Romans 8:28 NIV 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.
- Prayer is not getting man’s will done in heaven come.
- Prayer is getting God’s will done on Earth.
- Prayer says I need you God.
- I’m inviting you into my life
1 Samuel 15:22 NIV But Samuel replied: “Does the Lord delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices as much as in obeying the Lord? To obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed is better than the fat of rams.
Reflection
While not the only, one of the reasons we see disobedience so prevalent is because of the mishandling or representation of the Word. We also tend to put legalism on the backs of each other when in reality we are no better than the pharisees in the days of Christ.
- Matthew 23:27-28 NIV “Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look beautiful on the outside but on the inside are full of the bones of the dead and everything unclean. In the same way, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness.
The Message
1 John 3:21-24 NIV Dear friends, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God 22 and receive from him anything we ask, because we keep his commands and do what pleases him.
The problem:
We know our Heavenly Father’s standards but we choose not to keep them.. However, when we in trouble we rush to do what we know we should have already been doing and expecting Him to deliver us.
- Isaiah 1:14-17 NIV Your New Moon feasts and your appointed festivals I hate with all my being. They have become a burden to me; I am weary of bearing them. When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood! Wash and make yourselves clean. Take your evil deeds out of my sight; stop doing wrong. Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed. Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.
The matter is not about being saved again but more a matter of receiving all of the blessings of benefits associated with being part of the household family.
- Ephesians 1:13-14 NIV And you also were included in Christ when you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation. When you believed, you were marked in him with a seal, the promised Holy Spirit, who is a deposit guaranteeing our inheritance until the redemption of those who are God’s possession—to the praise of his glory.
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.
- James 1:5-8 NIV If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. 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. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.
24 The one who keeps God’s commands lives in him, and he in them. And this is how we know that he lives in us: We know it by the Spirit he gave us.
- 2 Timothy 1:7 NIV For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.