To become a spiritual warrior and fulfill God's providence for the end time, above all we need to fervently pray. This is because, together with our sanctification, our aroma of fervent prayer is the source of power to move heavenly hosts and angels,
destroy the authority of evil spirits in the air, and demolish the camp of darkness. Let's now check our prayer in three aspects.
With how much love for God and the Lord have you prayed?
Prayer, first, should be offered with the heart full of love for God and the Lord.
When the Jews were on the verge of destruction, Queen Esther came before the king of the Persian Empire to ask him to save the Jews. In fact, she might have been put to death because it was considered a violation of the law of the empire. But she had clung to God with faith, saying, "If I perish, I would perish," and she prayed with fasting. In the end, she received the answer to her prayer.
Daniel also prayed, not for a comfortable life, but to fulfill God's will and, on behalf of His people he repented the sins they committed. His intercessory prayer of love was accepted by God and God answered his prayer through the angel of Gabriel (Daniel 9). In the same way your prayer must be offered in love.
When you pray for the kingdom of God, if you know and feel the heart of God who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth, you will pray more earnestly for His kingdom (1 Timothy 2:4).
And when you hear that an untold number of people died in big accidents or natural disasters, your heart may be taken by sorrow and become fervent for souls' salvation. If one with a disease prays for others who are suffering from diseases, not only for himself, his prayer will be more quickly answered and he will be healed. It is because when the prayer of love moves the heart of God, His mercy comes upon us and we can bring down His answer.
If you really love God, the shepherd and the souls, you can pray in the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. You will also offer God-touching prayers with the tears of God, the heart of the Lord and of the shepherd. In this way, love serves as the passage to quick answers.
How sincerely have you prayed for the kingdom of God?
To be sincere means to be unchanging, and to do one's best with faithfulness and truthfulness. Some people, when they are full of grace, tearfully and fervently pray. But when their fervor cools down, their heart becomes numb and they repeat the same words in prayer.
You should not repeat the prayer titles only with lips habitually. You should have an earnest longing to accomplish the will of God and pray with a faithful and truthful heart. With a sincere prayer, when you pray for a church event, you will be reminded of detailed prayer points for it by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. You will pray in detail for main workers who are preparing for the event, for the proper weather, for the finances and for those who attend to receive grace and give glory to God.
If you pray with this sincere heart, you can pray for every detail by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit for the event without meaningless repetition. And you can pray with faith and love that come from the depths of your heart. When you pray for the kingdom of God and seek others' benefits, not your own, God will accept your prayer with joy.
Some pray for God's kingdom in the beginning but in the middle, they start praying for themselves without realizing it. It is because personal matters come across their mind such as their family members to be healed and receive blessings. Others cry out in prayer for their own desires but when they pray for God's kingdom, their prayer is not fervent.
Matthew 6:33 says, "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you." It is the secret to receiving answers. When you seek first God's kingdom and His righteousness, there is no prayer title that you cannot receive the answer to and you will grow in faith more quickly because God is delighted.
With how much goodness have you prayed?
Psalm 66:18 says, "If I regard wickedness in my heart, the LORD will not hear." When you pray with wickedness in your heart, God does not listen to your prayer. Then, you cannot receive answers. Worse, if you do evil in action, it's less likely to receive answers.
Malachi 1:10 states, "'Oh that there were one among you who would shut the gates, that you might not uselessly kindle fire on My altar! I am not pleased with you,' says the LORD of hosts, 'nor will I accept an offering from you.'" God groaned and warned the people of the sacrifices that they offered God in formality without having reverent fear of God.
To revere God is to hate evil (Proverbs 8:13), so if you revere God, you will cast off every form of evil (1 Thessalonians 5:22). Thus, those who truly have reverent fear of God cannot commit sins nor even harbor sins.
If you say you revere God but you feel uncomfortable when things are not in accordance with your interest, or if you feel jealous of others, or if you feel upset with somebody who is against your will and argue with him in anger, your prayer cannot be accepted by God.
Of course a new believer's prayer can be accepted because God considers his/her level of faith. However, if you have faith, you should throw away evil for sure and offer up the fragrance of goodness to God who is love and goodness Himself.
Therefore, in order to lead countless souls to salvation and reveal the glory of God as spiritual warriors, you should become sanctified and offer up prayer of love, sincerity, and goodness. In addition, when you receive strength to offer up powerful and fervent prayer that moves the heavenly throne, you can become workers of power.
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