Skip to main content

Our Confidence in Prayer by Pastor Charlie Handren

By Anonymous
     If anyone ever knew the power of a praying life, it was the Apostle John. When he was old and eager to lead the precious people of God in the way they should go, he wrote 1 John which, among other things, makes this promise about prayer. “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
     John’s words echo those of Jesus and reiterate his great and precious promises regarding prayer. But as with Jesus’ words, John’s promise comes with this caveat: to have our prayers affirmatively answered by God, we must ask according to his will. How, then, can we know that we are praying according to his will?
     First, we know that we are praying according to God’s will when we pray! That is to say, our Father invites and commands us to pray—to make our cares known to him, to offer our requests to him, to intercede on behalf of other people, cities, and nations—and when we obey him in this, we are submitting to his will.
     Second, we know that we are praying according to God’s will when we pray according to his Word. Some things about which we pray are a mystery to us, and therefore, we should look to his Word and focus on what is known, seeking him from there about what is unknown. The more we grow in praying according to his Word, the more we grow in the ability to discern his will in all things. As Paul wrote in Romans 12:2, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” As the Lord renews our minds according to his Word, the Spirit shapes our prayers according to his wisdom.
     Third, we know that we are praying according to God’s will when we are praying in fellowship with the Holy Spirit. That is to say, prayer is a relational activity, and when we are seeking the Lord himself over and above what we are asking of him, then we can know that we are well-tuned to his heart. The heart of the Lord is unite heart-to-heart with his people.
     Fourth, we know that we are praying according to God’s will when we pray with, and receive confirmation from, other believers. Life in Christ is life together. It is personal but not private. Thus, the Lord is often pleased to give wisdom for prayer, discernment in prayer, and power through prayer when we gather together.
     Pray that we will believe and cling to this promise: “if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.” Pray that Jesus will give us theological and practical insight into what it means to pray according to his will and a heart to ceaselessly ask of our Father for the glory of his name. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Secret of all Failure is our Failure in Secret Prayer

By
“We may be assured of this—the secret of all failure is our failure in secret prayer” (12). So writes the anonymous author of the classic little book on prayer entitled, The Kneeling Christian (Zondervan Publishing House, Grand Rapids: 1971). He means that the reason we so often fall into sin or live in discouragement or fail to bear fruit is because we do not cling to God in Christ above all things. We do not diligently seek him or lean on him or plead with him or draw on his strength. We give ourselves to busyness over communion with God and in this way we seek to accomplish in our flesh what can only be accomplished in the power of the Spirit.  Giving first place to what our dear author calls “secret prayer” is indeed a key to the Spirit-filled life but let’s be clear: prayer is not magic, rather, it’s a relationship. It’s not as if we simply have to file requests with God, being careful to use just the right words so that we can get him to respond as we wish. God is not a vending m
Post a Comment
Read more

Deacons - How They Serve and Strengthen the Church (Part 1)

By
  One of the next important priorities for GCF is to establish deacons in the life of the church. On March 14, 2021 we were able to establish an elder team. Currently, we have a team of four elders overseeing the congregation of GCF.  However, there is more work to be done. I have come to see that establishing an elder team was the bare minimum that needed to happen for GCF to survive. I believe GCF now needs to turn our attention to raising up a team of qualified and willing deacons to serve the congregation so that it will not only survive but thrive.   I would like to begin a series of blogs on deacons to help us understand who they are and what they do in the life of the church.  In this blog let me provide three reasons why I think deacons should be near our top priority.  Number 1: It is Biblical. Paul instructs Timothy to install elders who will help him pastor the church. For whatever reason, it seems the churches in our circles treat the installment of elders as non-negotiable
Post a Comment
Read more

Does the Doctrine Divide? by Patience Griswold

By Anonymous
“Oh, I try not to talk about doctrine. It’s so divisive.” This is a sentiment that I’ve heard expressed, as well as implied, on many occasions, and one that raises the question, does doctrine divide? In answering this question, we must keep in mind a very important truth and that is that everyone holds to some sort of doctrine . “Doctrine” is defined as “a belief or set of beliefs held and taught by a church, political party, or other group.” Regardless of whether or not someone publicly holds to a statement of beliefs from a particular church, every Christian, by definition, holds to a particular set of beliefs. As Carl Trueman observes in his book The Creedal Imperative ,       [W]hile Christianity cannot be reduced to doctrine, to mere teaching, it cannot be meaningfully separated from it, either. Even the most basic claims, such as “Jesus is Lord,” carry clear doctrinal content that needs to be explicated in a world where, as we have noted before, every heretic has his text and n
Post a Comment
Read more