2014.05.04_True Prayer and Confession

God Answers Everything We Ask For?

             God listens to our prayers. He listens to and answers every prayer offered in Jesus’ name. However, as we lead our spiritual life, we realize that not all of our prayers are answered and can become confused. This confusion arises when a person believes that God would answer all of his prayers but then is actually faced with a different reality.

            We need to first consider God’s perspective. Say that a parent of a young child made a promise, “I’ll buy you whatever you want since it’s your birthday.” If the child then says, “I want a real gun” or “Buy me an alligator,” the parent would be concerned. ‘I’ll buy you anything’ means the parent would buy anything within the limits of what the child is able to handle, not literally anything.
           Let’s say that a person prayed, “Let our soccer team win.” But what happens if there is a person in the opposite team who is also praying the same thing? Or, there is a student who never studies but only plays computer games. He prays, “Let me get into a good university,” and then goes back to playing games. Would God listen to his prayer? Or, there are two people, both competing to take up one important office in the church. One of them truly loves the church and is faithful to his duty, while the other is not. How would God react when the unfaithful person prays for that position?

            If you have prayed to God yet have not received an answer, it is probably because you have not prayed according to God’s will. Prayer has to be done in understanding and according to God’s good, acceptable and perfect will (Rom 12:2). A prayer that neglects God’s will cannot expect any answers.

What Should We Ask For in This Perishing World?

            It is important to understand the circumstances of the time when Jesus giving us the rights to pray. Looking at the temple, Jesus spoke concerning the coming of the end of the world: ‘this temple will be destroyed and a dreadful day will come. Many will come claiming to be the Christ, and many false Christs false prophets will appear and deceive you. There will be a great tribulation but even in the midst of it all, the Gospel will continue to be preached. When the Gospel is preached in all the world, then the end will come’ (Matt 24:1-31). Jesus had clearly expressed His will to never cease his steps even unto the last day, the end of the world (Luke 12:49-50). 2 Peter 3:10 says, “But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.” The world will be destroyed in the end.

Is Sin No Longer a Problem for the Saved?

            Since Jesus has endured suffering to resolve the problem of our sin, we should not be slaves to sin anymore. If we have died to sin, how can we dwell in it any longer? God has made us bury our old selves through baptism because He wanted us to live in a new life. We have narrowly escaped sin and become justified, and thus we should not go back to the past and be slaves to sin (Rom 6:2-7).

            The reason sin is terrifying is that it leads to punishment. We have to avoid punishment in all circumstances. Jesus warned us that it is better to remove what causes us to sin whether it be our hand, feet or eye, than to be thrown into hell (Mar 9:43-47).

            This is consistent with Jesus’ manner when He healed and helped the people. After healing the paralytic at a pool called Bethesda, Jesus said, “See, you have been made well. Sin no more, lest a worse thing come upon you” (John 5:14). He also said to the woman caught in the act of adultery, “Neither do I condemn you; go and sin no more” (John 8:11). The reason Jesus has thus stressed the point that we should not sin is because sin is so terrifying. Therefore, we must struggle not to sin.

            However, keeping from sin is not so easily achieved as we wish. This is because man has something called intrinsic sin (a sinful nature). Paul confessed, ‘I do not want to sin, yet I keep on sinning.  Now if I do what I do not want to do, it is not I who do it, but sin that dwells in me. Evil is present with me, the one who desires to do good. For I delight in the law of God according to the inward man but I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin. O wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death? In my heart, I serve the law of God, but with the flesh the law of sin’ (Rom 7:20-25).

            Even though it is not easy not to commit sin, we must overcome sin. Titus 2:11-14 says, “For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works.” The Lord’s will towards us is very clear. The Lord has cleansed us, and now He wants us to be made holy by doing good works.

           2 Peter 1:4 says, “By which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises, that through these you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust”, while 1 Peter 2:11 says, “ Beloved, I beg you as sojourners and pilgrims, abstain from fleshly lusts which war against the soul.” We are like strangers and aliens in the world. Like an alien, we do not belong to the world. Hence we should not entrust ourselves to the desires of our flesh.

Unless we subdue the carnal desires, we will eventually sin. And when sin is full-grown, it gives birth to death (Jam 1:15). Especially if anyone sins intentionally after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there is no sacrifice for sins left (Heb 10:26). And if anyone goes back to the past after coming to know Jesus Christ and being sanctified, his condition would be worst than before that he would be worse off than if he had never known Christ (Heb 6:4-8). Therefore, even the one already saved must not let down his guard against sin.

Toward Sin, What is the Attitude of the Person Committed to the Lord’s Prayer?

            Jesus taught his disciples the way to pray. In regard to this Matthew 6:9-15 says, “In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen). For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” There are two focal points in this prayer taught by the Lord: one is a longing for God’s kingdom, the other is a caution against sin, that is, being on guard against the Devil.

            While we are on the earth, we have to battle fervently against sin in order to commit ourselves to the prayer taught us by the Lord. Sin is antagonistic to God’s kingdom. While we have been set free from sin, we are not immune to it. Even the believers are always circling dangerously around the periphery of sin, and then they may come to sin. God detests sin, and hence those who believe and follow God must also detest sin. True believers fight against sin.

            God has given the Holy Spirit to those who have been liberated from sin, that is, received the forgiveness of sins, so that they may fight against sin. Acts 2:38 says, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.” The Holy Spirit comes inside us, guaranteeing that we are purified and cleansed, and helps us to become holy.

            Nevertheless, the man’s flesh struggles with the Holy Spirit. Galatians 5:16-17 says, “I say then: Walk in the Spirit, and you shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusts against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh; and these are contrary to one another, so that you do not do the things that you wish.” In all things we must follow the Holy Spirit and act according to the Holy Spirit.

The Characteristic of the New Prayer Established by Jesus

            Jesus taught His disciples how to pray to the Father. Ever since Jesus first instructed this prayer, a new era of living by prayer has dawned. Indeed, people had been praying for 1500 years even before Jesus came. However Jesus set out a new way to pray.

            Before Jesus came, prayers were unilateral and in that sense did not differ much from the prayers of pagans. They were prayers without any guarantee of being answered, that attached importance to one’s devotion and piety. People gave loud cries looking toward the sky in an effort to move God’s heart and bring forth an answer. But now it is different. A prayer given through Jesus is a reciprocal prayer, which God surely listens to and answers. This prayer is a special privilege that only Jesus has granted us.

            Until Jesus came, the people of Israel all served God together. At that time, they did not pray individually but the priest or the prophets offered up prayers and received answers for the people. However, the prayer that Jesus Himself has shown us is the Son’s prayer offered to His Father. Now, we could receive answers even when we whisper, like the Son does to the Father.

            Jesus introduced God as our true Father. He said, “If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” (Matt 7:11). He also said, “Do not call anyone on earth your father; for One is your Father, He who is in heaven” (Matt 23:9), and, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3). Through these words we have been able to recognize God as our Father.

            However, it is not only because Jesus has said these things that we are able to receive God as our Father today. We naturally cry out, “Father!” the moment we receive the Holy Spirit. We are grateful to have even received God as our Father because we were formerly Gentiles who did not know God. Nonetheless, Jesus has given us a special gift – the prayer which He had first begun. We must surely understand the value of this gift.

            Only those who have received the Holy Spirit could receive absolute answers through prayer. Although someone might say, ‘in Jesus’ name’ at the end of prayer, if he has not received the Holy Spirit, then his prayers are not guaranteed to be delivered because the name Jesus has not come in him. However, the prayers of those who have received the Holy Spirit contain the Lord’s promise that says ‘the Father will listen and I will do it’. Moreover, the Holy Spirit guarantees this. We are thus able to offer up prayers that are guaranteed to be answered, which is something to be truly thankful for.

The Responsibility and Duty of Those Who Received the Prayer of a New Era

            Having received something this precious, we need to humbly take on the due responsibility and duty. The worldly people ask for only what they want to the gods they serve. Those requests are usually related to eating well and living better on the earth. However, we have been accepted as ones that belong to the kingdom of God the Father, and thus there is an attitude we must have as such people who belong to that kingdom. God demands faithfulness to His kingdom.

            When Jesus was on the earth He said to the Jews, “You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world” (John 8:23). Then to Pilate He said, “My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).

            The Father, Jesus, the disciples and the world appear in chapter 17 of the Gospel of John, which contains Jesus’ prayer to the Father. Among them, the Father, Jesus and the disciples are always on one side while the world is on the other. The subject at the center of John 17 is about how the Father, Jesus and the disciples could become one team and stand against the world. Jesus said, “If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before it hated you. If you were of the world, the world would love its own. Yet because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you” (John 15:18-19). Then when He prayed to the Father He said, “They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth” (John 17:16-17).

            Jesus wants us to have earnest love for the Father’s kingdom. Moreover, to anyone who contributes to His kingdom He gives His promise saying, “have you contributed to my Father’s kingdom? You will be given more strength to overcome sin. You will be given the freedom to prevail against the Devil’s interference”. This is like a kind of formula. Though most people seek the wellness of their flesh, they are indifferent to God’s kingdom. They are greedy people whose only concern is in profiting themselves even when the kingdom is falling.

            When we pray, our prayers must include: “May the Father’s kingdom flourish greatly on earth as it is in Heaven!” “Protect us from sin!” “Grant me responsibilities and duties through the Father’s words!” This is the prayer God wants us to have.

            Our spiritual duty is priesthood. The priest’s role is to eliminate sin so that God would not see any sin to be aroused to anger. In the past, the Israelites received the forgiveness of their sins through the priest. However today, each of us has become priests in Christ and we go before God ourselves to seek forgiveness. 1 Peter 2:5 says, “a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ”, and verse 9 says, “But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people.” Also Revelation 1:5-6 says, “To Him who loved us and washed us from our sins in His own blood, and has made us kings and priests to His God and Father.” We have to destroy and overcome the sin that lies in us, as is fitting to our priesthood duty. These are holy acts of our heart that God is seeking from us.

To Receive Answers to Prayer

            God listens to every supplication made in Jesus’ name and surely answers them. There is a clear reason for this. Jesus said, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do” (John 14:13). Jesus’ desire is for the Father to be glorified through the Son. This is pleasing to both the Father and the Son. Therefore it is a huge misunderstanding to think that Jesus does not grant His signs and wonders because He is miserly. On the contrary, the Lord is delighted to do that and emphasizes, ‘Pray! Let the Father be glorified through me!’

            The reason people cannot receive answers to their prayers is that they do not ask according to the Lord’s will. James 4:1-3 says, “Where do wars and fights come from among you? Do they not come from your desires for pleasure that war in your members? You lust and do not have. You murder and covet and cannot obtain. You fight and war. Yet you do not have because you do not ask. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” There are even fights inside the church over the possession of something. However, no matter how much they fight they cannot have because they do not ask. In some cases, they do not receive even though they have asked. This is because they have asked amiss, to use it on their pleasures. As many people begin the day and end it with their pleasures, they have the same attitude of heart when asking God.

            1 John 5:14 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us”. If anyone prays according to God’s will, he has confidence when going before God. He is confident that God will always listen to his prayer.

            The Holy Spirit helps us in our weaknesses and for our prayers to be delivered to God. He Himself intercedes for us when we do not know how to pray (Rom 8:26). The Holy Spirit, who knows God’s will, also knows our circumstances. When the Holy Spirit intercedes for us from within us, He prays according to God’s will. And God, knowing the mind of the Holy Spirit, then helps us. When we are faced with a problem, we sometimes worry, ‘should I pray to God about this problem? Would God help me with something like this? Am I not asking for my own pleasures?’ At other times when the problem is too great and urgent, we do not even have the chance to think about praying but feel lost thinking, ‘what do I do? Who do I ask for help?’ In those times, the Holy Spirit helps us in our prayers. Romans 8:28 says, “And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose.” For this, the Holy Spirit works in us, intercedes for us and helps us in our prayers.

            Many people gradually become stingy as they earn more money. However, some people make a great dedication to the church with the profit they gained after their prayers were answered and their business became successful. These people’s hearts are filled with yearning for God’s kingdom. And they build up their faith as if constructing a building. Likewise God would look on anyone who is not self-seeking but exerts himself for the growth of the church, and regard him as holy.

            God has purified our spirits through the blood of Jesus. Purification is ultimately a battle against sin. If anyone has been purified in his spirit, he must now strive to be holy. In other words, he must fight for the growth of the church. God wants us to be purified as well as holy. In other words, He wants us to fight against sin, and also exert ourselves for the growth of the church. God seeks the holy ones who love the church as such, and answers their prayers.

            God keeps His promises (Num 23:19). Therefore, the prayer founded on the Lord’s promise will certainly be followed by an answer. When we have a need, we ought not to step back timidly but earnestly pray to our benevolent Father God. The Lord is pleased when we receive answers and God the Father is thus glorified through it. We have been given the prayer that Jesus prayed. Hence, we must now pray through the Holy Spirit, pray in faith, pray according to the promise, never doubt what we have prayed for, and humbly wait for the answer.

Choose to Receive Answers to Your Prayer!

            Jesus taught His disciples to pray in order to establish a relationship between them and God the Father, as well as prepare them for the life they were to face after Jesus departed. For three years Jesus escaped all kinds of perils to accomplish the work with which God had entrusted Him. It was in such a tense situation that Jesus taught His disciples to pray. He was concerned for the disciples who were to remain on the earth even when He is no longer in the world. Thus, He earnestly prayed to God, “Now I am no longer in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to You. Holy Father, keep through Your name those whom You have given Me, that they may be one as We are” (John 17:11). Prayer is what the Lord had taught His disciples before He departed the world, and He urged them to receive the Holy Spirit.

            Today, people tend to judge everything by themselves and act on their own accord. Even when a number of people are gathered, they behave individualistically thinking, ‘I’m the only one so it should be okay.’ The church is no exception in this matter. Yet, our spiritual life is to be led according to God’s will not according to our own individual thoughts. When Jesus appoints the Holy Spirit as the overseer and desires to do great works through Him, all the saints need to unite their hearts together. The difference between those that receive answers to their prayers well and those that do not, are evident even in matters like this.

            Before Jesus ascended, He said to His disciples, “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high” (Luke 24:49), and leading them up to Bethany, He blessed them. It was as if Jesus said ‘Good luck to you!’ or ‘I wish you all the best!’ when we described the situation in an American cultural setting. If we used more spiritual terms to say that, it would be ‘Grace to you!’ just as the saints greeted each other in the early church. Although the Lord possesses absolute authority and power and His blessing is absolute, it would be ineffective to the one who rejects it. Hence, Jesus gave everything to His disciples, blessed them and said with anticipation, ‘I wish you well. Receive grace. Be well protected until I return and we will meet again.’

            We have received the Holy Spirit as Jesus promised and learned the way to pray in His name. Whether or not we receive answers is up to ourselves. We must remove our misunderstanding and doubts about God, and receive answers just as Jesus has taught us. We have to throw away the habit of praying according to our own thinking and flesh, and neglecting the Lord’s word. We must be the holy ones who are filled with the Holy Spirit and think about the kingdom of God. We are ready to be victorious in Jesus name. Every soul and every family should bring glory to God by receiving answers to their prayers. We must become the church where the prayers of the saints united in heart are answered.