Day 16 of 40 Days Prayer/Fast

Happy Sabbath everyone! It is 8:06 am and I have just completed Day 16 of the 40 Days Prayer and Fasting Book. This particular devetional thought was absoulutly amazing that I JUST had to tell somebody….so NO better way then to tell someone then to….*waiiiiiiiit for it, waaaaaaiiiiiiiiit foooooor iiiiiit*…to BLOG!!! *and the crowd goes wild*

So today was about “Praying God’s Promises in the Spirit”. The other day a friend and I were having a conversation about this very same thing. Discussing how we are praying for something that seems to not be answered. He was getting a little discouraged and I was HATING (yes, I know this is a strong word but it fits) to see him this way!! So my dear, this one is especially for you! xoxo

Here goes! *deep breath*

As Christians we must know that there is a prayer formula. Yes, there is a formula!! For you math junkies, like myself, no it’s not a(b + c) = ab + ac  or sin x = cos x…lol and YES, I can prove both of those! This formula is as easy as ABC! (The ABC’s of Bible Prayer, by Glen Coon)

• A – Ask…This should be easy! “Ask and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matt 7:7)
• B – Believe… Personally this one is a hard one because sometimes my faith gets sooooo low! “Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them and ye shall have them.” (Mark 11:24)
• C – Claim…Claim the promise with thanksgiving before any answer is given.

I know you just read that, and I know that it’s EASIER said than done, BUT it has to be so….it just HAS to be!  I mean how can be have a Father who tells us to ask and then doesn’t deliver?! So then I read a little story.  I bet you wanna know what that story is about….well of course I won’t leave you hanging!!

2 Chronicles 20:6-19 – The Message Bible Remix (BTW this version is soooooo awesome!!! I personally have it and it makes reading the Bible FUN!!! Yes, I did say F.U.N!!!)

^5-9 Then Jehoshaphat took a position before the assembled people of Judah and Jerusalem at The Temple of God in front of the new courtyard and said, “O God, God of our ancestors, are you not God in heaven above and ruler of all kingdoms below? You hold all power and might in your fist—no one stands a chance against you! And didn’t you make the natives of this land leave as you brought your people Israel in, turning it over permanently to your people Israel, the descendants of Abraham your friend? They have lived here and built a holy house of worship to honor you, saying, ‘When the worst happens—whether war or flood or disease or famine—and we take our place before this Temple (we know you are personally present in this place!) and pray out our pain and trouble, we know that you will listen and give victory.’

^10-12 “And now it’s happened: men from Ammon, Moab, and Mount Seir have shown up. You didn’t let Israel touch them when we got here at first—we detoured around them and didn’t lay a hand on them. And now they’ve come to kick us out of the country you gave us. O dear God, won’t you take care of them? We’re helpless before this vandal horde ready to attack us. We don’t know what to do; we’re looking to you.”

¹³ Everyone in Judah was there—little children, wives, sons—all present and attentive to God.

^14-17 Then Jahaziel was moved by the Spirit of God to speak from the midst of the congregation. (Jahaziel was the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah the Levite of the Asaph clan.) He said, “Attention everyone—all of you from out of town, all you from Jerusalem, and you King Jehoshaphat—God’s word: Don’t be afraid; don’t pay any mind to this vandal horde. This is God’s war, not yours. Tomorrow you’ll go after them; see, they’re already on their way up the slopes of Ziz; you’ll meet them at the end of the ravine near the wilderness of Jeruel. You won’t have to lift a hand in this battle; just stand firm, Judah and Jerusalem, and watchGod’s saving work for you take shape. Don’t be afraid, don’t waver. March out boldly tomorrow—Godis with you.”

^18-19 Then Jehoshaphat knelt down, bowing with his face to the ground. All Judah and Jerusalem did the same, worshiping God. The Levites (both Kohathites and Korahites) stood to their feet to praiseGod, the God of Israel; they praised at the top of their lungs!

Now to go other what was just read… 5 steps to remember when praying for God’s promises.

• 1st…begin by PRAISING God’s attributes.  See that’s what Jehoshaphat did in verse 6. He recalled that God rules EVERYTHING!
• 2nd…recall PAST VICTORIES. Now it’s time to tell God (just a lil reminder) of what He has done in the past.  Speak of His faithfulness
• 3rd…state a PROMISE.  What do I mean? In verses 8 and 9 Jehoshaphat stated promises God made to the people before. This is when we use the Word to bring up promises that God has made to us all!
• 4th…tell His your PROBLEM.  Tell Daddy what is going on. Now I’m not a thee and thus prayer.  I talk with Daddy just ask I am typing right here.  I mean, He knows how I’m feeling and what I’m going through…He just wants us to TELL Him. We should let Him know and feel that we need Him!
• 5th…PRAISE! Before you see anything take place your “get your PRAISE on”!! Thank Daddy in advance…not a little “thank you”, but a He-has-already-done-what-I-need-Him-to-do PRAISE…a OMG-I-can’t-believe-I-won-the-Publisher’s Clearing House-1 million dollars PRAISE!!!

That above sounded as if I was teaching my 3rd grade children how to write a proper paragraph or paper.  LOL!  So here is the new formula… PRAISE + PAST VICTORIES + PROMISE + PROBLEM + PRAISE = VICTORY!!!

Now as I sit here I know I’m nuts because it’s NOT the first time I have heard this….hmmmmmm…..MUMMIE!!! My Mummie has told me since I can remember (3rd grade) to “tell Him what you want”.  You know like the old song…*singing* Jesus on the main line. Tell Him what you waaaaaaant! (skips a verse) The line is NEVER busy. Tell him want you waaaaaaaaant! (skips to chorus) Call Him up, call Him up, Tell Him what you waaaaaant!  Call collect, He’ll accept…Tell Him what you waaaaaaant!! *end scene* *takes a bow*

My mummie (and I remember hearing her pray like this one time and thought she was NUTS) would tell God what she needed, when she needed it by, tell Him about promises He made before, and things that He was able to do! And Daddy ALWAYS showed up!! Now…I tried that in November of 2010 (lol…that was just a few months ago) and I was crying and laying flat on the floor and pointing and shouting to Him about promises that He has made and things He has already done.  When I was done I had my own praise session because I KNEW my Daddy was going to make things happen….and He did!! When He did I praised Him EVEN more…and the people and church heard!! LOL

Now as I end this…

¹⁹God is not like people. He tells no lies.
He is not like humans. He doesn’t change his mind.
When he says something, he does it.
When he makes a promise, he keeps it.  (Numbers 23:19  God’s WORD Translation)

~Love, Peace, and Soooooooooooooul!!