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    Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?
    Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?
    Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?
    Ebook79 pages55 minutes

    Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?

    By Bob Thiel, Ph.D.

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    About this ebook

    Do you know how to pray? Is prayer supposed to be chanting the same prayers over and over again from memory? Do you fold your hands and bow your head? Are you praying the way God instructed or are you doing what you were taught by your parents or religious leaders? Is there any guidance on how to pray? Yes, there is, in the Bible. Prayer creates your relationship with God. Do you only pray in times of trouble or when you desperately want something? Compare that to having a friend that only reached out to you when he or she wanted something. How strong would your relationship be? God is the God of everyone and wants a relationship with YOU. This booklet contains 28 tips for praying, with scriptures related to each, to show you that these tips are not from man but from God. Are you wondering how often and how long to pray? Do you have to be selfless and only pray for others or can you ask for your own needs?
    Where do you start? You’ll find answers in this booklet.
    Are you disappointed because you prayed in the past and God didn’t answer the way you wanted Him to? Do you realize that what you know is such a tiny fraction of the big picture? In Isaiah 55:8-9 God says, “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways My ways” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My thoughts higher than your thoughts.” You can’t see the big picture, God can. So then, how do you pray if God doesn’t do what you ask? Those answers are in this booklet too. Does the Bible tell us things to pray for? Yes, it does. Do you have to fast or was that something from long ago? The Bible tells us that fasting assists prayer. The children of Israel suffered greatly and prayed to God for relief (Judges 20:21 and 20:25) but it wasn’t until they included fasting (Judges 20:26-31) that things improved. Do you realize that your blessings both physical and spiritual come from God? Are you thankful? Do you realize that God created everything and all that is belongs to Him? He blesses you when you follow His commandments, love Him with everything you have, and love your neighbor as yourself. Spending some time thanking Him is a good thing to do when you pray. Are there any sins hidden from God? No. God knows everything. Don’t lie or cover up anything. Put it out there. To be forgiven for a sin you must acknowledge it. Do you think your sin is too big to be forgiven? Do you think that there is no way that God will forgive you? The Apostle Paul was given the name Saul when he was born and as a younger man he was in charge of going house to house, dragging men and women out to go to prison or to die because of their religious beliefs. He was an accessory to murder. And God intervened and led him away from that lifestyle to become a follower of Christ. He wrote at least 13 books in the Bible. If God forgave Paul (and he did) He can forgive you. Enjoy the booklet and learn more about how you can build your relationship with God.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherBob Thiel, Ph.D.
    Release dateOct 28, 2020
    ISBN9781641060912
    Prayer: What Does the Bible Teach?
    Author

    Bob Thiel, Ph.D.

    Dr. Thiel has a Ph.D. in one of the sciences and a foreign Th.D. in early Christianity. As the overseeing pastor of the Continuing Church of God, he works with people around the world to work on Jesus' commissions in Matthew 24:14 and Matthew 28:19-20, as well as working on other matters written about in the New Testament.

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      Book preview

      Prayer - Bob Thiel, Ph.D.

      Introduction

      What is prayer?

      Prayer is simply talking to God. It can be out-loud, though it is often silent. Prayer is an important part in the worship of the Great Creator.

      Prayer gives us an opportunity to express love towards others, explain our circumstances, and give thanks to God for the many blessings we are given.

      We have an opportunity in prayer to ask God for help, for guidance, for strength, and to support His work.

      Prayer is the completion of a two-way conversation between God and humans. God speaks to people through His Word, and people speak to Him through prayer.

      When you pray, understand that this is not really doing God a favor. Believe it or not many people think that God should be grateful that we will try to talk to Him. Should it not be the other way around?

      When you pray don’t you realize you are speaking to the most perfect and powerful being in the universe? Which of you should be honored by that?

      In this busy 21st century, in our busy lives, it can seem that there is never enough time to do all the things we want or need to do. When there is not enough time to go around, what do even some Christians neglect?

      Prayer.

      As never before, as we see the end approaching (Hebrews 10:24-25; Luke 21:34-36), true Christians should be drawing near to God in prayer. Yet some true Christians have confessed that they have not prayed for days, weeks, or even months.

      We are not to wait long to talk to God, but should:

      ⁶ Seek the Lord while He may be found, Call upon Him while He is near. (Isaiah 55:6, NKJV throughout, except where otherwise noted)

      Also, don’t you want to support the work of God as we get closer to Jesus’ return (cf. Matthew 6:33; 24:14)? While that work ultimately involves the entire universe, God’s work in this age includes HIS people.

      Which means, that while many feel that they could better serve God if He answered their prayers a certain way, the reality is that YOU and your spiritual state are more important than you probably think. God may not answer prayers the way people want Him to, because God wants to help perfect His people more than probably most realize. Do your part, God will do His.

      Notice what followers of Jesus have been told:

      ⁴⁸ Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect. (Matthew 5:48)

      ²⁸ 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. ²⁹ For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. ³⁰ Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. (Romans 8:28-30)

      If you believe that ALL THINGS WORK TOGETHER FOR GOOD TO THOSE THAT LOVE GOD, TO THOSE WHO ARE CALLED ACCORDING TO HIS PURPOSE, then presuming you love God and were called, whatever God does in response to your prayers means that He has answered them in a way that HE KNOWS is best for you. He wants to help perfect you now (Psalm 138:8).

      On the other hand, it should also be understood that many seem to believe that God’s work is primarily about helping themselves physically in this age. This is a distortion of reality. This wrong belief is often the result of unrecognized selfishness and listening to ministers that promote it (cf. 2 Peter 2:1-3). God’s work is MORE than just you or how you feel.

      But getting back to prayer, can it change anything?

      Certainly.

      Throughout history, people have utilized prayer. Prayers and intercessions by Moses, Joshua, Ezekiel, and others have been shown to change outcomes.

      Yet also throughout history, God’s people have also had questions about how to pray. This booklet provides 28 tips about prayer to keep in mind that can lead to the type of answers that most should really want.

      Tip Number 1: Pray to God the Father

      Jesus’ disciples wondered about how to pray. Notice:

      ¹ Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.

      ² So He said to them, "When you pray, say:

      Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (Luke 11:1-2)

      We see here that

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