Salvation of the Soul (Sanctification Process; Walking in the Spirit). continued
We all know that prayer is
important, but we often fail to pray regularly in our very busy lives. Prayer is your “hot line”
to heaven- transmitting and
receiving. It should not be all
one-way communication. There must
be time in every believer’s life to listen for God’s “still,
small voice.”
My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; in
the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up. Psalm 5:3.
O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee: my
soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land,
where no water is: Psalm 63:1.
I love them that love Me, and those that seek me early
shall find me. Proverbs 8:17.
It is also crucial to make
prayer a “habit.” In
other words, set aside a regular time each day for prayer, but also maintain a
constant open line of communication with the Lord in your heart throughout the
day. There is a difference between
habitual prayer and vain repetition.
King David made a habit of praying in the morning. It is a very good idea to select early
morning, because there is less activity (“vibes”) in the atmosphere
to interfere with your thoughts.
But I say unto you which hear, Love your enemies, do
good to them which hate you,
Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which
despitefully use you. Luke
6:27-28.
We cannot love our enemies
with the perfect love of God unless we submit to God the reason why they are
enemies and then we must pray for them.
When we pray for our enemies, sometimes we begin to see unlovely things
about ourselves that need forgiveness.
Perhaps we may be the reason they are enemies. We begin to see that all of us are caught in this imperfect
human condition, and that people who are ugly to us do not have the knowledge
or the power to realize that “we do not fight against flesh and blood,
but against principalities and powers and rulers of darkness of this world,
against spiritual wickedness in high places” - our real enemy-the kingdom
of darkness (Ephesians 6:12).
Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in
the power of his might.
Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to
stand against the wiles of the devil.
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but
against principalities, against powers against the rulers of the darkness of
this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that
ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.
Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with
truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;
And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel
of peace;
Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye
shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.
And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the
Spirit, which is the word of God:
Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the
Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all
saints; Ephesians 6:10-18.
This scripture gives a clear
picture of the spiritual warfare that we are in. No soldier goes to battle without some protective clothing
and weapons. Remember that our
weapons are not carnal, but are spiritual. The Word of God (the Sword of the Spirit) is the only weapon
included in the list of protective armor of God. All other pieces of God’s armor are defensive. Besides the weapon of the Word of God,
we also have the weapons of the Name of Jesus, the weapon of praise and the
weapon of worship. Jesus said to
cast out devils in His Name (Mark 16:16).
In 2 Chronicles chapter 20 is the story of King Jehoshaphat whose armies
were surrounded by a strong enemy army.
He sought the Lord with fervor and commanded the nation to fast and
pray. The Lord instructed him to
set a band of singers at the front of the army. They were to sing praises to God while marching into
battle. They were obedient and God
confused the enemy, who was defeated.
God said that He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3). A great faith-builder is to confess a
specific Word of God over a problem and then praise God for hastening His Word
to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). It
is critical that each believer be clothed daily with the armor of God before
even stepping out of the house.
This is a good point to remember when choosing the time of day to
fellowship with the Lord. We come
into contact daily with things or persons who would try to lead us away from
our walk with the Lord, so we need to be prepared. It is also a good idea to renew your armor if you are
praying for another person for deliverance from bondage.
But when thou prayest,
thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in
synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of
men. Verily I say unto you, They
have their reward.
But when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when
thou has shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father
which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. Matthew 6:6.
Your prayer
“closet” does not have to be a literal closet. It is simply a private place in which
you can be alone with the Lord without interruption. The majority of your communication with God should be in
this private place. This passage
is really talking about humility.
It is a good witness to pray over meals in public, but with a humble
heart. The Lord knows and judges
what is sincere and what is for show.
Read the entire Book of
Psalms with the idea of prayer and seeking the Lord.
AUTHORITY OF THE BELIEVER
And these signs shall follow them
that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new
tongues;
They shall take up serpents; and
if they drink any deadly thing; it shall not hurt them; they shall lay hands on
the sick, and they shall recover.
Mark 16: 15-16.
Remember the
scripture, “All things are possible to those who believe,”(Mark
9:23)? Faith is a prerequisite for
functioning in the authority that the Lord has given us. The idea expressed here about serpents
and drinking deadly things means that the believers will not have to be fearful
about anything that could harm them, for they have authority over them. It does not mean that believers seek
out danger to challenge the Lord.
Believers have authority over devils, sickness and disease, and things
that could harm them or take their lives.
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater
works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
And whatsoever ye shall ask in my
name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
If ye shall ask any thing in my
name, I will do it.. John
14:12-14.
Ye have not chosen me, but I have
chosen you, and ordained you, that ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that
your fruit should remain: that whatsoever ye shall ask of the Father in my
name, he may give it you. John 15:16.
...Verily, verily, I say unto
you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Hither to have ye asked nothing
in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. John 16:23b-24
Notice that each
of the above scriptures state that you will have authority in the Name of
Jesus. This is full power of
attorney to act in His name, doing the works of the Holy Spirit by the leading
of the Holy Spirit. We can receive
what we ask for by faith. When we
know the Lord and His Word, we can be fully persuaded that He has only good for
us. He wants us to be healed,
delivered from darkness, prosperous, and full of joy. We can pray for these things for ourselves and for others
with full confidence (faith) that we will receive the petitions we ask from
Him. We are to be like Christ (the
meaning of “Christian”).
He went about doing good, healing the sick, casting out devils, and
raising the dead, so we are to do the same when called upon by the Holy Spirit.
But ye shall receive power, after
that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of
the earth. Acts 1:8.
Jesus taught
about God and His Kingdom continually, by what He said and also by what He
did. We are promised the power to
do the same. That does not mean
that we all have a teaching or evangelistic ministry. It means that wherever you are, day by day, you have the
power to pray with authority for your family, neighbors, co-workers, etc., to
be healed and set free from bondage according to the leading of the Holy
Spirit.
Healing for the
entire person (spirit, soul, and body) has been paid for by the work of the
Cross.
Surely He as born our griefs and
carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem Him stricken of God and afflicted.
But He was wounded for our
transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our
peace was upon Him, and with His stripes we are healed. Isaiah 53:4-5
Who His own self bare our sins in
His own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto
righteousness: by Whose stripes ye were healed. I
Peter 2:24.
Isaiah prophesied by the
power of the Holy Spirit several hundred years before Jesus went to the
Cross, that the work of the Cross would provide salvation, restoration of peace
with God and healing. Peter wrote
by the power of the Holy Spirit after the Cross that the work of the
Cross had already accomplished what Isaiah prophesied.
Jesus was wounded for our
transgressions and bruised for our
iniquities. This statement covers salvation for the spirit of man. The word “transgression”
means an act of going over or going against a limit or boundary. In other words, we rebelled against the
law of God. The word
“iniquity” is related to the word “unequal” and means
“lawlessness.”
Adam’s act of rebellion plunged the entire human race into
spiritual death and made us lawless and unequal with holiness. Jesus was wounded and bruised for our
transgressions and iniquities, taking our place in death for our sin. We deserved death, not Him.
But don’t just stop
with salvation for the spirit.
There is also salvation for the soul (mind, will, and emotions) of man:
Jesus “bore our
griefs and carried our sorrows”,
and the “chastisement of our peace” was upon Him.” He was
humiliated on the Cross, despised and rejected. The soul infected
with sin is full of sorrow and grief and does not have peace. The lack of peace produces wrong
thinking, wrong attitudes and wrong actions. We need to receive that perfect peace that has been
purchased by the work of the Cross for restoration of the soul.
There is salvation for the
body:
“And with His
stripes we are healed”. Jesus was beaten so much that He was
hardly recognized as a man. Bible
scholars say that Jesus was whipped with a 3 pronged leather whip with pieces
of glass and metal at the tips. He
received 39 stripes on His back, the most that Jewish law would allow. Modern medicine has categorized all
sickness and disease into 39 basic categories. That is not coincidence. God planned our redemption down to the finest detail.
Allow the Lord to minister to
every area of your life, spirit, soul, and body.
Be prepared to answer the
following questions:
1. Give a definition for prayer.
2. How do we learn to really love our enemies?
3. What do we fight in the spirit?
4. What are the pieces of spiritual armor, including the one
weapon listed with the armor?
5. What weapons do we have in addition to the Word of God?
6. What is your “prayer closet”?
7. Whom do we have authority over?
8. What doe we have authority over?
9. Describe how the work of the Cross has paid for our complete
redemption (spirit, soul, and body).