Prayer Dilemma

                I would suggest many people if they have the time, to watch Social Dilemma on Netflix. It shows the new way Lucifer is leading the world into destruction. Many of the people who were part of creating FB, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Tik Tok etc. who are mostly non-believers see the evil it can do. It causes the person to engage their mind and time into worthless matters. It will create a bubble around you and feed only things that you want and has nothing to do with the truth. It unconsciously controls you and the artificial intelligence runs algorithms to keep you engaged and send you things you will like by predicting your choices. The computer itself cannot decipher truth and only wants to keep you engaged. Facts and truth are no longer relevant and only opinions. Do you see how easily Lucifer connects the world and can influence it without resistance. He has made humanity into a product and is controlling free will by influencing it, giving you what you want to see, whether true or false. It has become the new drug and can cause heavy damage on many young minds who are already fragile. We have a prayer dilemma in this country and all over the world. Count the useless hours you were looking at your phone and engaging in social media. Many could not last a week without starting to feel with-drawls and anxiety. 

Now more than ever evil can communicate with each other and spread their poison to all the four corners of the earth. The Christian life is not complex, but will be a difficult and we see that Jesus’s foundation was prayer. It has more power than we understand and we underutilize it in our lives. We see in Luke 18:9-14, two people go to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee (world sees him as religious) the other a Tax Collector (world sees as sinner). The Pharisee stood and prayed “God I thank You that I am not like other men – extortioners, unjust, adulterers or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess” The Tax Collector, standing afar off, would not so much raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast saying, “God, be merciful to me a sinner!” Prayer makes you humble and Jesus says that the Tax Collector is justified in his prayer. Prayer is not to lift yourself up in front of God or compare yourself to others. Prayer is to ask God to give strength to a sinful body/mind to overcome sin, protect us from the evil one and let God work us. We are weak no matter what status we have in society when it comes to the presence of God. We cannot be in the presence of God if we have pride (this caused Lucifer’s downfall) and our prayers will not be heard. 

We must imitate Christ (previous post) and the devil has many weapons at his disposal. Luke 15:16, states Jesus often withdrew himself into the wilderness and prayed. When He was exhausted, burdened, in agony or needed to be filled with the spirit He knew it can only be found in God’s presence and he went off to pray. It is with the power of prayer and fasting he was able to defeat the temptations of Lucifer. In Matthew 26 (Mark 14:32, 14:38, Luke 22:40, 22:46), Jesus is in Gethsemane and took Peter, James and John and He himself went a little further to pray to His Father. He told the three to stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. Three times Jesus returned from prayer and found them sleeping. In Luke 22:31-34, Jesus tells Simon Peter that Satan has asked to sift you like wheat, but I have prayed for you that your faith may not fail. And you, when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers. Peter denies Jesus three times as he predicted and the rooster crowed after. Luke 9:28-36 again he took the three and as he was praying, the appearance of His face changed and his clothes became dazzling white (Jesus Transfigured). Suddenly Moses and Elijah were talking to him and they were speaking of his departure. Peter and the others woke up and saw His glory and the two men who were standing with Jesus. Peter asks Jesus if he should build tabernacles for the other two and while he was saying it a cloud appeared and overshadowed them; and they were fearful as they entered the cloud. A voice came out of the cloud saying, “This is my Beloved Son. Hear Him! Jesus was then found alone. The point of this was to show that we are only to pray to God/Jesus and not to any other figures or mortals/idols. He is the only connection we have to God and no other one can claim that truthfully. The Bible does not tells us to pray to Mary or any Saints. Jesus himself prayed only to God, His Heavenly Father. John 14:6, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. 

Prayer has POWER! We see it in all the miracles Jesus and his disciples did in the Bible. There is no way to live a Christian life without prayer and fasting. It gives us confidence, I John 5:14-15, This is the confidence we have before Him, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears whatever we ask, we know that we have what we have asked of Him. God only wants to give us good things in our lives. Mark 11:24, Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for – believe that you have received it and it will be yours. It shows faith and the confidence that there is nothing God will not give us. He gives us what we need, not always what we want in life. Prayer gives us boldness and allows us to be in the Spirit, Ephesians 6:18-19, Pray at all times in the Spirit with every prayer and request, and stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints. Pray also for me, that the message may be given to me when I open my mouth to make known with boldness the mystery of the gospel. It gave the disciples boldness (Acts 4:13) against the Jewish leadership to preach the truth no matter the consequences. There is so much power that is available to us when we take our authority in prayer. It takes away anxiety, fear, doubt, brings healing and putting on his armor to fight the darkness. Elijah with the power of prayer, had God answer by shutting the heavens and prevented rain for three years. Jesus cast out demons, healed the sick and blind, raised the dead with the power of prayer. God doesn’t ask us to understand, comprehend or figure it out, He only asks us to pray and seek his trust (Isaiah 55:8). 

Prayer is talking to God and having a private conversation with him. Prayer should be private and pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly (Matthew 6:5-15). When we speak to our parents about something important we want or need, we do it privately. It is the relationship that is important and God our Heavenly Father knows what we need. That private time of prayer builds a relationship between God and yourself. It gives you strength and faith to know and face any obstacles the devil places in front of you. Jesus prayed to His Father out of love, faith and obedience. Jesus is actually praying for His children. John 17:9, I pray for them. I am not praying for the world but for those you have given me, because they are yours. Jesus the Son of God is praying for our souls and asking in verse 11, Holy Father protect them by your name that you have given me, so that they may be one as we are one. He is literally praying for us in Heaven to be part of the Body of Christ and wants us to join him in his Heavenly kingdom. Does that not tell you itself the importance of prayer! If even the Son of God is praying to his Father, having a conversation and asking to protect us from this world so we may all receive the joy of salvation, we must focus on prayer. Do not worry about what to pray and just begin to speak to your Heavenly Father. Romans 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we do not know what to pray for as we should, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with unspoken groanings. God already knows what we need, so open your heart and the Spirit can do the rest. Prayer can change your heart and your mind. 

The dilemma is that we are taking prayer our most valuable and powerful weapon for granted and choosing distractions hurt our relationship with God.  We are not trusting in the power of prayer and our God to protect us and give us guidance. When most people wake up in America or even the world the first thing they do is grab their phone or turn on the TV to see what is happening in the world. The world does not care what happens to you. Don’t ever say, you don’t have time to pray. The Lord’s Prayer itself is only a minute if even that long. When you wake up, pray! When you get dressed and about to eat breakfast, pray! When you get into your car to drive to work, pray! When you sit at your desk, pray! When you are about to eat, pray! When you get stressed at work, pray! When you get home safely, pray! When you are about to eat dinner, pray. When you get bad news, pray! When you get good news, pray! Have family prayer every evening. When you are about to go to sleep, pray! There is no time during the day you can’t be in the Spirit of Prayer. If Jesus can pray even during his crucifixion we have no excuse. Put the phone down, social media, television and any distraction and do not let it not rob you of your relationship with God. I see people buying all these self-help books, get rich books, prosperity gospel books, yet they neglect the one true book, The Holy Bible. You could read the Bible a 1,000 times yet every time find something new and something guided by the Holy Spirit for you to witness to the world. The world looks at other places for answers, when the real answer is literally in their face. Take your problems, anxiety, sickness, stress, and your fears all to God. The solution is God and Prayer!