Hear Us From Heaven

Living Water at Christianity Oasis

John 7:38  He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said,
out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water.

Quench your thirsty soul!

Hear Us From Heaven

Welcome to Christianity Oasis Purity Publications. This E-book is titled Hear Us From Heaven written by Author Diane Jurino. Christianity Oasis in association with Purity Publications proudly presents you with this Hear Us From Heaven E-Book free of charge for your enjoyment.

Table of Contents

About the Author
Disclaimer
Dedication
Preface
Introduction

Chapter Outline

Chapter 1 - What is Prayer?
Chapter 2 - Types of Prayers
Chapter 3 - Jesus on Prayer
Chapter 4 - How to Get Our Prayers Heard
Chapter 5 - Hear Us From Heaven
Chapter 6 - Ushering in the Kingdom of God
Chapter 7 - In His Presence
Epilogue

About the Author

Diane Jurino is a Spirit-filled Christian who resides in Erie, Pennsylvania. She is the mother of three grown children, and four grandchildren. Her professional background is in Copywriting, Sales, Advertising, and Marketing. She has developed and conducted custom training courses in Human Relations, Communications, Personal and Professional Development.

Disclaimer:

Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations in this volume are from the King James Version of the Bible.

Dedication:

Luke 11:2 "And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."

Praise and glory to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who taught us how to pray effectively for the coming of His Kingdom on the earth!

Preface

Luke 11:1-4 "And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil."

We have prayed this prayer for thousands of years and yet we have not seen the Kingdom of God come to earth, as we are promised. It is critically needed NOW. God is not reluctant to keep His word, and His timing is always perfect. The problem must lie with our attitude in praying this prayer. Is it something we have simply memorized and recite without thought or feeling, or is it alive with possibility? We must be diligent to see the Lord's Prayer answered in our lifetime.

2Chronicles 6:19-20 "Have respect therefore to the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and the prayer which thy servant prayeth before thee: That thine eyes may be open upon this house day and night, upon the place whereof thou hast said that thou wouldest put thy name there; to hearken unto the prayer which thy servant prayeth toward this place."

We ought to cry out for God to hear us and intervene on our behalf. We must wholeheartedly seek His face and His way of doing things. So too, we should have unequivocal faith that the Lord will indeed hear our prayers and respond favorably. He is a loving and merciful God and knows that we are desperate for His manifest presence on the earth.

Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them]."

It's time to pray more affirmatively; we need to have faith that our prayers will be answered. The Bible tells us that we should call those things, which be not, as though they already were. It's time to decree that the Kingdom of God is imminent and that it is now being ushered in.

We should pray that the end-time harvest is ripe and that the full number of souls is gathered in. We should intercede so the church is fully prepared to meet Christ as her Bridegroom. We must pray and believe that Body of Christ is now being mobilized to take over the planet for the Lord. We must have expectancy that the Kingdom is being birthed into the earth even as we pray for it.

2Corinthians 4:13 "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;"

It could be that not enough of us have prayed the Lord's Prayer consistently in faith. Perhaps we have struggled with doubt or unbelief. Whatever the case, the time has come for us to cry out to the Lord for the ultimate fulfillment of His eternal redemption plan for the earth and His people.

If we will re-structure our prayers and believe in our hearts that they are indeed answered, the Lord will hear us from heaven. If we will make the Lord's Prayer a prayer of faith, and pray it without ceasing, it will become reality. If we decree that it is here, we will actually see the Kingdom of God come to the earth realm with a manifestation of all the Lord's power and glory!

Psalm 145:11 "They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power;"

Introduction

1Kings 8:49 "Then hear thou their prayer and their supplication in heaven thy dwelling place, and maintain their cause,"

The Lord has heard our cry, and He is on time every time. He is now calling forth the Body of Christ from all around the world. They are elect and chosen representatives from many different religious sects and denominations - all sanctified, dedicated and consecrated for one purpose - to bring heaven to the earth realm!

Their differences evaporate as they come together to present a unified front that destroys all demonic strongholds that are in their way. They heal the sick, raise the dead and set captives free. They walk in the miraculous and shake up world governments, as they establish the Kingdom of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, on the earth even prior to His second coming.

Ephesians 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

We must always pray for others. We are to intercede for the Body of Christ to hear direct revelation and clear-cut orders from Jesus Christ as their Head. We are to encourage and exhort them to fulfill their divine destinies so that the Kingdom of God can be established in as short a time, and with as little effort, as possible.

Christ Himself will strengthen and empower them; He will lead and equip them to accomplish all that is required. They must be strong in the power of His might. They need obedience and endurance to get the job done. However, they can and will succeed...

Psalm 20:6 "Now know I that the LORD saveth his anointed; he will hear him from his holy heaven with the saving strength of his right hand."

The Lord Himself will hear us from heaven and intervene on our behalf. He will pave the way for His people to take back the earth and restore it to its former beauty and balance. He will pour out His power and glory for all men to see. He will send legions of angels to assist us as we advance under the direction of His Son to restore all of creation.

All evil will be destroyed as the righteous are rewarded and escorted into the Kingdom of God. There will be no death or disease, no poverty or oppression. We will enjoy peace and prosperity, joy and unity. A righteous remnant from Israel will be converted and saved. Together with them, we will have our needs met for all eternity, as the Lord Himself takes up residence with His people on the earth as He has promised.

The Kingdom of God is our inheritance as His family; we should fervently pray that it is ushered in to the earth realm now when it is so desperately needed. We all have our part to play in crying out to God and spreading the gospel message. We ought to visualize life in the Kingdom and decree that it is indeed established. When we do so, the Lord will honor our faith-based prayers and His promises will become our reality.

Daniel 2:44 "And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, [but] it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand for ever.

Chapter 1 - What is Prayer?

Prayer is purposeful communication with God. It is an expression of intimate fellowship with Him. Through prayer, we glorify God, thank Him for His goodness, offer Him praise and entreat Him for our needs. When we pray, we share our thoughts and feelings; we actually converse with the Creator of the universe. But as it is with human communication, prayer needs to be two-way.

We cannot be so selfish that all we do is pour out our needs and complaints before God. We must also think of the Lord, and offer Him praise and thanksgiving for all that He is and all that He does for us. We should take the time to pause and allow Him to respond to our prayers. And we ought to reflect on His answers and meditate on His promises. We should believe that we receive all that we ask, and wait expectantly for it to manifest.

Proverbs 15:8 "The sacrifice of the wicked [is] an abomination to the LORD: but the prayer of the upright [is] his delight."

Prayer is a sacrificial offering to God, and a distinct privilege of our relationship as well. Jesus Christ died not only to give us forgiveness of our sins, but also to restore us to right relationship with the Father. We are His very sons and daughters; He is willing and eager to hear from us. We should approach the Lord with joy and enthusiasm, knowing that He will always take time for our prayers and respond affirmatively to us.

The Lord is a proud and loving parent. He is extremely pleased that we come to Him with our thoughts, feelings and needs. We can discuss our concerns, or go over our plans and dreams with Him. We can vent our emotions and give voice to our doubts. The Lord meets us at our level and actually listens to our every word. He gives us feedback and offers a solution to every problem that we have. It is His express will that we pray and receive all that we ask from Him.

God Hears Our Prayers

1John 5:15 "And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him."

We've been made righteous by the Blood of Jesus. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places, at the right hand of God Himself; we know that our prayers are heard. We do not have to beg, grovel and whine to get our petitions met. We don't have to memorize a bunch of gibberish. All we must do is give voice to our needs and believe that we receive, in order to see answers to our prayers.

So too, the Lord knows what we need even before we ask Him. He anticipates all our needs and is ever ready to meet them. However, He always appreciates our coming to Him in heart-felt prayer. He wants us to approach Him often; have the faith that our prayers are answered; and wait expectantly to see the results manifest in the natural realm.

Proverbs 15:29 "The LORD [is] far from the wicked: but he heareth the prayer of the righteous."

God is not impressed with sanctimonious ritual or repetitive prayer petitions, however. I am certain that He likens these to nagging. We do not have to recite long litanies to get His attention. He is more concerned with the inner man of the heart than He is in pretended piety. Any sincere reaching out to God is an acceptable form of prayer in His sight. Simple praise and thanksgiving, together with our general conversation, cause Him never ending pleasure.

We are His very own sons and daughters, and our prayers are a "sweet aroma" to Him. They signify that we are in right relationship with Him. The Lord takes delight in the fact that we interact with Him in prayer, and He never sends us away empty handed. He is diligent to respond to every word that we speak and quick to meet our needs.

1John 3:22 "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

When we approach Him with clear consciences, free of all known sin, we know that the Lord hears us and is pleased with our prayers. He created us for intimate fellowship with Him, and prayer is an important component of our relationship. He is never too busy to take time to hear our prayers, and He is ever ready to respond and meet our needs. We can have total confidence that He not only hears our petitions, but that He will give us all that we require of Him.

Righteousness keeps us in this favorable position with God. We should strive always to keep His commandments and walk in His ways. They are not burdensome or prohibitive; they are intended for our own good and will benefit us spiritually, mentally, emotionally and physically. So too, we should focus on our love walk at all times. God is consummate love, and love is our basis for communication with Him and with others.

Prayer Promises

Job 22:26-27 "For then shalt thou have thy delight in the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face unto God. Thou shalt make thy prayer unto him, and he shall hear thee, and thou shalt pay thy vows."

The Lord wants us to be sincere in our communications with Him. We need never put on a front when we approach Him in prayer. He knows our thoughts and our intentions, and He loves us despite the fact that we are less than perfect, and may often miss the mark. He is ever ready to steer us back to the right path and renew our right standing with Him. All we must do is seek His face in humble, contrite prayer and repent of our wrongdoing.

What the Lord desires more than anything is that we delight in Him and value our relationship as His children. He makes us promises, and we, in turn, should make Him promises. Since He never lies or refuses us anything, we must be quick and ready to pay our vows to Him, as well. We owe Him our very lives, so no form of service to the Lord should be denied Him. We ought to be pleased and honored that He asks for our help, and quick to respond to His request.

When We Miss the Mark

Psalm 66:19-20 "[But] verily God hath heard [me]; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed [be] God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me."

When we sin and fall short of the glory of God, we know that we can turn to the Lord for full restoration. When we repent and seek His face, He will be merciful and forgiving. He is ever gracious in our time of need. No matter how many times we miss the mark, the Lord will always hear our penitential prayers, forgive us our sins and restore our right standing with Him.

While we should strive for holiness in our lives at all times, we often fail to reach perfection in our spiritual walk. None of us has yet reached the point where we have "arrived." The Lord realizes the frailty of the human condition and is ever compassionate and understanding. We are no surprise to Him; after all, He created us and He knows that we struggle with temptation and sin. Once we repent and turn from iniquity, He actually blots our sin from His memory, and acts as if nothing interrupted our fellowship.

God desires relationship rather than perfection, and He wants to be in close fellowship with us more than anything else. It is His heart's intent to actually take up residence with us for all eternity, and provide for all our needs in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the earth. He is a just and holy God, and to dwell in His presence, we must also strive for spiritual perfection.

Prayer for Divine Intervention

Psalm 115:16 "The heaven, [even] the heavens, [are] the LORD'S: but the earth hath he given to the children of men."

The Lord is very patient and polite; He never forces Himself on us. He will not move over the face of the earth and effect change unless we invite Him into our lives. He is sovereign and all-powerful, yet He will not interfere in the affairs of men unless He is asked to do so. He waits for us to come to the end of our own strength, and ask for His help. Then He intervenes and permits us to appropriate His very own power to meet all of our needs.

All dominion and authority has been given to men in the earth realm; the Lord is waiting for us to do our part in establishing peace and order on this planet. However, things have gotten out of hand; gross darkness covers the earth and its people. Death and destruction reign over us and cause us never-ending pain and sorrow. We have come to the end of our own strength; we desperately need divine intervention to set things right.

Our redemption has been progressive. Christ died to save us from our sins and to restore us to right relationship with the Father over two thousand years ago. But what we need now, more than ever, is God's manifest presence in our lives. We should eagerly await the return of His Son, Jesus Christ to complete our redemption for all time.

Daniel 7:18 "But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and possess the Kingdom forever, even for ever and ever."

We should be praying the Lord's Prayer more fervently than ever before. We know that it is His deepest desire to usher in His Kingdom. God wants to partner with us in this effort. We must be willing and obedient, sanctified and consecrated to His plan and purpose. Then He will provide us with very own divine power and authority to bring heaven to the earth realm.

The Lord wants heaven and earth to be one, so that He can lavish His love on us for all eternity. We will restore beauty and balance to the earth as it was before the fall of Adam. We will subdue all of nature and it will live in harmony with man. The Lord's long-range plan for mankind will be consummated, and all things made new again.

There will be no more death and destruction, war and oppression, suffering and evil. We will experience love and unity, peace and prosperity, safety and security in the Kingdom of God. The Lord Himself will take up residence with His people in intimate fellowship, and provide for all our needs for all eternity.

Persistent Prayer

1Thessalonians 5:17 "Pray without ceasing."

We should storm the ramparts of heaven in an effort to birth the Kingdom of God. We must learn to pray diligently until we see the desired results. This may require that we pray night and day continuously without ceasing, to have our petitions answered. And while it may seem burdensome to us at first, it may very well be that continuous, persistent prayer is required for spiritual breakthrough in the heavenly realms.

We should remember the example of Daniel who prayed for several months until the angel Gabriel came to his aid with the answer to his prayers. While Daniel definitely walked in right relationship with the Lord and his prayers were heard immediately, the answer to them was opposed by demonic entities in the second heaven. Satan temporarily interfered with his hearing from God, until avenging angels defeated him. (See Daniel 10)

Colossians 4:2 "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;"

We need not fear that our prayers will get lost in space, however, because we enjoy a closer relationship with God than even Daniel had. We have sonship rights; we can cry out to our Father at any time and be certain that our prayers are heard. We are seated with Christ in heavenly places, joint-heirs to all God's promises. Our mediator in prayer is Jesus Christ Himself; He is ever ready to make intercession for us.

We need only pray continuously, be watchful in prayer, and patiently wait for the results of our petitions to manifest. We should praise God and give Him thanks even before the answers to our prayers show up. He is ever loving and generous to meet our needs. He deserves all our praise and thanksgiving. The Lord is willing and able to provide for us on a timely basis - in His perfect timing, not necessarily ours.

Luke 18:1 "And he spake a parable unto them [to this end], that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;"

Jesus told His followers the parable of the widow and the judge. She had been wronged and wanted the government official to avenge her and provide restitution. She was relentless in her quest for justice; she wanted restoration above all things. She plagued him continuously with her petition and would not give up. The judge ultimately granted her wish because of her very persistence in coming to him.

We should do likewise in all prayer that requires significant breakthrough in the heavenly realms for our needs to be met. The Bible says that we are to come boldly to the throne of grace. We are not to be intimidated or reluctant. We must patiently, yet persistently, pray until we see the desired results. We must be diligent to pray without ceasing, and believe that we receive what we ask even before it manifests.

It will take this sort of persistent prayer to birth the Kingdom of God, and we ought to be more than willing to make the sacrifice that is required to bring heaven to earth. This is a huge request that will impact the entire universe for all eternity. Prayer is the very least that all of us can do to help usher in the Kingdom. Fervent, consistent faith-based prayer is our primary role in the church in the days ahead.

Prayer and Fasting

Daniel 9:3 "And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:"

Many people find that their prayers are answered more quickly when they pray and fast in tandem. While I am certain that there is nothing wrong with this prayer method, I believe that it may be unnecessary at times. We need not do anything special to be counted worthy of answer to our prayer requests. We are covered by the Blood of Jesus Christ Himself.

The Bible says that we are joint-heirs with Christ to all the promises of God. We are seated with Him in heavenly places. All that we have to do is to go boldly before the throne of grace, believing that we will receive what we ask. If we are righteous and make our requests in the Name of Jesus, the Lord will hear all our prayers.

While He places no special conditions on answering prayer, God will definitely let us know if something is hindering our requests. Perhaps we have unconfessed sin, or spiritual curses that were spoken on us or by us. It may be that we are harboring unforgiveness. The Lord will reveal anything and everything that is an impediment to our prayers being answered.

Jesus simply asked the Father for what He needed, and His requests were granted. He made no special sacrifice in conjunction with His prayers. His righteousness determined His privilege in prayer. He prayed often and persistently for the Lord's guidance and direction. We too have immediate access to the Lord for all that we require.

The only time that the Bible tells us that Christ fasted and prayed was in the desert, when the devil tempted Him for forty days and forty nights. While it may be true that He simply had no food available to Him, His fast also ensured Him of the spiritual strength to ward off all the attacks of the enemy.

Matthew 17:21 "Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting."

Jesus did recommend that His disciples pray and fast when doing spiritual warfare, and casting out pernicious demons that are reluctant to depart. While we also experience temptation and times of trial and testing, fervent prayer should be all that is required to get our breakthrough. Fasting could perhaps be reserved for the most critical cases that require us to put our flesh totally under and walk only in the spirit realm for a period in time.

Proactive Fasting

Isaiah 58:6-7 "Is this not the fast that I have chosen? To loose the bands of wickedness, to undo the heavy burdens, and to let the oppressed go free, and that ye break every yoke? [Is it] not to deal thy bread to the hungry, and that thou bring the poor that are cast out to thy house? when thou seest the naked, that thou cover him; and that thou hide not thyself from thine own flesh?"

The Lord has a different take on fasting than we do. He is not impressed that we starve ourselves. Instead of giving up something for a season of prayer, He expects us to lay down our personal agendas and crucify our fleshly selfishness. It is His desire that we walk in love and generosity for those suffering and in need of spiritual or temporal blessings.

When you approach fasting from this point of view, it's obvious that the Lord wants us to be proactive in the fast and reach out to others and help satisfy their needs. If they need to be set free from demonic oppression, He wants us to pray and do spiritual warfare on their behalf. If they have temporal needs, He expects us to feed and clothe them and give them shelter.

It may very well be that God requires this type of fast in each of us as a demonstration of our willingness to abide by His commandment of love. Then each and every time we approach Him in prayer, He will be quick to pay attention to our needs. There is nothing to impede our prayers from being heard and answered, since we have chosen to walk in total love and righteousness.

Prayer Styles and Postures

There is no one correct prayer method, no handbook of protocol or procedures to follow. We are all different and we have our own unique styles. All prayer approaches are desirable and acceptable to the Lord. So too, there is no one set posture required for our prayers to be heard and acknowledged by God. We can sit, stand, kneel, prostrate ourselves or even walk and run in prayer. We can sing and shout our praises or whisper our heart-felt concerns and petitions.

We can lift up our hands or fold them together, or do nothing with them at all. We can lift up our faces towards heaven when we pray, or bow our heads in reverence and humility. We can pray out loud or silently, in our known tongue or in our spiritual prayer language. The only thing that the Lord asks is that we do indeed approach Him, and make an attempt to pray. Our style and posture are irrelevant, as He sees our heart's intent.

If we examine the Scriptures, we can readily see that all methods and styles of prayer are acceptable to the Lord. Once again, it is vital that we pray, not how we do so. The Lord is more intent on our sincere willingness to communicate with Him, rather than our style and method.

Psalm 5:3 "My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will I direct [my prayer] unto thee, and will look up."

Some people prefer to pray in the morning, and start their day in relationship with God. Perhaps they lift their heads up to heaven and seek the Lord's face. They may visualize Him actually bent over to hear their requests. While this is tangential to having our prayers heard, it still shows reverence and respect for God, and is appropriate in His sight.

Psalm 141:2 "Let my prayer be set forth before thee [as] incense; [and] the lifting up of my hands [as] the evening sacrifice."

The Old Testament Jews prayed many times during the day and often offered up sacrifices in conjunction with their prayers. They were uncertain whether the Lord would hear them, and they approached prayer very seriously. Our sacrifice is our prayer offering itself.

We were made righteous by the Blood of Jesus Himself; we need not make additional sacrificial offerings. We can approach God with clean hands and pure hearts at any time of the day or night, and rest assured that our prayers are always well received.

1Timothy 2:8 "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting."

The early church prayed everywhere and all the time. They probably lifted their hands and faces towards heaven and called on the Lord in deference and respect. He blessed them abundantly, and they were excellent witnesses to unbelievers. They walked in love and unity among themselves, and stayed in the Spirit through concerted prayer efforts.

We can do likewise in our prayer relationship with God. We can develop continuous praying lifestyles that please Him and cause Him to manifest His anointing power and glory in us. We will walk in the miraculous as we usher in the Kingdom of God, and it will be critical that we remain in constant prayer and supplication for our every need. So too, we must intercede for all the saints, so that we each perform the vital tasks that are assigned to us in the days to come.

David as a Role Model for Prayer

Psalm 17:1 "Hear the right, O LORD, attend unto my cry, give ear unto my prayer, [that goeth] not out of feigned lips."

King David loved the Lord with total abandon. He constantly praised and worshipped God in His prayer life. He was guileless and sincere in his love for God. He enjoyed a close intimate relationship with the Lord that guaranteed him the answer to all of his prayers.

Blessings were poured out on him, and spilled over into every area of David's life. He was a great warrior and a devoted king. He enjoyed personal victory and public acclaim because of his close fellowship with the Lord.

David wrote down many of his prayers in the form of "Psalms," sacred poems that he often set to music. He sang His praises and thanksgiving. He cried out to the Lord with emotion and passion, and the Lord was ever ready to respond to his needs.

The king prayed for protection and victory in battle; he cried out for forgiveness and begged for God's mercy when he sinned. He implored the Lord for favor and effectiveness in all that he attempted during his life, and he was amply rewarded for his prayer efforts.

Psalms 23, 51 and 91 are perhaps the best known of David's psalms. We often quote the 23rd Psalm at funerals or in times of distress. The 51st Psalm is known as the Penitent's Psalm and may have been written after David's sin of adultery with Bathsheba. The 91st Psalm is known as the Warrior's Psalm, and in it, we invoke special protection from the Lord and victory in battle.

These are just a few of King David's prayers to the Lord for protection and favor, thanks and praise. The Book of Psalms includes prayers of praise, gratitude, petition, penitence and even Messianic prophecy. It is an uplifting study in how we should approach the Lord in prayer.

Psalm 35:18 "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people."

Psalm 55:1 "Give ear to my prayer, O God; and hide not thyself from my supplication."

Psalm 64:1 "Hear my voice, O God, in my prayer: preserve my life from fear of the enemy."

Psalm 143:1 "Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, [and] in thy righteousness."

David always asked the Lord to hear His prayers and be merciful towards him. He knew the Lord was faithful and worthy of all praise. He sang many of His prayers and prayed them fervently and enthusiastically. He was a great prayer warrior, and we should follow his example of sincerity and zeal in our communications with the Lord.

Prayer Brings Us Into God's Presence

Psalm 140:13 "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence."

If we are in right relationship with the Lord, free from all known sin, we have continual access to Him in prayer. We grow in intimacy and develop our relationship with Him the more we pray. And we know that if we pray according to His will that our prayers will indeed be answered. He is ever faithful, loving and merciful to our needs.

Prayer takes us into the presence of God, where all glory and power reside. If we would fellowship with God forever, we must sincerely pray for the coming of His Kingdom to the earth, as we do in the Lord's Prayer. We should desire that heaven comes to the earth more than anything, and be relentless in our pursuit of His presence.

So too, prayer teaches us how to communicate with the Lord. If we are going to live with Him for all eternity, we should begin fostering a deeper relationship with Him now. There is no substitute for the intimacy created in our prayer lives. We ought to devote ourselves to praying often and passionately. We will reap a huge return of blessings for our efforts.

Topics for Discussion

1. Define Prayer
2. Answers to Prayer
3. Persistent Prayer
4. Prayer and Fasting
5. Prayer Styles
6. King David as a Role Model
7. Prayer That Brings Us Into God's Presence

Chapter 2 - Types of Prayers

Psalm 54:2 "Hear my prayer, O God; give ear to the words of my mouth."

There are many different types of prayer to cover any conceivable need or human condition. Simple prayer is just conversation with God. It consists of the believer giving utterance to his concerns or thoughts or discussing his plans or dreams. There are some instances, when we cry out to God in desperation and pray for emotional consolation or spiritual insight. Many times when we fall short of God's glory and sin, we pray for the Lord's mercy and grace.

Other times we pray for others or present our needs to God. We may give Him praise and thanksgiving or even speak the Word of God to Him and remind Him of His promises to us. We can pray privately or in a group setting. We can speak with other tongues or pray in our own language. Whatever the case, we can be certain that the Lord hears our prayers, acknowledges them, and that He will respond appropriately - on time every time.

Petition and Supplication

Psalm 86:6 "Give ear, O LORD, unto my prayer; and attend to the voice of my supplications."

Petitions or supplications are simply appeals to the Lord to meet our needs. They are requests or entreaties for relief, to which we hope He will favorably respond. They may be routine temporal needs or urgent spiritual requests. We may need material things or revelation and wisdom that only He can provide. Perhaps we need strength to fight off temptation. Regardless of the nature of our problem, the Lord will hear our prayers and mercifully answer them.

He may not immediately grant our prayer requests, but we can be certain that the answer to every situation we face lies with God. He is ever loving and concerned about us. He is our Provider and takes delight in our dependence on Him for everything that we need, both temporal and spiritual. It is not His intention to keep us hanging.

While it may appear that our prayers go unanswered at times, persistence always pays off. If we will pray continually and cry out to God, the Lord will answer all our prayer requests or reveal the reason why He has not yet done so. If we take a stand of faith and not doubt, patience will have its own reward; He will always do more than we could ever ask or think.

Philippians 4:6 "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God."

We are forbidden to have anxiety over the things of this world. The Lord wants us to be carefree and joyous. He knows our requirements even before we ask Him. So too, He has promised to meet all of our needs and does so most generously. However, we must not simply play "gimme, gimme" in our prayer lives. This would be taking advantage of His loving generosity.

We should also give the Lord His rightful praise, and thank Him for the outcome to our prayer even before we see it manifested. Well-balanced prayer communication requires that we (1) give Him praise; (2) thank Him for hearing us; and (3) ask for our needs to be met. Following this pattern, we are assured that our prayers are heard and that our wishes will be granted.

It is equally important that we wait for the response from God. He always acknowledges our prayers in some fashion. Sometimes He gives us an inward witness, so that we can know His thoughts concerning our prayers. Other times, the answers may manifest quickly, and we know that we have been heard. We should be sensitive to His voice and patient in our prayer efforts. We will never be disappointed; He will always respond in a timely fashion.

Prayer of Affliction

Psalm 88:2 "Let my prayer come before thee: incline thine ear unto my cry;"

For the times that we are distraught and in need of heaven's touch, the Lord stands ready to hear our cries. He will comfort us in all our affliction. He responds with compassion and love and alleviates our distress. He is ever attentive to our human condition and generous to supply us with spiritual and temporal resources to walk in total victory.

Although we may experience temporary sadness and heaviness of spirit, prayer will elevate our mood and calm our minds and spirits. We should never allow ourselves to become desperate or despondent. That leads to fear and depression, and leaves us open to further attacks of the enemy. We should always have faith and confidence that our prayers are heard.

We have the Creator of the universe as a Father, and He loves us with a deep abiding love. He will never leave us or forsake us. Our needs are important to Him. He will mercifully provide a solution to every problem that we share with Him, and He provides us with "the peace that passes understanding," regardless of our situation and circumstances.

1Kings 8:28 "Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and to his supplication, O LORD my God, to hearken unto the cry and to the prayer, which thy servant prayeth before thee to day:"

The Lord hears and honors every prayer we lift up to Him. He respects that we seek His favor, and through the Blood of Jesus, He sees us as righteous and worthy of His help. He will never abandon us in our need. He loves us with an everlasting love, and takes great pride in the fact that we depend on Him to provide us with all that we require to be happy and successful.

God will never permit us to suffer more than we are able, and He is on time every time in meeting our needs. He will give us strength and endurance that will sustain us through every test and trial that we encounter. We need only be patient and persistent in our prayer efforts, as He alone is our ultimate source for all power and provision.

Praise

Psalm 50:23 "Whoso offereth praise glorifieth me: and to him that ordereth [his] conversation [aright] will I shew the salvation of God."

We must always praise God when we approach Him in prayer. It should be our standard greeting to Him. It paves the way for our prayers to be heard and our petitions to be granted. He is deserving of all our praise and glory. We should praise Him for who He is and what He does for us. He is a great and awesome God, and worthy of all honor and glory.

The Lord inhabits the praises of His people. Praise always gets His attention and causes Him to come on the scene in a dramatic way and manifest His presence to us. Whether we praise as a church body or in private is irrelevant. It is more important that we praise God, than how we choose to do so.

So too, the anointing power and glory of God show up when we praise and give Him thanks. We are supernaturally empowered to perform miraculous signs and wonders as a result of our praises to Him. We can heal the sick, cast out demons and even raise the dead, as Jesus told us we would, if we will devote ourselves to praising almighty God more often.

Hebrews 13:15 "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of [our] lips giving thanks to his name."

We go to the Father by the way of the cross. His Son, Jesus Christ, died to save us from our sins and restore us to right relationship with Him. We are deemed righteous by Christ's very own Blood. When we pray, the Father sees Jesus coming to Him with a need.

We should always approach the throne of grace through the merits of Jesus Christ. He is our mediator of a better covenant with God. We enjoy the privileges and blessings that His victory over sin, death and the grave purchased for us.

Through Christ, we ought to offer up a continuous sacrifice of prayer and praise to the Father. So too, praying in the Name and by the Blood of Jesus ensures a positive prayer response, and is perhaps the quickest way to have our prayers answered.

2Samuel 22:50 "Therefore I will give thanks unto thee, O LORD, among the heathen, and I will sing praises unto thy name."

When we praise God and give Him all the glory for the good things in our lives, we show ourselves to be a loving and thankful people. We must demonstrate our loving gratitude for all the world to see in the days to come. We will then be living gospels of the Kingdom of God. All the nations of the world will pattern their behavior after ours, as we go about our days giving praise, glory and thanksgiving to almighty God.

Thanksgiving

Psalm 140:13 "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence."

Praise and thanksgiving take us into the very presence of God quickly and expediently. When we pray, this is an important consideration. We are sometimes pressed in our needs and impatient for the solutions to our problems. But if we will take the time necessary to give thanks, it will be our assurance that our prayers will be answered on a timely basis.

It is in the very presence of God that we experience peace and joy, and have all our needs met. So too, we are in total protection from the enemy when we are in communication with our great and glorious God. No evil can exist in His presence; no harm will come to His people that continuously dwell with Him in close prayer fellowship.

Ephesians 5:20 "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;"

We need to develop an attitude of gratitude in our prayer lives. We must thank the Lord for His kindness and mercy, His love and generosity. We should be grateful that He always hears and answers our prayers. We ought to give Him glory and praise, thanksgiving and gratitude all in the Name of Jesus Christ, even before our prayer needs are met.

1Thessalonians 5:18 "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."

It is vital that we thank the Lord in all our circumstances, when we have unmet needs and when they are satisfied. Whether we are joyful and at peace, or afflicted and in despair, we should maintain continuous attitudes of gratitude in our daily lives. It is vital to our walk with God, that we acknowledge His provision, His mercy and goodness to us.

Remaining thankful even when we are in dire straights, will give us the hope and confidence we need to endure all hardship. It will produce patience in us and strengthen us in our weakness. We must remember that our situations and circumstances are only temporary, and that the Lord can intervene and change everything in a heart beat.

Corporate Prayer

Psalm 35:18 "I will give thee thanks in the great congregation: I will praise thee among much people."

Praise and worship should not be underestimated in their ability to get God's attention and quickly bring Him on the scene in our corporate gatherings. The Lord loves our attention, and the anointing power and glory of God manifest for miraculous signs and wonders to occur, as we give Him all our thanks and praise in our reverent worship.

We ought to thank God and praise Him for all that He is and for all that He does for us. The Lord appreciates our gratitude, and our willingness to publicly display our feelings for Him. It brings Him great honor and glory when we pray together as a church body. He is quick to respond to our prayer requests and faithful to meet all of our needs.

Isaiah 56:7 "Even them will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices [shall be] accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people."

The Old Testament sacrifice rituals have been abolished. We are to literally present our bodies as living sacrifices to the Lord. That requires that we acknowledge Him in our corporate worship gatherings as well as in our private devotions. Prayer is our sacrificial offering to Him. It is so much better a sacrifice than the blood of sheep and goats that was offered up in the Old Testament church.

Prayer is an important component of corporate worship that is often neglected. We spend much time in praise and worship and in hearing the Word of God preached, but we often fail to pray together in supplication and intercession for others. Corporate prayer is powerful and effective in getting God's attention. He requires it of us, and is delighted when we seek His fellowship in our group prayer efforts.

Colossians 1:12 "Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light:"

We should also show thanksgiving in our corporate worship, as is fitting and proper for the saints of the most high God. The Lord is kind and generous, and it is essential that we express our gratitude for His continuous love and mercy towards us. Thanksgiving, when combined with praise, is not only fitting but critical to our relationship with God.

We should not have a prayer problem in the church. We ought to be devoted to giving the Lord praise, thanksgiving and all the glory that He deserves if we would see heaven come to the earth in the Kingdom of God. He will answer all our petitions to birth His Kingdom totally and completely, if we will get back to basics in our prayer lives.

Private Prayer

Psalm 61:1 "Hear my cry, O God; attend unto my prayer."

We should pray privately, as well as in the congregation of believers. Our prayers send up a sweet aroma to the Lord, and He is ever anxious to hear from us. We share our plans with Him, and discuss our concerns. We are no surprise to Him; He knows our innermost thoughts, but delights in hearing from us, as well.

Prayer is a sign of our close intimate relationship with God. The more we pray, the greater the rapport that we establish. We should persistently pray for all of our spiritual and temporal needs. We can have total confidence that the Lord not only hears us, but also answers all our prayer requests, whether they are for ourselves or for others.

I am convinced that the Kingdom of God will be birthed by the heart-felt, sincere prayer of those who desire the Lord's presence and His way of doing things above everything else. After all, it is the Lord's express will to bring heaven and all of its blessings to the earth. It could very well be that only a few of us need pray for the coming of the Kingdom, as long as we do so persistently and passionately.

Whatever the case, it will not occur, unless someone petitions the Lord for heaven to actually come to the earth realm. He has dominion over every area of the universe, but the earth God has given to man. He will never intervene in our affairs unless we ask Him to do so. We need Him now more than ever to hear us from heaven and deliver His eternal redemption plan.

Prayer for Protection

Matthew 26:41 "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak."

Jesus knew that we would struggle with temptation just as He did in His earthly walk, and He knew that the remedy for that was prayer. If we are in close communication with the Lord, we enjoy a favorable position when it comes to battling the enemy. We have Christ's own hedge of protection that surrounds us, and the devil will be reluctant to try to penetrate that.

We must sanctify ourselves of all fleshly desires and soul plans and purposes, and walk in spiritual maturity. If we would be holy and perfect as the Lord Himself is perfect, we should pray for supernatural strength in every area of our lives. Prayer keeps our spirits in ascendancy to our souls and our flesh, and is our divine connector to God Himself.

So too, when we need wisdom, direction or revelation, prayer will help us tap into a supernatural reservoir of knowledge. The Lord delights in revealing His mysteries to us if we will only seek His face in heart-felt, fervent prayer. He will be our guide and our protector if we will ask Him for His help. He will deliver us from all evil, and surround us in His love. This gives us added strength and confidence that we can walk out our destiny as the Lord plans for us.

Intercession

James 5:13-15 "Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him."

The most loving thing we can do for another human being is to pray for them. We should routinely intercede for others' needs, particularly if they are being oppressed by the devil or sick and in pain. We ought to build each other up in our most precious faith through prayer, encouragement and exhortation.

The "elders" of our church today are each and every mature believer that walks in faith and the anointing power to destroy demonic strongholds. That means that most of us should be able to lay hands on the sick and pray a prayer of healing for them. We should command all sickness to leave, and loose the healing power of God in their lives. We may not see immediate results, but we know that our prayer changes lives for the better.

We should humbly serve others in intercessory prayer for their needs, as if they were our very own. The Lord will answer our prayers and we will be walking as Christ walked on the earth in humble service to others. We will be righteous examples to the world that God indeed has a praying people, and that He hears all of our prayers.

Ephesians 6:18 "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"

We must pray for one another especially as the days progress towards the coming of the Kingdom of God. The church must be perfected in spiritual maturity to prepare to meet Christ as her Bridegroom. We each have to come up higher in our love walk, and unity should be our goal. We must be living testimonies to the saving power of God in our lives.

The Body of Christ needs to be strengthened and encouraged to do all that they are called to do to usher in the Kingdom of God on this earth. They will need prayer for discipline and endurance, and revelation of the Lord's plan and purpose for them in the days ahead. They will require a full anointing of the Lord's very own power and authority to usher in His Kingdom on the earth.

We must pray for the peace and conversion of Israel so that God's chosen people can be redeemed and ushered into the Kingdom of God. We should remember that a hardening of hearts has come on a portion of them for our benefit. We have been grafted in as a direct result of their temporary lack of faith. Now it is our turn to lift them up in prayer, so that their hearts may be softened and their captivity turned to freedom in the Lord.

James 5:16 "Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much."

The law of love compels us to seek righteousness at all times. We cannot be healed of all physical, emotional and spiritual affliction unless we are walking in right standing with God and with one another. Unforgiveness of any kind will hinder our prayer efforts. So too, unconfessed sin will interfere with our receiving healing. We need a prayer covering from those who are righteous with the Lord.

When we sin and fall short of the glory of God, we need intercessory prayer from our brothers and sisters in Christ more than at any other time. We must acknowledge our sins, confess them to one another, and be quick to repent and turn from all unrighteousness. We should turn towards holiness and right standing with God again. The Lord wants us walking in love and unity, and it pleases Him immensely when we pray for one another's needs.　

Colossians 1:9 "For this cause we also, since the day we heard [it], do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;"

We should pray for each other in the church, so that we might have increased revelation of the plans and purposes of God in the days to come. We ought to seek His will in all things and expect to hear direct from heaven for wisdom and spiritual understanding regarding our divine destinies. We should reflect on His guidance and direction to us, and be quick to obey all of His commands to us on a timely basis.

We must preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to all the world, and intercede for men to be baptized and filled with the Holy Spirit. The end-time harvest of souls is ripe and we are to bring it in, so that the Kingdom of God may become a reality in our lifetime. It is not the Lord's will that anyone should perish or be denied access to His Kingdom. We are promised the heathen for our inheritance, and assured of a household salvation. There are many souls that rely on our hearing clearly from God for our direction.

Praying in the Spirit

Romans 8:26 "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."

There are times when we are so overwhelmed with our thoughts and emotions that we don't even know how to pray. For times such as this, praying in the Spirit in our supernatural prayer language is the logical solution to our prayer problem. The Holy Spirit of God itself makes intercession for us according to the will of God. This is a foolproof method to have our prayers answered, as it takes us direct to the very heart of our interaction with God.

Contrary to what some may believe from erroneous teaching, the gift of spiritual tongues is still available and highly beneficial to our Christian walk today. The Lord will grant us this gift if we ask Him for it. Praying in our supernatural tongue will enable us to enter into communication with God quickly and easily. We only pray His will in the Holy Spirit. So too, He is able to download vital information to us using this communication method.

The enemy cannot penetrate this type of prayer communication since it is encoded spiritually. He can neither impede nor intercept information when we pray in this fashion. Praying in the Spirit is critical if we would remain in close contact with the Lord concerning His plans and timetable as we usher in His Kingdom on the earth. It is a most efficient method for communicating with Him.

1Corinthians 14:13-15 "Wherefore let him that speaketh in an [unknown] tongue pray that he may interpret. For if I pray in an [unknown] tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful. What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also."

Corporate prayer should always be decent and orderly, Paul advised the church. If we speak in tongues in the congregation, we ought to pray for the power to interpret what we prayed, so that we edify others and they can support us in our prayer efforts.

While this should not discourage us from praying in the Spirit in a group setting, it will remind us that we always need to pray with our human understanding as well as our spiritual prayer language. That way we will be assured that we hear clearly from the Lord.

Prayer in the Early Church

Acts 6:4 "But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word."

The early church of Acts should serve as a viable example of effective prayer and discipleship for us today. Early Christians prayed continuously, and gave themselves over to extensive study of what Christ had taught them. They clearly heard from God Himself regarding what they should say and do, and constantly spread the good news of the Kingdom of God.

They walked in total love and unity as a church, and the Lord was able to do mighty works through them. We are told that their numbers greatly increased as they preached the Gospel of the Kingdom, and many miraculous healings signs and wonders took place. The actual power and glory of God Himself showed up because they were diligent to pray.

Acts 12:5 "Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him."

When any of them was in trouble, the entire church responded in intercession. They prayed continuously until they had their breakthroughs. They sang God's praises and gave thanksgiving for all His mercy and grace. They offered the Lord praise and honor in their prayer lives, and He was quick and ready to manifest His presence in their midst.

The early church was unselfishly devoted to each other in all things. They shared what they had in common, and there were none with any temporal or spiritual needs. They attracted multitudes of unbelievers by their sincere love for God and one another. Their prayer intercession should be a vital example to us of how we are to hold one another up in prayer in the days ahead.

Acts 16:25 "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them."

This passage describes an episode where Paul and Silas were imprisoned. They were locked in the innermost area of the prison, with no hope of release, until they began praying and singing hymns to God. Their prayers and praising brought the Lord on the scene and all the prisoners' chains were released. Paul ended up even converting his jailer. This is a magnificent example of prayers of faith in action.

If we will step up our prayer efforts and give God all the praise due Him, we will also be successful in setting captives free from the bondage and oppression of the enemy. Satan has blinded the people of the world and told them that God is angry with them. They are afraid to pray, for fear their prayers will not be answered. We can effectively intercede for them and attract millions of unbelievers to knowledge of the truth - God loves us and wants to hear from all men.

When the Heavens Turn to Brass

There are times that we simply feel discouraged in our prayer relationship with the Father. It may seem that He has turned a deaf ear to us, and we do not see the answer to our prayers manifesting. It seems as if our open heavens have turned to brass, and that we are wasting our time praying. While it appears in the natural that God has stopped listening to us, this is not the case. Our prayers are simply being contaminated for one reason or another.

Perhaps we have unconfessed sin that is interfering in our prayer lives. Sometimes it may be as simple as our harboring unforgiveness towards someone. All we need to do is approach the Lord and ask for revelation regarding our prayer hindrances, and seek understanding for correcting our error. If He reveals sin, then we should be quick to seek repentance, turn away from all unrighteousness and receive His mercy. He will restore us to right standing with Him and re-establish the prayer communication lines.

So too, we may be praying outside of the will of God for our lives. It could be that we are focused on material prayer requests, instead of spiritual gifts. While we are always entitled to have our temporal needs met, we must worship the Creator, not His creation. We may have to reassess our priorities, and realign our thinking so that it falls into God's permissive will for us. We should seek His guidance and direction for our lives, instead of just our short-term needs.

Our prayer impasse may also be due to interference in the heavenly realms. While Satan cannot permanently affect our communication with the Lord, he may bring fear, doubt and unbelief into our prayer efforts. These hindering spirits should be bound and cast out. We should loose "open heavens" over our prayer requests, and ask for angelic hosts to carry our words to the Lord. We can also invoke Christ's intercession on our behalf, as He serves as our mediator and High Priest in heaven's courts.

1John 3:21 "Beloved, if our heart condemn us not, [then] have we confidence toward God."

Persistence always pays off and the effectiveness of our prayer communications will always be restored. We must never fear that the Lord has permanently tuned us out or has blatant disregard for our needs. He will never leave or forsake us; our faith should sustain us in every delay we experience in seeing our prayer requests manifest.

We know that if we are walking in love and righteousness, that the Lord indeed hears us and will respond positively to our needs. If we have pure hearts and clear consciences, then we can have the utmost confidence in approaching God in prayer. We have His promise that our requests will be heard, that our prayers will be answered, and all our needs will be met in abundance.

Topics for Discussion

1. Describe the different types of prayer.
2. The Importance of Thanksgiving and Praise
3. Benefits of Intercession
4. Corporate and Private Prayer
5. Praying in the Spirit
6. Prayer in the Early Church
7. Breakthrough Prayer

Chapter 3 - Jesus on Prayer

The secret to Jesus Christ's effectiveness while He walked on the earth was not due to the fact that He was God. On the contrary, He walked as a mere man who communicated regularly with His Father. They enjoyed a strong, intimate relationship based on continual, ongoing prayer and fellowship. Jesus walked in continuous miracles and had extraordinary breakthroughs because of His diligence to pray.

Christ requested and received critical information and direction from His Father in His prayer life. He heard clearly and succinctly, and was perfectly obedient to follow the Lord's direction for His life. He said that He did only what the Father told Him to do, and spoke only what the Father told Him to say. He was an expert communicator and always obedient to perform the Lord's express will in His life.

Jesus walked as a man in the anointing power of God Himself. While He was indeed human in every respect, Christ always prayed for strength and revelation before He did anything. He encouraged His followers to do the same. He desired that they fellowship closely with Him and His Father, and He knew that ongoing, focused prayer would help them grow confident and strong to do the Lord's will in all things.

Advice From Jesus on How to Pray

Matthew 6:5-6 "And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."

Jesus cautioned His followers on how to pray. He warned them not to make an ostentatious show of their prayer, but rather to do it humbly and sincerely. The Lord is not pleased with pretended piety or sanctimonious showmanship. He is concerned that our prayers come from humble, contrite hearts. He wants devotion and sincerity in our communications with Him, whether they be conducted in a group setting or in private.

Hypocritical prayer is to be shunned in all its forms. The Lord is not mocked; He knows when we come to Him of our own volition with hearts that are genuine and sincere. He despises pretense and ignores rhetoric. Prayer is intimate communication between God and us. It is His desire to speak with us openly and directly through our prayer sessions. We can bring Him all of our concerns and questions and never be worried that He will be shocked or put off by us.

Matthew 6:7-8 "But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him."

Christ reminded His disciples that the Lord hates nagging. Vain, repetitious prayers are worthless. They do not get God's attention positively; they most probably annoy Him. He knows that these types of prayers do not come from the heart. It is His desire that we simply fellowship with Him.

The Lord knows what we need even before we ask Him, but He delights in our coming to Him to provide all our needs. We should always pray in faith, in the knowledge that we will receive what we ask, and thank the Lord in advance for hearing and answering our prayers. We can have total confidence that He not only hears us, but also honors our requests in faith-based prayer.

Jesus Prayed for the Coming of the Kingdom

Matthew 6:9-13 "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen."

Jesus Himself taught us how to pray; He gave us His model prayer for birthing the Kingdom of God on the earth. We are to give glory to God and pray that His way of doing things and being right in heaven will come to the earth realm. Then we make our immediate needs known, and ask Him for forgiveness. We are then to petition Him to deliver us from all evil. We close the Lord's Prayer with the affirmation that His is all the power and glory.

If we will pray the Lord's Prayer persistently and affirmatively as Jesus taught us, believing that what we pray will indeed come to pass, then we will see the Kingdom of God manifest in the earth realm. It will take that kind of continuous supplication to bring the breakthrough, but it will be well worth our effort. We will actually experience heaven on earth and enjoy all the blessings of God, as a result of our heart-felt, fervent prayer to birth the Kingdom.

Jesus' Model for Private Prayer

Matthew 14:23 "And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there alone."

Luke 6:12 "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."

Jesus knew His limits as a man during His earthly ministry, and we should realize ours, as well. He always took time to rest, be alone and pray to the Father, so that He would be re-energized for His earthly walk. He would go off by Himself and sometimes pray all night. During this time of rest and solitude, He was able to receive divine revelation and increased strength to do all that He was called to do during His ministry.

We need to take time in our lives for private prayer also. The Lord beckons to us to be much with Him. He desires a close relationship that is built on plenty of quality time spent in intimate private prayer and devotions. It is during our private prayer time that we receive our greatest spiritual gifts from God. He will provide ongoing revelation and impart His anointing only to those who are serious about their fellowship with Him.

Jesus Prayed for the Holy Spirit

John 14:16 "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever;"

Christ knew that we would need ongoing comfort and guidance when He left us to return to His Father. He prayed that the Holy Spirit of God would come to His followers and virtually indwell them. This happened for the first time at the feast of Pentecost when the early church was baptized with the Holy Spirit.

We have access to that same baptism today. When we are born again and baptized with water, we become eligible for the baptism of the Holy Spirit, as well. We need only pray that the Lord sends His Spirit to us, and we will enjoy all the benefits of a life with direction and purpose, complete with the fruit of the Spirit manifesting in us.

Galatians 5:22-25 "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit."

We should strive for spiritual maturity, holiness and perfection and cultivate the fruit of the Spirit in our daily lives. Love, joy and peace are essential, and will strengthen us to serve the Lord and one another with passion and zeal. So too, we will be protected from enemy attacks, if we will learn to walk in the Spirit instead of our flesh and soul desires. That will keep us in the very presence of the Lord where all blessings lie.

The fruit of the Spirit just don't miraculously appear in us. We ought to work at developing them in our lives. As we develop one spiritual attribute and perfect it, the others seem to gather momentum. For example we must exercise patience and longsuffering in our dealings with one another. We should pursue temperate, balanced lifestyles. Our faith must be strong and unwavering despite our circumstances, and we should be meek and humble servants.

We must sanctify ourselves, crucify our flesh, and lay down all our soul's ambitions. If we will apply ourselves, we can indeed position our spirit in ascendancy and walk in spiritual lifestyles, rather than worldly ones. As we mature spiritually, we will grow in holiness and perfection. If we cultivate all the fruit of the Spirit in ourselves, we will have better relationships with God and with others and enjoy personal victory in every area.

Jesus' Advice on Intercession

Luke 6:28 "Bless them that curse you, and pray for them which despitefully use you."

Jesus did not come to abolish Old Testament law; He came to fulfill it. He taught us His law of love, which summarizes the Ten Commandments into two major categories - love of God and love of neighbor. We are taught to pray to our God as a form of devotion, deference and respect in an effort to establish a more intimate relationship. We bring Him our thoughts and concerns, as well as our needs; we give Him thanks and praise for his great glory.

We are taught to pray for others, as well. While we should be engaged in intercessory prayer for those in the brotherhood at all times, we must also pray for our enemies. This type of prayer effort is extremely selfless and powerful for converting our enemies' hearts. It prevents all forms of anger, bitterness and unforgiveness from taking root in our lives. It ought to be our goal to walk in love and unity with all men, regardless of how they treat us.

Jesus Prayed During Trials and Tribulations

Matthew 26:36 "Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder."

Imagine the Son of God who comes to the earth to preach the good news of the Kingdom of God, yet must experience rejection, betrayal, suffering and death to accomplish His goal. Christ may have been God, but He suffered trials and tribulations in His walk as a mere man. He needed to pray to help strengthen Himself to fulfill His destiny. He needed the consolation and comfort that only time spent with His Father in prayer could offer Him.

What did His disciples do while He was agonizing in prayer? Did they intercede and share His burden? Did they pray that He would be strengthened and refreshed? No, they fell asleep and left Him alone to face His potential fate. Will we be guilty of the same thing, or will we be strong in prayer to overcome all temptation? Will our faith be encouraged, or will we entertain fear, doubt and unbelief that will prevent us from doing the will of God in our lives?

Watch and Pray

Mark 13:33 "Take ye heed, watch and pray: for ye know not when the time is."

We cannot afford to be asleep on our prayer watch in the days ahead. We must renew our vows to the Lord, and rededicate our lives to fulfilling our part in His eternal redemption plan. If we are members of the Body of Christ who will actually be called into service in ushering in the Kingdom, we have to remain alert and ready to answer our call to action when Christ directs us. We cannot be caught up in any distraction that would prevent our immediate obedience.

If we are members of the church and the Bride of Christ, we should be engaged in fervent, persistent, intercessory prayer for the Body of Christ and the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. We should seek supernatural breakthrough in the heavenly realms. We must be sanctifying ourselves and preparing to meet Christ as our Bridegroom. We should all be praying for full evangelization of the earth, and be actively engaged in preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom and harvesting souls.

Jesus' Prayer for His Followers - John 17

John 17:1-3 "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. And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."

Jesus was the epitome of unselfish devotion for those who believed in Him. He took the time to intercede in prayer to the Father for His followers, even before His death and resurrection. He knew His role in God's eternal redemption plan, and had been successful in turning the disciples back to right relationship with God. They believed that the Father had sent Him, and in return they received eternal life.

John 17:4-5 "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do. And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was."

Christ was not ashamed to ask His Father for His reward. He accomplished all that He set out to do in His earthly ministry. All that He wanted in return was to share in God's glory forever, as He had enjoyed it from the foundation of the world. He sought validation for His work and the Father has exalted Him above all others because of His perfect obedience.

John 17:6-8 "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. or 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."

God sent His very Son to those who were elect and chosen by the Father to receive Him. The Father must have been exceptionally pleased with His Son's performance during His earthly ministry. Jesus walked as a perfect, sinless human being, and was successful in demonstrating the anointing power of God to all His followers. They believed that the Father indeed sent Him, and they believed in the words that He spoke to them.

John 17:9-12 "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. 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."

Jesus prayed for all those that the Father had given Him, and He was proud to proclaim that He had kept them all safe through the power of God that worked in Him, except for Judas Iscariot. He reminds the Father that He must now leave them, and that they will now require more of God's presence in their lives than ever before, since they will remain in the world after He leaves.

John 17:13 "And now come I to thee; and these things I speak in the world, that they might have my joy fulfilled in themselves."

Christ knew that His return to the Father was imminent and that His prayer for His followers would bring them divine empowerment to survive in this world, despite what might happen in their surrounding circumstances. He wanted His joy and success in ministry fulfilled in His disciples. He desired that they walk exactly as He had while on the earth, doing the works that He did to bless others.

John 17:14-16 "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. 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."

Jesus' followers were changed men and women after they sat under His teaching. They realized their divine origin and the importance of their earthly destinies. However, they were subject to scorn and derision by those of the world who refused Christ's teaching. They were even in physical danger for their very lives if they openly followed in Christ's path.

Christ did NOT pray that we would be evacuated from the planet earth, when the going got tough. On the contrary, He asked the Father to protect us from all evil, while we stayed here to do His work. And so we remain and follow Jesus in the works that He did, enjoying supernatural protection from all harm until the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth.

John 17:17-19 "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."

We must sanctify ourselves just as Jesus sanctified Himself during His earthly walk. We must remain rooted and grounded in the Word of God and purposely lay down all known sin. We should purge ourselves of the desires of the flesh and the distractions of the soul. As we lay down our lives in God's service, we will grow into spiritual maturity and holiness.

John 17:20-23 "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."

Jesus wanted us to have everything that He enjoyed with God. He prayed that we would be one with Him, as He was with the Father. He also prayed for our unity as a corporate group of believers. He shared the glory that He had rightfully earned during His ministry with us, so that we would walk in divine authority as He had. He wanted to make an open show of our faith and devotion to the entire world.

John 17:24 "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."

Jesus said that He would go and prepare a place for us when He left us. While we are currently seated with Him in heavenly places, we will also behold Him in all His glory when the Kingdom of God comes to the earth. He will boast of us to all creation, because we have believed that the Father sent Him. He will be proud that we have walked as He walked on the earth, doing the works that He did. We will be glorified with Him for all eternity.

John 17:26 "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."

Christ is in us, and the love that He shared with His Father is in us as well. We are to love the Lord and one another, so that we all may be one. If we love one another, we will walk in total unity in the days ahead. There will be no proud and haughty spirits that enter into our fellowships and cause competition or division among us. We will each assume our God-given role in the Lord's eternal redemption plan.

We will have the distinct honor and privilege of seeing heaven come to the earth in the Kingdom of God. We will co-labor with Christ to establish godly standards for living, restore all of creation, and rule and reign with Him in full glory. We will love the Lord and His people, as we dwell in peace and joy together for all eternity.

Topics for Discussion

1. Why Jesus Prayed
2. Jesus' Advice on How to Pray
3. Prayer in Temptation
4. Jesus and Intercessory Prayer
5. How did Jesus teach us to pray?
6. Jesus' Prayer for the Kingdom to Come
7. Jesus' Prayer for Us - John 17

Chapter 4 - How to Get Our Prayers Heard

Hebrews 11:6 "But without faith [it is] impossible to please [him]: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and [that] he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

The Lord wants us to know Him as our God - our Creator and our Father. We must believe that He is indeed who and what He says He is, in order to approach Him in prayer. It would be pointless to pray to a powerless entity, therefore, we must earnestly believe that God is all powerful and eminently capable of answering our prayers. If we do have faith in Him then we also know, beyond a doubt, that He hears us and grants our requests.

Religion has taught us that we are to view ourselves as unworthy, and that God must be approached with fear and trepidation. The traditions of men would have us believe that sometimes God answers prayer and sometimes He doesn't, that it all depends upon whether we are being good or bad. Well-intentioned clergy tell us that God sometimes brings trouble and that He remains silent to teach us a lesson or to punish us.

These are lies from the pits of hell and an insult to all that Jesus Christ did for us. In reality, we are sons and daughters of the living God. We have been washed clean and made worthy by the very Blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We have rights and privileges that we have yet to exercise; divine power and glory that remains untapped; and accessibility to the throne of grace whenever we need it as long as we walk in love and righteousness.

Confidence in Prayer

1John 5:14 "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:"

We know that the Lord will indeed hear us from heaven and honor our prayer requests, as long as they line up with His will for our lives. We do not have to beg, wail or lament to have our needs met. We do not have to agonize or travail in prayer for hours or days. The Lord wants mature sons and daughters that come boldly to Him, by the merits of His Son Jesus Christ. He stands ready to greet us in our prayer and will supply all that we ask of Him.

We should examine both the permissive will and the express will of God with regard to prayer. While we may sometimes request things that are not blatantly sinful or outlandish, they may be permitted by the Lord but are not part of His perfect will for our lives. In such a case, He may appear to delay the answer to our prayers. He may ultimately give us something more suitable or even better than what we originally requested.

Praying for God's perfect or express will for our lives will produce much quicker and more positive prayer results. For example, we know that it is the Lord's express will that we prosper and be in good health because the Bible tells us that. If we pray for prosperity and follow His guidelines, we will experience financial breakthroughs. If we pray for good health, the Lord will always respond and heal us of any injury or disease that comes on us.

So too, it is His express will that heaven comes to the earth in the Kingdom of God. If we pray for that to happen, it will definitely manifest because it lines up with both what the Word of God promises and His direct purpose for our lives. We can have total confidence that whatever we ask according to the will of God, will indeed be granted to us.

Heirs to the Promises of God

Romans 8:17 "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with [him], that we may be also glorified together."

We are joint-heirs with Christ and seated with Him in heavenly places. Since Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, we are seated right up there with Him. We have immediate access to the throne of grace, so that we can pray and make our petitions known at any time.

And we know in confidence, that what we ask, we will receive. As Spirit-filled believers, we always hear from God and we never pray outside of His will for our lives. We need only thank the Lord and wait for His response, to see the answers to our prayers manifest in the natural realm.

While we have experienced trials and tribulations in the world, our suffering has only matured and strengthened us to be more like Christ. We always try to do the works of Christ in our daily lives. We have earned the Lord's respect and favor as a result. He will amply supply our needs and generously reward us for all our efforts on His behalf.

Colossians 3:24 "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall receive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ."

As long as we have sanctified ourselves and repented of all known sin, and are walking in righteousness and love for God and one another, there is nothing to impede our prayers from being heard and answered. The enemy cannot interfere; our sense of unworthiness is not a factor. We are heirs to the promises of God Himself if we walk as Christ walked on the earth.

Our reward is secure, and we will experience joy, peace and prosperity forever in the Kingdom of God. We will be glorified with Christ, and He will boast of us to all creation. He will take vengeance on all our enemies and provide us with safety and security for all eternity. The Lord himself will dwell with us forever in His Kingdom, and generously supply all of our needs.

Know Your Rights and Privileges

Galatians 3:29 "And if ye [be] Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

As believers and heirs to the promises of God, we enjoy certain rights and privileges. Because of who we are in Jesus Christ, we can invoke the terms of both the Abrahamic and Messianic covenants. We are descendants of Abraham; we have the same bloodline as Christ does. We are his seed and heirs to the entire world.

So too, we have even better promises, because we were also redeemed by Christ's very own Blood. We experienced not only salvation from our sins when He went to the cross, but we also received full restoration of our right standing with God. The Lord looks at us and sees Jesus Himself in all His righteousness.

We enjoy Christ's grace - unmerited favor in all that we do. If we miss the mark, and fall short of God's glory, we have the opportunity to immediately turn and repent. The Lord is ever merciful, and quick to forgive us. We can always enjoy fellowship with the Father; we can communicate with Him intimately and as often as we desire.

We also have all of Christ's anointing power and authority available to us, as long as we sanctify and discipline ourselves for its use. We will walk in miraculous signs and wonders - healing the sick, freeing the captives and even raising the dead in the days to come! We will help bring heaven to the earth realm through our fervent prayer and obedient service to the Lord.

2Peter 1:4 "Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust."

We are members of God's very own family; we come from royal blood. The Bible says that we are kings and priests unto our God. We have the privilege of making our needs known, and the confidence that they will always be met. We have the responsibility to intercede for others, and we can expect to see changed lives as a result of our prayers.

We walk in supernatural protection and miraculous power and authority. We destroy demonic strongholds that impede our progress and cause suffering in those around us. We shake up world governments and cause them to line up with godly principles. We walk in supernatural blessings and total security in a dark and unstable world.

Hebrews 6:17 "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed [it] by an oath:"

Christ's victory over sin, death and the grave restored our righteousness once and for all. His Blood is our guarantee of right standing with the Father. Our relationship that was marred by Adam's transgression is now totally restored. In fact, we have a better relationship now than ever before. We actually enjoy sonship rights - inheritance to all the promises of God. We are the actual sons and daughters of the Creator of the universe.

We have God's very word, confirmed by His oath, that He will be our God forever. His word is immutable; He is not a man that will lie and deceive us. He will minister to our spirits and provide us with guidance and direction through His Holy Spirit. The Lord will give us ongoing revelation and be our divine empowerment to do all that He asks of us in bringing heaven to the earth.

He will generously provide for all our temporal needs in His Kingdom. The earth will be a veritable paradise. Our flesh will be changed to glorious, incorruptible bodies that live forever. We will enjoy peace, and prosperity, love and unity, safety and security in the very presence of our awesome God for all eternity.

Prayers of Faith

Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them]."

Jesus taught us to have faith in God and the faith of God! There is nothing more powerful than prayer that is backed up by faith in the Word of God. Christ taught us that we must believe that we receive everything that we pray for, and eagerly anticipate receiving it. We should make our petitions known to the Lord, then immediately thank Him for hearing and answering our prayers even before they manifest.

Any type of prayer can be done in faith, whether it is a prayer of petition and supplication, intercession or praise and thanksgiving. If we have needs and entreat the Lord for them to be met, we will have whatever we ask as long as we are consistent. We must pray as though the Lord as already heard us and acted on our request. We should thank Him and give Him praise even before we see the prayer results.

This type of faith-based praying is critical to help usher in the Kingdom of God on the earth. We must believe that it will come, and actually thank the Lord for its arrival before it appears in the natural realm. The Father will not deny us something that is good and beneficial; He will indeed make good on our request because it aligns itself with His Word. We have God's guarantee that His Word will not return void to Him; He always makes good on it.

John 16:24 "Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."

We also have Christ's own power of attorney to use His Name in prayer to the Father. That is our guarantee that the Lord will hear us and respond favorably to our needs. When we pray in Christ's Name, it is as if Jesus Himself is making a request. Our prayers are heard immediately, and our answers are forthcoming. That will cause us great joy and we should praise the Lord in earnest for His generous love towards us because of the merits of Christ Himself.

Making Demands on the Word of God

One sure way to have our prayer requests answered is to pray the Word of God, which is the very will of God Himself. With words, God created the universe; our words that line up with His have creative power also, because we were created in His image and likeness. Our words are virtual dynamos of divine power and authority. When they line up with God's words, they are invincible!

When we pray for Biblical precepts and promises in our lives, we can be certain that they will manifest because they are God's express will for us. His Word is His will! We simply remind Him of His promises - call Him to remembrance of what He has said - and ask for them to materialize in our lives. And since He never lies, we will have what we ask in accordance with the Word of God that we verbalize over our situations and circumstances.

For example, we should voice-activate the Word of God, and personalize it so that it will increase in potency. That will bolster our faith and confidence. We must also remind the Lord that this is His Word and His will for us. We should actually say something like: "Father, your Word says ... therefore, I claim it as my very own promise and I believe that I receive!" We should then thank Him and wait patiently for what we claimed to manifest in the natural realm.

When we make demands on the Word of God, and speak forth His promises to us out loud, we announce our position to all the demonic hierarchy. We break through enemy strongholds and the devil will flee far from us and stop impeding our prayers from being heard and answered. Satan knows better than to interfere with the spoken Word of God Himself; it has awesome inherent power.

Spiritual Decrees

2Corinthians 4:13 "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak;"

We should never pray outside of our faith. What we believe will happen, ultimately will manifest.

While prayer is important, speaking the uncompromised Word of God over our lives will have astounding results. It places a demand on God's promises to manifest in the natural realm, and He will always make good on His Word. It never returns void to Him, the Bible tells us, and we can rely on positive results for our efforts.

We should make verbal decrees of our promises in the Bible, and speak them over our all of our situations and circumstances. For example, if we want supernatural protection, we should speak: "No plot or scheme formed against me will prosper" or "He gives His angels charge over me to protect me in all my ways." This will set up a shield around us that the enemy cannot penetrate.

If we want abundance and prosperity in our lives, we should say: "My God does supply all my needs according to His riches in glory" or "I am prospered going in and coming out; everything that I put my hand to prospers." If we need healing we should decree: "Jesus bore my infirmities and carried my diseases, and by His stripes I was healed" or "The same spirit that raised Jesus from the dead, quickens my mortal body."

We will have what we speak, and we should be extremely careful not to cancel our spiritual decrees with subsequent negative words. We should never give more power to a problem than it already has, by speaking about it with others. We ought to speak the solution or the desired result, in order to see that manifest in our situation and circumstances.

Our conversation has to be carefully monitored. We cannot verbalize negatives of any kind; we must speak only words of light and life - to ourselves and to others. Our words will bless us or curse us, depending on their content. The Lord Himself honors our words as if they were His very own, and He will give us what we decree over our lives, whether it be good or evil.

Job 22:28 "Thou shalt also decree a thing and it shall be established unto thee: and the light shall shine upon thy ways."

We should never speak idle or careless words. We should speak only the Word of God to our situations and circumstances. We can be absolutely positive that it will produce good fruit in our lives. What we believe and decree for ourselves and for others, will come to pass in the natural realm. The Lord Himself guarantees that to us.

We should always be diligent to pray the Word and the will of God in all matters. That is why it is critical that we actually decree "heaven on the earth," as we have prayed in the Lord's Prayer. The Kingdom of God exists in all its magnificent glory in the spiritual realm, and we voice-activate its coming to the earth with our positive decrees that it will manifest. We actually bring it into reality by praying faith-based prayers and speaking it into existence!

The Lord has designed this eternal redemption plan from the beginning of time. It is His express will to usher heaven into the earth realm and to dwell with His people there for all eternity. He delights in partnering with a people who pray in faith and speak possibilities such as the Kingdom of God into reality.

In fact, it is absolutely vital that we pray and decree the Kingdom coming on the earth, because the Lord will not intervene unless we ask Him. He has given all power and authority in the earth realm to men. He cannot and will not do anything here, unless we pray for it to occur and voice-activate its coming. He has done His part and is now waiting for us to do ours. Our divine destinies include fervent, effectual prayer fro divine intervention.

Prayer That Justifies Us

Isaiah 43:26 "Put me in remembrance: let us plead together: declare thou, that thou mayest be justified."

The Lord loves it when we remind Him what He has promised us in the written Word of God. He wants us to plead our case before Him as we would in a court of law, and use the Word as our evidence that we should have what we ask. He is ever ready to make good on His promises to us, and is delighted that we have strong faith in His Word and know our rights and privileges in Christ. He expects us to believe sincerely and proclaim boldly.

We are not only entitled to contend with the Lord for His promise, but we are urged to do so. We can actually pray and declare the Word over our lives to see it manifest in the natural realm. We can personalize the Biblical promises of God and speak them out of our mouths. We ought to do this often and teach others to do it, as well. We will see astounding results in or lives, as the Lord backs up His Word in power and might.

Hebrews 10:38 "Now the just shall live by faith: but if [any man] draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him."

The Lord wants us to come boldly to the throne of grace with our prayer requests. He is never stingy in providing our needs; He simply wants us to confidently and expectantly demand our rights that He has promised us. He loves it when we contend with Him in our faith. He will make good on all His promises and do even more than we could ever ask or imagine.

Conversely, the Lord is displeased when we shrink back from Him in a sense of false humility or fear. Doubt and unbelief displease Him; only faith-based words get His attention. He wants us to be mature sons and daughters that communicate with Him freely and comfortably. He delights in our boldness and will reward our persistence with answered prayer to meet all our needs

Proverbs 23:11 "For their redeemer [is] mighty; he shall plead their cause with thee."

We should always have total confidence that our prayers are heard and that our requests will be honored. We have Jesus Christ as a mediator and High Priest, who is ever ready to intercede on our behalf. While that may not be necessary, it is comforting to know that our Lord and Savior backs us up in all that we request of our Father.

Reward for Righteousness

Ruth 2:12 "The LORD recompense thy work, and a full reward be given thee of the LORD God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust."

If we are in right standing with God and obedient to His commandments, we will have a generous reward for our prayer efforts. The Lord knows that He can trust us to do His will, and that what we request is both valid and important to His overall plan for our lives. He will be our source and our supply of all good things that we request of Him.

We, in turn, should trust the Lord to answer our prayers and grant our requests. We should remember that He wants to bless us, and freely supplies all of our needs. His hand is not shortened to meet your needs and mine - continuously and generously. He has the wealth of the entire universe at His disposal, and an inexhaustible supply of all that we require.

Hebrews 10:35 "Cast not away therefore your confidence, which hath great recompence of reward."

Once again, it cannot be stressed enough, that the Lord wants us walking in total faith and confidence in our prayers. He will never cause us to be ashamed by leaving us empty handed. That would not bring Him any honor or glory. He wants to demonstrate His love for us; He is ever able and willing to meet our prayer requests fully and completely. Our faith and confidence have their own rewards, and the Lord is never stingy in providing them.

If we are confident that what we pray is heard and will be answered, that gives us renewed hope for the future. We will be more patient for the actual manifestation of our prayer results, and eagerly await the details of the Lord's provision. It is truly exciting to see how and when God will minister to our needs. He delights in our peace and joy, and is ever ready and willing to bless our lives in abundance.

Exceeding Abundantly

Ephesians 3:20 "Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,"

We are virtual prayer dynamos, and we don't even recognize that. Our Father is the Creator of the universe and He rejoices in our prayers. There is no good thing that He will withhold from us. In fact, He will do far more than we could ever ask or think in our prayer lives. The key then lies with how and what we pray. Prayer has power, and we should fine-tune our methods so that it is more effective for our benefit and for that of others.

If we pray the Lord's Word and will, we will never be disappointed. He will be quick to hear and generous in His answer to our prayer requests. Why then should we pray for small things, when we could be praying for the big picture? The Kingdom of God will solve all our problems and meet all of our needs for all eternity...

We need to step up our prayer efforts. If more of us pray and ask Him, we will see God's awesome power and glory released on the earth. It is the Lord's express will that heaven come to the earth realm; we pray it all the time in the Lord's Prayer. We can voice-activate it with our faith-based prayers and spiritual decrees for the coming of His Kingdom. We will not be disappointed; we will enjoy paradise on the earth as a result of our passionate prayer efforts!

Topics for Discussion

1. Why God Answers Prayer
2. Heirs to the Promises Of God
3. Our Rights and Privileges
4. Rewards for Righteousness
5. Prayers of Faith
6. Spiritual Decrees
7. Exceeding Abundantly

Chapter 5 - Hear Us From Heaven

2Chronicles 6:39-40 "Then hear thou from the heavens, [even] from thy dwelling place, their prayer and their supplications, and maintain their cause, and forgive thy people which have sinned against thee. Now, my God, let, I beseech thee, thine eyes be open, and [let] thine ears [be] attent unto the prayer [that is made] in this place."

This prayer of Solomon is a great example of how we should pray for the Lord's presence to come to the earth. He asked for his people to be forgiven, and prayed that the Lord's eyes would be opened and His ears attentive to their cries. He requested that the Lord's glory fall on the place where His people could worship Him. Solomon's prayer was sincere and came from a humble, contrite heart, even though he was a king.

However, while the situation is similar, we are not merely seeking the Lord's glory to fall and reside in the Ark of the Covenant as Solomon was when he prayed this prayer. We are seeking His manifest presence with us for all eternity in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the earth. We want to live with Him in all His power and glory, close up and personal, in intimate fellowship with the very Creator of the universe.

This is a huge request, so we need to sanctify ourselves more fully and refine our prayer methods so that we are more effective in being heard. We must renounce and turn away from all known sin. Nothing evil can reside in God's presence. We should walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh; this ensures us that we will be spiritually mature and perfect as He is perfect.

We must plead our case before the Lord for the coming of His Kingdom to the earth. We should place a demand on the written Word of God, and all of its promises to us. We should be praying prayers of faith and making spiritual decrees. We can visualize heaven actually coming to earth realm as we pray and seek God's favor.

Sanctification Through the Truth

1Thessalonians 5:23 "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and [I pray God] your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ."

If we would be consecrated vessels of honor for the Lord's use, we should continue to purge ourselves of all known sin. We must overcome all fleshly desires that hinder us in our spiritual walk. We must lay down our personal agendas in favor of His purpose and plan. We must get over our "selves" and become totally dedicated to Him.

We should rid ourselves of all worldly goals and desire the coming of the Kingdom more than anything else. We should strive for spiritual perfection and a deeper intimacy with God. If we are walking in total righteousness, then our prayers will be heard and answered promptly. We will have what we ask, and even more than we could ever imagine.

We will receive ongoing revelation of the Lord's plan and timing to usher in His Kingdom. We each have our specific parts to play in His eternal redemption plan. The Lord cannot do this without our active cooperation, since we hold dominion over the earth. Everything will proceed in an orderly fashion, and right on schedule.

Christ will return to receive His Kingdom from us. We will have put all His enemies (including death) under our feet, and fully evangelized the earth. All world governments will be reorganized and absorbed into His Kingdom. All demonic strongholds will be overcome and He will banish Satan and his minions to the bottomless pit.

Prayer to Birth the Kingdom

Luke 11: 1-2 "And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth."

We should pray the Lord's model prayer with fervor and persistence, if we would have it manifest as the Kingdom of God on the earth. We ought to plead our case with heart-felt sincerity, stand on God's Word and remind Him that this is His eternal redemption plan. We should give Him thanks and praise for His great glory, and request that He unleash His creative power in the universe once again.

Voice-activation of God's promised Kingdom is mighty and powerful for tearing down all demonic strongholds that would prevent it from manifesting in the natural realm. We have to decree that it is indeed established and bind everything that would deter its coming. We should loose Kingdom blessings in our lives by speaking them out of our mouths.

We should visualize the Kingdom; we can use our spiritual gifts of imagination to picture it in great detail. We will be joyful and prosperous, healthy and strong. We will build homes and dwell in them with our families for generations. We will walk in harmony with each other and with the animal kingdom in total peace. All our needs will be met for all eternity.

We can see ourselves serving in the Kingdom in our divine destinies. We will be teaching and governing, ruling and reigning with Christ. If we spiritually decree that it is already here in all its splendor and actually see it in our mind's eye, that will be powerful in causing the Kingdom of God to actually manifest in the natural realm as the Lord has promised us.

Watch and Pray

1Peter 4:7 "But the end of all things is at hand: be ye therefore sober, and watch unto prayer."

We ought to devote ourselves to consecrated prayer for the Kingdom of God to come, as never before. We must present our prayer petition both passionately and persistently. We should also intercede unselfishly for others who are instrumental in helping to bring the Kingdom about. We must not neglect to give the Lord all the thanks and praise that He so rightly deserves.

We should wait expectantly for the next move of God to take place. He will pour out His power and glory in the earth realm to attract many new believers. He will work with us and through us to draw all men to Himself.

We will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and baptize new believers. We will perform miraculous signs and wonders as a testament to God's power. Many will be healed of incurable diseases; hospitals and funeral homes will be emptied as a worldwide testimony to God's love and majesty, as it operates through His people.

It is the Lord's perfect will for all men to dwell in His presence in the Kingdom of God on the earth. He has promised us that He will supply all of our needs; we will enjoy peace and prosperity, health and longevity, safety and security forever. He wants to know us intimately and fellowship with us for all eternity; that's the very reason He created us.

Lord's Hand is Not Shortened

The Lord is able to do all that He has promised us. He will establish the Kingdom of God on the earth. It's simply a matter of when that will happen. That depends on us. Are we ready and willing to do all that it takes to bring heaven to the earth realm? Are we sanctified and consecrated to His holy purpose? Can we walk as Christ Himself walked on the earth? Do we want the Lord's presence more than anything else in our lives? These are questions that each of us must now ask ourselves, in preparation for ushering in the Kingdom of God.

We have much to accomplish if we would be joint-heirs with Jesus Christ to all that the Kingdom of God has to offer. We have to be willing to actually partner with the Lord in fulfilling His redemption plan. We must be consecrated and dedicated to His purpose, not our own agendas. He wants and requires our active participation in every phase of Kingdom building.

We all have our parts to play to make the Kingdom a reality. Prayer to birth the Kingdom should be our primary goal. Each of us should pray continuously for its manifestation. We must continually purge ourselves of all known sin and fleshly desires so that we can dwell in the presence of a perfect and holy God. We will have to sacrifice everything to gain everything.

The Body of Christ must be mobilized, and angelic hosts mustered to do their part in tearing down demonic strongholds that interfere with our efforts. The Bride of Christ must purify and prepare herself to meet Jesus as her Bridegroom.

So too, we must preach the Gospel of the Kingdom and fully evangelize the earth, to include the nation of Israel. We should walk as Christ walked, and heal the sick, set captives free of demonic oppression, and even raise the dead in the days to come.

Everything must happen in the Lord's timing and by the anointing power of His Holy Spirit; He will synchronize all of our efforts to keep pace with His perfect plan. All that we must do is seek Him for guidance and direction. We must be quick and obedient to do all that He assigns us, and work cooperatively with one another in ushering in His Kingdom for all the world to see.

A Holy People

Revelation 21:3 "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God [is] with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, [and be] their God."

We know from the written Word of God that the Lord wants to tabernacle on the earth with His children. However, He will not reside in the Ark of the Covenant this time. No church or temple will house Him. He will actually take up residence with us in the Kingdom of God in all of His power and glory. We will enjoy an intimate Father/child relationship with Him. However, nothing that defiles can exist in His presence.

We should be praying for Him to purge and sanctify us as a holy people, so that we can enjoy His companionship. We must cooperate with sanctification, by laying down our souls and all desires of the flesh that interfere with our spirits being in ascendancy. He will consecrate us for His purpose, hear our pleas, empower and organize us in our all efforts to usher in heaven on the earth as He has promised He would do.

Romans 12:12 "Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;"

If we have purged ourselves of all selfish personal goals and fleshly desires, as much as we are humanly able, the Lord will complete our sanctification. He knows that we are striving for full maturity as His sons and daughters. We try to walk by the Spirit and not by the flesh. We desire the Lord and His way of doing things more than we desire life in the world system. He is continually working with us and in us to accomplish His purpose.

But for the time being, we are still subject to worldly trials and tribulation and susceptible to temptation and sin. We should be patient in our suffering, yet passionate in our zeal for more of God and His power and glory to manifest. We should be instant in prayer and strong in spiritual warfare, to stop all the enemy's efforts to deter and detain us in reaching the spiritual perfection and personal consecration that is needed to usher in the Kingdom of God.

Overcomers

2Corinthians 2:14 "Now thanks [be] unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ, and maketh manifest the savour of his knowledge by us in every place."

We have suffered scorn and derision for thousands of years as followers of Jesus Christ on the earth; many have ridiculed and persecuted us for our faith. We've experienced disease and death, oppression and poverty at the hand of the enemy. We have been constantly tormented and tempted to sin, yet through Christ we have been able to triumph over all adversity. We have overcome the world, the flesh and the devil.

We have tried to walk as Jesus walked on the earth in humble, unselfish love and service to others. The end-time harvest is ripe now and the full number of believers is being called in. The Bride is prepared to meet the Bridegroom, and the Body of Christ is ready to advance over the face of the earth. We have every reason to believe that now is the appointed time for the Lord to hear us from heaven and intervene to usher in His Kingdom in the earth realm!

We make all our Kingdom prayer requests in the Name and by the sacrificial Blood of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. We know that through Him we can be victorious in bringing heaven to the earth. He Himself taught us how to pray and approach the throne of grace. Therefore, we come boldly before the Father with this need, knowing that He will indeed hear our prayers and answer them quickly.

The Lord has been the source of our strength and our encouragement. We believe that He can and will make good on all His promises to us. We can do all things through Christ, to include birthing the Kingdom of God through sacrificial prayer and dedicated service to God. We decree that it has already manifested, and we visualize life there. We have the total faith and confidence that we will prevail and actually see heaven come to the earth in this generation.

The Role of Israel in the Kingdom of God

Romans 10:1 "Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is, that they might be saved."

The Jews have been hated and feared for thousands of years because they were chosen by God to be His covenant people. The enemy has done everything possible to tempt them to disobey and sin against the Lord. He has managed to all but destroy them as a nation. They have been severely oppressed and they are eager for peace and prosperity. They are still waiting for their Messiah, and they will not be disappointed.

Romans 11:25-27 "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins."

We must earnestly pray for the Jews to hear the Gospel of the Kingdom and embrace the saving power of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. We cannot overlook the importance of the conversion and salvation of Israel, as it relates to the coming of the Kingdom of God to the earth. They are God's original chosen people and they will also reside there for all eternity.

It was to Israel that the Lord sent His Son. And despite the fact that they rejected Jesus, He loves the Jewish people with a deep abiding love. He desires to fellowship with them, as much as He does with us. They are bound to Him by Abrahamic covenant, and He will not break His promises to them. They will inherit the earth as was promised to Abraham.

It was only due to the nation of Israel's unbelief that we were fortunate enough to be grafted in and adopted as the Lord's surrogate people in the first place. Christ will ultimately turn them from their sins as He originally set out to do. When the full number of the Gentiles that was planned from the beginning of time is harvested into the Kingdom, then Israel will be converted as a nation, as well.

Believers in the Gospel of the Kingdom will provide a strong testimony to the Jews regarding the power of their Messiah. Mass healings and resurrections of the dead will convince them that their God is still sovereign and working on their behalf. We will set them free from demonic oppression once and for all time. Their hearts will be softened to receive the good news, and they will embrace it eagerly as they finally welcome Jesus Christ into their lives as Lord and Savior.

Romans 11:31-2 "Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all."

God is ever merciful to His people, even though they walk in sin and rebellion. We should be merciful, as well, and pray for our Jewish brothers and sisters. When Israel is converted, and their captivity is turned, we will all take up residence together in the Kingdom of God on the earth. The Bible tells us to pray for the peace of Jerusalem also, as it will be a hub of Kingdom activity. Christ Himself will rule and reign over all the earth from His headquarters in Jerusalem.

2Chronicles 6:27 "Then hear thou from heaven, and forgive the sin of thy servants, and of thy people Israel, when thou hast taught them the good way, wherein they should walk; and send rain upon thy land, which thou hast given unto thy people for an inheritance."

The Lord Himself will intervene from heaven for the redemption of His chosen people. He will not permit them to be excluded from the peace and prosperity that His Kingdom promises. They will share equally in our rewards, regardless of the fact that they are only recently converted. The Kingdom of God was their birthright, and once they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior, they will become joint-heirs with Him to full redemption just as we are.

Zechariah 8:22 "Yea, many people and strong nations shall come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem, and to pray before the LORD."

Jerusalem will have a prominent part in Kingdom life. The physical city is a type and shadow of the church - all of God's people - comprised of believers from all tongues and nations. The Bible tells us that Jesus Christ is coming to set His feet down on the Mount of Olives outside of Jerusalem when He returns to the earth. It will be out of Jerusalem that Christ rules and reigns. Representatives from every nation will go there to celebrate the Lord's feast days for all eternity. (See Zechariah 14)

Thank the Lord for His Kingdom

Psalm 79:13 "So we thy people and sheep of thy pasture will give thee thanks for ever: we will shew forth thy praise to all generations."

We have prepared ourselves to share in Christ's inheritance. We are willing and able to work to restore all of creation and set up the Kingdom government, so that there will finally be peace on the earth. We have learned righteous judgment so that we might help judge both angels and men. We will be just rulers of God's people and competent teachers of Kingdom principles.

We have served the Lord with devotion and loyalty and we desire to see His face, enjoy His presence and reap our eternal rewards. There will be peace and prosperity, love and unity, health and length of days in the Kingdom of God. We are eager to embrace all its ideals, and we will be faithful to execute all of the Lord's plans and procedures for operating His Kingdom.

We will teach our children and our children's children, and each successive generation thereafter, to walk in the ways of the Lord. We will give Him all the praise and glory, as He meets all of our needs for all eternity. We will be His people and He will be our God. We will dwell together in intimate fellowship, just as He intended from the creation of mankind.

Revelation 11:17 "Saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned."

There will be great rejoicing in heaven when the Kingdom of God is finally brought to the earth. It will be a magnificent show of God's power and glory. The saints and angelic hosts will all praise God and give Him thanks for His victory over evil. All of creation has eagerly awaited this moment and the entire universe will celebrate.

The Lord is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. He is worthy of all our praise and honor. He loves His people with a deep abiding love and He has engineered the most intricate salvation plan that could ever be imagined. Not a single soul will be lost that is destined for His Kingdom. Everyone whose name is written in the Book of Life will be called in and saved.

We should give enthusiastic thanks and praise to the Lord for hearing our pleas even before the Kingdom comes. We ought to visualize it already here and decree that it has arrived. We must be in earnest prayer for one another and for Israel. And we should rejoice in the fact that the Lord always answers faith-based prayer, and is diligent to keep His promises to His people.

Topics for Discussion

1. Praying for the Lord's Presence
2. Techniques for Birthing the Kingdom in Prayer
3. The Lord is Able to Usher in His Kingdom
4. A Holy People
5. Overcomers
6. The Role of Israel in the Kingdom
7. Thank the Lord for His Kingdom

Chapter 6 - Ushering in the Kingdom of God

Mark 1:15 "And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

Christ never promised that He would evacuate us from the earth. Nor did He say that He would destroy it. He told us that He would be with us always, and that this would be a world without end. The only destruction He discussed was of the ungodly and their ungodliness. He will destroy all evil in the wrath of His coming, and banish Satan from our midst. The earth itself will be restored and revitalized so that it reflects heaven's own glory.

The time has arrived for us to repent and believe all that He taught us in the Gospel of the Kingdom. We must get back to the basics of our faith. We should be praying for the Kingdom to come to the earth, and working actively to facilitate that. First and foremost, the Gospel of the Kingdom must be preached to all mankind. We should pray that the full harvest of souls is reaped all over the earth.

This will not be a friendly takeover of the planet. There will be strong resistance, and the people of God must take a unified stand against all attacks of the enemy that might try to prevent the coming of the Kingdom of God to this earth. We should build each other up in our precious faith, and war against any mind-blinding and hindering spirits that may deter us in our efforts to fulfill our parts in the Lord's redemption plan.

No Escape Plan

There are many Christians who believe that Jesus Christ is going to "rapture" us out of here, and beam us up to heaven prior to destroying all evil and setting up His Kingdom on the earth. However, that would seem improbable and impractical, since we are His hands and feet on the earth. He needs us as much as we need Him. The Bible says that He owns the heavens, but the earth He has given to men.

There are still souls to harvest, and the Lord requires our help to bring them in. So too, we are an army of believers. We have been well trained and amply equipped to do the Lord's will in overcoming evil ourselves. If we are taken out of here, then evil would run rampant over the face of the earth and totally destroy what the Lord has created.

I believe that the Lord will mobilize a people within the church to help usher in the Kingdom prior to His coming. This group is called the Body of Christ and they will overcome all resistance, and physically set up the Kingdom infrastructure under Jesus Christ's direction as Head of the Body.

They will overcome all of Christ's enemies - including death - and deliver the Kingdom to Him at His coming. Christ in turn, will present the Kingdom in all its glory to His Father, and the Lord Himself will come to take up residence with His people on the earth for all eternity. None of this can be accomplished if we are removed from here.

The Kingdom Instead

Romans 14:17 "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost."

God's promises were sealed forever by His covenant with us. They have been stored up for thousands of years, yet now is the time for Him to deliver everything that He said that He would give us. The Kingdom of God is an imminent reality, and we can and will do our part in making it manifest in the earth realm. It will yield righteousness, peace and joy for all who enter in.

Heaven is actually coming to the earth realm. God's way of doing things will be perfect and our redemption will be complete. Evil is being abolished and peace and righteousness will prevail. We will receive our glorious incorruptible bodies that will be impervious to disease and death. The entire earth will be restored to beauty and balance. All men will dwell with the Lord and with one another in love and unity; we will enjoy peace and prosperity for all eternity.

The Kingdom Within Us

Luke 17:20 "And when he was demanded of the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God should come, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: Neither shall they say, Lo here! or, lo there! for, behold, the kingdom of God is within you."

Christ taught us that the Kingdom of God potentially resides deep within every believer. We need only make it experiential to see it evolve outside of us. By this I mean, that we should be walking in Kingdom principles even now, before it actually manifests in the earth realm. We should love the Lord and one another, and walk in total unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ. We must pray for one another, that we might be sanctified and consecrated for His use.

We each have specific callings - some to the church, others to the Body of Christ. Regardless of what our role is, we should be seeking the Lord's direction for the successful completion of our own unique part in His eternal redemption plan. We will all be important to the coming of the Kingdom of God on the earth, and the Lord will empower us to do all that He needs done. We need only be willing and obedient to cooperate with Him.

While the Body of Christ will actually usher in the Kingdom through spiritual warfare and loosing Kingdom blessings into the earth realm, the church has an important role, as well. The Bride of Christ will be sanctifying and preparing herself to meet her Bridegroom. She will pray for the Body of Christ to be strong and courageous, and for all men to come to full knowledge and belief in the truth.

All of us must assist in bringing in the full end-time harvest of souls that are required before the Kingdom comes. We will all - church and Body of Christ - be responsible for evangelization and baptism of new believers throughout the world. It is the Lord's will that no man should perish; preaching the gospel is of critical importance if men's lives would be forever changed.

The Kingdom Comes in Power

1Corinthians 4:20 "For the kingdom of God [is] not in word, but in power."

The Kingdom of God will be ushered in with all miraculous signs and wonders. We have the distinct privilege and serious responsibility to assist the Lord in His efforts. We've been given great power and authority as believers in Christ. We should be doing what He did during His time on the earth. While many of us will feel unworthy, there will be a core group of believers - the Body of Christ - that take God at His word and walk in full power and authority just as Christ did.

They will overcome every effort of the enemy to deter Kingdom building. They will preach the Gospel of the Kingdom to all of the world, baptize new believers, heal the sick and set captives free from enemy oppression. They should even be raising the dead in the days to come, as the power and glory of God falls on His people in a full anointing to destroy all of Christ's enemies, including death.

Mark 9:1 "And he said unto them, Verily I say unto you, That there be some of them that stand here, which shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power."

Christ died not only for the forgiveness of our sins, but also to restore our rights and privileges that were lost in Adam's transgression. Satan was defeated in Christ's victory over sin, death and the grave. Now it's time for man to rise up and take back dominion over the earth, as it was intended from the beginning of time.

We must forcibly and purposefully take back the planet for our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, using the keys to the Kingdom that He has given us. We should verbally bind the enemy and cast him out of our affairs on the earth. We should loose blessings and overcome his every effort to hinder us. We will set all captives free of enemy oppression and loose blessings into their lives. Men will be free to worship God in Spirit and in truth.

We should do everything Christ did, and more, since He has gone to be with the Father. If we fail to do our part because of sin and disobedience, the Lord will disqualify us from entering His Kingdom. Christ told us that only those who do the will of the Father are eligible to enter in. We must be willing to do all that we are assigned in the days to come. There are eternal ramifications for our faithfulness - we are a chosen generation!

John 14:12 "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father."

Those of us who respond to the Lord's call to the Body of Christ will do the works of Christ in setting captives free of enemy oppression, healing the sick and raising the dead. We will walk in miraculous signs and wonders to provide hope for mankind, and show forth the awesome power and glory of God to a world lost in darkness and despair. Men will be eager for God's way of doing things, since the world system has miserably failed.

We have been given all power and authority in the earth realm. We will revise world governments to align themselves with the Word and the will of God. We will restore peace and unity to the world, as all men turn away from sin and embrace Kingdom principles. We will have dominion over nature, the animal and plant kingdoms. All of creation will be restored to its original beauty and balance.

We will be living testimonies to God's gracious mercy and anointing power, as we do the works that Jesus did when He walked the earth. Christ promised us that we will perform even greater works since He is now united with His Father. We will minister unselfishly to others to attract them to the Kingdom way of life. We will serve as godly examples of righteousness and justice, faith and love, glory and honor for all the world to see.

Keys to the Kingdom

Matthew 16:19 "And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven."

The Lord created the universe by speaking it into existence with His own words. He formed everything by simply speaking life to it. The Bible tells us that, "in the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." He then spoke to it and said, "Let there be light, and there was light." Everything that was ever created was spoken into reality by God Himself through words. (See Genesis 1)

The Lord created man in His very own image and likeness to have dominion over the earth realm, but Adam forfeited that power and authority when he sinned against God. Jesus Christ restored it to us with His victory over sin, death and the grave. With the same power-based words that God used, we will re-create the earth and restore it to its former balance and beauty.

All power and authority has been given to us by Jesus Himself to tread on serpents and destroy evil from the face of the earth. Christ also gave us the keys to His Kingdom; they are voice-activated. With words, we bind Satan and his demonic efforts to prevent us from establishing the Kingdom of God. And with words, we release peace and order back to the earth.

Whatever we want to manifest, we should call forth and decree will happen. If we bind all evil and strip the enemy of his power, we must also loose corresponding blessings into the earth realm. Christ gave us His power of attorney, the authority to do this with our own words used in His Name and anointing power.

For example, we should bind demonic spirits of hatred, chaos and confusion, and loose love, peace and order on the earth. To eliminate poverty and infirmity, we must bind them and cast them out, and loose spirits of prosperity and good health. Death and destruction will have to go as we speak life and restoration to the earth again.

We should bind and cast out every effort of the enemy to blind and hinder us, and loose wisdom, revelation and understanding in men. All heaven stands behind our words as we speak the Word of God over our lives. Nothing can in any way prevent us from ushering in the Kingdom of God, except fear, doubt and unbelief. If we shrink back from our duties now, the Kingdom will not manifest in this generation.

The Lord has chosen us to be what the Bible calls "a peculiar people," because of our strong faith and enthusiastic boldness. He has given us a full anointing of His very own divine power and authority. He relies on us to do our part for Kingdom manifestation on the earth. We will overcome all evil and loose innumerable blessings for all mankind who embrace Christ as Lord and Savior.

Great Faith Brings Great Rewards

Luke 9:62 "And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

Our faith must be stronger than ever before. We cannot shrink back in fear, doubt or unbelief. We must be strong and courageous if we would help Christ usher in His Kingdom. We should seek His direction and be quick to obey. We must have total confidence that He can and will supernaturally empower us in all that we are called to do. All that is required of us is willingness to do our part. He will be our personal empowerment.

He may ask us to do what seems to be physically impossible, but His anointing power will enable us to accomplish anything that He assigns us. So too, we will have legions of angelic hosts that will assist us in our efforts. Jesus Himself will be our Commander-In-Chief, and all that we must do is be obedient to His lead. This will all be accomplished by the Holy Spirit of God - not by any human power or strength.

Matthew 6:33 "But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you."

We should be seeking the Kingdom of God and His way of doing things more than anything else. Then we will enjoy all spiritual and temporal blessings. There are many rewards stored up for us in Christ's Kingdom. The Lord will take vengeance on all our enemies, and destroy all evil. Nothing defiling will oppress us in the Kingdom of God. We will judge both men and angels. Each will have an eternal reward or punishment.

We will have the distinct privilege of ruling and reigning with Christ for all eternity. We will be given the heathen for our inheritance, and we will be just rulers and able teachers of those in our charge. We are promised that all men will live together in peace and unity forever. Christ Himself will ensure that Kingdom principles are strictly enforced.

We will help to restore all of creation to its original beauty and balance. The Kingdom will be a new and improved version of the Garden of Eden, as it was before the fall of Adam. We will all enjoy the earth's bounty; there will be no more natural catastrophes that threaten our existence. All of our needs will be met in abundance and we will live long and strong as the Lord's people.

Peace and prosperity, love and unity, health and longevity, safety and security are our promised rewards for all eternity. We will dwell in the very presence of God, and we will have intimate fellowship with Him and with one another. Life will be perfect and good, just as it was intended to be from the original creation. Heaven itself will come to the earth realm and we will live forever in a virtual paradise.

Divine Destiny

1Peter 2:9 "But ye [are] a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light:"

We are called out and chosen for such a time as this. We have a divine destiny and eternal purposes. The Lord Himself will be our empowerment. If we have purged and sanctified ourselves for its use, the anointing power of almighty God will fall on us in full measure to accomplish the works that are required of us in the days ahead. All we must do is consecrate ourselves, be prepared to obey, and move when given the command to advance.

While it may seem that we are unprepared to do the works that the Lord is asking of us, we must remember that throughout Bible history He has used ordinary men and women to accomplish supernatural feats. The Lord takes delight in partnering with His people, and He empowers us to do all that He requires of us. Christ's anointing will fall on us without limit; we will perform miraculous accomplishments in His Name, all for His honor and glory.

Moses and Abraham had no special training for their roles as leaders of God's people, yet they faithfully fulfilled their missions. Esther was only a poor orphan girl, yet the Lord sent her to the palace of the King so that she might save her people from total destruction. Christ's apostles were mostly fishermen, yet He used them to spread the good news of His Kingdom in the early church age.

So too, the Lord will use even the humblest of us to accomplish His eternal purpose. Our physical limitations will have no bearing on our supernatural performance. We are a chosen generation, conceived and born for such a time as this. We are a royal priesthood and have an eternal destiny that we have been prepared to fulfill from the foundation of the world. God will move in us and through us to accomplish His plans and purposes for all of mankind.

Topics for Discussion

1. Rapture vs. Coming of the Kingdom
2. Seek the Kingdom
3. The Kingdom Comes in Power
4. Keys to the Kingdom
5. Rewards in the Kingdom
6. Divine Destiny

Chapter 7 - In His Presence

Psalm 16:11 "Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence [is] fulness of joy; at thy right hand [there are] pleasures for evermore."

One of the greatest benefits to Kingdom living will be the actual presence of our God. He is the source of all light and love, wisdom and understanding, mercy and kindness. We will know the fullness of joy in His presence and rejoice forever in His love for us. We will give Him all the glory and praise that He deserves and fellowship with Him in close intimacy.

The Lord set His mind to take up residence with us in the Kingdom of God from the foundation of the world. He knew us from the beginning of time, and it was His heart-felt desire to have a close relationship with us. It will be His pleasure to live with us on a continuous basis, supplying all of our temporal and spiritual needs. He is ever loving and generous, and wants to bless us in abundance for all eternity.

While the Lord will indeed make good on His promise and supply all that we require in His Kingdom, we should take the greatest satisfaction in just being with Him on an intimate basis. We have felt distanced and alone for much of our lives; it will be a distinct privilege to enjoy His loving companionship. We will delight in Him and He will delight in us forever and ever.

1Chronicles 16:27 "Glory and honour [are] in his presence; strength and gladness [are] in his place."

We will be honored and glorified forever in the presence of our Father and His Son, Jesus Christ. The Lord has reserved His presence for those whom He loved and called, justified, and sanctified. He is proud of our accomplishments on His behalf; He will boast of us to all creation. He is a proud parent and wants to show us off. He will glorify us as He glorified Jesus.

So too, in Him resides the very seat of justice and all the power of the universe. He is an awesome God, to be praised and held in reverential fear. We will no longer be scorned or defamed for our belief in Him and His Word. He will take vengeance on all our enemies and cleanse the Kingdom of God from all defilement; we will dwell peace and prosperity, safety and security for all eternity.

Entering Into the Lord's Presence

Psalm 95:2 "Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms."

We should practice entering into a more intimate fellowship with the Lord now, so that we will know how to interact with Him once we enter the Kingdom together. We must thank Him for His great goodness and praise Him for His power and glory that manifests in us. He is a great and awesome God and worthy of our praise. His company is to be desired more than anything.

As His children, we can sing and shout our praises, or even whisper our heart-felt gratitude to Him. He delights in hearing from us, regardless of how we approach Him. As long as it is genuine and sincere communication filled with reverence and respect, the Lord enjoys His fellowship with us.

All men should pray and meditate to seek a deeper relationship with the Lord. We can know His heart for us and His plans and purposes for our lives. We can share our hopes and our dreams, our disappointments and concerns with Him. We know for a fact that He hears us and is always merciful and compassionate to all of our needs.

Righteousness Will Take Us There

Psalm 140:13 "Surely the righteous shall give thanks unto thy name: the upright shall dwell in thy presence."

We must pursue ongoing sanctification and willing obedience to the Lord's commandments, so that we are deemed worthy to enter the Kingdom of God and reside with Him for all time. Spiritual maturity, holiness and perfection ought to be our continuous goals, as we lay down every aspect of our own individual lives, seeking His approval and His plan for us instead.

We should walk in the Spirit instead of the flesh, so that we have fellowship with God and one another. Love and unity are not optional. We must love the Lord with all our strength, and our neighbor as we love ourselves. We will be together for all eternity if we will lay our differences aside and work together towards our common goal - to see heaven manifest in the earth realm.

By Invitation Only

Zephaniah 1:7 "Hold thy peace at the presence of the Lord GOD: for the day of the LORD [is] at hand: for the LORD hath prepared a sacrifice, he hath bid his guests."

The Lord wants to dwell forever with His people - both the original chosen nation of Israel, as well as those who have believed in Christ and were grafted in as His people. He loves us with an everlasting love, and created us to fellowship with Him as He did with Adam in the Garden of Eden. He wants nothing to separate us from Him for all of eternity.

The Lord has called us from the foundation of the world. We are a chosen generation of believers that will be His hands and feet on the earth in the days to come. He has prepared a wonderful Kingdom for us to dwell in. It will hold many blessings for us. It is His precious gift to us, and we should be worthy to receive and enjoy it as He has planned.

God is calling all men into His Kingdom. His invitation is open to one and all, and the very same benefits are available to each of us, whether we have been believers all our lives, or are just recently converted and baptized. We will all be welcomed and treated with the same fair and equitable standards. In fact, there are many who are called in last, who will be first in the Kingdom of God because of their child-like love and purity.

Psalm 51:11 "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me."

Sin and disobedience interrupted the fellowship that we had with the Lord at creation, and the Lord grieved for the loss of His children. This is the very reason He sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to the earth the first time - to seek the lost and redeem them. Christ accomplished His task and blessed the entire earth with His obedience unto death.

Jesus not only died in atonement for our sins, but He restored us to right relationship with the Father, as well. We are members of His very own family, sons and daughters of the living God. We enter into the Lord's presence by the Blood of Jesus through the way of the cross. Christ's Blood assures us that we are eligible for Kingdom living. But we must pursue righteousness on a continuous basis.

We should vow never to let sin interrupt our fellowship with God again. Righteousness is a spiritual condition that we can acquire and maintain in pursuit of perfect holiness. The Holy Spirit is life to us, and it is important that we are filled with a full anointing of God's Spirit at all times, so that we can overcome all temptation to sin.

When we fall short of God's glory, we must be quick to repent and turn from our sin. The Lord is ever ready to restore our righteousness again, and bring us back into perfect fellowship with Him. He restores all of our rights and privileges, and even blots our transgressions from His memory, so that He can begin anew in His relationship with us.

Nothing Evil in His Presence

Revelation 12:10 "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night."

Jesus vanquished Satan and stripped him of all power with His victory over sin, death and the grave. The devil can no longer accuse us of sin or disobedience; we've been made righteous by the Blood of Jesus. We now have legal right to be in the Lord's presence again.

We enjoy the very righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself. When the Lord sees us, it's as if He were actually seeing Jesus, because we are now joint-heirs with Him. If we should miss the mark and sin again, we need only repent to have that righteousness restored. The Lord is ever merciful, and willing to forgive us.

So too, Christ will destroy demonic strongholds for all time in the power of His second coming to the earth. Satan and all his minions will be thrown into the bottomless pit. No evil will be present in the Kingdom of God. It will be a safe, secure abode for God and men for all eternity.

Acts 3:19 "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"

We must believe in the Gospel of Jesus Christ, repent from all known sin and be baptized in order to enter the Lord's presence for all eternity. As believers, we must prepare ourselves for eternal fellowship with God and strive for holiness, even as He is holy.

As believers, we should lay aside our fleshly desires and our soul's ambitions. If we sin, we must immediately repent and turn towards righteousness again. We have to be diligent to walk in love, peace and unity with all men.

Jude 1:24 "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present [you] faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy,"

Nothing defiling can come close to God, and we must be holy and spiritually mature to live with Him for all eternity. We have worked diligently to overcome the flesh and all its defilement, so that we may be counted worthy to enter into the Lord's presence. We have put all our fleshly desires and soul ambitions under, and released our spirits to be in ascendancy.

We walk in love and keep His commandments. We are pure and righteous and have overcome the world, the flesh and the devil. By the Blood and the Name of Jesus, we can indeed remain sinless as we are presented to the Father in all His glory. We must strive to be holy and perfect as He is, in order to dwell in His presence forever.

Benefits of Dwelling in God's Presence

Revelation 21:4 "And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away."

There will be no sorrow or pain, fear or oppression of any kind in the Kingdom of God when it comes to the earth. It will not be as it has been in the past for us. Every memory of sorrow and loss will be supernaturally taken from us. The Lord Himself will ensure that we have joy and gladness in return for all our suffering through the years. Our mortal bodies will be turned into glorious, incorruptible ones that will live forever.

God will supply all our needs; we will have health and prosperity, love and unity, peace and joy for all time. There will be safety and security in the Kingdom of God; no evil will oppress us. The Lord Himself will take vengeance on all our enemies. For our former shame, we will enjoy His favor and blessings. We will dwell in perfect harmony with Him and with one another all the days of our lives.

Isaiah 65:17-25

Isaiah 65:17 "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind."

The same awesome power that the Lord used for His original creation will be employed for the universal re-creation. Heaven and all its wonders will come to the earth realm. The earth will be restored and renewed. We will not recall the pain and sorrow, hardship and evil that we encountered in the past. Everything will be made fresh and new again.

Isaiah 65:18-19 "But be ye glad and rejoice for ever [in that] which I create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a joy. And I will rejoice in Jerusalem, and joy in my people: and the voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of crying."

The New Jerusalem will be a real place and a hub of Kingdom activity. It will be peaceful and prosperous, and we will go there to worship the Lord on His feasts and holy days. It is out of Jerusalem, that Jesus Christ will rule and reign forever in the Kingdom of God. His decrees will impact the entire universe, and ensure that peace and order prevail.

The Jewish people will be converted, and take up residence in the Kingdom with other believers from all nations of the world. The Lord will take particular delight in being reconciled to His chosen people. He will turn their captivity and give them joy for their former sorrow. He will remember their sins no more, and embrace them once again as He intended from the beginning.

Isaiah 65:20 "There shall be no more thence an infant of days, nor an old man that hath not filled his days: for the child shall die an hundred years old; but the sinner [being] an hundred years old shall be accursed."

Health and longevity will prevail in the Kingdom of God; disease and death will be abolished. There will be no premature deaths; all men will live out their days in heaven on the earth in glorious, resurrection bodies. They will enjoy their lives and walk in peace and unity. No sin will be tolerated; there will be no evil present in the Kingdom.

Isaiah 65:21-22 "And they shall build houses, and inhabit [them]; and they shall plant vineyards, and eat the fruit of them. They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree [are] the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands."

We will build homes and inhabit them; we will not labor for another's benefit. We will enjoy the work of our hands and cultivate food for our own consumption. There will be plants and trees that are beautiful and produce bumper crops for our use. We will be nurtured both spiritually and temporally for all eternity.

Isaiah 65:23 "They shall not labour in vain, nor bring forth for trouble; for they [are] the seed of the blessed of the LORD, and their offspring with them."

We will experience no oppression or exploitation in the Kingdom of God. All will dwell under the same fair and equitable standards. No man will labor in vain; we will enjoy what we produce from our work. Our families will be blessed beyond belief. We are the children of God, and our inheritance is guaranteed to us forever, from generation to generation.

Isaiah 65:24 "And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear."

We will not have to spend hours and days in prayer to get the Lord's attention in the Kingdom of God. We will dwell in His very presence for all eternity. He will know our needs and meet them even before we ask. All our needs will be satisfied in abundance as we walk in close intimacy with our God forever.

Isaiah 65:25 "The wolf and the lamb shall feed together, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust [shall be] the serpent's meat. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the LORD."

The animal kingdom will be tamed and live in perfect balance and unity with one another. They will not kill or devour any longer. There will be no destruction or death in the Kingdom of God. However, God is a just God and justice requires payback. The serpent will eat dust forever, for the part it played in the fall of Adam.

For Thine is the Kingdom

Isaiah 60:18-21 "Violence shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise. The sun shall be no more thy light by day; neither for brightness shall the moon give light unto thee: but the LORD shall be unto thee an everlasting light, and thy God thy glory. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither shall thy moon withdraw itself: for the LORD shall be thine everlasting light, and the days of thy mourning shall be ended. Thy people also [shall be] all righteous: they shall inherit the land for ever, the branch of my planting, the work of my hands, that I may be glorified."

There will be no war or destruction in the Kingdom of God; no violence of any kind will be tolerated. Jesus Christ will rule and reign with an iron rod to ensure that all men will be righteous, and live in eternal peace and unity with God and one another. There will be no pain and suffering; the Lord promises us blessing with no sorrow added.

He will provide all our needs in abundance. We will build homes and raise families in peace and prosperity. There will be no death or disease to mar our lives. We will see generation after generation of God's people living in joy and praising Him for all His glory. We will enjoy an intimate relationship with our God and with one another.

The Lord will be our eternal source of light and glory in the Kingdom of God. There will be no night and day, no climatic turbulence or natural catastrophes. The earth will be restored and re-created to even better than its original state. It will be in perfect balance - beautiful and bountiful for God and His family to enjoy forever and ever.

The Power and the Glory

1Chronicles 29:11 "Thine, O LORD, [is] the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all [that is] in the heaven and in the earth [is thine]; thine [is] the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all."

We serve a great and awesome God; He is all wise and powerful. He has purposed from the very beginning of time to have a people with whom He could fellowship and love as a Father loves his children. His original chosen people, the nation of Israel, rejected Him and repeatedly disobeyed His commandments.

However, through His Son Jesus Christ, a new people were called out and gathered from all over the earth. Together with a repentant Israel, they will populate the Kingdom of God forever. The Lord Himself will come to the earth and take up residence with His people. He will bring His power and glory with Him, so that life in the Kingdom will be idyllic.

The Lord will see His eternal redemption plan for man come to fulfillment in the Kingdom of God. It will be established on the earth for man and God to dwell together in perfect harmony. Love and joy, peace and prosperity, beauty and balance, health and longevity are only part of what we can expect. It will literally be heaven on the earth for all eternity!

Revelation 7:12 "Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, [be] unto our God for ever and ever. Amen."

Topics for Discussion

1. Characteristics of the Lord's Presence
2. Entering Into the Lord's Presence
3. Who Will Dwell With the Lord?
4. What Will Become of Evil?
5. Benefits of Dwelling With God
6. Isaiah 65:17-25
7. The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory

Epilogue

The Lord has heard our heart-felt prayers. The Kingdom of God will be birthed on the earth very soon, regardless of what might appear to be true. Those of us who are earnest to see it come in our generation will consecrate ourselves anew to the Lord's purpose and eternal redemption plan. We will embrace our divine callings and make ourselves ready and available to do our part in ushering in His Kingdom.

Our relationship with the Lord should be our total focus now. We are preparing to enter into His presence, and that will require a whole new level of holiness in our lives. We must re-dedicate our all our efforts and continue to purge and sanctify ourselves. We should keep His commandments and walk in love and unity with all men. We ought to pray, meditate and study the Word of God so that we are found approved and can fellowship with for Him in the Kingdom.

So too, our faith must increase as we see the signs of the coming of the Kingdom. We should be eager and enthusiastic for heaven to come to the earth realm. We must embrace our divine destinies and fully cooperate with the guidance and direction of Jesus Christ. We should realize that we are indeed able, through the power of His anointing, to work miracles and impact the entire universe for all eternity.

All creation is waiting for us to take our place and step in to God's power and glory. We will do the works of Jesus and evangelize the entire world. Many will repent and be baptized into our faith. We will heal the sick, raise the dead and set captives free from enemy oppression. The devil cannot and will not prevent us from doing our part to usher in the Kingdom. We have angelic hosts that will back us up and pave the way for total victory.

We can begin now to walk in the Kingdom of God by exercising all our rights and privileges, and by living according to its principles of righteousness. We should speak it into reality with faith-based prayer and our creative words. We must decree that the Kingdom of God is here, make demands on the Word of God, and remind the Lord of His promises to us. He will indeed hear us from heaven and consummate all things in Christ!

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