Prayer For Accountability in Our Christian Life

7 Prayers For Forgiveness and Repentance

Prayer For Accountability in Our Christian Life

Forgiveness and repentance go hand-in-hand in a Christian’s life.  We must learn to always forgive others and to ask for forgiveness ourselves.  Without repentance, we are liable of judgment from God.

  If we withhold forgiveness to others, forgiveness will also be withheld from us.  Here are 7 prayers focusing on forgiveness and repentance.

  May we all strive to live as holy as possible by allowing the Spirit to convict us of our sins and to forgive others that sin against us.

Forgive Me

Father,

There are no words to express how filthy I feel every time I break Your heart.  The guilt and the shame are overwhelming!  Lord, I need Your touch right now.  I am so sick of being “born again” and still doing the things I hate doing.  Paul, I am conflicted.

  “For I do not do what I want, but do the very thing that I hate.” (Romans 7:15) I am so sorry!  Father, I ask for Your forgiveness right now.  I am shocked that my life has come to a point where even some sins don’t affect me at all.

  Father, I have some hard layers on my heart that need peeling.  Please give me a 100% heart of flesh.  The hardness is a barrier between us that I can’t stand!  I love You and I am so regrettably sorry for my selfish actions.  Thank You for Your forgiveness, Lord.

  Without forgiveness I am nothing.  With Your forgiveness I am whole again.  I praise Your Name!  Amen

Strength To Forgive Others

Holy Lord,

With Your forgiveness I am whole again. I praise Your Name! Amen

I can’t seem to shake the harm that’s been done to me off my shoulders.  I am wallowing in the anger I feel.  Lord, I shouldn’t think the vengeful thoughts that I have.  You have called me to forgive every single person that wrongs me.  I need Your strength to overcome these trespasses against me.  Father, I want to forgive these people.

  Please cast the devil’s evil ways from me.  I want to look at these people and see lost souls that need You.  I want to forgive them completely so that You can use me however You wish, to be Jesus to them.  Father, I am done with holding these grudges!  Forgive me for holding on to them.  I cast this burden at Your throne now.  Do with me as you please Father.

  I love You and thank you for Your patience with me.  Amen

Why Lord?

Beautiful Lord,

Why do You forgive us?  We shout praises to You when we sing worship.  With the same tongue we curse other people that are made in Your image. (James 3:9 reference)  Why do You forgive us?  We say we love You and still keep sinning.

  Why do You forgive us?  We spend time in prayer thanking You for your blessings and then we refuse to bless others.  Why do You forgive us?  We read our Bibles when we make time for it, but we also read other nonsense that is offensive to You.

  Why do You forgive us?  We praise Jesus for His death on the cross for the atonement of our sins and then we nail Him to it again every time we trespass against You.  Why do You forgive us every single time?  I am so thankful for your endless supply of forgiveness!  I can’t fathom how You do it, for I am only one man.

  You do this for every single person!  The compassion and grace and mercy that flow from You is absolutely amazing and I love You for it!  Thank you so much for forgiving me every time I sin!  You are worthy to be praised!  Amen

Repentance From Unbelievers

Father in heaven,

My heart grieves for those close to me that do not want to know You.  They are lost souls wandering wherever the devil takes them.  They are fulfilling their own desires of the flesh instead of yearning for the life that You give.

  Father, use me or anyone that You please to show Christ- love to them.  Father, I love these men and women and to think of them in eternal torment is tormenting me!  I pray that the seeds that are planted in them Lord will be grown by You.

  You make miracles happen every day and I pray that You make one today in the lives of the lost.  I praise Your Holy Name!  Amen

Forgiveness For Children

Father,

Just as Job continually offered burnt offerings to you for the forgiveness of his children, (Job 1:5) I am praying for the forgiveness of mine.  Lord, only You know what they have done.  If they have sinned against You I pray that You would forgive them.

  I pray that they would seek repentance to make things right with You.  Lord, if there is any sin that needs to be forgiven, I pray that You would soften their hearts and bring them safely into Your arms of grace and mercy.

  I thank you for Your unlimited love for us!  Amen

Our Leaders

Omnipotent Father,

You are all-powerful!  Even Your thoughts produce action.  I pray for our leaders in the government.  Lord, they also have power, though it is limited.  I pray that they would use their positions wisely, for You are the One who has allowed them to lead us.  We need strong men and women of faith in these kinds of roles.

  I pray that our men and women in authority will strive to live godly lives and to repent when necessary.  As in Animal Farm, “Absolute power corrupts absolutely.”  If there is any corruption, I pray that our leaders would repent and ask for forgiveness, so that our country doesn’t fall apart.

  I thank you for our leaders and pray for their safety.  I love you Father!  Amen

Our Pastors

Dear Lord,

I pray for pastors around the world.  If there is any un-confessed sin active in their lives, I pray that You would bring them to the deepest valleys if that is what it takes to get them back on the narrow path.  We need strong pastors leading our congregations.

  I pray that You would use the people closest to their pastors to keep them accountable, Lord.  Accountability is a must in every Christian’s life.  I thank you for our pastors, Lord, for they have a huge role to play here on earth.

  They have many big responsibilities and I am so grateful that they accept the challenges of pastoring.  I love You, Lord!  Amen

Conclusion

Forgiveness is absolutely necessary in a Christian’s walk with the Lord.  “Forgive us our sins, for we ourselves forgive everyone who is indebted to us.” (Luke 11:4)  God bless you as you live a life worthy of the calling!

What Does the Bible Say About Prayer?

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Источник: //www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com/7-prayers-for-forgiveness-and-repentance-2/

Top 7 Bible Verses About Accountability

Prayer For Accountability in Our Christian Life

God will hold us all accountable on the Day of His Visitation so what Bible verses reflect a believer’s accountability?  What ones would you include and what about those who reject the gospel?

What is Accountability?

The word accountability means to be held accountable, liable, answerable, or be held responsible for what a person has been given.

  This is a combination of several secular definitions of this word and it should get every believers attention for we will all be held accountable before the Lord someday for our actions, for what we did with what we have been given, and for what we didn’t do that we should have done.

  Even worse, for those who are not saved, they will be held accountable for the works in this life at the Great White Throne Judgment and since works can never save us, unbelievers will have to pay for their own sins in eternity (Rev 20:11-16) and because they will be “judged according to their works” (Rev 20:12) and no one can be saved by works (Eph 2:8-9) their eternal fate is even hard to imagine.  For Christians, they have been judged already since they repented and trusted in Christ and had the imputation of His righteousness credited to their account (2 Cor 5:21).  Even so, every believer will be held accountable at Christ’s appearing and so what does the Bible say about a believer’s accountability before the Lord?

Paul is writing to Christians here and he just finished asking the Roman Christians, “why do you judge your brother? Or why do you show contempt for your brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ” (Rom 14:10).

  When we judge others we actually show them contempt in the way that they don’t live up to our standards, but their standard and ours is not a human standard but what Christ expects. We will all stand and give an account to Christ for what we have done or not done.

  We will owe only Christ an explanation and we don’t owe any human an explanation for our life on this earth.

This verse should be a key verse for every believer because although we are not saved by works, we will be rewarded according to what we did for Jesus Christ while on the earth.

  If our works were for our own glory and not for the glory of God then our “work is burned [and we] will suffer loss” even though “[we] will be saved, yet so as through fire” but if we do things for the glory of God alone then we are building our rewards with a foundation that has “gold, silver, precious stones” and our works will come through the fire.

  If our good works are only for the purpose of being seen by others and not of Christ, then “wood, hay, straw” they will all be burned up and we will have little or nothing to show for our life while in the body.

Before Jesus spoke these words He gave the Parable of the Talents (Matt 25:14-30) where each one of us is given talents.  These include time, treasure, and talents (or gifts or skills).  The Lord expects us to use these talents for His glory.  If we do not use what we have been given, then what we do have will be taken from us (v.

28a) but if we have used what God has given us for His glory then more will be given to us at His return (v. 28b) so the question will be are we a “wicked and lazy servant” or will Jesus say to you and me “Well done, good and faithful servant; you have been faithful over a few things, I will make you ruler over many things.

Enter into the joy of your lord” (Matt 25:23)?  The answer is up to you and me.

The last statistic I heard was that Christians give only about 2% of their income to the Lord and we spend 10 times as much in pet food than we do in giving to our local church for the proclamation of the gospel.

  Does this say something about our priorities?  Do we esteem the things of God more than those things that we esteem important to us?  I understand that these are not verses about tithing but verses about who are we serving.   If we are attempting to live for riches then we are making money our god.

  Money competes with God in the sense that money can provide for our needs, it can give us what we want, and it gives us security but these things take the place of God because He provides for us, gives us what we need (not always what we want), and He is our security, not money.  The “true riches” are in the things that bring glory to God.

  If we can’t be faithful in a few things, our money, time, or talents, then how can God expect us to be faithful in the Kingdom of Heaven which will be far, far greater?

Here is what is called a sin of omission.

  We all know what sins of commission are and that is why we can come to God and confess them to Him and be forgiven (1 John 1:9) but we are also going to be judged for what we don’t do.

If we see our brother has needs and do nothing about it but say “Brother, I am sorry…I will pray for you” but do nothing to help, then for those who know “to do good” and yet “does not do it” to them it is sin.

This verse actually applies to those who “suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because what may be known of God is manifest in them, for God has shown it to them” (Rom 1:18b-19) but they still refuse to acknowledge that there is a God because “they did not to retain God in their knowledge” (Rom 1:28).

 Paul is saying that they knew better…in their hearts they knew that God exists but they suppressed this knowledge and so God gave them up “to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves,  who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator.” (Rom 1:24-25).

This speaks of judgment.  The more often a person hears the gospel and yet rejects the gospel, the more accountable they will be held because they knew what was required of them and yet refused to do it.

  For the one who didn’t know as much about the gospel, the native in the deep, dark recesses of the jungle, they will not have as much required of them.  In the U.S.

there is no excuse for those who have not responded to the gospel for they have easy access to it and may have heard the truth of the Word of God expressed many times but have never responded to it.  In that case, “Everyone to whom much was given, of him much will be required” and more will be demanded.

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas.

Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book  Blind Chance or Intelligent Design available on Amazon

Источник: //www.patheos.com/blogs/christiancrier/2014/08/16/top-7-bible-verses-about-accountability/

5 Reasons Why Christian Accountability Fails

Prayer For Accountability in Our Christian Life

The following is an excerpt from our free e-book, Coming Clean: Overcoming Lust Through Biblical Accountability.

In my previous article, I described the four key building blocks that give shape to our accountability relationships. These building blocks are James 5:16 and Hebrews 10:23-25: meeting together, confession of sin, prayer, and encouragement.

(This is structure of a healthy accountability relationship)

Accountability groups and partners are not magic pills. While accountability plays a crucial role in personal growth and holiness, there are many accountability pitfalls.

Here are five ways accountability often goes bad.

Problem #1: When Accountability Partners Are Absent

Accountability relationships need to be fostered through time together. It is hard to hold one another accountable when partners meet infrequently or sporadically (or not at all).

Often both parties are at fault. We might commit to “holding one another accountable,” but this is something vague, elusive, and undefined. Accountability partners need to have a very clear picture in their minds about what accountability really entails: face-to- face, voice-to-voice conversation.

When accountability partners do not meet in some fashion, the accountability relationship has no foundation. This means confession, prayer, and encouragement are erratic and shaky, at best.

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Problem #2: When Accountability Groups Are Programmatic

When we read through the one-anothers of the New Testament, one cannot help but see the organic, family dynamic that is meant to exist in the church.

We are called to an earnest love for one another (1 Peter 1:22), brotherly affection (Romans 12:10), single-minded unity (Romans 15:5), eating together (1 Corinthians 11:33), bearing each other’s burdens (Galatians 6:2), and having the same care for each other (1 Corinthians 12:25).

But often our approach to accountability is programmatic. We simply don’t have the quality of friendships that are close and spiritually meaningful, so we search for it in forced and sometimes awkward settings.

The church, of course, should offer support groups and discipleship models. “Program” is not a four-letter word. But these programs should aim toward something rich and natural.

If meeting together, prayer, confession, and encouragement are the building blocks of accountability, then many of the other one-anothers in the New Testament are the “atmosphere” of the relationship. This should not be an empty, austere structure, but filled with the air of Christian love and friendship. You may be “doing everything right” but it still feels empty and cold.

Problem #3: When Accountability Partners Are Sincerity-Centered

Confession is the central pillar of accountability, but there are a few ways this pillar can be constructed poorly.

The first way confession of sin can go wrong is when it becomes an end in and of itself. This is when we believe confession is the only point of accountability, something we do to put to rest our uneasy consciences and get something off our chests. These kinds of accountability relationships make “getting the secret out” the whole point.

As therapeutic as this might feel—and it is therapeutic—we need to be careful that in our confession of sin we don’t trivialize sin as something that resolves itself with mere sincerity.

Jonathan Dodson, pastor of Austin City Life church, says that one surefire way to ruin your accountability relationship is by making it “a circle of cheap confession by which you obtain cheap peace for your troubled conscience.”

Christians do not believe that pardon from sin comes from merely being honest about sin. Your sincerity wasn’t nailed to a Roman cross for your sins; Christ was. Peace with God comes only by leaning on what Christ has done for us (Romans 5:1). We often mistake the relief of unleashing our secrets with true peace.

Conversation must not stop at confession. The outermost pillars of the accountability relationship call us to prayer and encouragement. After humble confession, we should encourage one another with the assurance of forgiveness promised in the gospel, and we should approach God’s throne of grace in prayer together.

In this way we not only hold one another accountable for our behavior, but we also hold one another accountable for trusting in the gospel for our complete forgiveness.

Problem #4: When Accountability Partners Are Obedience-Centered

The first way the pillar of confession can be built poorly is when we aim at cheap peace. The second way the pillar of confession can be constructed poorly is when the focus is on moral performance.

Some Christian accountability groups are militant about sin—a healthy attitude in its own right. Members want to see others grow in holiness, so this becomes the focus of the group: questions and answers that deal with obedience.

The problem is, mere rule keeping does not itself get to the heart of sin. This is one of the great lessons Paul teaches again and again. Merely knowing the law only aggravates our lusts (Romans 7:7-12), and following rigid ascetic regulations—don’t touch, don’t taste, don’t handle—is “of no value in stopping the indulgence of the flesh” (Colossians 2:20-23).

What we need is a kind of accountability that corrects our natural tendency to focus on ourselves—own own performance or lack of performance—and instead focus on Christ and His obedience in our place.

Don’t turn the pillar of confession into a pedestal—a place where we can prop up the idol of our own obedience. Don’t turn accountability into a narcissistic program of self-improvement.

Accountability relationships this either center our thoughts on a few benchmarks of success that we might happen to be reaching, or force us into hiding because we don’t want to admit how much we are failing to hit the mark.

Problem #5: When Accountability Partners Forget the Gospel

Whether you slide toward being sincerity-centered or obedience-centered, both tendencies have ignored that the gospel is the capstone of accountability.

When we make our groups all about sincere confession with no expectation of change, we trivialize the very sins that were nailed to Jesus on the cross.

When we confess the same sins week after week, say a quick prayer, and go home, we merely highlight the cheap peace we feel from refreshing honesty, and we forget to comfort each other with a testimony of God’s grace of forgiveness.

We forget to challenge each other to fight sin in light of the motivations God provides in His Word.

When we make our groups all about obedience, we only reinforce our tendency to center our identity on our performance. This either drives us to rigid moralism or hiding the evil that lurks in us from others and ourselves.

Either way, these kinds of accountability relationships only reinforce legalism and self-absorption.

This robs us of the joy of building our identity on Christ’s obedience, and we lose an opportunity to speak about the grace of God that trains us to be godly.

This is why the gospel is the capstone of good accountability. Our confessions, prayers, and encouragement should all be done under the canopy of what the gospel promises God’s children.

  • Confess your sins in light of the gospel. One aspect of repentance is agreeing with what God says about your sin, labeling your sin as truly sinful, as an affront to His holiness, something that cost Christ his life. Confess your sins to God and others knowing He is faithful and just to forgive you and cleanse you (1 John 1:9).
  • Pray together in light of the gospel. The gospel promises both grace to cover our sins (Romans 5:1-2) and grace to empower our obedience (Titus 2:11-14). Approach Christ together asking for this grace (Hebrews 4:16).
  • Encourage one another in light of the gospel. Knowing that true internal change happens in our lives as we set our minds and affections on things above—the complete redemption that is coming to us (Colossians 3:1-4)—we should help one another do this. Mining the Scriptures together, we can teach and admonish one another in wisdom (v.16). We can strive together to have more of a foretaste of the holiness we are promised in the age to come.

We need responsive, gospel-driven accountability. As good accountability partners, we need to not only hear an account of our friends’ sins, but give an account of God’s grace—a grace that not only saves us from the guilt of sin, but also from the grip of sin.

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Источник: //www.covenanteyes.com/2014/08/01/christian-accountability-fails/

Study 5 THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER – Words of Life Ministries

Prayer For Accountability in Our Christian Life

(Scripture Portion: Luke 11: 1-13; 18: 1-8)

To the born again soul, prayer is as essential as breathing, and to neglect it must result in weakness and defeat. It is not only important that Christians should pray, but it is of supreme importance.

This fact makes our present study one to which we should give special heed. Christians need instruction about prayer –- its meaning, its promises, its method and its value –- look up Luke 11:1.

How wonderful to be taught to pray by John; how much more wonderful to be taught by the Lord Jesus! –- and look up Romans 8:26-27.

What is prayer? C. H. Spurgeon said that, “The heart of prayer is the prayer of the heart.” It does not consist simply of words, gestures, forms or eloquence.

“Prayer is the address of a poor creature on earth to a great Creator and loving Father in Heaven.

” Think about this simple definition; it reveals the supreme wonder of prayer that a poor sinful being can commune with the high and lofty One (Isaiah 57:15).

1. THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER IN THE LIFE OF THE CHRISTIAN

  1. Prayer is of supreme importance in the life of the Christian because of the importance it is given in the Word of God. The Bible is full of the subject of prayer. Imagine what a mutilated book we should have if every reference to prayer were taken it.

    The fact of the emphasis on this subject of prayer which is made in the Word of God indicates to us the supreme importance placed upon it by the Holy Spirit who is the Author of the book (2 Timothy 3:16; 2 Peter 1:21).

  2. Prayer is of supreme importance in the life of the Christian because of the teaching of our Lord.

    Here again, imagine the four Gospels with every reference to prayer cut them. How mutilated the books would be! Over and over again our blessed Lord stressed the importance of prayer, gave wonderful promises in relation to prayer and encouraged His disciples (and us) to pray –- look up Matthew 18:19, 21:22; Mark 11:24 and John 14:13-14.

    He, in fact, is our great example in prayer –- look up Luke 3:21; 5:16; 6:12; 9:18 and 28; 11:1 and 22:41-42.

  3. Prayer is of supreme importance in the life of the Christian because it is the first instinct of the new life.

    Just as the first instinct of a newly-born babe is to cry, and in so doing to use its lungs, so the first instinct of the newly-converted soul is to cry –- look up Romans 8:15, and notice the illustration of this simple truth in Acts 9:11, where we read of Saul, immediately after his vision of the ascended Lord, praying.

  4. Prayer is of supreme importance in the life of the Christian because it is the Christian’s vital breath. The Christian life is a new life –- His life, the life of the risen Lord Jesus implanted in us by the Holy Spirit –- look up 1 John 5:13-14.

    This new life can only be sustained by prayer, and only by prayer can we develop into robust, healthy Christians; without prayer we shall be anaemic, lifeless and ineffective. This means that we should pray privately (Matthew 6:6), frequently (Psalm 55:17), regularly (Daniel 6:10); in times of trouble (Psalm 50:15) –- in fact, without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

  5. Prayer is of supreme importance in the life of the Christian because it is such a glorious privilege to pray.

    The Christian life is full of privileges, but can you imagine any greater privilege than to enter into the holiest of all, into the throne room of the King, and to bow in humble worship at His feet, to speak with Him face to face and as friend with friend? How great is this privilege! –- look up Hebrews 4:14-16 and 10:19-22.

  6. Prayer is of supreme importance in the life of the Christian because of all it can accomplish in supplying every need. It is perfectly true that “more things are wrought by prayer than this world dreams of”, but think of the wonderful accounts of the power of prayer which have been recorded for us in the Word of God.

    How many can you enumerate? In the light of these, is it not amazing that we do not pray more? For the believer, prayer is the divine method for supplying every need –- look up Philippians 4:19; and the reason we do not have is because we do not ask –- look up James 4:2. If only we would ask, we would receive –- look up Luke 11:9-10. What is it you need? Money? A house? Food? Employment? The salvation of some loved one? Then ask!

  7. Prayer is of supreme importance in the life of the Christian because only through prayer can God’s will be accomplished. His working depends upon our asking – – look up James 5:17. He waits to yield to our pleas –- look up Ezekiel 36:37. This is how he has ordained it. The purpose of prayer is not to make God alter His will, but to provide Him with a channel through which He may accomplish His will.

2. THE SUPREME IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH

It is only necessary to read the Book of Acts, which contains the inspired history of the early Church, to become convinced that the ministry of prayer was foremost in the life and the service of the Church.

The Church was born in a prayer meeting, as we discover by comparing Acts 1:13-14 and 2:1-4.

These early believers also attended the regular prayer meetings in the temple –- look up Acts 3:1; moreover, in times of special testings they held special times of prayer –- look up Acts 4:23-31; 12:1,5,12 and 17, and 16:25.

They believed that prayer was a priority matter –- look up Acts 6:4, and they prayed when they longed that Matthew 9:38 should be fulfilled –- look up Acts 13:1-4. Yes, and when they said farewell they prayed –- look up Acts 20:36. Years ago, Dr Reuben Archer Torrey said,

    “Prayer is the key that unlocks all the storehouses of God’s infinite grace and power. All that God is, and all that God has, is at the disposal of the pray-er. But we must use the key. Prayer can do anything that God can do, and as God can do anything, prayer is omnipotent.

May we prove it in our own lives and in the life of the Church.

Источник: //www.wordsoflife.co.uk/bible-studies/study-5-the-supreme-importance-of-prayer/

8 Benefits of Prayer You Can’t Afford to Miss

Prayer For Accountability in Our Christian Life

“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.

In fact, enjoying the flowing of God’s grace in our prayer is more important than having our prayers answered.

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/

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