Thought for the Day II

"Let's take a look at each type of prayer so we can gleam from the Master of prayer, how to pray. I want you to sense (in your spirit) and believe (in your heart), that Jesus knows best, how to pray and what to pray for. By following the model of Jesus, we emulate the Master of prayer and by following the model of Jesus, we should expect the same results in prayer that Jesus received. Do you believe it?



INTIMATE PRAYER:


During intimate prayer is when you become most intimate and revealing to God. If you have been taught or have learned, that prayer is to be systematic or methodological or by any means impersonal, you have been taught an untruth. Each word that you utter must be your own and from a deep personal understanding that 'Prayer is direct communication with God.' God requires your absolute unveiled self to come to Him as you are, and disclose all to Him, reserving nothing; God requires a total evacuation of your ego as well as your pride when you pray.


Intimate communication with your God, Oh what a great honor this is. God would have it that you call Him Father. "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy room, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to the Father, who is in secret; And thy Father, who seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly" Matthew 6:6. "and I will receive you, And will be a Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty" 2 Corinthians 6:18. You need to know, that you can go to God on your own, with your own words, and you will find that God has already planned for a special meeting with you, in prayer.


God and man unite in spirit when man comes to God in prayer, available and empty of a self-gratifying agenda. You should never hesitate to pray. Paul says, "pray without ceasing", 1 Thessalonians 5:17


In intimate prayer, you empty yourself and your burdens and your inconsistencies, your sins, your iniquities, your wrongdoing, your wastefulness, your evil thoughts, your pride, your envy, your lusts, your prejudice, your selfishness and your overindulgence and come before God, seeking Him, nothing else. You consciously empty yourself of everything in your life that can keep you from serving God with a clean conscience. You do this by revealing your true self to God and receiving from God, Himself.

Intimate prayer brings peace in your hearts and assurance of your relationship with God. For what you do not empty and give to God, He cannot take from you, because God will not breach your right of free will to withhold from God whatever you choose, and God will not breach your right of free will to receive less from God than what He desires that you have."

Excerpt from The Power of God Thinking II by Keith C. Powell Copyright 2012