As small kids many of us had a lot of things which we wanted to buy, I remember myself I wanted to buy a good sneaker shoes, it was considered very expensive back then (about 35 yrs. back) we had two brands - Power (From Bata) and Adidas. I always used to ask my Dad on this every time when we cross the Bata Shop. I did not know nor understood my Dad’s financial state, but kept asking this request every time, finally my Dad got me Power shoes in a Clearance Sale in Nov for my Birthday in the Bata Store, I treasured that Sneaker shoes for many years. The reason he had to get me something in a clearance sale was due to the affordability of this shoes, Second, he had watched for this sale long to get me at the right time, he wanted to get the best for me irrespective of what challenges he had financially, all because of his love for me. I am sure each of you have a story in your life like mine. But as we grow older, we feel mature to ask things to our Dad based on the situation instead of asking things blindly
Yes, the same way in our Christian life many of us ask our eternal father (Jesus) many things. If you record and listen to your prayer’s, it will revel many things. We start always with a laundry list of what you need, our wish list is always an upgrade list we ask to God. If you have a Phone you ask for an iPhone, if you have a small house you ask for a bigger house, if you work in India you want to work abroad, if you work abroad you ask for more salary, bigger house, the list goes on and on... I am not saying our prayers to ask our Father Jesus with this list is wrong. I too have my prayers like this. Many times we get answers from God as blessings and many times some of these prayers go Unanswered, have you wondered why God has not given answers to your prayers?
The main reason for our Unanswered Prayers is because there is a battle between spirit and flesh, many of our prayers are dominated by our flesh desires, it dominates and calls out what we want, with this upgrade list. The Flesh does not allow us to hear / tell what God wants us to do that’s the reason for many unanswered prayers.
Remember Satan knows Bible and more knowledgeable than anyone, he wants us to be blinded and turn deaf to the word of God so that, he can rule us in flesh. I did mediate Colossians 1:9-12 God did reveal many things to me, I want to share this learning so that you also can learn from this on what God taught me on how to avoid unanswered prayers and make our payers effective.
How should our prayers to God be?
Paul writes to Colossae (in Colossians 1:9-12) people and his prayers for them; we can learn from this and use that in our life, on how we should pray and have many of our prayers be answered prayers and not lead to Unanswered prayers
Surrendering to Will of God
'For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, ‘ Colossians 1:9
First thing to learn from Paul’s teaching is – fill you with the knowledge of will of God
Similarly if you look at Lord’s Prayer, we are familiar with this as we repeat this many times when we go to church or end this after our personal prayers
'Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. “This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. ’ ' Matthew 6:8-13
The verse starts, “'Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him”, First “your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven”
1. Both these places (Colossians 1:9 and Matt 6:9) – First comes the will of God, it’s emphasized more than our human desires or our will.
2. We miss this when we pray, we always start with our list of what we want instead of asking what God’s will is. This is one reason why many of our prayers goes unanswered. So make a change to ask what is “Gods will” in your prayers
3. Now after you ask, “Gods will” - “the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives” So what does this verse mean? We find more answer to this passage from Bible
'And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God. ' Romans 8:27
4. What it means is Once you surrender to God’s will, he will look at your hearts desires and weed out what is not his will and let the desires of your heart (human) grow according to his will, by spirit he will lead you what do, What an amazing thing. Reflect back on this and understand this clear.
5. Our prayers should start with surrendering to his Will and it needs to stop with our wish list. Remember God wants to bless his Children, he did not create everything to make his children poor. If it’s his will to upgrade you from a Bike to Car he will do that, if it’s his will to make you buy a bigger house from the house you live, he will do that, once you surrender to his will no one can stop that, as he is a mighty God. Everything in the universe has to obey him and he will make it happen for you. You don’t need to fight that battle
6. Remember when you surrender to God’s will - things will happen one step at a time, “God will” – will not reveal everything in one Go, he will ask you to take one step at a time., you have to obey that to make God’s plan work for you. Always remember that the Lord’s will is perfect, good and acceptable. We have to be rest assured that he is also committed to working it out in our life as we trust in him.
Ask God – To live a life worthy of God
'so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God, ' Colossians 1:10
Second thing to learn from Paul’s prayer is to live a life worthy of God’s calling
1. Many of us don’t even ask God “Am I living a worthy life as you created me” in our prayers. We assume we lead a pure holy life; we feel we have made mistakes but not to the extend its bad like others, so we console ourselves to say I am better than another person, we continue with our sinful life
2. Remember God created all of us to lead a holy and blameless life, that does not mean we cannot enjoy anything in the world.
3. Judge yourself and ask God to show what are the worthless areas in your life that’s not pleasing to him, once you pray this way God will show areas where he feels he wants to change you and make you more like him and the fruits of you will come out to be a blessing for others and he will reveal many things which you cannot understand from your human wisdom, the spirit will guide you on many areas of your life.
4. I am a living example of this passage, I didn’t pray like this about 1 year back, after I started praying like this God has revealed areas in my life that I should change, and he is giving me the knowledge and wisdom that I cannot even understand earlier, God is making me better every day, I can say I am better from where I was a year back. The judgment of me living to God standards will be judged by God, when I meet Jesus in day of judgment. I can with confidence say I look forward to that day.
5. What is the “bearing fruit in every good work,” that Paul refers to? it’s found in bible
'But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, ' Galatians 5:22
Ask God - Strengthen with his Power
'being strengthened with all power according to his glorious might so that you may have great endurance and patience, ' Colossians 1:11
Third thing we need to learn is to seek the strength of his power, so that we may have great endurance and patience
1. As child of God, if you surrender to his will and ask him to show areas in your life that’s not worthy, God will lead you by his Spirit to show what you should do and shouldn’t. Satan hates us when we walk with Lord.
2. There will be battles between the between the flesh (our own self) and spirit these two things are always opposite to each other, choose to walk in Spirit as read
'So I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the flesh. For the flesh desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the flesh. They are in conflict with each other, so that you are not to do whatever you want. ' Galatians 5:16-17
3. As you walk in spirit there will be trials and temptations and many battles which will make you feel wrong as you choose to surrender to the will of God, Remember Satan deceives us to believe God is not there. But the fact is we can feel his presence more during battles. So presence of pain and struggles doesn’t mean the absence of God. So don’t loose sight of God’s plan in your life and stay focused as he disciplines you through trial and temptations.
4. Pray God to give you the faith and endurance, power and patience as you go thru the Trials, remember when you ask God, he will help you, tell your emotions and struggles of what you go thru, God will help you.
5. God is mightier than your problems and he is strong, He defeated Satan in the cross of calvary, you cannot be defeated, the biggest mistake we make is to speed up God. When we take matters in our own hands we get into trouble. Remember his His delays are not always denials.
Thank God in your Prayers
'and giving joyful thanks to the Father, who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of his holy people in the kingdom of light. ' Colossians 1:12
Fourth one we need to learn from Paul is to Thank God in our prayers
1. Paul says, “giving joyful thanks to the Father”, Many times we thank God in our prayers only when we mean its worthy with our human brains. learn to thank God even if the situation is not according to your ways.
2. We need to fill our prayers with the things that God has given without we are asking him, thank him for the unseen battles he has fought for you, thank him for the un-answered prayers as well.
3. Make a habit of keeping a diary of all the blessings you receive from God, thank him in your prayers and end of each month when you look back it’s a big list to thank him for his works in your life, count the struggles you went and how god helped you get thru
4. When you read Psalms, it’s filled with many thanksgiving that David wrote, which we can apply in our prayers and our lives.
'Praise the Lord . Give thanks to the Lord , for he is good; his love endures forever. 'Psalms 106:1
'Those who sacrifice thank offerings honor me, and to the blameless I will show my salvation.”' Psalms 50:23
God Knows your needs
Remember if you are God’s children - God knows your needs, many of you who are parents know what your child needs, they don’t need to tell you, you can tell by their face / voice / actions and you get them before they ask.
If we (human parents) are so loving, our God loves us more than anything, he knows what our needs, we don’t need to bring a wish list of upgrade list to him. He knows what time to upgrade for us, the word says
'Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? ' Matthew 6:26
Devil makes you believe God will not give you unless you ask this wish list or upgrades in life.
So make your prayers effective prayers with the lessons from Paul and let all your prayers be answered prayers.
Summary
Let’s change our prayers patterns with following this in our lives
Asking and surrendering to Will of God
Ask God – To live a life worthy of God
Ask God - Strengthen with his Power
Thank God in your Prayers
God Knows your needs – Don’t need to put a list of your Wishlist to him
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