Intentional Growth 2 (Prayer) from Refreshing Hope Ministries on Vimeo.

The Sermon on the Mount that Jesus gave is a goldmine of information. It is like the beating heart of my Bible. It spans 3 chapters, Matthew 5 through 7. I created a playlist of it and put it on repeat to listen to it all day while working, and I learn new things consistently.

To prepare us for our upcoming corporate fast in April, I plan to cover some basics about fasting. To review the fundamentals in a fresh light. I will be teaching a lot from Matthew 5 through 7, so you may want to read those chapters.

Jesus spoke about the beatitudes, discipleship, personal relationships, giving, prayer, fasting, anxiety, judging others, foundations, and much more.

Three things are instructions that begin with, "when you..." 1. When you give 2. When you pray 3. When you fast. He assumed that His disciples would do all three, and He tells us how. Then, He talks about anxiety. The worries Jesus mentions are almost the direct opposite of what He just taught.

(Matthew 6:31–33 NASB)  "Do not worry then, saying, 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear for clothing?' "For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. "But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.

When you begin to fast, you will not be worried about what you will eat. When you learn to give, you will not be concerned about clothing. When you pray and seek the Lord, all these things are going to be added to you. When you pray, give, and fast, the peace of God is going to increase in your life, and anxiety will begin to leave. 

Today, I want to talk about prayer, talking to God. So simple, yet so profound. In short, many of us talk too much and fail to listen to the Holy Spirit's directions. When we fail to listen, our own life suffers because we will not receive the reward He intended, and those who He wanted us to bless, miss out as well. The body of Christ doesn't work correctly when parts of it don't listen to the Mind.

There has to be clear communication for a relationship to thrive, and that is what prayer is. Talking to God and listening for His response. Look how David conversed with the Lord:

(1 Samuel 23:1–5 NKJV)  Then they told David, saying, "Look, the Philistines are fighting against Keilah, and they are robbing the threshing floors." Therefore David inquired of the LORD, saying, "Shall I go and attack these Philistines?" And the LORD said to David, "Go and attack the Philistines, and save Keilah." But David's men said to him, "Look, we are afraid here in Judah. How much more then if we go to Keilah against the armies of the Philistines?" Then David inquired of the LORD once again. And the LORD answered him and said, "Arise, go down to Keilah. For I will deliver the Philistines into your hand." And David and his men went to Keilah and fought with the Philistines, struck them with a mighty blow, and took away their livestock. So David saved the inhabitants of Keilah.

David asked the Lord a question and then listened for an answer. He discussed it with his men, who were not too keen on the Lord's idea. So David went back and asked the Lord a second time for confirmation, and the Lord answered him with more detailed instructions. David then moved forward and successfully did what the Lord asked him to.

This is the way. It is a conversation where we make our needs known and ask our questions, but give Him a chance to respond. He does not cut us off nor does He try and speak over us. As long as we are praying, He will be silent.

So pray, but occasionally stop and listen. When you pray, you are saying what you already know. It is when you listen that you receive something new. Also, it is an excellent practice to keep a journal and write down what you hear so you can look back on it later. Many things only make sense when looking back on it.

We are to pray and make our requests known to God and not "assume" that He will just take care of it. Paul wrote:

(Philippians 4:6–7 NKJV) "Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus."

Jabez prayed, and God gave him what he asked:

(1 Chronicles 4:10 NKJV) "And Jabez called on the God of Israel saying, "Oh, that You would bless me indeed, and enlarge my territory, that Your hand would be with me, and that You would keep me from evil, that I may not cause pain!" So God granted him what he requested."

Jesus taught His disciples to pray always and not give up:

(Luke 18:1 NKJV) "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart."

Job went through a horrible test and lost all of his children, livestock, and crops. Yet, when he took a moment and prayed for his friends, God reversed his situation and gave him double of what he previously had:

(Job 42:10 NKJV) "And the LORD restored Job's losses when he prayed for his friends. Indeed the LORD gave Job twice as much as he had before."

The Lord is always seeking those who will stand in the gap for others. Ezekiel wrote:

(Ezekiel 22:30 NKJV) "So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one."

When God had enough of Sodom and Gomorrah, Abraham interceded for them. He moved God to spare the city if 50 righteous people were in it, then 45, then 40, 30, 20, 10. Then Abraham stopped. God went as far as a man would ask Him to.

Jesus sometimes spent all night in prayer. Luke wrote:

(Luke 6:12 NKJV) "Now it came to pass in those days that He went out to the mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."

Praying is simply talking to God. The more that you do it, the easier that it will become. God invites us to pray, and you should make it a part of your life every day. When you pray, take a moment to listen, for sometimes the Lord may speak back. Remember, Jesus said: "My sheep hear My voice." Key takeaways: pray, listen, journal.

You can pray this with me if you like:

Prayer: Heavenly Father, please prepare my heart to seek You like never before. Prepare me for a season of intentional growth. I ask that You draw my heart to You and reveal Yourself to me in a special way. Revive us, O Lord. In the name of Jesus Christ, I pray. Amen!