Prayer Important Spiritual Discipline Theology Religion Essay

Prayer Important Spiritual Discipline Theology Religion EssayHistorically, a praying church service has been a spirit-filled and consistently maturement church. An example of such a church is found in Acts 2. It is stated in verse 42 They devoted themselves to the apostles article of belief and fellowship, to the breaking of break and the prayers. The people that this verse is talking virtually are the new converts, the three thousand added. Through prayer the apostles asked for the entire house of Israel to sleep with that God has made Jesus Christ Lord and Messiah, and because of this, three thousand converts were added to the group of apostles. The new converts did not pray for a few minutes a day, they devoted themselves to prayer and to being taught by the apostles. Many churches in the postmodern era wonder why they are not growing in crease members, and the truth is because they simply are not asking God for it. It says in Gods Word, You do not have, because you do not ask ( mob 4.2). The church is not growing because it is neglecting the holy communion with the Lord.3Matice 2From Christ, it is expected that Christians leave pray to God. This is seen in the Bible multiple clock times, for example the Lords prayer (Matthew 6.9-15).4This is the prayer that Jesus tells while discourse the Sermon on the Mount to the crowds it is a concise way that shows people how to pray. Another example is found in Luke 18.1, where Jesus tells a parable about how people need to always pray and to not give up on anything. Because Jesus was so forward about the need for prayer, Christians should give bear in mind to prayer time in a more disciplined fashion, and definitely more often. Prayer should ideally be constant communion with God it is never losing sight of the fact that one needs to turn their attention to God.5It is a way that Christians can become more like Christ by disbursal time with Him. It is important that Christians are prayerful people because i f the Holy Spirit were to come into ones life, it would be through prayer, and also because if the Holy Spirit is going to pop off in or through a person, it would start by prayer.6It is also very important that when a Christian is praying, that they are praying in the Spirit. Because the Spirit prays in agreement to the will of God, there is a one hundred percent chance that the prayer will be answered.7Prayer is the key that will open up Gods grace and power.8Ephesians 1.3 asserts that God has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. In instal to get a hold of those gifts and blessings that God has placed within each of us, we must first ask for them with eager desire through prayer.9It isMatice 3confirmed in James The power of the righteous is powerful and effective (James 5.16). In other words, prayer actually works. Prayer brings the power of God into His childrens work. It is a supernatural gift and qualification that can even save peoples souls, as said in 1 John 5.16.10Donald Whitney positively asserts To abandon prayer is to fight the battle with our own resources at best, and to lose interest in the battle at worst.11Without asking for Gods grace during times of struggles or even times of prosperity, they are not fruitful. In order to truly learn how to pray, one needs to meditate on the scriptures. By reading Gods Word, meditating on it, and then praying about what one has meditated on, the Holy Spirit teaches the attendant how to pray.12When we pray, we are speaking to God. It is a privilege to be able to speak to our Maker.It has been so fruitful and productive to study everything about the spiritual discipline of prayer. This twelvemonth I have decided to take a more orthodox view of Lent, and so I have been studying that in my spare time as well. For Lent, I am going to refrain from sleeping in on school days. I am going to wake up at 600 to pray for at least an hour, along with reading the Bible. (good for you Mackenzie) After Christmas this year, when I had come back from my home (in Belgium), as I was jet-lagged, I would be awake at 500 here. I read for several hours and prayed each morning for those few weeks, and they were very productive days and I grew intimately with God. I would like to spiritually discipline myself to be able to wake up early in the morning to be with God, and I hope that He will see the yearning in my spirit and will give me the grace to wake up to pray to Him.