Tag Archives: Prayer

Matthew 18- In Jesus Name

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Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven. For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them. Matthew 18:19-20

Many people often quote Jesus here “Where two or more are gathered in my name, I am in the midst of them” ,  people typically  use this to justify a small Church or Bible study, but is this being used in the true context? The scriptures right before this, in my post “Church Discipline” , Jesus talked about having 2 or 3 witnesses when calling someone out for a sin or violation. This is in reference to the Mosaic Law (Deuteronomy 19:15)

So is saying Christ is with us when there are only 2 or 3 people, No of course not. But it can also be questioned, if we are alone is Christ not with us? Of course, Christ is always with us, the Holy Spirit is living inside of us. So I think the overuse of this phrase “Where 2 or more are gathered” is primarily used out of context, and was meant to reference witnesses for judgment within the Church

Jesus also said “If two of you shall agree on touching anything they ask, it shall be done for them by my Father in Heaven” Now false prosperity teachers have a field day with this, falsely telling people whatever you demand from God , He will give it to you. And then they will tell you , to challenge God and demand that He gives it to you based on Christ words

First of all , demanding things from God is total blasphemy, we should not test The Lord God (Luke 4:12,  Deuteronomy 6:12) Secondly , if we really Love The Lord God with All our mind, soul, and strength (Matthew 22:37) then you would want to do the Will of God (1 John 2:17). A true Born Again Christian is not carnally minded and desiring the lusts of the flesh from God

Context is key when studying the Bible, we can easily “cherry pick” scriptures from the Bible and make them fit our agenda. The key is to read the scriptures in the full context with the entire Chapter, this is why I try to go through the Bible verse by verse in these commentaries, to try and capture the full context of what God is trying to teach us

As Jesus taught us to pray “Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done” (Matthew 5) we should want to be in God’s Will for our lives and not our own will. Humble yourself and follow Christ, Amen!

Matthew 8- The Lepers Prayer

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When he was come down from the mountain, great multitudes followed him. And, behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. And Jesus saith unto him, See thou tell no man; but go thy way, shew thyself to the priest, and offer the gift that Moses commanded, for a testimony unto them. Matthew 8:1-4

Leprosy was a major issue in the 1rst Century, not only physically was it horrible to have the disease, but from a social perspective also. When you had Leprosy, you were essentially cut off from all of society. You couldn’t work, you couldn’t be in the presence of other people. It was a lonely and miserable life for the Lepers. Now you might wonder, how does this relate to you? We might not have physical leprosy, but we all had spiritual leprosy , which is caused by sin. The Bible tells us “We have all sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God” (Romans 3:23) So this includes all of us, until we become Born Again through Jesus Christ

First thing to notice is the faith of the Leper, he went after Christ and worshiped Him. The Leper understood who was the ultimate cure for him, it was Jesus. It wasn’t a mistake or an accident that he encountered The Lord, He came running after Jesus. And he understood who Jesus is, the Son of God, the Christ, the one worthy to be worshiped. Jesus didn’t rebuke the man for worshiping him, because Christ is God in the flesh. If Christ wasn’t God then this would have been idolatry. However this man knew Jesus is God and Christ allowed it

Notice the next thing Jesus does, Christ put forth his hand for the Leper to touch him. This was completely forbidden by the Torah, you can have no interaction with a Leper. However again, Jesus is God, Christ is the Living Torah made flesh, and He allowed the Leper to touch his hand. Notice also Jesus said “Be Clean” , Christ didn’t need to pray to God to heal the man, because Jesus is God

The last thing we see is Jesus told the man, “Don’t tell anyone”, but go to the priest and offer a gift as a testimony” Christ didn’t heal the Leper for fame, in fact he wanted the healing to remain silent until the hour has come that the Son of Man was glorified. We don’t know if the man ever did what Jesus asked, however we know Christ brought a dead man back to life. 

You might have Spiritual Leprosy today, you might still be dead in your sins. You need to run to The Lord and worship Him, Let Christ create you a new Clean Heart and a Clean Mind, become Born Again by the Holy Spirit Amen!

Luke 22- Thy Will Be Done

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And he came out, and went, as he was wont, to the mount of Olives; and his disciples also followed him. And when he was at the place, he said unto them, Pray that ye enter not into temptation.And he was withdrawn from them about a stone’s cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done. Luke 39-42

If you are ever wondering how much Jesus loves you, read these scriptures today and find out. The hour has come for the Son of Man to go to the cross and be the atonement for our sins. If you want to know how horrific this event was, just read the words of Jesus. Knowing that he was going to be brutally beaten and nailed to a wooden cross, but He went through it in obedience to our Heavenly Father and because He loves you this much!

Jesus prayed “Father , if you’re willing , remove this cup from me” We sometimes forgot Christ was in human form, he felt all the pain we feel, he endured all the torment giving to him. But notice Jesus said “Its not my will, but Your Will be done” Jesus was obedient , even to the point of death (Philippians 2) We can learn from our Lord also, its not our will be done, but Gods will be done!

And there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him. And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. And when he rose up from prayer, and was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. Luke 22:43-46

Notice it says Jesus was agonizing over the thought of going to the cross, that he was sweating blood. Could you imagine the pain and anxiety that must have been going through The Lord’s mind? Knowing you are going to be rejected by your own people, knowing you will be beaten severely to almost the point of death, and then nailed to a wooden cross to be mocked and ridiculed.  However Jesus still went through with it, Christ defeated sin and death by being obedient to God and crushing the head of Satan

Where were Jesus’ own disciples at this time? They were asleep, just like the Church is today. As Jesus said to his disciples, the same message goes for the Church today, “Pray that you don’t enter into temptation” We see the power of prayer here by Christ, as He prayed to the Father, as he prayed for his disciples, prayer should be at the center of all of our lives

Reflect upon what Jesus has done for You! Christ went to the cross to redeem you from eternal damnation. Worthy is The Lamb! Thy Will Be Done! Amen!

Luke 18- Pray Without Ceasing

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And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. Luke 18:1-5

Today Jesus teaches us the parable of the persistent widow, and notice Jesus is applying this story to the principle of our prayer life. There was a widow and kept pleading to a judge for justice, and eventually even though the judge didn’t care about the widow or justice, he was sick of hearing the widow so he granted her wish

Jesus said “We should always pray and not faint” meaning never stop pleading your petitions and requests to God. Knock and the door will be opened, ask it you shall receive, we need to learn to “Pray without Ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:1618)as the Apostle Paul taught us also. It’s common for us to say a quick prayer and give up or expect instant results but God is working in ways you don’t even know at the time

And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth? Luke 18:6-8

Jesus said “If the unjust judge is willing to bring justice, then imagine God will bring justice to His elect” Now we must always understand everything must be in alignment with the will of God, and Jesus said justice was for God’s elect. Are you Born Again through Jesus Christ? This is the only way you can become a Child of God and receive salvation

Jesus ends with a question “When the Son of Man returns, will he find faith on earth?” Interesting Christ ends with talking about his return and who will remain in faith? Lots of people lose their faith when God doesn’t do what they want, this is not true faith! Put your full trust and hope in Jesus, that’s true faith. 

Maybe you have been praying about something for a long time, keep praying without ceasing! Keep seeking the truth, keep knocking on the door, keep praying to the only one who can deliver you Amen!

Acts 12- Pray Without Ceasing Part 2

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And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door, and saw him, they were astonished. But he, beckoning unto them with the hand to hold their peace, declared unto them how the Lord had brought him out of the prison. And he said, Go shew these things unto James, and to the brethren. And he departed, and went into another place  Acts 12:15-17

As we continue to look at God’s deliverance of Peter from prison, when Peter went back to the where the disciples were staying, at first they didn’t believe it was him. So Peter kept knocking and when they saw him, they were astonished. And Peter gave glory to God how he literally rescued him from prison

Remember this was all possible because the Church continued to pray for Peter without ceasing. They never forgot Peter or any of their brothers or sisters. The power of prayer is a tool missing from the Church today!

Now as soon as it was day, there was no small stir among the soldiers, what was become of Peter. And when Herod had sought for him, and found him not, he examined the keepers, and commanded that they should be put to death. And he went down from Judaea to Caesarea, and there abode.  Acts 12:18-19

When King Herod discovered Peter was missing, he was not happy. In fact he executed all the guards who were involved in that day. Herod thought he was going to execute Peter and display his power, however God displayed he is still in control. After this event Herods whole reign came crashing down. 

And immediately the angel of the Lord smote him, because he gave not God the glory: and he was eaten of worms, and gave up the ghost. Acts 12:23

Herod declared himself a god and the true living God showed him who was really in charge. The angel of The Lord killed Herod because of his blasphemy, and just like that King Herod was worm food. Time for people to humble themselves and truly understand who is in control

Peter’s deliverance from prison was a miracle and it strengthened the Church, it says “The Word of God continued to spread and multiply” Even under persecution the Church continues to flourish Amen!

Acts 12- Pray Without Ceasing Part 1

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Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands. Acts 12:5-7

Persecution of The Church continued, as we read earlier in the Chapter, James the brother of John, was killed by Herod. The religious leaders were looking to wipe out the Christians, so they had Peter arrested by Herod also. But the religious leaders didnt realize once again, they were not fighting against the Christians, they were fighting against God Almighty.

God sent an angel and rescued Peter from prison. Notice it says “The Church prayed without ceasing for Peter” Prayer works, Prayer matters! One of the failures of the modern day Church is the removal of prayer meetings. Imagine if Christians gathered today daily and prayed together! 

And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did. And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. Acts 12:8-10

Peter had no idea what was going on, he thought maybe he was dreaming or seeing a vision, but he put his trust in God and was obedient to the angels commands. Little did he realize , this was a real angel in his presence following God’s commands. Often we might not understand God’s will, but we must remain obedient

And when Peter was come to himself, he said, Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews And when he had considered the thing, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark; where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate. Acts 12:11-14

Notice when Peter got to the disciples house, what were they doing? Praying! , probably praying for Peter, see how that works! Eventually Peter realized what was going on, God had rescued him with a real angel. Can we relate, sometimes God helps us and we have to look back and say “That was God” 

Notice it says “many were gathered together praying” the early Christians prayed for each other without ceasing! The news of Peter’s deliverance was about to be announced, the Church needs to get back to its greatest weapon, prayer! Pray without ceasing, Pray for each other daily, in Jesus name Amen!

Acts 4- Believers Prayer

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And being let go, they went to their own company, and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said unto them. And when they heard that, they lifted up their voice to God with one accord, and said, Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord, and against his Christ. Acts 4:23-26

 Again the Apostle Peter quotes the Old Testament (Psalm 2) to show how Jesus is the fulfillment of Christ. As prophesied by David and all the prophets of the Old Testament, Jesus fulfilled all things. When the religious leaders were challenged by the Apostles, they had no response because you can’t deny the Word of God and everything that was fulfilled by Jesus

The religious leaders were trying to make examples of the Apostles by challenging them but what they actually did was strengthen the faith of the Christian believers. If the religious leaders couldn’t even disprove that Jesus is The Christ, then who would? Nobody because Jesus fulfilled the entire Old Testament!

For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together,For to do whatsoever thy hand and thy counsel determined before to be done. And now, Lord, behold their threatenings: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word, By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus. Acts 4:27-30

What made the Apostles preach with such boldness? Why were they willing to give up everything for the movement and even willing to lose their life for Christ? Because they knew Jesus is The Lord and it was reinforced by the signs and wonders performed by Christ and the Apostles through the Holy Spirit!

And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with boldness. And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. Acts 4:31-32

Notice after the Church prayed together in unity, they were filled with the Holy Spirit. They preached the gospel with boldness and they took care of each other as a family, as the body of Christ was meant to

May your faith be strengthened by the words of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the signs and wonders God performed through him and the Holy Spirit. May the Church be united and strengthened in Jesus Name Amen!

John 17- The Prayers of Jesus – Part 3

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Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word;That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. John 17:20-23

Today we look at the 3rd and final prayer by Jesus in this chapter, this prayer is for all Christians including You! As Jesus states “For them which shall believe on Me”, so this prayer is for the Born Again Believers in Christ. Isn’t it comforting knowing that The Lord is actually praying for you!

Jesus’ prayer is about unity in God, as Jesus is one with the Father, we are to be One with Christ and the world may know Jesus through us. The Triunity of God is still perplexing to us, then add that we the Church are also the Body of Christ and one with God, yet we are all separate people. Its a beautiful mystery that has been pondered for centuries

Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:24-26

Jesus is praying that we follow Gods Will, Jesus wants “Those who God has given him” to be with Him where he is, where is that? I believe it’s wherever Jesus may be now, we may be with him at that moment. RIght now Christ is in Heaven but eventually will come back to reestablish God’s Kingdom. We will be with him at all times, as his sheep

Jesus prays that Gods love is inside of us, we can’t be the Light and the Salt if we are filled with darkness. We know this world is evil, and its difficult many days to even socialize with people, but we need to be the Salt and Light as Jesus commanded, hiding under a basket does the Light no good

O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. And I have declared unto them thy name, and will declare it: that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them, and I in them. John 17:25-26

We are the Body of Christ and Jesus is living inside of us, we need to be his hands and feet in this world. I know it sounds cliche but we need to do more as Christians, stop arguing on social media and get off the couch!  

John 17- Prayers of Jesus- Part 2

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I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of the world: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thy word. Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee. For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have received them, and have known surely that I came out from thee, and they have believed that thou didst send me. I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me; for they are thine. And all mine are thine, and thine are mine; and I am glorified in them.  John 17:6-10

Here in Chapter 17 we see Jesus said 3 prayers, today we are taking a look at the second prayer for the Apostles. First thing to notice is these Apostles were chosen by God as Jesus said “The men which you (Father) gave me” These 12 Apostles were not randomly chosen , just as you are not randomly chosen. When God calls you by name, its for a reason and purpose

Jesus prays for the Apostles and not for the world, why? Because the world doesn’t abide in Christ, the world rejects Christ. We need to understand unless you are Born Again, you are in total separation of God. You are dead in your sins and don’t have a mediator with the Father. This is why you need to become Born Again!

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are. While I was with them in the world, I kept them in thy name: those that thou gavest me I have kept, and none of them is lost, but the son of perdition; that the scripture might be fulfilled. And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves. I have given them thy word; and the world hath hated them, because they are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. John 17:11-14

Notice Jesus said “None of them is lost except the Son of Perdition (Judas), so that the scripture might be fulfilled” Many people use Judas as an example we can “lose our salvation” but Jesus says he purposely allowed Judas to stray to fulfill prophecy. Jesus said “He didnt lose anyone that was given to him” 

We see people “lose their faith” all the time but its clear they were never “In Christ” to begin with. Jesus doesn’t lose any of his sheep , and his sheep don’t reject their Shepherd. Process that as you will

I pray not that thou shouldest take them out of the world, but that thou shouldest keep them from the evil. They are not of the world, even as I am not of the world. Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. John 17:15-19

Jesus said “The world will hate us because of him” but asked they we are not taken out of the world but be protected by evil. Now when we look at the Apostles lives, it didn’t end well for any of them. As all but John were killed for their faith, and historians say they tried to kill John but was miraculously saved, most likely to write the book of Revelation

Speaking of Revelation , Jesus says “ They will not be hurt by the Second Death” (Revelation 2:11) This is probably what Jesus was talking about in this prayer here. We look at this from a temporal perspective and say “The Apostles were persecuted and killed therefore God has failed” however to keep the Apostles from the first death was never his intention to begin with, as we all are going to die the first death regardless if we are persecuted or not

Jesus is talking about the eternal Kingdom of God, keep the Apostles from the Second Death which is eternal Hell. We need to look at things through Gods eyes and not our own eyes Amen!

John 17- Prayers of Jesus Part 1

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These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee: As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. John 17:1-2

In this Chapter we see Jesus prayed 3 distinct prayers, the first one was for himself that God may be glorified by the works performed by Christ. The second prayer was for the Apostles and the third prayer was for all believers

Notice God has given Jesus power over everyone and eternal life is only possible through Christ. The question for you is Jesus glorified in everything you do? Everything Jesus went through, from the manger, to the persecution, to the cross, to the tomb, was to glorify the Son of God. Everything that we say and do should be to glorify Jesus Christ!

And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. John 17:3-4

Why did Jesus come to Earth to do the things he did? Christ came to finish the works required to give us eternal life. Jesus became our Passover Lamb, Jesus became the ransom for our sin, and Jesus defeated sin and death forever!

Jesus provided the Way for salvation, not just for Israel but also the world who receives him. Jesus said “That they might know the only true God” without Christ we could never know the true God. 

And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. John 17:5

Jesus was and is the Son of God before the world even existed. Christ didnt begin at the Manger in Bethlehem, Jesus is eternal and came down to Earth in human form to save us from our sins!

Even though Jesus lives among us, the world didn’t even recognize him, to the point the world killed the Son of God. If this doesn’t demonstrate the depravity of mankind, then your blind

In all you do, glorify our Lord Jesus Christ, which every knee will bow in Heaven, and Earth , and In Hell Amen!