TEEN TREE 
OF LIFE
THE DOCTRINE OF PRAYER
Part 5
April 22, 2018
BEFORE we begin, if you are a believer in Jesus Christ, take a moment to name your sins to God the Father. This will allow you to be filled with the power of The Holy Spirit as you read this booklet (EPH 5:18 & 1JO 1:9). IF YOU HAVE never believed in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, you have that opportunity right now. Simply tell God the Father that you are believing on His Son Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. If you make that decision, you are now a believer and will always be a child of God! When you die, you will spend eternity with Him forever in heaven! (JOH 3:16 & ACT 16:31).
Last week we looked at why prayer is not answered. We learned that the fundamental reason why prayer is not answered is because the believer is under the control of the old sin nature. In a state of sin, your prayers cannot be heard or answered. We also learned that another reason for unanswered prayer is being out of fellowship. This means you haven’t rebounded prior to praying.
There’s also another reason for prayers not being answered: the believer’s rejection of Bible doctrine. Whatever your reason for rejecting doctrine, it means you have no understanding of the mechanics of prayer. You can only learn the mechanics of prayer by studying God’s Word. Also, only Bible doctrine teaches the Will of God. And your prayers must comply His Will: This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him. (1JOH 5:14-15) And, again, you must follow the precisely correct protocol procedure for prayer.
Indifference to (or rejection of) Bible doctrine, produces three categories of ignorance which guarantee the failure of your prayer life. The first is ignorance because of indifference to doctrine. The second is ignorance because of wrong priorities. If you don’t have the right priorities in your spiritual life, you’ll become a loser with no prayer life. The third is ignorance because of the arrogance complex of sins. These sins include: jealousy, bitterness, vindictiveness, implacability, hatred, self‑pity, inordinate ambition, excessive competition, vilification, slander, maligning, judging, and revenge motivation. Arrogant believers never get through to the Throne of Grace. That’s why arrogance is such a bad sin!
Failure to execute God’s commands is another reason why prayers are not answered: …and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight. (1JOH 3:22) So, prayer is related to your fulfillment of the Plan of God and the execution of the Christian way of life. Prayer becomes more and more effective as we execute His commandments. You can have effective prayer right from the start of your spiritual life if you execute His commandments. But to become a great prayer warrior demands your daily intake of doctrine and the daily use of the Problem-Solving Devices you have learned. Then you do not depend on others to solve your problems, but you handle your own problems with the doctrinal techniques you’ve been taught.
To do “what is pleasing in His sight” is what you accomplish once you’ve reached spiritual adulthood. At this time, you will have reached the peak in your prayer life. Failure to execute His commandments and to attain spiritual adulthood (do “what is pleasing in His sight”) impedes, obstructs, inhibits, and undermines all effective prayer.
One of the greatest problems related to prayer is concentration! All forms of worship are a concentration test. This test can be divided into three categories. The first is concentration on the teaching of Bible doctrine. This reflects your values, your motivation, your spiritual condition, and your spiritual status quo. Bible doctrine should have number one priority in your life.
The second test of concentration is in the Communion Service. The Communion Service is a reflection of the Person and Work of Christ. So, you can see how important it is to concentrate!
The third test of concentration is in your personal and private prayers, during public prayer when others are praying, and in your petitions and intercessions. Prayer is a challenge to concentration. It’s very easy to lose concentration when your mind wanders to your everyday troubles.
The pattern of concentration in all forms of worship is established in the function of perception, metabolization, and application of Bible doctrine. If you can concentrate on Bible doctrine in times of stress, adversity, or even in time of prosperity, then you can concentrate in prayer. There is a direct relationship between concentration in Bible study under The Ministry of The Holy Spirit and concentration in prayer under The Ministry of The Holy Spirit.
Now let’s look at the mechanics of prayer. Public prayer should be short and should not be repetitious. This is taught in MAT 6:7: “And when you are praying (publicly), do not use meaningless repetition, as Gentiles do, for they suppose that they will be heard for their many words.” God is not impressed with lots of words and repetition. MAT 6:5 warns: “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.” You cannot impress people and God at the same time with your prayers. In public prayer, you always add the principles of impersonal love, flexibility, and thoughtfulness of others. You must be thoughtful of those who are gathered with you when you pray. Long prayers should be reserved for private intercession and petition.
The majority of your prayers should be conducted in private: “But when you pray, go into your private room, and when you have shut the door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will provide for you.” (MAT 6:6)
Organization is absolutely necessary in an effective prayer life. Therefore, you need a procedural guide when you pray. The Bible suggests a four-fold procedural guide for your private prayers: First thing is you must confession your sins. Confession of sin is also known as rebound which is found in 1JOH 1:9: If we confess [name them] our sins, He [God] is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. So remember, before you pray to rebound, if necessary, to ensure the Filling of The Spirit. Only prayer offered when filled with The Spirit will be heard.
Second, you must give thanks to God. 1 THES 5:18 teaches: …in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus. Thanksgiving is a form of worship in private prayer. Thanksgiving is grace orientation because it recognizes The Source of all Blessing. Grace orientation is being familiar with God’s Grace Policy by learning Bible doctrine through the teaching Ministry of God The Holy Spirit. Capacity for thanksgiving comes from your personal love for God and your impersonal love for others. Capacity for thanksgiving increases as you grow in grace and in the knowledge of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. EPH 5:20 states that we should be: Always giving thanks to God the Father for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Your thanksgiving to God is a part of your personal love for Him. The more you love God and the more you appreciate Him, the greater your thanksgiving and the greater your alertness in prayer.
Third, you should then pray for others. As we have learned, this is called intercession In EPH 6:18 (The Message Bible) it says: prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other’s spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out. You should have your own private prayer list.
Fourth, you should pray for yourself; this is called petition. Petition is praying for your own needs and situations. These prayers include situations in which you are confused about a situation because you have not yet learned how to apply one or more of the Problem-Solving Devices necessary. You pray for yourself in lieu of applying God’s Word.
{to be continued}