Prayer For A Purposed-Filled Life.

8 Benefits of Prayer You Can’t Afford to Miss

“Let us come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.” – Heb. 4:16

How is your prayer life with the Lord?  If you’ve been a believer for some time, you may have realized the difficulty of building up a prayer life… and possibly even given up. And that’s really a loss because the benefits of prayer are so tremendous.

Since it’s so easy to get discouraged and give up on prayer, it’s worth considering some of the awesome benefits of prayer that make pursuing a prayer life worthwhile.

So in this post, we’ll consider eight benefits of prayer that I hope will encourage you to build up a persevering prayer life.

1. Prayer enables you to set your mind on the things above.

Colossians 3:2 says,

 “Set your mind on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the earth.”

How could we fulfill God’s word in this verse except by prayer?

Prayer is the  way to have our mind set on the things above. That’s because proper prayer elevates our mind from our earthly concerns to God’s heavenly interests.

 2. Prayer enables Christ to carry out His heavenly administration. 

The Lord’s instruction in Matthew 6:9-13 is not just a prayer to recite, but a pattern of prayer that carries out God’s administration,

 “Our Father who is in the heavens, Your name be sanctified; Your kingdom come; Your will be done, as in heaven, so also on earth…”

When our minds are set on the things above, as we just mentioned, we’re able to respond to God’s heavenly interests and express them through our prayer.

During such times of prayer, we become a reflection of Christ’s ministry in the heavens (Rom. 8:34). What a benefit!

 3. Prayer ushers you into the Holy of Holies to receive grace. 

Another benefit of prayer is to touch the “throne of grace” to find grace for your timely help.

Hebrews 4:16 says,

“Let us therefore come forward with boldness to the throne of grace that we may receive mercy and find grace for timely help.”

What is grace? It is more than God’s unmerited favor.

Grace is “God in Christ as our supply and enjoyment, conveyed to us and realized through the bountiful supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ (Phil. 1:19)”—Phil. 4:23, note 1 in the Recovery Version.

When we pray, we enter into the Holy of Holies and touch the throne of grace to enjoy the hidden Christ in our spirit.

The primary thing is that grace a river flows from the throne and into our being. Here is a refreshing hymn that expresses this benefit. You may even want to sing or declare the lyrics as a part of your prayer.

4. Prayer charges your “spiritual battery” to live the Christian life.

The Christian life is a tool or toy with a battery. Without being regularly charged, our “spiritual battery” will lack the power needed to carry out its intended functions. Our prayer is our connection to the “charging station.”

When we pray, our “spiritual battery” is charged with the heavenly current. This heavenly current, this divine electricity, is the Triune God Himself as grace flowing from the throne—the “heavenly power plant”—into us.

Revelation 22:1 says,

“And He showed me a river of water of life, bright as crystal, proceeding the throne of God and of the Lamb…”

This divine, flowing river proceeding from God’s throne supplies the power to charge us whenever we pray.

5. Prayer brings you into fellowship with the Lord. 

Prayer is the contact of our spirit with God’s spirit.  John 4:24 says,

 “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship in spirit…”

It’s by such God-contacting prayer that we enter into fellowship with the Lord and become conscious of the fact that we are really one spirit with Him and that He is actually one spirit with us (1 Cor. 6:17). This also is a tremendous benefit!

Here is a post with practical points on how to pray to fellowship with the Lord and an enriching hymn to strengthen this point.

6. Prayer renews you for the new man.

Ephesians 4:23-24 says,

“And that you be renewed in the spirit of your mind and put on the new man…”

This means that whenever we contact the Lord as the Spirit with our spirit through prayer, this spirit spreads into our mind for our renewing. In such a way we are being renewed for the new man.

This new man is Christ’s Body today and will become the New Jerusalem for eternity (Rev. 21:2). How wonderful that we can be renewed for the new man by our prayer. What a benefit!

7. Prayer lets the peace of Christ arbitrate in your heart.

Colossians 3:15 says,

“And let the peace of Christ arbitrate in your hearts, to which also you were called in one Body, and be thankful.”

This kind of peace isn’t just freedom from worry, but the peace between different peoples. How can we, as believers, let the peace of Christ arbitrate in all our relationships with people, especially other believers that are different from us. It’s only by our prayer.

When we pray, Christ will become the real umpire, ruler, and decider in everything. The main “call” our “Umpire” makes is “you’re wrong! Repent. Confess and say you’re sorry.”

Such prayer preserves the peace in our marriage life, family life, Christian life and church life. This arbitrating peace is a great benefit of prayer!

8. Prayer allows the word of Christ to dwell in you richly

Colossians  3:16 says,

“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom…” 

But how?  One of the greatest discoveries of my Christian life was learning how to receive God’s word in the Bible by means of prayer, that is, pray-reading it.

By pray-reading, you not only gain some mental understanding from the Bible, but you’re nourished with life element in God’s Word. God’s words become “spirit and life” to you (John 6:63).

Don’t just take my word for it. Here are 12 tips on how to pray-read the Word of God to be spiritually nourished.

Try it! See if you don’t say with the prophet Jeremiah, “Your word became to me the gladness and joy of my heart”  (Jer. 15:16). This is a most wonderful benefit of prayer!

In a following post, I’ll go on the consider some practical tips on how to build up such a persevering prayer life.

Have you been encouraged by these eight benefits of prayer? If so, please take a moment share the post, add a comment, or join the conversation on the Holding to Truth Page.

References and Further Reading:

Источник: //holdingtotruth.com/2014/06/22/benefits-of-prayer/

Live a Life Filled With Purpose

Who am I?

Why am I here?

What is my purpose in life?

We begin asking ourselves these questions from the moment we learn to speak.

As our children grow, they ask us these questions as well.

Some people ask these questions until they take their final breath.

Do you know the reason why you’re here?

If you find the answers to these questions elusive, chances are, you’re seeking enlightenment in all of the wrong places!

When our lives feel empty or lack meaning – when deep down inside, we feel unfulfilled – we often:

• Seek fulfillment in jobs that cannot measure our worth.
• Pursue pleasure from pastimes that rob us of health.
• Turn to false idols that can never fill our empty spaces.
• Seek wisdom from false teachers who only lead us astray.
• Seek comfort from people who can never give us unconditional love.

However, there is only one place that holds the answers to the existential questions we seek – the Bible. There is only one person who can give true meaning to our lives – God.

For in Him we live and have our being. – Acts 17:28

It’s Not About You – It’s About God

Ten years ago, my church studied The Shorter Westminster Catechism and spent a lot of time reflecting on the meaning of its opening statement:

The chief end of man is to glorify God, and to enjoy Him forever.

This isn’t a popular concept to teach these days, particularly in a society whose focus is on exalting the individual, not the Lord.

But it’s an important truth – one that’s key to understanding who we are and why we’re here. The reason why “the mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation” is that they lack a fundamental understanding of who God is and who they are in relationship to Him.

The results were ground-breaking.

According to Publishers Weekly, The Purpose Driven Life currently holds the record as the bestselling non-fiction hardback book in history (next to the Bible!). More than 32 million around the world have flocked to this book to learn why they’re hear and how they can live according to God’s purpose.

The perpetual popularity of this book reveals two things about our spiritual condition:

• There’s a hole in people’s hearts that only God can fill.
• There are questions in life that only the Bible can answer.

Here are a few key points that the Bible teaches us about our identity and purpose in life that Rick shares in his book.

Who Am I?

All things were created through Him and for Him. – Colossians 1:16

You are God’s creation. God created you for His eternal plan and His purposes. Once you understand that, everything begins to fall into place. You can start to live a life that pleases God – a life filled with daily praise and worship.

Why Am I Here?

But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for His own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who called you darkness into His marvelous light. – 1 Peter 2:9

You are here to love God with all your heart, your mind, and your soul. You are here to love your neighbor as yourself. You are here to be salt and light in a dying world. You are here to become more and more conformed to the image of Christ with each passing day. You are here to minister to others using the gifts that God has given you.

What Is My Purpose In Life?

Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ’s behalf, be reconciled to God. – 2 Corinthians 5:8

As Christ-followers, you are given opportunities to share your testimony and the good news of the gospel with people that God places on your heart and in your life. God prepares you to meet with these people through the connections you make, the life experiences you have, your talents and spiritual gifts, and through His Holy Spirit working through you.

You don’t have to be a gifted evangelist to make a difference in other people’s lives. Remember, it’s not about you! All you need is a heart that is willing to let God’s light shine through you!

The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids

And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. – Romans 12:2

It takes a long time in life for most of us to truly understand who we are in Christ – why our lives have meaning and value in God’s eyes in spite of how others view it – and why our identity and mission in life are not dependent on any job, role, title or position.

Because we are immersed in a culture that bombards us with non-biblical messages, we need to spend a lot of time in prayer and in God’s Word to transform the way we think.

That’s why I recommend The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids.

The Purpose Driven Life Devotional for Kids is a 365-day devotional that teaches middle school children that God created them with a purpose and helps them to live out God’s plans and purpose for their life!

Your Turn

How does understanding who you are from God’s perspective help you to lead a more fulfilling life? What suggestions do you have for helping your children to understand how loved by and valuable they are to God? Please share your thoughts in the comments. We’d love to hear from you!

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Источник: //www.faithgateway.com/live-life-filled-purpose/