WHAT Is
ACCEPTABLE
PRAYER?
God speaks to us through the
Bible. We speak to Him through
prayer. In prayer, we make our thoughts
known to the mind of God. No matter how
much good we do, or how much we study God’s Word, we still need His care and
protection. This is the reason Paul told
us to “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians
Who can pray? Only God’s
children have the privilege of prayer (1
Peter
Why do we pray? Prayer is a
way for us to enjoy fellowship with God (Acts
Where do we pray? Can we
pray only in the church building during worship? No, we can pray anywhere and everywhere. Two children were late for school. One said, “Let’s stop and pray.” The other said, “Let’s run while we
pray.” We can pray whenever we need
to. It does not matter where we
are. Paul prayed while he was in prison
(Acts
To Whom do we pray? Roman Catholics pray to Mary, the mother of Jesus. Sometimes they pray to dead “saints.” Other people pray to the spirits of their dead ancestors. But Jesus taught His disciples to pray to God, the Father (Matthew 6:9). We pray to the Father through (in the name of ) Jesus Christ our Mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).
How should we pray? Must we
kneel when we pray? No. The Bible records a number of different
positions for prayer. We must pray in
faith (James 1:6). We must pray to God
with “clean hands and a pure heart”
(Psalm 24:3, 4). Our prayers must be in keeping with God’s
Will (Luke
Does God answer prayer?
Yes! He answered Elijah’s prayer
at
Five areas of prayer.
(1) Praise (Luke 11:2). We praise God for His power, wisdom, glory, holiness, righteousness, mercy, and longsuffering. We show our respect and reverence in this way.
(2) Thanksgiving (1 Timothy 2:1). We thank God for salvation, the joy of life,
and for all the blessings He gives us.
We must be thankful from our heart (Hebrews
(3) Confession (Luke 11:4; Psalm
66:18). Christians ask forgiveness
for every sin they commit (1 John 1:7-9;
Acts
(4) Petition (Philippians 4:6). We ask for the things we need, subject to God’s will (James 4:3). If we ask for help to be better Christians, then we need to work to be better Christians.
(5) Intercession (Colossians 1:9). We pray for others (2 Thessalonians 3:1).
We pray to God because He wants us
to speak to Him. Prayer is an important
part of a Christian’s life. It is one of
the blessings of being “in Christ”
(Ephesians 1:3). Does God hear your prayers? If you are not a Christian, you do not have
the privilege of prayer. If you are
living in disobedience to God, He will not hear your prayers. All spiritual blessings are in Christ (Ephesians 1:3). In order to get into
Christ, we must believe and be baptized (Mark
God’s Plan of Salvation for Man
1. We must hear the truth.
Romans 10:14; Romans 10:17.
2. We must believe Jesus
Christ is the Son of God. Mark
John 8:24.
3. We must repent of our
sins. Luke 13:3; Acts 2:38.
4. We must confess Christ
before men. Matthew 10:32,33;
Romans 10:10.
5. We must be baptized
into Christ. Galatians 3:27; 1 Peter 3:21;
Acts
6. We must continue to
live for Christ Revelation 2:10;
2
Peter 1:10; 2
Peter 3:18.
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