Comments on: When You Pray

By: Chip Brogden

Chip Brogden — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 10:49:37 +0000

See if this article answers your question, beginning with the section titled, “Some Considerations to Be Made”…
http://theschoolofchrist.org/articles/a-house-of-prayer-for-all-nations.html

By: Sharon Strickland

Sharon Strickland — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 16:29:55 +0000

Thank you SO much dear brother! I thought that’s what you were trying to get across. I do have one more question. We KNOW that when Jesus defeated satan and took our place on calvary, He provided salvation, and all we would ever need. We know He said “It is FINISHED!” God already knows our needs,so as a good parent who already knows their childs tangible needs, why do we have to ask? If I know my child needs a new pair of shoes… she doesn’t have to ask me if I’ll get her a pair, and then go shoeless for another year before I get them for her. So when we don’t see our NEEDS being met, and we’ve done all we can do ourselves,… how do we get those things from the spirit realm, manifested into the natural realm? Also, what about satan and his demons hindering the manisfestations of our needs, and how do we handle that, in conjunction with asking God for what He already knows we need??

Thank you. My husband and I have been so confused with all of this for so many years.

By: Chip Brogden

Chip Brogden — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 15:09:13 +0000

Hi Sharon,

My approach is to put the Kingdom of God first, even in my praying. After that, I am free to express my requests to God. It is a question of priorities. If we put our needs first we will forever be shackled to the earth. If we put the Kingdom first then we rise to the heavenlies, above the earth, and everything else is added to us. So I would like people to realize that the highest place of prayer is to meet the Lord’s Need first, and to meet our needs second. I don’t deny that we have material needs (I certainly do). But when someone is willing to put the Lord’s Need first, I believe God will move heaven and earth to supply their needs in return. I hope this encourages you.

By: Sharon Strickland

Sharon Strickland — Tue, 12 Jul 2011 13:18:44 +0000

Wow! What an eye opener this article has been! My husband and I, through years of well meaning, but erroneous teachings have felt so “forsaken” by God, and never understood why most of our “prayers” have never been answered… even me being out of work for a year. We couldn’t understand why having hearts to give, giving, and after working hard… we still battle financially!

My question is this, however. You mention that our needs, “rather met or not”, should be secondary, but we live on an earth where it takes jobs and money to just survive and pay bills. Surely, our “own needs” would be of importance to God, so is it in vain, or self-centered to ask Him to manifest those needs when they arise??

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 14 May 2010 04:40:08 +0000

Chip,thanks for the article.Chip i have a question in regards to the “SINNERS PRAYER”.The church teaches that if the unsaved person verbalizes these words in prayer they will be on there way to heaven, irregardless if they are sincere in what they are saying! Has the father ever shared with you how we are to lead the lost to salvation through prayer?

By: Jeff

Jeff — Fri, 14 May 2010 03:59:57 +0000

Hello chip,great article.Chip, has the father shown you any thing in reguards to leading the unsaved to salvation through prayer.I feel there is more to leading the unsaved to salvation ,then what the tradional church teaches[THE SINNERS PRAYER]?I sense that the church misleads sinners towards recieving jesus by telling them first say this verse of the bible then say this verse of the bible and “BAM” your saved,mean while the person could care less about a relationship with JESUS!

By: Kris

Kris — Thu, 13 May 2010 17:40:25 +0000

I only got through the first three paragraphs of this article and it stirred a spark within me. When I go back and finish the article, I’m sure I will be in a full blown inferno! What I have witnessed in relation to this article so far, is people praying for whatever their perceived needs/wants are and then when they receive said perceived needs/wants/selfish desires , they “Praise God!”, “Glory to God!”, “God is Great!”, and attribute it all to God “blessing” them. This deluded credit to God is unnerving. And then comes the whole “it was meant to be” or else this wouldn’t have happened. Hogwash. Man can answer his own prayer through a variety of ways…manipulation, lying, cheating, etc. all of which has nothing to do with God. They insist though that when the prayer is “answered” it’s because God wanted to “bless” them. Beyond the scope of denial as to how the needs were really met and then the subsequent puffed up attitude, is the even more dangerous aspect: the individual not only believes/acts to have been blessed, but then they run around telling innocent people of their supposed blessings and how they too can be blessed. This is troubling at best. Spiritually immature people are literally preying on other spiritually immature individuals. Despite all the “learning”, they have not grasped a single thing. And what happens to the next person who prays as they were “taught” by individual A and their prayers are NOT answered accordingly? Their already misguided faith becomes even more so. There are far too many churches, individuals and spiritually immature people leading the blind right into the spiritual grave. These people turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the bottom line which is that prayers are NOT ABOUT US. Our need is in, and our service is to, the Lord!

By: Larry

Larry — Thu, 13 May 2010 13:35:20 +0000

can anyone tell me why we use the phrase IN JESUS NAME at the beginning and end of our prayers. not saying you cant but do not see it in any of the prayers of paul.

By: farai Kuwana

farai Kuwana — Fri, 11 Dec 2009 10:14:39 +0000

Dear brother. Its funny how prayer is taught in “churches”, as a means of getting our own ends met, like a magic spell(abra cadabra). I thank the Lord He showed me the “light” regarding prayer and a whole load of stuff they practice in these “churches”. I have since left the “church”. I have recently been reading a book by austin sparks titled “In touch with the throne” and it also touches on prayer as being heavenly and not carnal or reciting to God our shopping list. Prayer lifts us up into the heavenlies to The ‘Throne’. I do realise when praying there is always the urge to pray for our problems, needs etc. but as we learn to lose ourselves to Christ and let Him take control we find ourselves being drawn into a much higher calling than simply lifes issues. And after all is it not a matter of trust in God who declares that He alone has the plans to prosper us and not to harm us, plans to give us hope and a future.(are we not able to trust such words from our Lord or will we still carry on telling the Lord what we think is best for us.) Think of a new born baby, does it tell its mother what it wants or needs? (NO), but its mother already knows what it needs before it asks(the mother knows best) Isn’t that just like our Father in heaven. MATT 7:9-11 .Which of you, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone….? So it all comes down to trust, can we trust Father to take good care of us or not? May the Holy Spirit lead and guide us further into the fullness of His Will/Son (CHRIST). God bless you brethren. (Farai Kuwana)

By: Catalina Seitz

Catalina Seitz — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 18:21:16 +0000

The Lord began dealing with my prayer some years ago, when I was in a church that was into the loud public prayer. Your message confirmed the changes I have made. Loud show prayer impresses man but does not impress God. I have learned that if there is something that displeases the Lord is hypocrisy. One scripture that really touched me with this message is in Luke 18:10, the Parable of the Pharisee and Tax Collector. Two men where praying but God accepted only one of their prayers, the one with humility and sincerity not self righteous. I am very grateful for those like yourself Chip who have sought to know and teach Truth, His Truth to set us free. I have yet much to learn and much more to experience
but with God all things are possible!! Thank you!
It is interesting that the cleansing of the temple was one at the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and the second one at the end three years later. (1)Luke 21:13 “He said to them, The Scripture says, My house shall be called a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.”

Do you suppose Jesus gave the church three years to change their prayer?