Shelly1728

Wow, I am amazed at how I read the plain words of God and am encouraged by my brothers and sisters in Christ, how faith and excitement are welling up in me! God CAN do more amazing things than we ask or think and He's waiting for us to ask! I have seen God work in mighty ways in the past, and I am expecting Him to do even mightier things in the future as my faith increases. As we stay in the Word, in prayer, and in fellowship with other believers, and as we seek the Lord with all our heart, He will begin to reveal to us ways in which we can trust Him to show His power that we've never thought of before. LORD, INCREASE OUR FAITH!

We need to pray this prayer that the Spirit may have victory over the flesh so that Christ may feel at home in our hearts--so that He may have control. We need to "work OUT our salvation. . ." what God has already worked IN us through His indwelling Spirit. The Spirit is already in within us, but maybe He doesn't quite feel at home there. It is our job to respond to God by making more and more room for Him and less room for ourselves and the things of the world. May we reflect the FULLNESS of God!

Why is a revelation of "his incomparably great power for us who believe" essential to a vital faith? How do you develop this faith in yourself? How do you pray for it for others? Everything is by His grace because we are blinded sinners who need God to open the eyes of our heart to spiritual things. That is why our eyes must be opened so we can see the greatness of His power by faith. We develop this faith by reading His Word, praying for our faith to increase, and acting on the revelation God gives us. As we grow in faith, the effectiveness of our prayers for others will to. "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." James 5:16 All godly Christians are able to receive the power to believe and pray these kinds of prayers and see His power at work. "Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit." James 5:17-18

God owns it all, and we are the inheritors! When we grasp this truth, we are not afraid to ask for what we need in full faith! Dear Father, I pray that every one doing this Bible study, and those whose lives are touched by them, will have their eyes opened to see the glorious inheritance in the saints and our oh so generous and wealthy Father. May we be ever more prompted to pray in full faith for what we need! In Jesus' Name, Amen

Now that I have hope, when hard times come, I can face them knowing this world is fleeting and much better times are to come. I also have hope that even the bad things and the hard things are for a purpose to those who love Him and are called according to His purpose. Those without this hope are to be pitied; I well remember the sense of despair I would once have, and it is horrible. I pray for those around me who have lost their hope, that God would open the eyes of their hearts to see their hope in Him. I pray that others would see the peace and hope that we have. It is important that we, as brothers and sisters in Christ, pray for each other, because we can be so easily deceived by the enemy to believe that our hope is lost. We must encourage each other in prayer.

Jesus got special treatment in the sense that He received the help He needed to face the monumental task of securing the salvation of all believers throughout eternity---something no one else will have to do or has ever had to face. We, though, too, who believe on His Name, receive angelic help whether we realize it or not. It is a precious thing to see God's watchcare over His children in that not only does He place His Holy Spirit within us, but He sends angels to watch over us and strengthen us in our hours of need.

Jesus wanted the disciples to pray so that they might stay strong in a time of coming doubt. He knew that the disciples still did not understand fully the Scriptures that prophesied His death and sacrifice for man. He knew that many of them assumed He would soon take the kingship and defeat Rome. He knew that His death would throw many of them into confusion and fear, and in these times, humans are tempted to lose faith and give up on Him. This reminds me that we too will have times of complete confusion where we don't understand what God is doing in our lives and that prayer can bring us through them. The disciples failed to pray, though, and instead slept. Jesus wanted them to pray that they might not fall into temptation because He knew that only prayer would give them the strength they needed in the time to come. I think it is a natural human response to want to be alone when we are wrestling with God in prayer over something we know others won't understand. Jesus, too, wanted to be alone for whatever reason, but maybe because the sorrow was just too intense for his disciples to understand or share in.

Nehemiah is in danger of offending the king, and everyone knows the power of a king over the life of any of his subjects. Nehemiah shoots up the arrow prayer because he knows this is it---this is the moment of decision and the time for courage and just the right words. It reminds me of something in God's Word, "The king's heart is in the hand of the Lord, Like the rivers of water; He turns it wherever He wishes." Proverbs 21:1 Nehemiah is able to send up an arrow prayer easily and quickly that receives an amazing answer because for much time previously, he has been communing with the Lord in prayers and fastings.

Nehemiah and Esther were both placed in high positions that put them in contact with the king, and they were both called upon as intercessors for God's people. They were both called upon to speak with courage trusting in God with the outcome. God still places His people today in strategic positions so they are right where they need to be when God needs someone to fill an important purpose at that time and place. May we all be ready, open, and willing to advance His kingdom despite the persecution.

His fasting and weeping was a sign of just how deep a burden he had and how great a work of God, God was preparing to do. He called Nehemiah as intercessor, and fasting and prayer is a way of outwardly humbling ourselves in faith unto the One who can answer the prayer.

Daniel's essential prayer was about God; it was a cry for His glory and righteousness and mercy to be shown in action by forgiving the Israelites. It was a prayer centered on God Himself that He might forgive for HIS sake. When God is glorified, it benefits more than just a few. The grounds for his appeal was the attitributes of God and His name's sake. God's reputation was at stake here; would He really show that He kept His word, that He forgives, that He is full of mercy and power? With God's answer to Daniel's prayer, we discovered the answer is YES! We need to remember that prayers that are centered on the true God of the universe and His glory are the kinds of prayers that are answered.

Because Daniel WAS a righteous man, he DID own up in humility any connection he had with the sin of his people, even if it was only bearing the original sin of Adam and tendency towards those same sins. He was able to identify with the people and their sin in such a way that he became a foreshadowing of Christ as our intercessor today. And seeing that all the people did not humble themselves, he did it for them to show the need for a mediator, and to fulfill the requirements of God's mercy.

Daniel's demeanor is one of humility, penitence, and pleading. He is earnest and full of faith in the promise of freedom and God's mercy. "But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him." Hebrews 11:6 He truly believes God wills to return Israel and will forgive. He humbles himself through fasting, interceeding, and confessing. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart

Daniel is encouraged to seek God for the forgiveness and restoration of Israel to its homeland by a promise from the Word of God. God wants us too, to be aware spiritually of the signs of the times, His promises to us in His Word, and to pray faithfully in response to what He has revealed to us. He reveals spiritual needs and His work to us, not just so we know or for our curiosity, but rather, so we can get on our knees and pray, fighting the spiritual battle. He wants us to join Him where we see Him at work, and one way we can do that is through prayer. The trait on Daniel's part that brings this encouragement to pass is his faithfulness and sensitivity to the Lord and His plans and desires. He had a true heart for God and God's ways. He was in the Word and in prayer faithfully, not out of duty, but because he had a heart to the Lord. Father God, may we be more like Daniel. Give us a heart for You, and then reveal Your will and desires to us so that we may pray faithfully. Show us new things out of Your word. In Jesus' Name, Amen.

What is the basis on which Hezekiah asks for healing? He asks on the basis of his integrity and upright life. Why is personal righteousness and holiness important in getting your prayers answered? If we are not walking in God's way, we will not often ask in God's will. God must stay true to His holiness and righteousness Himself, and rewarding disobedience contradicts that. How can unrighteousness prevent answered prayer if all gifts from God are by grace anyway? His grace not only justifies us, but it sanctifies us. When we are not walking with God in fellowship with Christ, we do not ask in His will. "If anyone asks anything IN MY NAME. . ." We must ask in accordance with the name, nature, and will of Christ. Unrighteousness is not according to that measure.