behalf!

Daniel 10:4-14 – Now on the twenty-fourth day of the first month, as I was by the side of the great river, that is, the Tigris, ⁵ I lifted my eyes and looked, and behold, a certain man clothed in linen, whose waist was girded with gold of Uphaz! ⁶ His body was like beryl, his face like the appearance of lightning, his eyes like torches of fire, his arms and feet like burnished bronze in color, and the sound of his words like the voice of a multitude. ⁷ And I, Daniel, alone saw the vision, for the men who were with me did not see the vision; but a great terror fell upon them, so that they fled to hide themselves….¹⁰ Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. ¹¹ And he said to me, “O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you.” …¹² Then he said to me, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. ¹³ But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. ¹⁴ Now I have come to make you understand what will happen to your people in the latter days, for the vision refers to many days yet to come.”

Hebrews 1:13-14 – But to which of the angels has He ever said: “Sit at My right hand, till I make Your enemies Your footstool”? ¹⁴ Are they not all ministering spirits sent forth to minister for those who will inherit salvation?

SEEK TO MAINTAIN AN ATTITUDE OF PRAYER WHEREVER YOU ARE AND IN ALL YOU DO!

The following are excerpts from Buddy Harrison’s book – “Praying for the Impossible” ⁽²⁾

I Timothy 2:1 – I exhort first of all that 1) supplications, 2) prayers, 3) intercessions, and 4) giving of thanks be made for all men …

• God has a certain order that He operates within. God is a God of order.
• God is the God of the impossible, but He also expects us to do our part and pray.
• The prayer of SUPPLICATION is the kind of prayer that can be used in critical situations where there seems to be no other way. When our requests line up with God’s will, which is simply His Word – He hears us and He answers.
• “Supplication” means “petition”. Write the prayer out. Make a formal, written request – make it in the form of a legal petition. Every time you make a statement, write a corresponding reference that backs it up within the petition. This helps come to agreement with what we are actually asking, and the Scriptures help build faith to not only ask but receive…
• The prayer of “supplication” (petition) is the 1^st kind of prayer mentioned in this passage, and is powerful because it is so specific and exact.
• Habakkuk admonishes us to write the vision down and make it plain so that they that read it may run with it (Habakkuk 2:2). Sometimes we lose in the kingdom of God simply because we haven’t taken the time to write things down. When we do, we are able to overcome the seemingly impossible!
• When there is difficulty discerning the will of God in a matter, when our faith seems low, when we lack inner assurance, or need others to pray in one accord with us about a situation that seems impossible – use the PRAYER OF SUPPLICATION!
• “Supplication” has 3 definitions – 1) a petition, 2) an entreaty, or 3) a humble request.
  • A Petition is a “formal written request.” It is written in formal terms that deal with the legal side of an issue. It follows acceptable, proper, legal guidelines and is addressed to someone or group in authority. It also requires for some judicial action to be taken. In I Timothy 2:1 the word for supplication is “always addressed to God” as He is the Supreme Authority.
  • An entreaty is “an earnest request”. When a request is earnest, it is 1) serious and intense; not joking or playful; zealous and sincere; deeply convinced, 2) intent; fixed, and 3) serious; important; not trivial. This is a time when you are determined. An intensity is present. It “stresses the sense of need” rather than just desire or want. Supplication is intense. James 5:16 – …the effectual Fervent prayer of the righteous man avails much.  Jesus spoke about the days of John the Baptist – “Until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force” (Matthew 11:12). Until you become violent with some things, they will never be done. You must make up your mind that you need to have them and that it has to be that way! We are to come boldly unto the throne of grace that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in times of need” (Hebrews 4:16). God wants us to come seriously, knowing what His Word says and what we need. We come before God in desperation. When we are faced with a life or death situation, we need to be exact and bold! We need to say to the Lord, “You said in Your Word it’s this way, and I’m not going to have it any other way”. That is not getting smart with God but puts Him in remembrance of His Word (Isaiah 43:26)
• Romans 15:30 – … strive together with me in your prayers to God for me.” Strive together means “to struggle in company with”, or literally “to compete for a prize”. In a figurative sense it means “to contend with an adversary.” The church was able to strive together with him in prayer more closely because Paul wrote down his prayer. They could come into agreement to a greater degree and be more certain that they were in one accord. United prayers of this kind are very powerful. Acts 4:31 records the place which the believers were standing on shook after they had prayed in one accord…
• In “supplications” you deal with the known will of God, which is written in His Word. If your petition is in agreement with His Word, you can be sure that it is part of His will for you.
• Isaiah 43:26 – God says, “Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare you, that you may be justified.” His Word is His will. When someone writes out their will, they are writing a legal document. The Bible is a legal document and a testimony to what God’s will is. He died to make sure God’s will would come to pass, and He rose up to watch over it. He is enforcing His own will. What is in the legal document belongs to us.
• All the blessings of God are legally ours. If you don’t know what rightfully belongs to you according to the Word of God, you can never experience all God has provided for you. Your petition establishes in you and those petitioning with you, the known will of God. This is the legal side of the petition. Once it is established in you, you are in line to experience the will of God in your life. This is the vital side – the practical living side. The legal side must first be established before the vital side can be experienced. Your faith is the evidence, and proof (Hebrews11:1).
• In a supplication you deal with the known will of God, which is His Word, and appeal to the Supreme Court of Heaven. When you use His Word in His court, you win. When you know that, you are bold. It is not hit and miss. There is a way to pray in absolute confidence so that there are no questions nor doubts that you have the answer.
• You have an Advocate – JESUS. (I John 2:1). He is the Lawyer who pleads your case. Whatever words you say to Him, He uses to plead your case. If you use His Words to plead your case in His Father’s court, the outcome is sure. The case is fixed.
• Acts 4:24 – they “lifted up their voice to God with one accord”. You come into one accord when everyone says the same thing. One sure way to get everyone to say the same thing is to write down the request. They must have written down their request. It is written in the Scripture.
• When you pray, believe that the promises of God are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 1:20 – For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us.
• Do not generally include in your petition specific dates (unless of course you sense a special, clear leading to do so).(The Bible says, “Don’t limit God!” Sometimes that not only puts limiting deadlines, but often can lead to discouragement and doubt if it doesn’t happen before a date – the Bible says that “our times are in His hands”…) You can have goals without dates. Mark 11:24 – the emphasis is on believing… “Therefore, I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
• When you write your petitions based upon the Word of God, you establish the known will of God. When you pray it out loud, you build up your faith in what you already know. “Faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” – Romans 10:17.
• When you pray your petition, you should pray it as a present possession, as if you already possess it. Hebrews 11:1 says that faith is in the “now”, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.  It is in the present tense (along with the past and future – Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever- Hebrews 13:8. There is a certainty to it. If time passes and the petition that you made doesn’t feel like you have it, go back and read it again until it gets down on the inside of you so that you know that know. “For without faith it is impossible to please Him” – Hebrews 11:6.
• Pray the Petition through – John 5:14,15 – “…. If we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the PETITIONS that we desired of Him. “Both the Word of God and prayer are mentioned when Paul talks to the Ephesian church about spiritual warfare” … take the Sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God: praying always with all prayer and SUPPLICATION in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and SUPPLICATION for all saints. The Sword of the Spirit is the Word of God praying. Jesus is the Word. Jesus knows how to pray, and He is powerful. If I use the equipment God has given me, the Word of God praying, His Words become my words. I take His Word and pray it.  Isaiah 55:11 – “So shall my word be that goes forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.” Notice it is the Word of God “praying always with all prayer” (Ephesians 6:18) – “with all (manner of) prayer” (AMP) The armor is more than just praying in the Holy Spirit. It is also praying the Word of God. It is literally Jesus’ Word being prayed out. You have the Sword of the Spirit coming out of your mouth which is the Word of God praying. It is so powerful and dynamic because you pray His own Word which is full of life eternal (Isaiah 40:8). For Him to deny His Word, He has to deny Himself. God can’t deny Himself. (2 Timothy 2:13) He is who He is, and His Word has said so. Therefore, it shall be so. In SUPPLICATIONS in the Spirit the Holy Spirit begins to take over. You pray by the power of the Spirit of God. (Romans 8:25,27). You will find yourself stretching out to grab it, take hold of it, and lock on to it.
• The progression in prayer that I Timothy 2:1 suggests brings us to a place of KNOWING. Once we know, nothing can stop us from receiving the petitions we desire of Him. His Word and the witness of His Spirit with my spirit make us certain it is already ours, and He won’t deny His Word.
• The 2^nd kind of prayer mentioned in I Timothy 2 is often linked with supplication in other passages of Scripture (Acts 1:14; Ephesians 6:18; Philippians 4:6; I Timothy 5:5) “Prayers” in 1^st Timothy 2:1 means “WORSHIP”. Spiritual worship, rather than mental or physical worship, is actually a form of prayer. The Holy Spirit helps you in your WORSHIP. Your spirit is the part of you that motivates you to WORSHIP. Your mind and your body simply fall in line with your spirit. You start with supplications which deal with the known will of God. You use your mind to write down your SUPPLICATION because it has to do with what you know. Then you begin to WORSHIP. Worship is the hookup that takes you from the mental realm into the spiritual realm of intercession. You move from one dimension into another – out of the natural, logical, mental realm and into the spiritual realm as you WORSHIP. First, you WORSHIP with your understanding, then, as the Spirit leads you, you worship using the language of the spirit, which is tongues. One is in a known language while the other is in an unknown language.
• As you worship or pray in an unknown language the Holy Spirit will begin to intercede through you for the things you don’t know about. According to Paul in Romans “… we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groaning’s which cannot be uttered” Romans 8:26.
• At some point while praying in tongues, the Holy Spirit begins to intercede through us. The word, INTERCESSIONS, as it is used in 1 Timothy 2:1 means “seeking the presence and hearing of God on behalf of others.” At one time, it was “a technical term for approaching a king, and so for approaching God in intercession.” The Holy Spirit comes along side of you and helps you to pray. Because He is a part of the Godhead, He know all things and is able to pray for things that you don’t even know about. He will not pray anything against the will of God. He can only pray the will of God. When you have finished you know that you have prayed the perfect prayer and have covered all the bases. When you finish interceding, you know that you know!
• A natural response following the prayer of supplication, spiritual worship, and intercession is the GIVING OF THANKS. In the giving of thanks, we express gratitude. When we ask someone for something and they promise to give it to us, it is common courtesy to say “Thank you”. When we ask God for something He has promised us in His Word, we shouldn’t have to be told to say, “Thank you”. Yet many petitions are not complete simply because they lack a word of thanks.

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1. Special acknowledgement and thanks to Jim Cymbala, Pastor of the Brooklyn Tabernacle for insights and excerpts gleaned from his book “Fresh Wing, Fresh Fire”; Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids, Michigan; 1997
2. Special acknowledgement and thanks to Dr. Doyle “Buddy” Harrison (formerly a pastor and co-founder of Faith Christian Fellowship International, a Pastor to Pastors and Ministers) for insights and excerpts gleaned from his book “Praying for the Impossible; Harrison House, Tulsa, Oklahoma; 2002...
3. Special acknowledgement and thanks to Evelyn Asuncion for assistance in preparing and sharing parts of this message at our online service.