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Monday, March 28, 2016

Thoughts on how your time in God's word and prayer-time relate to one another

Hebrews 4:12 the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

Hebrews 4:16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.

Introduction:

I thought we would begin today by meditating on how it is our time in God's Word and our prayer time are related to one another. Most of the following reflections will derive from considerations out of Hebrews 4:12-16 and other Biblical texts. May God be glorified in the following thoughts below on this subject.

Why the Bible and Prayer go hand-in-hand
As you look at the above two passages, they are only separated by four verses, the first being about God's Word and the second concerned with your prayer-life. Why do prayer and the study of God's Word go hand-in-hand? If we had included the verses in between, you would discover that the author is connecting prayer and God's Word together by way of Jesus' High-Priestly ministry. Jesus is the contact point between our prayers to God and our direction from Him. As the Father has sent the Spirit in His name to make clear the scriptures (see 1 Corinthians 2:10-13), He also gives clarity in the realm of our prayer-lives (Romans 8:26-27).

Four types of Prayer
There are over 600 prayers recorded in the Bible, prayer by different sorts of people. In looking at those prayers, we can classify them under four main types and use the acrostic A.C.T.S to aid in our memory of them.

Adoration = This is when I praise and worship God in my prayer-time

Confession = This is when I confess, or fully admit of my sins to God in my prayer-time

Thanksgiving = This is when I thank God for Himself and other things in my prayer-time

Supplication = This refers to how I ask God for things in my prayer-time

Applying the types of prayer to the scriptures
By once again appealing to the little Bible book of 1 John, we can observe how you can combine your prayer life with God's word. I will use 1 John 1:9 as the example, since it is a wonderful promise for every Christian to claim. 1 John 1:9 states - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Now as you look at that passage, you can plug in those four types of prayer, and pray through that passages in the following ways:

-Adoration = Lord, I praise you, I adore you for that fact that through the shed blood of Jesus Christ, I have the right to come to you by faith. I praise you Jesus that you are sufficient and just to forgive me of my sins.

-Confession = Lord, I confess to you my sin this day. I admit I have done wrong in this or that area. I confess Lord that may I should have done this or not done that. Lord, please forgive me.

-Thanksgiving = I'm thankful to you Lord that having confessed my sin to you, by the blood of Jesus Christ, I stand innocent before you. I am so thankful that you and I can walk in fellowship and friendship with one another. I thank you Lord that you cleanse.

-Supplication = I ask Lord that you would enable me to walk by the power of your Grace to embrace my Lord and Savior, and that by your grace I would hate sin. Enable me Lord to flee to your word when I am tempted, and to not rely on myself, but only on you - amen.

Closing thoughts
When you take a verse of scripture, and pray it, it is like adding high octane fuel into the tank of your prayer life. Prayer and scripture reading go hand-in-hand. Both together, combined with meditating on what I read and on what I hear in my prayer time form a three-braided rope that is not easily broken. May the Lord bless you today dear friend - as you live and walk for Jesus in prayer and in the scriptures.

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