Introduction to the Book of Psalms

 The Book of Psalms is divided into five main sections, often called "books." 

This five-part structure is thought to intentionally mirror the five books of the Torah (Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy). 

Each of the first four books concludes with a doxology, a formal expression of praise to God, and the entire book ends with a final, extensive doxology in Psalm 150.

The Five Books of Psalms

• Book 1: Psalms 1–41. This section primarily contains psalms attributed to King David and often focuses on personal laments and prayers of distress, as well as expressions of confidence in God.

• Book 2: Psalms 42–72. It includes more psalms from David, but also introduces a collection of psalms by the Sons of Korah. The focus remains on themes of distress and trust in God, with a communal voice emerging in some prayers.

• Book 3: Psalms 73–89. This book includes most of the psalms by Asaph and a second collection from the Sons of Korah. The tone becomes darker, with psalms that question God's justice and express a sense of communal and national crisis.

• Book 4: Psalms 90–106. This section begins with a psalm by Moses and responds to the crisis of Book 3 by reaffirming God's kingship and faithfulness. It includes a group of "The LORD reigns" psalms (93-100) and reflects on Israel's history.

• Book 5: Psalms 107–150. The final book begins with thanksgiving and culminates in a crescendo of praise with the "Hallelujah Psalms" (146–150). It also contains the longest psalm (119) and the Songs of Ascent (120–134).

My experience with 1 Chronicles in the Bible

First Chronicles - Chapter 20

I never knew that Chronicles was so interesting until in our church we started meditating on these chapters every day. We belong to a church which follows Lenten season and we gather every day in the evening for an hour or two to sing and read the word of God. It all started on one Wednesday, also called Ash Wednesday. We gathered and we were told that we would be concentrating on reading from 1 and 2 Chronicles. We thought it would not be interesting at all, yes, reading stories in the Bible is good and reading other books such as Proverbs or New Testament writings is good, but what would Chronicles offer us.

We were all a little apprehensive in the initial stages, but as we went on reading, we found that the Lord God has a special plan for us and he wants us to read and understand his word, whether it be from Chronicles or any other book.

We took this seriously and started meditating chapter by chapter every day.

Surprisingly, every person in the congregation is very interested and they are reading in advance and coming prepared to the services. It is not that you can say something and everyone listens, they are all reading in advance and are coming prepared for a new revelation from the word. This is a bigger responsibility, now that you have to share from the Word of God, a dry subject and make it interesting and learn some practical applications.

I thank God for the church we attend, each and every person is doing the same. They are reading and when their time approaches to share the word, they are getting prepared thoroughly.

After saying all this, I would like to share some points from chapter 20. I was asked to share some points about this chapter and I did not have a clue as to what I should share from just 8 verses.

But as I read more from the word of God, I started realizing that there are many more hidden truths in the verses and I need to study more. I went to different commentaries, of which Henry’s commentary was very helpful to me. I quickly took to the text as a fish takes to water and started getting myself involved in the verses… very soon I found out that there is more under the hood than that which is stated in just the above 8 verses. Not to be heretical or skeptical, but I was cautious and asking the Lord to reveal the inner truths … I was reminded of the verse in the book of John that the Truth will set you free and that Jesus is the truth… how comforting this thought was… so in pursuit of truth I set out reading the 20^th chapter.

Let me now lay down my understanding of the concept in the given 8 verses.

1 And it came to pass, that after the year was expired, at the time that kings go out to battle, Joab led forth the power of the army, and wasted the country of the children of Ammon, and came and besieged Rabbah. But David tarried at Jerusalem. And Joab smote Rabbah, and destroyed it.

In the first verse, it says ‘and it came to pass’… I stopped immediately at the very phrase. In the Bible I find in many places this phrase which says ‘and it came to pass’. Yes, how true it is. Everything will come to pass one day. Nothing is permanent and nothing is forever, we need to keep this in mind when we look at everything that belongs to this world. We need to be cautious as to how we approach the worldly things. We might get too attached to them and might forget the eternal truths… let us always remember that everything will come to pass and it is the word of God that stands forever. In spite of knowing such eternal truths, somehow, we do not want to acknowledge it and we do not want to accept it.

In the same verse, I read that it said, ‘…at the time that kings go to battle, but David tarried at Jerusalem.’ This is a really intriguing and interesting verse. At the time when kings go for battle, King David also should have been in the battle field. He should have led the army and have brought victory to Israel. He should have been a leader by showing through his example. Here, sadly, we find that he is at home and he is taking rest. It is not mentioned in this chapter, but we can find the sad story of David in II Samuel 11^th and 12^th chapters. Oh, how I wish that David is in the battle field. Oh, how I wish that we all like David be in the battle field and not on the terrace watching something that we should not watch.

There is a wide gap between the first verse and the second verse. The story, though not mentioned here, for other purposes, is still a warning to us that Idle mind is a devil’s workshop. In the Book of Matthew, 12^th chapter, it is mentioned that when a demon is gone out of a person/house, it goes out and finds no place to rest. It roams in all places and then comes to see the same place where it left. When it finds to be empty and unoccupied, it goes out and calls 7 more demons that are more dangerous than him and they enter into the person/house. The Bible says that the latter part will be worse than the beginning of that person. Oh, how true it is. We need to be careful as to how we keep our minds. If we keep it idle, definitely, we can be assured that demons will come and rule you.

That is the main reason, why we need to keep ourselves occupied with the word of God and prayer and fellowship. In fact, it is for our own good that the Lord has given us fellowship.

Let us know recapitulate what David did when he tarried at Jerusalem. He could have worshipped the Lord, he could have played and enjoyed with his family. He could have done so many things, but when he went on the terrace one day, he found a woman bathing. He could not turn away his eyes and the Bible says that he lusted after her. In his lust, he does all bad things. How strange it is that when is overcome by something, he/she forgets reasoning and logic. Here, we find David doing all the things are against the heart of the Lord. The person who was called ‘a man after God’s own heart’ was doing things that are against God’s heart. How pathetic the condition of man when he falls in sin and tries to cover it up.

David tried every way to cover his sin, in fact he goes to such an extent that he gets Uriah drunk and tries sending him to his house, but even in the drunken state, Uriah was making sense, and David, though not drunk physically, was in the wrong. Sin skews our perception. It makes us see gray areas and loopholes and then tries to blame others and do all the bad things.

David now things of murdering Uriah, so his mind starts scheming things which are not right for a person of such stature.

Lesson learnt:

1.       Do not be idle. Idle mind is a devil’s workshop. Inundate yourself with the word of God and be filled with the Holy Spirit, then you will not entertain evil thoughts.

TRUE PROMOTION

TRUE PROMOTION

Bible says in Psalm 75:4-7

4 To the arrogant I say, 'Boast no more,'
and to the wicked, 'Do not lift up your horns.
5 Do not lift your horns against heaven;
do not speak with outstretched neck.' "
6 No one from the east or the west
or from the desert can exalt a man.
7 But it is God who judges:
He brings one down, he exalts another.

Our Lord is a promoter. He wants promote us in our spiritual life and even in this world. Before he promotes us he will see certain traits in our life.
Bible says Psalm 75:7 “God who judges”. He will judge three things in our life.

a) Our words
b) Our motives
c) Our Actions

After he done it he will exalt us based on these traits. The same God he is promoting, he is demoting also. There is no junction in between, either we will be promoted by God everyday in our life or else we will be demoted by God every day in our life based on these traits.

1) Covenant Relationship with God:-

Covenant  Prayer  God’s Blessing.
You should have covenant relationship with him for True promotion. If you are not making covenant with God and praying to God you are wasting lot of time. First make a covenant relationship with Jesus then pray to God then heaven will respond.

How to make a covenant relationship with God?

a) Continuous Prayer through Fasting (Pray in the Spirit)
b) Read/Meditate God's Word
c) Obey God’s word according to His time (not our time)

2) Spirit of Humility:-

Bible says in Proverbs 29:20 “A man's pride brings him low, but a man of lowly spirit gains honor”.
Bible says in Proverbs 3:34 “gives grace to the humble”
Bible says in 1 Peter 5:5, 6 "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand, that he may lift you up in due time”.



How to develop the spirit of humility?

a) To accept God's estimation

b) To think always others and you special before God. When you don’t have the spirit of humility there are two wicked spirits (Spirit of Pride and Spirit of Devaluation) will work in our life and that bring our life down. In between there is a spirit (Spirit of Humility) that only God is looking in our life. It doesn’t have pride (over estimation about yourself above God’s word) and devaluation (under estimation about yourself what God is estimated)

• Positive Proud: Boast only Jesus Christ. It is good to have positive proud, that is glorifying
Only Jesus Christ in your conversation or in your testimony.

• Negative Proud: It manifest in 2 ways.

1) Over estimation about yourself what God estimated (Negative Pride)
2) Under estimation about yourself (that is insecure) what God estimated (Spirit of
devaluation)

c) To live a selfless life (Christ centered life) - Don't keep it anything for yourself. Don’t live for yourself and not think about others.

3) Clean Heart/Sincere Heart:-

How to get the clean Heart?

Good Motives (Reason behind what you are doing) --> Good Conscious --> Clean Heart

When you have good motives you will have good conscious, when you have a good conscious you will have clean heart.

Always act and react based on your conscious in each task that is given by God. Even though if you don’t hear the voice of Holy Spirit at least acts and react based on your conscious so that you can see God’s direction in your life. Many of them they act properly initially once you entered the particular task if they don’t like it they will react wrongly end up with problem.
So always act and react based on your conscious or guidance of the Holy Spirit in each given task or opportunity in your life.

Bible says in Matthew 5:8 “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God”.
When you have clean heart you will see God. Amen! You will really see God in your family, in your job and everywhere.

4) Clean Hands:-

Bible says in Job 17:9 “those with clean hands will grow stronger”



Why many Christians are so weak?

Because their hands are not clean. That’s why during prayer intercession when they life up their hands towards God, Father God turned back because their hands are full of blood, not clean. Even sometimes our mouths are full of blood because we destroyed some man of God or woman of God talked wrongly through our tongue that’s why some time God doesn’t want to listen our prayer. So always make sure that our hands are clean before God that leads to true promotion.

5) Faithfulness:-

The one who manages the property of another person is called Steward. Similarly, we all are Stewards in the kingdom of God.

There are 7 important things God have given to us (Steward) to manage:

1) Life --> Our Life belongs to God; he has given to us to manage properly for his glory.
2) Body --> Our body has been given by God to us to manage properly for his glory. It is the temple of the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 6:19, 20)
3) Children -->They are not ours. They are the gift from God. So we have to train them properly for his glory. Bible says “Train the Children in the way”. Jesus is the way, truth and life. There is only one way to train up our child that is Godly way.
4) Time --> we don't own time. Time has been given to us to manage properly for his glory
5) Gifts and Talents --> It is Gods property, it has been given to us to manage properly for his purpose.
6) Ministry  GOD has given each one us ministry to manage properly for his glory. Do it faithfully and diligently.
7) Environment --> They are not ours. We have to take care of the environment and manage it properly for his glory. If we are stewards, we should be faithful.

These are the three characteristics of faithful steward:

1) Faithful steward must be true to his words, promise and vows
2) Faithful steward must do his work according to God’s requirement or his standards.
(1 Corinthians 4:1, 2) He must do his work accurately and excellently.
3) He must be loyal (A reason for a person exist that is called Loyalty), constant and reliable.

The difference between Faithful steward and unfaithful steward is both of them accepts the responsibility from God through man of God and understand the responsibility but faithful steward does his work according to HIS (God) time (refer Matthew 24:45-51 --> "Feed the household at the proper time") but unfaithful steward does not do HIS work according to HIS (God's) timing, but somehow he is finishing his work, but he is always doing the work according to his time (not God’s time).






Our Lord Jesus Christ will check faithfulness in the following three areas.

Bible says in (Luke 16:10-13)

"Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much. So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else's property, who will give you property of your own? "No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money." (Luke 16:10-13)

1) Faithfulness for little things

2) Faithfulness for temporary (money) things

- Many Christian they are not receiving true riches from God because they are not faithful to temporary things (money).

3) Faithfulness for other goods.

6) Merciful Heart

Bible says in Matthew 5:7 “Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy”.

- Do something to others which they do not deserve. God is expecting such kind of heart in our life,
Such people are always promoted.

7) Spirit of Excellence

Whatever task God has given to your hand, always finishes it excellently.

8) Teachable spirit

Whatever you received from one source pass it to others.Amen.Never keep it for yourself.
Bible says “Freely you received and freely give”.
9) Generous soul / Giver:

Bible says in Proverbs 11:25
“A generous man will prosper; he who refreshes others will himself be refreshed”.
10) Attitude of Gratitude/Thankful/Grateful towards God and Man/Woman

Bible says in Romans 8:28
“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him,[j] who[k] have been called according to his purpose”.
Appreciate whatever Lord has done in your life. God will never promote person who is always complaining, grumbling, murmuring, envy, pride and jealousy (In ward appearance) all the time, that is ingratitude. Always be thankful and grateful to God and his creation. Many times we are thankful and grateful to God but not his creation (Man/Woman).The way we treat any man or woman that will reflect the creator (God).That’s why we should love everbody.Never reject them because they are God’s creation.
11) Faith

Hope always expects, so that Faith works. That’s why faith without work is dead.
12) Hope (Positive Expectation for better tomorrow)

Today many Christians are living in sin and doing anything they want because they don’t have hope. They forgot the coming of the Lord. They don’t have a positive expectation, always have negative picture about their life and future. You will not have faith without hope.

13) Don't give up Spirit (Endurance/Perseverance)

Suffering  Perseverance Character  Hope

Suffering produces perseverance, perseverance produces character, character produces hope but
that hope (in Lord) doesn’t disappoint you. (Romans 5:5)

14) Wisdom / Spirit of understanding

Bible says in Colossians 2:3 “In whom all the hidden treasure of wisdom and knowledge”
Bible says in Isaiah 11:2 “the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding”
You will not get wisdom without knowledge. Bible says in 2 Timothy 1:7 “For God did not give us a spirit of timidity (fear), but a spirit of power, of love and of self-discipline (sound mind).”.
You will not get wisdom of GOD or good sound mind unless you walk in Love. If you walk in Love you walk with GOD, because God is Love (1 John 4:8).But we will not get God’s love until we filled by God’s power or anointing.
First God’s Power  God’s love  Good sound mind (wisdom) (Refer 2 Timothy 1:7)
But world says you will get power when you have knowledge. That’s the way today the devil is deceiving the churches. When you have Knowledge you will have power, then you will have everything.
First Knowledge  finally end up with Power (World says)
No!!Knowledge should not be in the first scale. According to word of God, first God’s power, then God’s love and finally end up with sound mind.
Until we receive God’s anointing we can’t receive God’s love (Romans 5:5), once you receive God’s anointing through the Holy Spirit and then you can walk in Love. Once you walk in Love, then wisdom will flow in your life.
So people who walk in Love (Love of God) they will never lack in wisdom.
15) Knowledge / Fear of God.

Bible says in Isaiah 11:2 “the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD”

16) Sacrifice

Bible says (Psalm 50:4) “Gather to me my consecrated ones (Selected one, chosen one), who made a covenant with me by sacrifice."
Our Lord Jesus Christ has done a great sacrifice for us (He died on the Cross for us), but to the fulfill his plan (our relatives, friends, colleagues to be saved) on this earth we have to do little sacrifice. We have to spend so many hours in his presence to know his perfect plan and to do accordingly.
From our side we need to put little sacrifice (Prayer with fasting, spending time with God) and to fulfill his plan in our life.

A SIGN OF THE TIMES

A SIGN OF THE TIMES

They lie on the table, side by side The Holy Bible and the TV Guide.

One is well worn, but cherished with pride (Not the Bible, but the TV Guide)

One is used daily to help folks decide. (Not the Bible: it's the TV Guide.)

As the pages are turned, what shall they see Oh, what does it matter?...turn on the TV.

Then confusion reigns, they can't all agree on what they shall watch on the old TV.

So they open the book in which they confide (No, not the Bible.....it's the TV Guide.)

The Word of God is seldom read. Maybe a verse e'er they fall into bed.

Exhausted and sleepy and tired as can be... not from reading the Bible-from watching TV.

So then back to the table, side by side, lay the Holy Bible and the TV Guide.

No time for prayer....no time for the Word. The plan of salvation is seldom heard.

But forgiveness of sin so full and free is found in the Bible.....NOT on TV!

5 steps to avoid temptation

5 steps to avoid temptation

1. Recognize the tendency towards sin (James 1:14 “but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”)
2. Recognize the way (I Cor 10:13 “No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”)
3. Resist with the word of truth (Heb 4:12 “For the word of God is alive and active. Sharper than any double-edged sword, it penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow; it judges the thoughts and attitudes of the heart.”
II Cor 10: 4-5 “The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”)
4. Refocus with praise (Psalm 147 “How good it is to sing praises to our God, how pleasant and fitting to praise him!”)
5. Run away and Repent quickly when you fall (1 Cor 6:18 – 20 “Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.”
1 Cor 10:14 “Therefore, my dear friends, flee from idolatry.”
I Tim 6:11 “But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness”
II Tim 2:22 “Flee the evil desires of youth and pursue righteousness, faith, love and peace, along with those who call on the Lord out of a pure heart.”)

Jesus was tempted as we are tempted now: Heb 4:15 “we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin.”
Action plan:
1. Analyze you temptation / sin patterns
a. With whom are you tempted to sin (Psalm 141:4 “Do not let my heart be drawn to what is evil so that I take part in wicked deeds along with those who are evildoers;”)
b. Where are you tempted (Proverbs 22:5 “In the paths of the wicked are snares and pitfalls, but those who would preserve their life stay far from them.”)
c. When are you tempted to sin
d. Why are you tempted to sin (I Thes 4:8) “Therefore, anyone who rejects this instruction does not reject a human being but God, the very God who gives you his Holy Spirit.”
e. What are the first steps you might take on the path to sin (the thought process – forethought, action etc)
2. Choose scripture verses to read and to mediate (Psalm 119:11 “I have hidden your word in my heart that I might not sin against you.”, Joshua 1:8 “Keep this Book of the Law always on your lips; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. Then you will be prosperous and successful.” – eg. Jesus Matt 4:1 -11
3. Spirit is willing – work with the Spirit (Matt 26:41 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weak.”)
4. Remember 1 John 2:16, 17 “For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world. 17 The world and its desires pass away, but whoever does the will of God lives forever.”

Sermon on how to lead a Victorious Prayer Life

Scripture based on James 4:1-10Of all the things a believer can learn to do in this life, the most important thing is to learn to pray! One day, the disciples came to Jesus and asked Him for some instruction. They did not ask Him how to heal the sick. They did not inquire about how to raise the dead. They were not interested in Jesus’ secret for walking on the water, or in His recipe for multiplying the loaves and the fishes. When they came to Jesus, they asked for a very simple, elementary thing. Look at Luke 11:1. They said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” These men knew that prayer was central to everything else in their relationship with God. They wanted to have a prayer life like the one they saw in Jesus!
We all need to learn how to pray! Everything in our personal walk with God hinges on our ability to pray prayers that are heard and answered. Oh, we do a lot of praying, but often our prayers do not prevail. We need to learn how to pray prayers that “avail much”, prayers that prevail with God, prayers that are heard and answered. This passage has some important things to say about the matter of prayer. In fact, I see in these verses the Simple Steps To A Victorious Prayer Life. I want to share them with you this evening because I believe we all want to know how to have an effective, powerful prayer life. I believe God wants us to have that kind of prayer life. I believe that kind of prayer life is available to every one of God’s children today. Notice these Simple Steps To A Victorious Prayer Life.
I. v. 1-2 AVOID FORSAKEN PRAYING
A. Here is a people who are going after life. They are trying to get everything they can by any means they can. They fight, they scheme, they plan, they kill, they work, they war and they hate all in an effort to get the things they think they need. James tells them that they lack the things they are after in life simply because they do not ask for them!
B. How many times have we been guilty of the same thing? We operate within the realm of our own power, striving in our own energy to obtain the things we want and think we need, but we fail to get them because we do not take the time to ask God!
(Ill. There is no problem in your life, the life of this church, this city, this county, this state, this nation or this world that cannot be solved via the avenue of prayer! When God’s people begin to call on His name in the right way, they become partakers of his power, His peace and His glory. It is prayer that links our lives with God’s omnipotent power! We need to learn to utilize His power, and that can only be done through prayer!)
(Ill. A little boy was trying with all his might to move a large stone. His muscles were straining, sweat covered his face and brow as he tried with everything he had to move that stone. His father sat nearby watching all this with mild amusement. After a while he said to his son, “Son, are you using all of your strength?” The little boy answered, “Yes, I’m using all the strength I have!” His father said, “No, you really aren’t son. You haven’t asked me to help!”
How many times is that true in our lives? We struggle and strain, we war and wrestle, but we cannot achieve what we want to. Could it be that we have failed at a very obvious point? Could it be that we have failed to call on the Father and enlist His help in the situation? He wants to bless you. He wants to move in your life in power and glory, but often He doesn’t because we do not ask!)
C. Prayerlessness is a sin! We are commanded to pray – 1 Thes. 5:17; Luke 18:1. To fail to pray is to commit sin! Many need to repent of their prayerlessness! There is no substitute for a strong prayer life! Your greatness and success in your public life and ministry are directly tied to your prayer closet! What we are on the stage of life is not as important as what we are in the closet of prayer!
E. There is so much to be done here at while we are on this earth! There are souls that need to be saved; wayward brothers and sisters that need to be reclaimed;; lives that need to be changed for the glory of God; and the whole world needs to be reached for Jesus. Beside that, there is a great need for the manifest presence and power of God!
God sees the needs and He knows all that we need to do here, but He expects us to pray! Prayer unlocks the storehouse of His blessings and allows Him to move in our hearts and lives in a profound and powerful manner. God has so much that He wants to give us, but if we do not ask, we will never have it!
(Ill. Wouldn’t it be a shame to get to heaven and have the Lord show us all we could have been, all we could have had and all we could have seen if we had only asked Him for it? We must not neglect prayer!)
II. v. 3-4 AVOID FOOLISH PRAYING
A. Now, James tells them that there are times when they do pray and they still don’t get what they ask for because they ask from a wrong motive. They are asking for things that promote and satisfy self. They are praying unacceptable prayers and God simply will not answer that kind of praying! We are kidding ourselves if we think God will underwrite our selfishness!
The kind of praying James is referring to is praying that does not even consider the glory of God, much less make it the first priority. This kind of praying seeks what it wants without regard to what God wants. This kind of prayer is self-centered, selfish and basically sinful; and it will not be heeded by the Lord. How often are we guilty of praying for frivolous things without any regard for God’s will in the matter? (Ill. What if God gave you everything you ever asked for? You would be in a mess today.) This kind of praying gets no higher than the ceiling. The right kind of prayer always seeks the will of the Lord first and foremost!
B. Notice what James says in verse 4. He tells us that being the friend of the world violates our fellowship with God and hinders our prayer lives. He uses the terms “adulterers and adulteresses.” He is using the metaphor of marriage.
(Ill. Imagine a man and a woman get married, they are in love and things go well for a while. After a time, the wife develops a roving eye. She finds her another man and begins to spend her time with him and to give him her love. No, suppose while living this way she goes back to her husband and asks him for things like money, a car to drive, a place to live, etc. What do you think his response will be? Most men would give her a loud, “No!”)
Well, when you and I were saved, we became the bride of Christ, 2 Cor. 11:2. We are to remain pure and unspotted from the world. Our love, our worship and our allegiance is to be to Jesus only. When we embrace the world and ignore the Lord, we can forget effective praying. Those two do not go together! When we commit spiritual adultery against our Lord, it will mean that our prayers will go unanswered! You cannot be a friend of the world and walk a worldly path and expect God to keep on blessing your life!
C. God loves you and He desires to meet your needs, but He expects you to walk with Him in a devoted love relationship. Anything else forfeits His power and His answers to your prayers, Psa. 66:18; Pro. 15:8; Pro. 15:29.
III. v. 5-10 ADOPT FAITHFUL PRAYING(Ill. We want to avoid those forsaken prayers and those foolish prayers. We want to learn to pray prayers that are heard in Heaven and answered in our lives. These next few verses share some powerful principles that teach us about the kind of prayer life we need to adopt.)
A. v. 5 Be Sensitive – This verse literally means, “The Spirit of God in your heart has strong desires and He is very jealous for the glory of God.” James is telling us that we need to be sensitive to the voice of the Spirit of God in our prayer lives. The Spirit only desires that which brings glory God. He wants God to get every bit of the honor and the glory.
If we will learn to hear the voice of the Spirit, He will teach us to pray for those things which honor God. He knows the mind of God, 1 Cor. 2:11. He will share the mind of God with us and teach us to pray proper prayers, Rom. 8:26-27. Learn to hear the voice of the Spirit of God and watch Him revolutionize your prayer life.
B. v. 6 Be Submissive – One of the things the Spirit of God will do in our lives is make us more submissive to the Father. Did you know that prayer is not about getting what you want from God? Prayer is about God working in us to line our will up with His. When we get to the place where we want nothing but what God wants; when His will becomes our will; when we are willing to surrender all of our plans, goals, wants and wishes, then we are ready to see God move in answer to our prayers!
When Jesus taught His disciples to pray notice what He told them first, “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.”, Luke 11:2. The first Adam missed this in the Garden of Eden. He said, “Not Thy will, but mine be done!” and he got into trouble. In fact, he caused so much trouble that we are still paying the price today. Our objective in prayer is not to bend God’s will to ours, it is to forsake our will and embrace His will totally! When we come to the place where we are willing to come into His presence humbly and broken, God will answer our prayers. As long as we feel like we can strut into the throne room of grace and call the shot, telling God what He is going to do, then our prayer lives will amount to nothing. God is looking for a broken, humble people that He can pour out His blessings upon!
C. v. 7 Be Steadfast – James tells us next that part of achieving a victorious prayer life is learning to stand against the devil. Did you know that prayer is warfare? That’s why most of our prayers are not answered. We see prayer as an opportunity to share our wish list with the Lord in the hopes that He will give us the things we desire. In fact, God has chosen to work through His people’s prayers.
Ill. Eph. 6:10-20. In this familiar passage, Paul talks about the armor of God. Notice verse 17; here, we are told to pray. If I understand this correctly, we put on the whole armor of God. We get ready for the battle, and then we go to war when we bow to pray! Have you every thought about it like that? Prayer is war! It is not a time for flippant, meaningless drivel! It is a time to draw the sword of the Spirit and go to war with the enemy. That is why we must learn to be sensitive to the Spirit and submitted to the Father before we take on the enemy. Only then will be we be strong enough to stand!
The devil knows this and that is why he fights our prayer lives so strongly. He doesn’t care about you going to church. He doesn’t care about the things we do here at church. He doesn’t care if I preach. He doesn’t care what we do as long as he can keep us from doing the most important thing of all: praying!
If you make up your mind tonight that you are going to be a prayer warrior, you had better look out! The devil will fight you tooth and nail. He will stir up the flesh, and the flesh hates prayer as much as the devil does! He will give you limitless reasons why you shouldn’t bother with prayer. He doesn’t care what you do as long as you don’t get involved in serious, agonizing prayer. For he knows that the power of God is manifested through the prayers of the saints!
But, if we can resist his temptations to avoid prayers and if we can learn to view prayer as warfare, then you can see victory of the devil! If you want to put the devil on the run, develop your prayer life and he will have a hard time around you!
D. v. 8 Be Separated – No man can come to God with dirty hands, a divided heart and a double mind. No man can come to God with open sin in his life, Psa. 66:18. No man can come to God if his heart is divided between the world and the Lord, Matt. 6:24. No man can come to God if he is trying to face two ways at the same time, 2 Chron. 7:14. Victory in our prayer lives demands that we come clean before the Lord and repent of our sins. It demands that we turn loose of the world and set our hearts and minds upon Him. God cannot and will not bless the prayer life of a personwho wants the best of both the world and God’s kingdom. It is either or, but not both!
E. v. 9-10 Be Sincere – The whole point of these two verses is that we need to take this matter of prayer seriously! In all honesty, much of our praying is done in a hurry. Many cannot even remember what they talked to God about this morning if the prayed at all. When we get serious about prayer, there will be a broken heart over the lost sinner; there will be tear dimmed eyes seeking the presence and power of God down at the church house. We need a return to brokenness before the Lord! We need a return to fervent prayers that ring the prayer bells of glory. We need to pray like Hezekiah did, 2 Chron. 32:20. We need to pray like Elijah, James 5:16-18! In all honesty, when was the last time you wept over sinners? When was the last time you fasted and prayed to know the mind of God? When the last time sleep evaded you and a spirit of prayer took you onto the battlefield for others? When was the last time you, like Jacob, got hold of God for something as refused to let go until He answered? May the Lord forgive you weak praying! There’s something about those prayers that really mean business! God knows our hearts and our motives. If we would have effective prayer lives, then we need to get serious about prayer and make it our top priority!
Conc: So, how’s your prayer life? If it isn’t all it should be, this altar is the place to be. Here, you can confess your sins and seek God for a renewed burden to pray. Maybe you want to bring your lost family right down here and weep for them before the Lord. Maybe you want to come and pray for the world wide ministry. Maybe you want to come and prayer for your brothers and sisters in Christ who are struggling today. Maybe you want to come and claim victory over the devil. Maybe you are out of God’s will and need to get right with Him. Maybe you are not saved and would like to be. I don’t know your need, but this altar is the place to bring them all.
Come, pray to Jesus right now!