"Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert
and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
For our next round of Bible studies...
and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere."
Ephesians 6:18 NLT
For our next round of Bible studies...
...me and the guys are going to be focusing on prayer. And if there is ever a time for much needed prayer, it's now.
As a follower of the Lord Jesus, I know the importance and value of prayer. The Bible teaches this, and so does my experience as someone who seeks to walk with the Lord. Prayer is vital. It's my line of communication with my heavenly Father, and I would suffer much loss if I did not pray daily. "Pray without ceasing" writes the apostle Paul from his heart and through his pen (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
And having now been a follower of Messiah Jesus for over thirty years, I am still learning more about prayer. I know it's the responsibility of every believer to pray regularly, which I'll admit I sometimes fall short at doing. But it was only until recently did I begin to see it as not only a necessity and a duty, but also as an act of love.
So I then had the men open their Bibles to several Scriptures. One of which was Matthew 21:22 where the Lord tells His disciples, "And all things, whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." While in the book of Acts, we read how the church's first apostles decided that, "We should devote ourselves to prayer" (Acts 6:4).
But the greatest thing about prayer, I said, is that it's also an act of love. I then explained how, when we pray for our enemies who hate and despise us, be they individuals or even entire nations, while asking God to bless them, we're also honoring the Lord at the same time. This, as I expected, brought on a few puzzled looks.
"So what did Jesus command us to do when He gave us what would later come to be called the Sermon on the Mount," I asked? He said, "But I say unto you, love your enemies, and bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).
"Wow! That's a tough command," some of them said. And right at this point I decided it was time to share my heart on the matter. I told them of my difficult challenge with this concept. How, because my crimes are so well known and many people hate and despise me because of it, such individuals will openly share their hatred of me on social media platforms and in the media, to name a few.
I told my brothers how that, even as I'm sitting among them right now, there's probably someone on the Internet or elsewhere saying hateful things about me and thrashing me in public. They seemed shocked to learn of this. Also, that I was so calm about it.
It was the perfect doorway for me to tell them how that, over the years, the Lord has helped me to develop a forgiving heart toward these individuals, and not to hold a grudge against them. But to pray for them instead. Thus, I will ask the Lord to grant peace to their hearts and good health to their bodies. And to help both they and their loved ones with their needs.
I said to the class, "Brothers, based on what Jesus told us to do, to love and show kindness to those who despise us and wish us ill will, and to pray and ask God for His blessings upon their lives, is the greatest demonstration of Christ's love. And so, our task is to do just that. Pray for those who hate us and leave the rest up to Jesus."
D.B.
As a follower of the Lord Jesus, I know the importance and value of prayer. The Bible teaches this, and so does my experience as someone who seeks to walk with the Lord. Prayer is vital. It's my line of communication with my heavenly Father, and I would suffer much loss if I did not pray daily. "Pray without ceasing" writes the apostle Paul from his heart and through his pen (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
And having now been a follower of Messiah Jesus for over thirty years, I am still learning more about prayer. I know it's the responsibility of every believer to pray regularly, which I'll admit I sometimes fall short at doing. But it was only until recently did I begin to see it as not only a necessity and a duty, but also as an act of love.
So I then had the men open their Bibles to several Scriptures. One of which was Matthew 21:22 where the Lord tells His disciples, "And all things, whatsoever you ask in prayer, believing, you shall receive." While in the book of Acts, we read how the church's first apostles decided that, "We should devote ourselves to prayer" (Acts 6:4).
But the greatest thing about prayer, I said, is that it's also an act of love. I then explained how, when we pray for our enemies who hate and despise us, be they individuals or even entire nations, while asking God to bless them, we're also honoring the Lord at the same time. This, as I expected, brought on a few puzzled looks.
"So what did Jesus command us to do when He gave us what would later come to be called the Sermon on the Mount," I asked? He said, "But I say unto you, love your enemies, and bless them that curse you. Do good to them that hate you, and pray for them that despitefully use you, and persecute you" (Matthew 5:44).
"Wow! That's a tough command," some of them said. And right at this point I decided it was time to share my heart on the matter. I told them of my difficult challenge with this concept. How, because my crimes are so well known and many people hate and despise me because of it, such individuals will openly share their hatred of me on social media platforms and in the media, to name a few.
I told my brothers how that, even as I'm sitting among them right now, there's probably someone on the Internet or elsewhere saying hateful things about me and thrashing me in public. They seemed shocked to learn of this. Also, that I was so calm about it.
It was the perfect doorway for me to tell them how that, over the years, the Lord has helped me to develop a forgiving heart toward these individuals, and not to hold a grudge against them. But to pray for them instead. Thus, I will ask the Lord to grant peace to their hearts and good health to their bodies. And to help both they and their loved ones with their needs.
I said to the class, "Brothers, based on what Jesus told us to do, to love and show kindness to those who despise us and wish us ill will, and to pray and ask God for His blessings upon their lives, is the greatest demonstration of Christ's love. And so, our task is to do just that. Pray for those who hate us and leave the rest up to Jesus."
D.B.