Unlocking Heaven: The Power and Purpose of Prayer

Devotional

Day 1: Prayer as a Bridge Between Heaven and Earth

Prayer is not just a ritual; it is a means of drawing Heaven into history, making God's will visible on Earth. It is about inviting God to touch humanity and influence our lives. Prayer serves as a bridge that connects the divine with the temporal, allowing God's eternal purposes to manifest in our daily experiences. When we pray, we are not merely speaking words into the void; we are engaging in a profound act of faith that invites God's presence and power into our circumstances. This connection is not automatic; it requires intentionality and a heart aligned with God's desires. By understanding prayer as a bridge, we can approach it with the reverence and expectation it deserves, knowing that it has the power to transform our lives and the world around us. [00:17]

Isaiah 55:9-11 (ESV): "For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain and the snow come down from heaven and do not return there but water the earth, making it bring forth and sprout, giving seed to the sower and bread to the eater, so shall my word be that goes out from my mouth; it shall not return to me empty, but it shall accomplish that which I purpose, and shall succeed in the thing for which I sent it."

Reflection: In what specific area of your life do you need to invite God's presence and power today? How can you intentionally use prayer to bridge the gap between Heaven and Earth in this situation?

Day 2: Cooperating with God's Conditional Will

God's will can be unconditional or conditional. While His unconditional will happens independently, His conditional will requires our cooperation through prayer to manifest. Many aspects of our lives are tied to God's conditional will, meaning that our cooperation through prayer can influence what happens. This understanding calls us to a deeper level of engagement with God, where we actively participate in His plans through our prayers. By aligning our hearts and desires with His, we become co-laborers in bringing about His purposes on Earth. This cooperation is not about changing God's mind but about aligning ourselves with His will and becoming instruments through which His plans are realized. [03:16]

2 Chronicles 7:14 (ESV): "If my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you sense God is inviting you to cooperate with His will through prayer? How can you actively participate in His plans today?

Day 3: Prayer as a Continuous Lifestyle

Prayer should be a lifestyle, as natural and continuous as breathing. It is our spiritual passport, allowing us to access the spiritual realm and invite God's intervention. This continuous engagement with God through prayer keeps us attuned to His voice and aligned with His purposes. It is not about the length or eloquence of our prayers but about the consistency and sincerity of our communication with God. By making prayer a natural part of our daily routine, we cultivate a deeper relationship with God and become more sensitive to His leading. This lifestyle of prayer transforms our perspective, enabling us to see our circumstances through the lens of faith and hope. [06:53]

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (ESV): "Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you."

Reflection: How can you incorporate prayer into your daily routine in a way that feels as natural and continuous as breathing? What small changes can you make today to cultivate a lifestyle of prayer?

Day 4: Accessing God's Predetermined Actions

Through prayer, we access what God already wants to do. Isaiah 65:24 reminds us that God has answered before we call, emphasizing the importance of prayer in pulling down His predetermined actions. This understanding shifts our perspective on prayer from trying to convince God to act to aligning ourselves with what He has already purposed. When we pray, we are not initiating a conversation with God; we are joining a dialogue that He has already begun. By seeking His will and aligning our prayers with His desires, we become participants in the unfolding of His plans. This approach to prayer requires humility and a willingness to submit our desires to God's greater purposes. [09:12]

Isaiah 65:24 (ESV): "Before they call I will answer; while they are yet speaking I will hear."

Reflection: What is one area of your life where you need to trust that God has already prepared the way? How can you align your prayers with His predetermined actions today?

Day 5: The Power of Prayer in Inviting God's Provision

The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 illustrates the power of prayer in inviting God's supernatural provision. If Jesus needed to pray for change, we too must pray to invite God's intervention in our lives. This story serves as a powerful reminder that prayer is not just about asking for our needs to be met but about inviting God's presence and power into our situations. When we pray, we acknowledge our dependence on God and open ourselves to His miraculous provision. This act of faith invites God to work in ways that exceed our expectations and meet our needs in abundance. By following Jesus' example, we can approach prayer with confidence, knowing that it has the power to transform our circumstances and bring about God's provision. [10:05]

John 6:11-13 (ESV): "Jesus then took the loaves, and when he had given thanks, he distributed them to those who were seated. So also the fish, as much as they wanted. And when they had eaten their fill, he told his disciples, 'Gather up the leftover fragments, that nothing may be lost.' So they gathered them up and filled twelve baskets with fragments from the five barley loaves left by those who had eaten."

Reflection: In what area of your life do you need to invite God's supernatural provision today? How can you follow Jesus' example in prayer to open yourself to His abundant provision?

Sermon Summary

Prayer is a powerful tool that connects Heaven and Earth, allowing God's will to manifest in our lives. It is not merely a ritual or tradition, like the national anthem before a sporting event, but a vital part of our spiritual journey. Prayer is about drawing from Heaven into history, making eternity visible in time, and inviting God to touch humanity. It is a means of accessing God's conditional will, which requires our cooperation to bring about His desired outcomes on Earth.

God's will can be unconditional, where He acts independently of human involvement, or conditional, where He requires our participation through prayer. Many aspects of our lives are tied to God's conditional will, meaning that our cooperation through prayer can influence what happens. James emphasizes the importance of prayer, highlighting that we often lack because we do not ask or ask with wrong motives. Prayer is relational communication with God, and it is through this relationship that we can draw His will from Heaven to Earth.

Prayer should be a lifestyle, not just an event. Paul instructs us to pray without ceasing, indicating that prayer should be as natural and continuous as breathing. It is our spiritual passport, allowing us to move from the physical realm into the spiritual. Through prayer, we access what God already wants to do, as He has often predetermined His actions before we even ask. Isaiah 65:24 reminds us that God has answered before we call, emphasizing that prayer is about pulling down what God has already prepared.

The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 illustrates the power of prayer. Jesus prayed, inviting God into the problem, and Heaven responded by providing abundantly. This example shows that if Jesus needed to pray to bring about change, how much more do we need to pray to invite God's intervention in our lives? Prayer is about distributing eternity in time, allowing God's supernatural provision to meet our earthly needs.

Key Takeaways

1. Prayer is not just a ritual; it is a means of drawing Heaven into history, making God's will visible on Earth. It is about inviting God to touch humanity and influence our lives. [00:17]
2. God's will can be unconditional or conditional. While His unconditional will happens independently, His conditional will requires our cooperation through prayer to manifest. [03:16]
3. Prayer should be a lifestyle, as natural and continuous as breathing. It is our spiritual passport, allowing us to access the spiritual realm and invite God's intervention. [06:53]
4. Through prayer, we access what God already wants to do. Isaiah 65:24 reminds us that God has answered before we call, emphasizing the importance of prayer in pulling down His predetermined actions. [09:12]
5. The story of Jesus feeding the 5,000 illustrates the power of prayer in inviting God's supernatural provision. If Jesus needed to pray for change, we too must pray to invite God's intervention in our lives. [10:05]
** [10:05]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[00:17] - The Goal of Prayer
[00:42] - National Anthem Analogy
[01:12] - Prayer as Tradition
[01:44] - Dominance of Prayer in Scripture
[02:24] - God's Conditional and Unconditional Will
[03:16] - Cooperation with God's Will
[04:31] - Prayer as a Mechanism
[05:15] - Relational Communication with God
[06:22] - Pray Without Ceasing
[07:27] - Prayer as a Passport
[08:50] - Accessing God's Will
[09:48] - Distributing Eternity in Time
[10:05] - Jesus Feeds the 5,000
[11:25] - The Necessity of Prayer

Sermon Clips

the goal of prayer is to draw from Heaven into history to get eternity to make a statement in time it is to make Heaven visible on Earth it is to get God to touch Humanity the goal of prayer is that up there might do something fix something or change something down here [00:00:00]

God's unconditional will is when he determines what will happen irrespective of what anybody else does that is it's not conditioned on us or anybody else because he's going to decide that it happens and he's going to cause it to happen without any human involvement that is his unconditional will [00:02:35]

but God's conditional will is different there are many things he's decided to not let happen until he gets cooperation from Earth there are many things that he's decided he will not bring from Heaven into history unless there is human cooperation with his desire and design [00:03:16]

so things happen or don't happen based not on God's decision but on our cooperation or lack thereof one of the primary mechanisms that God has established to determine much of what he does on Earth and in your life and in my life is conditioned by the absence or presence of Prayer [00:04:09]

prayer is relational communication with God and the goal of Prayer is to draw from heaven into history the gold of prayer is to get eternity to make a statement in time it is to make heaven visible on Earth it is to get God to touch Humanity the gold of prayer is that up there might do something fix something or change something down here [00:05:10]

when God makes a big deal about prayer which he does throughout all of scripture we are asking God to release his will from Heaven to Earth we're giving him an okay because we're cooperating because it is part of his conditional will [00:05:48]

in the mind of the Bible prayer is a lifestyle and not merely an event if I were to say to you breathe without ceasing you would understand what I meant because if you cease breathing you'd cease so if I said breathe without ceasing you know that's just got to be how you roll [00:06:39]

God has given every believer a toll-free number you got an 800 number it's toll-free and it is designed to give you permission to leave Earth and into the sphere of Heaven through the mechanism of Prayer so prayer is not just saying some word it's changing locations [00:07:39]

prayer does not get God to do something he doesn't want to do because you can't make God do something but what prayer does is access what he already wants to do that he has conditioned on your participation and mine [00:08:41]

Isaiah 65 24 says before you call I have answered oh did you follow that before you prayed I have already answered the prayer so you are not praying to get God to do something but to pull down something he's already predetermined to do [00:09:07]

this concept of Prayer is Distributing eternity in the time you remember when the disciples were asked by Jesus how are we going to feed five thousand men not counting women and children 15 to 20 000 people and they said we don't know but they found a little boy with two fish [00:09:48]

Jesus Christ Got Heaven to enter history but he prayed for that to take place which answered the problem and all men did was distribute what the supernatural had provided so help me out if Jesus had to pray to get his Heavenly Father to do something up there to change something down here [00:11:00]

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