The Joyful Heart by Jim Hughes: Prayer

Tuesday, December 13, 2011

Prayer Of Faith

I just prayed the prayer of faith over my dog Junior. He’s been under the weather today and he turned down a dog biscuit. He never turns down dog biscuits. He does flips for dog biscuits. So I knew something was wrong! When things go wrong the Holy Spirit comes to our aid to pray the perfect prayer because we don’t know how or what to pray. Praise God! I need the Holy Spirit’s help when I pray, how ‘bout you? – Jim

Romans 8:26

(MSG)

The moment we get tired in the waiting, God's Spirit is right alongside helping us along. If we don't know how or what to pray, it doesn't matter. He does our praying in and for us, making prayer out of our wordless sighs, our aching groans. He knows us far better than we know ourselves, knows our pregnant condition, and keeps us present before God. That's why we can be so sure that every detail in our lives of love for God is worked into something good.

I just can’t take the credit when it comes to crisis’s in my life as if I know what to pray!

(AMP)

So too the [Holy] Spirit comes to our aid and bears us up in our weakness; for we do not know what prayer to offer nor how to offer it worthily as we ought, but the Spirit Himself goes to meet our supplication and pleads in our behalf with unspeakable yearnings and groanings too deep for utterance.

But there is one caveat, ALWAYS pray in faith believing what you pray for will come true!

James 1:5-8

(AMP)

5 If any of you is deficient in wisdom, let him ask of the giving God [Who gives] to everyone liberally and ungrudgingly, without reproaching or faultfinding, and it will be given him.

6 Only it must be in faith that he asks with no wavering (no hesitating, no doubting). For the one who wavers (hesitates, doubts) is like the billowing surge out at sea that is blown hither and thither and tossed by the wind.

7 For truly, let not such a person imagine that he will receive anything [he asks for] from the Lord,

8 [For being as he is] a man of two minds (hesitating, dubious, irresolute), [he is] unstable and unreliable and uncertain about everything [he thinks, feels, decides].

So let’s stop being wishy-washy with our prayers

James 5:14-16

(AMP)

14 Is anyone among you sick? He should call in the church elders (the spiritual guides). And they should pray over him, anointing him with oil in the Lord's name.

15 And the prayer [that is] of faith will save him who is sick, and the Lord will restore him;

16 The effectual fervent <G1754> prayer <G1162> of a righteous man <G1342> availeth <G2480> much <G4183>.

[the effectual fervent, hot-to-boiling, prayer]

Greek Strong's Number: 1754

Greek Word: ἐνεργέω

Transliteration: energeō

Phonetic Pronunciation:

en-erg-eh'-o

Root: from <G1756>

Cross Reference: TDNT - 2:652,251

Part of Speech: v

Vine's Words: Effectual, Work, Wrought

Usage Notes:

English Words used in KJV:

work 12
show forth (one's) self 2
wrought 1
be effectual 1
effectually work 1
effectual fervent 1
work effectually in 1
be might in 1
to do 1
[Total Count: 21]

from <G1756> (energes); to be active, efficient :- do, (be) effectual (fervent), be mighty in, shew forth self, work (effectually in).

ζεστός

Greek Strong's Number: 2200

Greek Word: ζεστός

Transliteration: zestos

Phonetic Pronunciation:

dzes-tos'

Root: from <G2204>

Cross Reference: TDNT - 2:876,296

Part of Speech: adj

Vine's Words: Hot

Usage Notes:

English Words used in KJV:

hot 3
[Total Count: 3]

from <G2204> (zeo); boiled, i.e. (by implication) calid (figurative fervent) :- hot.

—Strong's Talking Greek & Hebrew Dictionary

So, the Lord wants us either hot or cold:

Rev 3:15-16

(KJV)

15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. 16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

References:

King James Version (KJV)—Public Domain/ 1604, King James I of

England

Wednesday, November 9, 2011

Deep Calls To Deep

Are you down in the dumps? Remember everything you know about God; then you will be singing with Him songs in the night! – Jim

Psalms 42:6-8 I rehearse everything I know of you

(MSG)

When my soul is in the dumps, I rehearse

everything I know of you,

From

Jordan

depths to Hermon heights,

including Mount Mizar.

Chaos calls to chaos,

to the tune of whitewater rapids.

Your breaking surf, your thundering breakers

crash and crush me.

Then God promises to love me all day,

sing songs all through the night!

My life is God's prayer.

(AMP)

⁶O my God, my life is cast down upon me [and I find the burden more than I can bear]; therefore will I [earnestly] remember You from the land of the

Jordan

[River] and the [summits of Mount] Hermon, from the little mountain Mizar.

⁷[Roaring] deep calls to [roaring] deep at the thunder of Your waterspouts; all Your breakers and Your rolling waves have gone over me.

⁸Yet the Lord will command His loving-kindness in the daytime, and in the night His song shall be with me, a prayer to the God of my life.

(NLT)

6 my God!

Now I am deeply discouraged,

but I will remember you—

even from distant Mount Hermon, the source of the

Jordan

from the land of Mount Mizar.

7 I hear the tumult of the raging seas

as your waves and surging tides sweep over me.

8 But each day the Lord pours his unfailing love upon me,

and through each night I sing his songs,

praying to God who gives me life.

(NLV)

⁶ O my God, my soul is troubled within me. So I remember You from the land of the

Jordan

and the tops of Hermon, from Mount Mizar. ⁷ Sea calls to sea at the sound of Your waterfalls. All Your waves have rolled over me. ⁸ The Lord will send His loving-kindness in the day. And His song will be with me in the night, a prayer to the God of my life.

(CPV)

So take another look at him who put up with so much opposition from “the good-people-of-this-town.” It’ll keep you from getting blue and down in the dumps. After all, you haven’t stood up to the point of shedding any of your blood in the struggle against sin. Perhaps you should recall the passage which refers to you as “sons”:

“My son, don’t minimize the value of a celestial spanking,

And don’t let it get you down when you’re bawled out from on high.

For the Lord has got to love you to spank you,

And he uses the belt on only a son.”

Hebrews 12:3 Think, Study, Rehearse

(GNT)

Think of what he went through; how he put up with so much hatred from sinners! So do not let yourselves become discouraged and give up.

(MSG)

Keep your eyes on Jesus, who both began and finished this race we're in. Study how he did it. Because he never lost sight of where he was headed. . .

(AMP)

Just think of Him Who endured from sinners such grievous opposition and bitter hostility against Himself [reckon up and consider it all in comparison with your trials], so that you may not grow weary or exhausted, losing heart and relaxing and fainting in your minds.

2 Timothy 2:15 Study to show yourself—so you, yourself will know!

(KJV)

Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

(AMP)

Study and be eager and do your utmost to present yourself to God approved (tested by trial), a workman who has no cause to be ashamed, correctly analyzing and accurately dividing [rightly handling and skillfully teaching] the Word of Truth.

(CPV)

Now as for you, son, take your stand on the things you’ve learned and have been assured of, recognizing that you’ve studied various subjects and that from infancy you have known the Holy Scriptures which can wise you up to the salvation that comes through the kind of faith that was in Christ Jesus. Every God-breathed writing is helpful for enlightenment, for guidance, for correction, for instruction in right living, so that God’s man may be outfitted and fully equipped for performing any good task.

References:

**King James Version (KJV)—Public Domain/ 1604, King James I of

England