祈禱是每個重生基督徒生活的重要組成部分, 跟隨聖靈而行的人. That’s because born again Christians are aware of the importance of prayer and can’t live without prayer. They make time and set time apart to pray, because prayer has the highest priority in the lives of believers. A believer without a prayer life is like a dried-up creek. Let’s look at the secret prayer life of the believer.
A prayer life out of duty or love?
When you love someone, you want to be with that person and spend time with that person. Many believers say they love the Lord, but how come that many don’t have time and don’t make time to spend together with the Lord in prayer? 有很多信徒, who consider prayer a religious duty.
Many times they don’t have a desire to spend time with the Father and force themselves to pray. They’ll pray for a few minutes and then stop and continue with their daily matters.
They pray when they wake up, before they eat, and before they go to bed, and consider that their prayer life.
They think that this kind of prayer life is sufficient and that they have fulfilled their religious obligation. But is a prayer life out of duty something that the Father desires?
How would you feel, when a friend comes to visit you out of duty, instead of enjoying spending time with you together, because your friend loves you?
How would you feel when people only want to spend time with you and hang out with you, in order to receive something from you? Instead of wanting to hang out with you because they love you, for who you are?
I don’t think, that you would like that. Because you would know that the person doesn’t really love you, but only spend time with you because they want something from you or out of duty to ease their mind and not being accused in their conscience.
與神也是一樣. God knows the heart of people. God knows exactly, who spends time with Him and have a prayer life out of duty or to get something from Him or spends time with Him and have a prayer life out of love.
God knows your heart
天曉得, whose heart is devoted to Him and whose heart is devoted to the world. You can say and sing that you love Him. And you can piously keep the commandments of the Bible in front of other people. But your speech, 走, and the works you do, even behind closed doors, testify if you really love him or that what you say are just empty words and dead works
There’s nothing hidden from our Almighty God; He sees everything! There’s no heart hidden from God. God is not waiting for pious people, whose hearts don’t go out to Him and His Kingdom, but go out to the world and the kingdom of darkness.
Maybe a person can hide his or her true heart for the carnal believers, 誰跟隨肉. But his or her true heart will not be hidden for God and those, 誰是從他生的. Because the Holy Spirit discerns real from fake.
The prayer life of the believer
Every believer should have a personal prayer life and should set time apart to spend together in prayer with the Father. When a person repents and becomes born again in Christ, it could be that the person must make an effort to subordinate the flesh to the spirit. Because the flesh has always reigned in the person’s life and the flesh doesn’t want to pray. The flesh wants to be fed and be entertained with the carnal things of this world. 這是, 所以, necessary to discipline yourself and set time apart to pray.
現在, you might think: “hey, wait a minute. Prayer should not be forced, but must be out of free will. I don’t like religion and legalism, I want to have a relationship with Jesus and the Father.」 The answer to this is: yes and no.
當然, you should have a personal relationship with Jesus and the Father, 藉著聖靈, instead of a mechanical relationship. But….. many believers underestimate the power of the flesh, which is still present and controls the life of a new born again believer (另請閱讀: ‘技術信仰').
You shouldn’t forget that all those years, before a person 悔改, the flesh has been fed and suddenly a person decides to not feed the flesh anymore. Do you think that the flesh will agree with the decision of the person? 不, 當然不是! The flesh will whine, whimper and beg until the flesh gets what it wants.
The flesh strives against the spirit
The spirit wants to spend time with the Father and wants to focus on the things of His Kingdom, but the flesh doesn’t want to do that. The flesh rebels, because the flesh doesn’t want to die, but wants to be fed with the things of this world and stay alive.
The flesh knows, that as soon as the flesh is not fed anymore, the flesh will eventually die. That’s why it’s important to stop listening to your flesh and stop feeding your flesh and let your spirit take control and reign in your life instead.
有很多信徒, who spend hours in front of the 電視, on their phone, behind the (賭博)電腦, or spend their time to all kinds of (社會的) activities and hobbies, but are not able to spend 5 到 10 minutes a day in prayer and spend 5 到 10 minutes in the Word.
They confess that they are 重生, but they stay carnal and don’t walk after the spirit, 但在肉體之後. Because their flesh dictates their lives.
Everyone wants to be like Jesus and do the same signs, 奇蹟, and miracles, He did. But not everyone is willing to pay the same price and live the same life like Jesus.
If your love for Jesus and the Father is not greater than the love for the world and your ‘self’ then you will not be able to stand. But you shall eventually succumb to the pressure of the world. Because the world doesn’t like the Word and rebels against every word, 寫在聖經中的.
If the Word and the Holy Spirit live inside of you, you will be persecuted by those, 誰屬於世界 (系統) and are led by the spirits of this world.
Since many churches have allowed the spirits of this world to enter and the devil has established his throne 在許多教堂, you may even experience persecutions from within your church.
The more time you spend with the Father and the more time you spend in the Word, the better you will get to know Him and the more you will love Him. Your love shall not decrease but increase. And because your love shall increase, you shall want to spend more and more time with Him.
Praying in tongues edifies the spirit
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God (羅馬書 8:26-27)
Praying in the Spirit, which is praying in tongues is necessary. Because the Spirit helps your infirmities and edifies your spirit. Praying in tongues is not meant for carnal manifestations, like goosebumps and experiencing pleasant feelings. But praying in tongues is needed to reveal those things, which are hidden, so that you can pray for those things.
If you don’t know how to pray and start praying in tongues, then the Holy Spirit will give you the words to speak, 根據他的遺囑. Your spirit shall be edified and your spiritual insights, 知識, and wisdom shall increase. You shall receive revelations from the Word and get insights.
聖靈知道上帝的深處
聖靈知道上帝的深處. He knows what’s in God and man and He reveals the hidden treasures. He even reveals in your own life which areas of your life are not fully committed and devoted to the Lord yet.
It’s important for every believer to know, that when you were 受洗 with the Holy Spirit, you have received the Holy Spirit in all fullness and not just parts of Him. But what has been taken place in the spiritual realm, must become visible in the natural realm. This process is called sanctification; 推遲老人 和 穿上新人. The more the spirit of the new man is fed, the more the flesh of the old man will die.
How do you pray?
There are preachers and teachers, who teach prayer methods, 科技, 和策略. 他們說, that if you pray the right way and use the right prayer methods and strategies, you will receive what you ask for. 但事實是, that there are no prayer methods, 科技, and strategies for answered prayers. What they teach is called manipulation.
不幸, 有很多信徒, who have fallen for these lies and through these false doctrines they have developed a mechanical prayer life, whereby their prayers no longer revolves around their personal spiritual relationship with God, but a carnal mechanical relationship, that revolves around manipulation and receiving things from God, especially material blessings and prosperity.
他們是那些, who cry out the loudest. 他們是那些, who say that it’s not about religion and legalism, but about a relationship. While in the meantime they are the ones, who pray according to complicated prayer technics and prayer methods, which are written in their prayer manual.
They are more focused upon their use of words and more concerned about their prayer techniques and prayer methods, than taking time to kneel down and listen to what the Father has to say to them in secret. Many times God never gets the chance to answer, because the prayer is already finished before it has even started.
What does Jesus say about prayer life?
當你祈禱時, 你不是因為偽君子是: 因為他們喜歡祈禱站在猶太教堂和街道的角落, 他們可以看到男人. 我實在告訴你, 他們有回報 (馬修 6:5)
Jesus said a few things about prayer. He began by commanding His disciples to not follow the examples of the hypocrites; the religious actors of the stage of life. They wanted to be seen and heard by the people in the synagogues and on the corners of the street. 但是耶穌說, that they already had received their reward.
有很多人, who have the same character and also want to be respected and worshiped by people. These people want to stand out and be seen by others. 在別人面前, they pray long beautiful carnal prayers. They use emotional words that move people’s feelings and emotions. They present themselves as experts in the area of prayer and move the people’s emotions and feelings. 但現實中, they fool them.
“Pray to the Father which is in secret”
但是你, 當你祈禱時, 進入你的壁櫥, 當你關上你的門時, 向秘密的父親祈禱; 秘密看見的父親將公開獎勵你 (馬修 6:6)
Jesus commanded His disciples that when they would pray, they should enter into their closet and shut the door, and pray to the Father, who is in secret. 所以, despite the fact that you are continuously united in the spirit, through the Holy Spirit with Jesus and the Father, it’s important to set time apart and spend time in prayer with the Father.
Jesus commanded this to His disciples, 誰仍然是舊的作品. But Jesus was the new Creation and Jesus withdrew Himself often to spend time with the Father. Therefore if Jesus spent time in prayer with the Father, we should follow-up His example. 就像耶穌一樣, we should spend time with the Father in secret.
但是當你們祈禱時, 不使用徒勞的重複, 就像異教徒一樣: 因為他們認為他們會因他們的講話而被聽到. 因此不要像他們一樣: 因為你父親知道你們需要什麼, 在問他之前 (馬修 6:6-8)
When you pray, don’t use vain repetitions as the heathen pray to their god(s). Because God hears and knows everything. God knows you and He knows exactly what you want and need, even before you have asked Him. God knows your thought and your heart.
What did Jesus say about prayer?
我們的父親天堂裡的藝術, 神聖的名字. 你的王國來了. 你將在地球上完成, 就像在天堂一樣. 給我們這一天我們的每日麵包. 並原諒我們的債務, 當我們原諒債務人時. 並導致我們沒有誘惑, 但是使我們脫離邪惡: 因為你是王國, 和力量, 和榮耀, 永遠. 阿們 (馬修 6:9-13, 路克 11:2-4)
This is the prayer, which Jesus gave to His disciples. When we look at this prayer, we see a total devotion and submission to God the Father. We see an acknowledging for who He is.
乙
verything revolves around God; His Name be hallowed, His Kingdom come, 祂的旨意必成就 in earth, 就像在天堂一樣.
This means that the Church shall live according to 他的意志 and obey His Word and do what He has commanded to do.
Believers shall no longer murmur, 抱怨和抱怨. But they shall submit themselves to God and no longer do their own will, but do His will. 就像耶穌一樣, when He prayed in the 客西馬尼園: “不是我的意志, but Your will be done.」 Because to God is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever.
What believers should pray for, is their daily bread, the forgiveness of debts (罪), and to not lead them into 誘惑, but deliver them from evil.
Jesus even continued regarding the forgiveness of sins (debts). He said that if a believer forgives his debtor, then the Father will also forgive Him. Forgiving a debtor means, that when someone does you wrong and mistreat you, you must forgive him or her. Because if you don’t forgive, then the Father will also not forgive you (另請閱讀: ‘The secret of forgiveness’).
Jesus even says, that you should pray for those, who despitefully use you (mistreat you, insult you, humiliate you, hurt you, falsely accuse you (路克 6:28))
What about obstacles?
The Word gives some reasons why prayers are not answered. But if you are a born-again believer, who prays and walks after the Spirit and 服從 the Word and lives after His will, and has a personal relationship with Jesus and the Father, then all these obstacles will be removed, because the obstacles that hinder prayers are in the flesh.
He that turns away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination (箴言 28:9)
And all things, 你們應在祈禱中問什麼, 相信, ye shall receive (without faith, you will not receive (馬修 21:22, 馬克 11:24))
同樣地, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered. (1 彼得 3:7)
You fight and war, 但是你們還沒有, 因為你們不問. 你們問, 並且沒有收到, 因為你們問害蟲, 你們可能會在你的慾望上消耗它 (詹姆斯 4:2-3)
當你的精神統治, you shall no longer pray carnal prayers, full of begging and pleading for all kinds of carnal provisions and supplies.
反而, you shall apply the spiritual weapons for the Kingdom of God. You will pray offensive and speak the words of God with authority. You’ll no longer be focused upon yourself but on the Kingdom of God.
You shall no longer pray as the 古老的肉體創造, who is placed beneath the authority of spiritual principalities, 統治者, and powers of the kingdom of darkness. But you shall pray as the new creation, 誰是 坐在耶穌基督里, above all principalities, 統治者, and powers of darkness, and prays after the will of God.
That’s why it’s important to know God’s will and to know what He says about certain matters, so that you pray after God’s will and not after your own will and the will of the world and pray humanistic carnal prayers, which derive from your feelings and emotions.
What if prayers are not answered?
你做什麼工作, when prayers, which are after God’s will, are not answered? If prayers are not answered immediately, don’t panic. Because then it’s all about, if you really believe in the Word and trust God. Do you trust His Word? Do you believe that His Word is the truth? If you trust Him and believe that His Word is the truth, you shall stand on the Word and persevere.
一旦疑問試圖進入您的腦海, command it to leave. Because if you don’t command it to leave, but listen to the doubt and feed upon it and obey it, by deviating from the words of God, you show that you do not really believe the Word. Because if you did, you wouldn’t doubt the words of God and deviate from His words. When you choose to believe the doubt above the words of God and act upon it, you will depart from the faith.
But if you keep standing on the Word and persevere, you show that you believe God and that you trust Him. The more time you spend with Him, the more you will get to know Him. The more you will get to know Him, the more you will trust Him. Because how can you trust someone, if you don’t know the person personally and experientially, but only know the person by name or through others?
Therefore trust God, spend time with God and He shall reveal His 計劃 and will to you. The more time you spend and the more you obey His Word and live according to His will and trust Him, the more He shall trust you and entrust you with the things of the Kingdom. But before He can do that, you must be reliable and deal with the things of the Kingdom with integrity.
‘成為地球之鹽’
