Our God Answers Prayers

Key Bible Passages: Ephesians 3:20; Matthew 7:7; Proverbs 15:29; 23:6-7; Isaiah 28:10; 29:13;

Ephesians 3:20 Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us,

1. Isaiah 28:10 For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:
2. Isaiah 29:13 Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men:
3. Matthew 7:7-11

7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:

8 For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?

10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?

11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?

5. Proverbs 23:6-7

6 Eat thou not the bread of him that hath an evil eye, neither desire thou his dainty meats:

7 For as he thinketh in his heart, so is he: Eat and drink, saith he to thee; but his heart is not with thee.

We are to pray:

• To know and do, God’s will

The point of prayer isn’t to change God’s will or to compel Him to do what you want Him to do. Prayer allows you to receive the blessings God already has in store for you. As you pray to know what God wants you to do and what He has prepared for you, you will see more blessings in your life and you will receive more answers to your prayers. Jesus taught, John 15:7.

• With faith

Romans 10:17 So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.

The New Testament teaches, James 1:5–6.; Hebrews 11:1. Faith comes by hearing the Word of God Receiving and recognizing answers to our prayers require some work and patience on our part.

• By Asking

We need to ask God for the blessings we need. Jesus taught, Matthew 7:7. When you are sincerely striving to obey God’s commandments, He will give answers to our prayers. (Proverbs 15:29). – Paul told the Thessalonians to pray without ceasing – 1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

• Prayers must not always be ASKING; but must include or be solely: Thanking, Praising, and worship God.
• Making requests for others – including individuals, nations and situations.
• By Fasting

Sometimes prayers might/must be accompanied by fasting. Fasting is a powerful tool to receive answers to prayer. To fast is to go without food or water for a certain amount of time. This shows God our humility and willingness to sacrifice in order to receive blessings. When Jesus found some of His disciples unsuccessfully trying to heal a young boy, he pointed out that the righteous blessing they sought could be obtained only by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:21).

• Be Patient, Persistent, and faithful

Sometimes God does not seem to answer our prayers right away; or at all. At other times, God requires us to patiently wait for an answer so we can build our faith and trust in Him. On some occasions, God gives us answers, but they may not be what we hoped for.

Our Heavenly Father will take care of us, and He will help us become the best version of ourselves, and the person He purposed for us to be. As with every aspect of our relationship with God, there are conditions that must be met for everything to work as He pleases. Remember the story of Lazarus being raised from the dead in John 11:1-44

1 Now a certain man was sick, named Lazarus, of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha.

2 It was that Mary which anointed the Lord with ointment, and wiped his feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.)

3 Therefore his sisters sent unto him, saying, Lord, behold, he whom thou lovest is sick.

4 When Jesus heard that, he said, This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God might be glorified thereby.

5 Now Jesus loved Martha, and her sister, and Lazarus.

Jesus waited until the glory of the LORD will be made manifest before He showed up at the scene to raise Lazarus from the dead. After all He could have sent His word.

• Sometimes there is a necessity to repair the Altar, that is purge our hearts from every evil thought that may run contrary to the will of God for us and humanity, like Elijah did in 1 Kings 18:21-45

…30 And Elijah said unto all the people, Come near unto me. And all the people came near unto him. And he repaired the altar of the LORD that was broken down…

Habakkuk 2:2-3

2 And the LORD answered me, and said, Write the vision, and make it plain upon tables, that he may run that readeth it.

3 For the vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall speak, and not lie: though it tarry, wait for it; because it will surely come, it will not tarry.

Rebuilding the altar involves situating ourselves before God according to His priorities. The question must be asked, what is our priority for worship?

FIRE OF GOD ON THE ALTAR OF GOD.

450 Prophets already had their turn and they cried, cut themselves with knives, danced and did somersaults. They barked liked dogs and hollered, but nothing came. When all the dancing, shouting, screaming, clapping and jumping was over, there was NO fire. Then it came to Elijah’s turn to cry unto God to send the fire. On Elijah’s turn, he said to the people, come near to me. The very first things he did – he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down.

Elijah had to convince the nation that Jehovah was still alive and in business. The church of Jesus Christ set on fire with His love. Nothing will make any difference in our ministries, and in our lives, only the fire of God. We have got to get closer to God.

• THE TRUE AND THE REAL ALTAR IS IN OUR HEARTS

My altar is in my heart. Your altar is in your heart and that’s where the fire of the Lord burns. God commanded the priests at the tabernacle in Leviticus 6:12 – “the fire shall be ever burning upon the altar it shall NEVER go out!”

The same principle is in the New Testament tabernacle – the church. The fire must always be burning and it must be burning in the morning, noon, evening and night. That’s the mission of the church. That’s how we shine forth as light in the darkness.

• HOW IS YOUR ALTAR?

He went to where God required an altar and the altar was broken down. Everyone could see it was broken down and the first thing Elijah did was repair it. The altar is the heart. What needs to be repaired? A broken heart? A hardened heart? An unforgiving heart? A critical heart? Unbelieving heart? Those things can hold you back. God is the God of the heart.

• OUR GREATEST ENEMY.

The devil is a great enemy but not your greatest enemy. Your greatest enemy is yourself and your greatest enemy is your own heart. You know yourself, there are days when your heart can reach great and holy things and there are other days when that heart of yours can reach to great and holy things and there are other days when that heart of yours can reach to terrible things.

That is how desperate and deceiving the heart is. The heart is deceitful, says Jeremiah, above all things and desperately wicked. It’s your heart that deceitful. 1 Samuel 16:7, “Man looketh on the outward appearance but the Lord looketh on the heart.” Here we go again – the Lord looketh on the heart! Then Psalms 139:25. Proverbs 1,2 &3, My son, give me thine heart.

The heart is the alter and the altar is the heart.

• BEFORE GOD WILL TOUCH US.

We must all start like Elijah and repair the altar of our heart. You know what needs to be repaired. I don’t need to tell you, but you know what God can do. He can give us a new one as stated in Ezekiel 36. Elijah dug a trench around the altar. He put the wood in order (and notice the word order). He just didn’t pile up the wood, he put it in such a way that it would ignite. He set the wood in order. But you can have order and yet have no fire!

Let us do everything so that the fire will come. He put it in such a way that it could ignite. Then he cut the bullock in pieces. Elijah repaired the altar that is broken down; he digs a trench round it; he lays the wood in order and now he cuts the bullock in pieces! Sometimes it takes weeks or months to get right with God. He works in our hearts while waiting.

• BLOOD AND WATER ON THE ALTAR.

Elijah demonstrated an old and a vital truth – without the shedding of blood there is NO remission of sins. Then he soaks it with water, filling the very trench to the brim. What does the water speak of? It speaks of the word. The water speaks of the separation – the word of separation.

• The water separated Elijah and the water separated Elijah’s alter from the prophets of Baal’s altar. Ephesians 5:26 Christ loved the church and gave Himself for it that He might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word. He pours the water upon the sacrifice – what does He do with the sacrifice? He sanctifies and cleanses it with the Word. That is what Jesus said to His disciples in John 15, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.” The water goes over us. Now we are clean. Psalm 119 “Whence shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereon to thy word. Thy word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path.
• He prepared from noon to evening. From 12 to 6. Elijah worked over 6 hours non-stop. He did not build a new altar – he repaired the altar of the Lord that was broken down. He had to take away the vines and the weeds and cut away the thorns.
• It had been active and it had been used in the past for the worship of God. When the Holy Spirit looks in our hearts, does He see an altar broken down and covered with weeds and vines? How does it get that way? By being neglected, out of use and that’s what breaks it down.
• Before God’s fire would burn on it again, Elijah had to repair it. If we repair the altar God will send the fire.
• After I repair the altar, what’s the sacrifice? I am.

Then God sends the fire and God looks down and sees a sacrifice on the altar. The trouble of many is, they say, send the fire. The Lord says where will I send it? Send the fire, you say, just send it! God sends the fire on a sacrifice and when you lay yourself on that altar God will send the fire and a mighty work will be accomplished for the glory of.

Hebrews 12:14 Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord:

Today – there is a call to repair our ALTARS, so that we can reach God – and get the answers to our requests at the time it will glorify God.

Some of the things that corrupt our altars are:

• FEAR AND FAITHLESSNESS/UNBLIEF
• UNFORGIVENESS;
• DISOBEDIENCE
• INCONSISTENCY IN OUR RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD
• NOT APPLYING THE WORD OF GOD TO OUR PRAYERS AND SITUATIONS

John 9:31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.

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The Glad Tidings

This is the publication arm of Christ Our Rock Ministries.

We reach the nation, through print and stream publications

Romans 10:15  And how shall they preach, except they be sent? as it is written, How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things!

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Color Magazine | Theme: Color Magazine by Mystery Themes.

RECEIVING THE MANTLE  

1. Gilgal
2. Bethel
3. Jericho
4. Jordan

Key Bible Passages: 2 Kings 2:1-25; Joshua 5:9,1313;   Deuteronomy 11:29-30

1. GILGAL – CIRCUMCISION AND WORSHIP

Gilgal is the name of one or more places in the Hebrew Bible. Gilgal is mentioned 39 times but not in the New Testament, in particular in the Book of Joshua, as the place where the Israelites camped after crossing the Jordan River.

The Hebrew term Gilgal most likely means “circle of stones or rolling. There are at least two locations named Gilgal in the Bible.

1. Just west of the Jordan River near Jericho Joshua 5:9,1313  

9  And the LORD said unto Joshua, This day have I rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you. Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal unto this day.

13  And it came to pass, when Joshua was by Jericho, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there stood a man over against him with his sword drawn in his hand: and Joshua went unto him, and said unto him, Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?

• One nearer Bethel 2 Kings 2:1-2

1  And it came to pass, when the LORD would take up Elijah into heaven by a whirlwind, that Elijah went with Elisha from Gilgal.

2  And Elijah said unto Elisha, Tarry here, I pray thee; for the LORD hath sent me to Bethel. And Elisha said unto him, As the LORD liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. So they went down to Bethel.

• Some scholars believe there was a third place named Gilgal near Mount Gerizim and Mount Ebal – Deuteronomy 11:29-30

29  And it shall come to pass, when the LORD thy God hath brought thee in unto the land whither thou goest to possess it, that thou shalt put the blessing upon mount Gerizim, and the curse upon mount Ebal.

30  Are they not on the other side Jordan, by the way where the sun goeth down, in the land of the Canaanites, which dwell in the champaign over against Gilgal, beside the plains of Moreh?

The Old Testament depicts it as follows: Gilgal was a place of

• Memorial. Gilgal is significant in the Bible as serving as a place of memorial for the Israelites, to remind them of what God had done. After miraculously crossing the Jordan River into the Promised Land, the Israelites set up twelve stones taken from the river, representing the twelve tribes, to serve as a reminder to the children of Israel (Joshua 4:19–20).

The stones at Gilgal would remind the Israelites and their descendants of the power of God and how He had dried up the Jordan River so they could walk through it, as He to the Red Sea (Joshua 4:21–24). The stones at Gilgal would serve a teaching purpose to the younger generation (Joshua 4:21–22).

• Consecration and change. It was at Gilgal that the Israelites were circumcised and celebrated their first Passover in the Promised Land (Joshua 5:7–8, 10). The children of those who had wandered in the desert had not yet been circumcised, and it was time for them to take the sign of the covenant and be set apart as God’s people.

This time of circumcision is what gave Gilgal its name, for the Lord said He had “rolled away the reproach of Egypt from you” (Joshua 5:9). The “reproach” was the Israelites’ uncircumcised condition; the rolling away of that reproach set them apart, once and for all, from the Egyptian people and way of life. This also happened while they were camped at Gilgal (Joshua 5:11–12).

• Worship. Years later, Gilgal was still a place of worship to offer sacrifices to the Lord. It was the place where Saul was publicly crowned the first king of Israel (1 Samuel 10:8; 11:15). Unfortunately, as the Israelites slipped into idolatry, Gilgal became connected with the worship of false gods (Hosea 4:15; Amos 4:4).
• A place of judgment. It was at Gilgal that Samuel rebuked Saul and prophesied of his loss of the kingdom (1 Samuel 13:13–14). Saul had been instructed to stay at Gilgal and wait for Samuel before offering sacrifices to the Lord there (1 Samuel 10:8; 13:8). Rather than obey, Saul took the matter in his own hands and sacrificed to the Lord at Gilgal (1 Samuel 13:9–12). When Samuel arrived, he announced judgment on Saul for his disobedience, stating that Saul’s kingdom and position would not endure (1 Samuel 13:14).
• Prophets. Gilgal was one of three cities where Samuel regularly held court as the judge of Israel (1 Samuel 7:16). It seems that Elijah and Elisha spent some time at a place called Gilgal before Elijah’s departure to heaven (2 Kings 2:1–2). Gilgal as where Joshua had camped; rather, it is a place nearer Bethel in central Canaan.

After Elijah was gone, Elisha returned to Gilgal where many other prophets resided (2 Kings 4:38). There, he found that Gilgal was in the midst of a famine and so made sure the prophets were fed. He also miraculously fed around a hundred other residents (2 Kings 4:38–44).

Gilgal was a significant place in that it reminded the Israelites of their heritage, served as a place of worship, and was visited by kings and prophets.

• Bethel

It is first mentioned in Genesis 12:8 as being near where Abram pitched his tent. Later in Genesis, it is the location where Jacob dreamt of seeing angels and God, and which he therefore named Bethel, “House of God.” The name is further used for a border city located between the territory of the Israelite tribe of Benjamin and that of the tribe of Ephraim, which first belonged to the Benjamites and was later conquered by the Ephraimites.

Eusebius of Caesarea and Jerome describe Bethel in their time (around 300 AD) as a small village that lay 12 Roman miles north of Jerusalem, to the right or east of the road leading to Neapolis. Most academics identify Bethel with the Arab West Bank village Beitin, a minority opinion preferring El-Bireh.

Ten years after the 1967 Six-Day War, the Biblical name was applied to the Israeli settlement of Beit El, constructed adjacent to Beitin.