Praying According to the Will of God
Prayer is a powerful tool that connects us with God.
It is a direct line of communication with our Heavenly Father, where we can pour out our hearts, seek guidance, and find peace.
But have you ever wondered how you can pray according to the will of God?
How can we align our prayers with His desires and experience the incredible power and effectiveness that comes with it?
1 John 5:14-15
14 And this is the confidence that we have before Him:
If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we already possess what we have asked of Him.
Romans 12:2
2 And be not conformed to this world.but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good and acceptable,and perfect, will of God.
Colossians 3:1-2
3 Since then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God.
2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.
James 5:16b-18
16b The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
James 4:3
When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.
Jesus assures us in Mark 11:23-24 that if we pray with belief and trust that our desires will be granted, we WILL receive them.
In 1 John 5:14-15, we are reminded of the confidence we have before God when we pray according to His will.
The passage tells us that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
This assurance should ignite a fire within us to seek His will in our prayers and align our desires with His.
To pray according to God's will, we must first set our hearts and minds on things above, as mentioned in Colossians 3:1-2.
As believers, we have been raised with Christ, and our focus should be on heavenly things, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God.
By shifting our attention away from earthly matters and fixing our gaze on God's kingdom, we position ourselves to understand His will and pray accordingly.
God’s language
Did you know that God has His own language, it is called the love language.
The Bible teaches us to speak with other tongues, as that WILL build your spirit, and make it stronger.
The Apostle Paul extensively discussed the topic of speaking in "other tongues" and demonstrated his own commitment to it.
In fact, he confidently declared, "I thank my God I speak with tongues more than all of you" (1 Corinthians 14:18).
Praying in other tongues is a 2 way communication.
You pray to God, but God is also speaking to your spirit.
1 Corinthians 14:1-5
1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy.
2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God.
Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit.
3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.
4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church.
5 I would like every one of you to speak in tongues, but I would rather have you prophesy.
The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be edified.
You speak mysteries that other people and our enemy the Devil do not understand.
Interpretation
13 the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say.
15 I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding;
I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you.
19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.
Praying in other tongues is very effective, because according to sience you are using a place in your brain that is not affected by the language centre.
Speaking in tongues is an initial evidence, or sign, of the baptism of the Holy Spirit.
Acts 2:4
“And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance”.
The background for effective prayer
1 Corinthians 1:30 reminds us that our righteousness and holiness come from God through Christ.
It is not something we can achieve on our own.
Recognizing this truth humbles us and allows us to approach God with a heart of gratitude, acknowledging His grace and mercy in our lives.
When we pray from a place of gratitude and surrender, we align ourselves with His will.
James 5:16b-18 further emphasises the power and effectiveness of prayer.
The passage tells us that the prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.
It shares the story of Elijah, a man with human passions just like us, who prayed earnestly for it not to rain.
As a result of his fervent prayer, it did not rain for three and a half years.
When he prayed again, the heavens gave rain, and the earth brought forth its fruit.
This account demonstrates the incredible impact our prayers can have when they are in alignment with God's will.
So, how can we pray according to the will of God?
It starts with seeking His will through studying His Word, spending time in His presence, and cultivating a relationship with Him.
As we grow closer to God, our desires begin to align with His desires, and we gain a clearer understanding of His will for our lives.
When we pray, let us approach God with confidence, knowing that He hears us when we pray according to His will.
And when we know that He hears us, we have assurance that we already possess what we have asked of Him.
This confidence allows us to pray boldly, trusting that God's perfect will is at work in our lives.
In conclusion, praying according to the will of God is a transformative and powerful practice.
It requires us to set our hearts and minds on heavenly things, acknowledge our dependence on God's righteousness, and pray with fervency and faith.
As we align our prayers with His will, we tap into the incredible power and effectiveness that comes from connecting with the Creator of the universe.
So, let us seek His will, pray with confidence, and experience the abundant blessings that flow from praying according to the will of God.