Epaggelia

Boldness, Acts 4:23-31, Hebrews 4:16. Peter is arrested here and kept in custody for a day, then when released he and all the other Christians ask for more boldness. Later on, Peter is arrested and jailed, but miraculously released (Ac. 12). Boldness in prayer obviously comes from real faith growing stronger. We know that faith comes from hearing the word of God, Romans 10:17, but once we have been given a measure of faith, Romans 12:3, how can our faith grow stronger? We must know the power of God, Mt. 22:29 & Mk. 12:24. Boldness in prayer comes from God, Jude v20. What does the phrase “pray in the Holy Spirit” mean to you? Ephesians 6:18. I do not believe in prayer, I believe in God, therefore I pray! When we pray, we are not relying on the power of prayer, we are relying on the power of God. This is only true, if we are praying a prayer instead of just saying a prayer.  

Perseverance, Luke 18:1-8, Romans 12:12, 1Thessalonians 5:17. Every mature Christian with any life experience knows how valuable it is to make prayer a daily part of your lifestyle, Acts 6:4. The persistence of the begging neighbor in the parable of Jesus, (Lk. 11:5-8) is to teach us that God wants us to do more than express our concerns, He wants us to express how deeply and genuinely we are concerned! Why? Not because He wants to make us beg!, but because, enduring prayers help us to grow in our understanding of God’s will, which is what we are supposed to be praying for. So the more the child asks for a particular present, the more the same child learns whether or not they really want it. Every good parent judges their children’s desire by the number of times they ask. A Christmas present requested for once on a list, isn’t likely to be found under the tree, like the present the same child begged for everyday in December. Lastly, never forget that the begging widow in Luke 18, was shown to us, as a reminder of how perfect God’s timing is, He gives us exactly what is best, more of Himself (Lk. 11:8-13) A consistent prayer-life creates a more Christ-like Christian!

Providence, Acts 4:29 & 12:5, 11-17, James 1:6-8, 16-17 & 4:3, 13-15. If God wants to work a miracle today, He will, regardless of our prayers & faith. But if we pray in faith about the problem, and God surprises us with what we want. Why do we say it was going to happen anyway regardless of our prayer? What did our prayer do? Our prayer made us acutely aware of God working and even greater, our prayer was expressing faith in a God who can answer and work beyond anyone’s expectations. Prayer helps faith grow! Jude v20. Without praying, we are not made aware of the providential and powerful grace of God. If God does not ‘fix the problem’ the way we prayerfully suggest in faith, He is answering an obvious ‘no’, but does that mean God doesn’t care and isn’t fair? We must learn to adopt the attitude of Paul when we believe God has said ‘no’. Read and memorize 2Corinthians 12:6-10. God’s will is to be prayed for in faith, with the objective of PROVING HIS WILL, not just learning about it. Romans 12:2.