"Lord Jesus, come into my heart," was my first prayer as a boy
It was also the most important. It connected me to the Son of God, who taught me we have the same Father. He loves you and wants you to know Him.
Here's how.
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Last week I published an article entitled “7 WAYS HOW TO KNOW JESUS BETTER”. If you haven’t read that article yet, I’d encourage you read that one first. Over the next 7 weeks, I’ll be diving into each of these topics in more depth, specifically in how they related to knowing who Jesus is.
This week, we will start with our first, and most important practice to know Jesus, prayer.
What is Prayer?
At its most basic level, prayer is simply talking and listening to God.
Why We Pray
People of all faiths pray, but as Christians, prayer is how we develop a personal relationship with the Son of God, Jesus* (4BC-30AD), who died to save us on the cross. What a wonderful gift it is to be able to build a relationship with the God of the universe, but have you ever built a relationship, or gotten to know someone without talking to them? I don’t think so!
An asterisk* after a name means the person is in SPIRITUAL LIVES.
How Do I Start Praying?
While the basic concept is easy, the practicality of it can sometimes be hard. You may want to activate your belief and start praying, but how?
Well, today I’m going to share six prayers to help you get started!
1. Meeting Jesus as Savior
My first step in knowing Jesus was a simple prayer, asking Him to come into my heart. You may remember the “sinner’s prayer”:
“Dear Lord Jesus, I know that I am a sinner, and I ask for Your forgiveness. I believe You died for my sins and rose from the dead. I turn from my sins and invite You to come into my heart and life.”
In this prayer, we recognize Jesus as our Savior and that His death on the cross was for our sins. He can do this and gives us salvation freely as we believe in Him as the Son of God. In that prayer, we submit; we bow before Him and acknowledge we need Him. We invite Him into our lives and promise to turn away from sin.
2. Knowing Jesus as Master and Teacher
Now what? Jesus’ disciples wondered too, and He taught them to pray like this:
“Our Father who art in heaven”
“Our Father.” When we know Jesus, we share the same Father. Jesus is our Brother: we are part of the same family. Already Jesus has drawn us closer to Himself. Hallelujah!
“Hallowed be Thy Name”
We bow before the One whom Jesus called “Lord of heaven and earth,” — not in timid apprehension but in the confidence of sons and daughters, members of the royal family!
“Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven”
When we know Jesus we align ourselves with God’s will. Elsewhere Jesus put it like this: Seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness! We represent the Lord Jesus here on earth, and we work with Him to see the Gospel proclaim God’s kingdom in our daily lives and in the world around us.
“Give us this day our daily bread”
God will take care of us as we learn to trust Him as Jesus did. …. “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. – Matthew 21:22
“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us”
Jesus Himself committed no sin but He forgave everyone who would receive His forgiveness. These are divine attributes, and when we forgive we are being like Jesus. When we do not forgive we step away from His likeness and sink into the carnal realm putting our own desires first.
“Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
God ordains the circumstance of our lives just as He did the life of Jesus, but He does not remove us from the world. The word “evil” can also be translated as “the evil one,” meaning Satan, THE DEVIL, ARCH-ENEMY OF GOD, and His loved ones. We need God’s help to withstand this malevolent being whose every thought and action seeks our hurt. Without Him we would fail. But is He able?
“For Thine is the Kingdom and the power and the glory for ever. Amen”
“All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth” – Matthew 28:18 He is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think. --St. Paul * (5-67) in Ephesians 3:20
We now know Jesus not just as our Savior, Teacher, and Brother, but as the all-powerful King of kings and Lord of lords.
3. Knowing Jesus Intimately
Meeting Jesus is a one-on-one experience, and although His teaching on prayer is given to His disciples as a group, He followed up immediately with a personal focus:
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. -------Matthew 6:6
What a wonderful opportunity, to be alone with our Lord. And what a wonderful revelation and promise He gives. God sees this secret meeting, and, better still, He rewards us for being with Him. What are those rewards? Read on!
4. Knowing Jesus by Faith
Jesus wants to answer our prayers; He says so Himself:
And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive. – Matthew 21:22
What does Jesus mean by “believing?” I give an in-depth explanation in my article ONLY BELIEVE, but simply put, believing is another word for Faith.
Faith is God’s wonderful gift that helps us understand and know Him better and opens the way for answers to our prayers: According to the Bible, Faith is essential.
Jesus’ brother tells us: But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. James 1:6
How do we get Faith? Through being with Jesus and hearing Him and by reading the Bible: faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. – Romans 10:17
More on Bible reading in the next blog. While faith is one reward we receive via our secret prayer session with Jesus, another is the gift of the Holy Ghost.
5. Praying to Know Jesus
Who is the Holy Ghost? "He is the Spirit of truth, which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me” – John 15:26
The Holy Ghost is “the Spirit of Jesus” (Phil 1:19)
He shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you. John 14:26
How does the Holy Ghost come to me? Our Father is eager to send Him when we pray: “If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” Luke 11:13
And the result of receiving Him? But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.-Acts 1:8
6. Praying in Jesus' Name
The power we receive gives us the authority to pray in Jesus’ Name. We have become His servant, His agent, His representative, and we can speak in His Name in His authority. ” And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.” – John 16:23
Prayer is the Best Way to Know Jesus
Knowing Jesus through prayer is at once a simple and deep experience. We grow as we know Jesus more, and PRAYER IS THE BEST ROAD TO TAKE. As we walk with Him and talk with Him, He will tell us we are His own! And the joy we share, as we tarry there with Him, is the best that can ever be known. You have already begun the steps outlined above. Keep on praying, day by day, and aim for the goal that St. Paul* set for the Thessalonians: Pray without ceasing!
If thou shouldst never see my face again,
Pray for my soul. More things are wrought by prayer
Than this world dreams of. Wherefore, let thy voice
Rise like a fountain for me night and day.
For what are men better than sheep or goats
That nourish a blind life within the brain,
If, knowing God, they lift not hands of prayer
Both for themselves and those who call them friend?
For so the whole round earth is every way
Bound by gold chains about the feet of God.
---Morte d'Arthur
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