Understanding the Nature of Prayer- Dr. Abel Damina 'Church Culture'

today I will be discussing prayer with dr. Abel damina who's the founder of abel demeanor ministries and the CEO of kingdom lighten it to a tv-- among many other things you're also an author I mean many many accolades to you thank you so the issue of Prayer is an interesting one because we always think it's so conventional oh yes do you pray oh of course I pray but I find that sometimes people are not quite sure they don't know exactly what prayer is and what it's meant to do so for those of us who might be a little bit not sure or need some clarification what in your thoughts is prayer meant to be and how do we use it so let's begin with Jesus Jesus will be the best person to tell us what pray is because Jesus is God who became a man you know to reveal God to man and bring man to God jesus said in mark 11:24 what thing soever you desire when you pray believe you receive and you shall have the disciples asked Jesus teach us to pray like John taught his disciples and he says when you pray say so prayer is saying something to God brother James calls it desire he says when you pray you are making a desire known to God so prayer is verbalizing your desire to God and for you to be able to pray you you must be able to have an understanding clearer understanding of the character of God where prayer is concerned so there's something that's clicked in my head when you were saying you know it's when you say something to God you express yourself to God but then there's also God knows my heart he sees my heart he knows the things that I desire things that I want why does he just look in there and then do what it is that I want well again if you go that route then it will it will mean that God is in control of everything now if we say God is in control of everything it means was God have control Adam and Eve to see because he's in control of everything so that doesn't follow okay when we deal with the sovereignty of God it as it relates to the walk of salvation you see because it's no scripture that really talks about the sovereignty of God only God said it concerning himself in exodus when he was to deliver his a lot of Egypt and he said I am sovereign and I will deliver I will say which means the sovereignty of God is restricted to his saving plan to his salvation program for mankind now what about prayer prayer is man you know going to God you know beyond just needs and desires to have an active relationship with God God gave us prayer so we can use prayer as in medium of exercising our authority on the earth in Genesis God said let them have dominion even Salette us he said let them have dominion so the earth has been given to man to dominate but this Dominion will not be seen in action until you pray so prayer enables you to exercise your authority on the earth and to exercise your authority we are circumstances our concern and see what you want to see come to pass that's definitely a way to think about it so there's the there's the way that we pray and I think a lot of people get caught up in the process I mean the performance sometimes of Prayer I mean in your in your view what ways when we when we teach people to pray I don't know that we teach them in a way that's natural or essential it's almost as if they say this is how you pray and if you don't pray this way then it's wrong I mean what do you well structurally there's no formula to pray you just pray all through they pistols pray pray pray pray pray without ceasing pray always prepare premium you don't need rules to relate to you Atlee father you don't need rules to relate to you Atlee model you talk too high just the way you feel you talk to your father the way you feel and it responds to you same way you talk to God just the way you feel and you express yourself to God but you must understand God's character that's very critical God character is consistent what is God's character brother James will explain to us God's character in James chapter 1 he says when you come to God you must you must know that he it gives to all men Libre God gives generously that's his character and he operates not the word operate means he does not find fault so when you come to God God does not sit do you have feet don't you have feet you do pray loud or do you pray briefly you do pray very long he doesn't find fault he answers prayer in the Book of Psalms is on to you that answer a prayer shall all flesh calm it is a salchow Christians called all flesh God wants to answer prayer because God is a prayer answering God simply that so you don't need rules and regulations you don't need you know formulas in prayer you just talk to God and express yourself to God you know because if you seek very carefully Jesus is the expression of Gatchaman the Bible calls him the Express image of God meaning when you look at Christ you see God Jesus reveals the exact character of Christ in human form when Jesus walked the face of the earth people pray to him who believed in him people pray to him who didn't believe in him and he now said their prayers you know one that I use sometimes you know it's a bit funny but Jesus commanded demons to come out of a particular guy the madman of Gandhara he commanded those evil spirits to get out and the evil spirits acting please permit us to go into swine's that's a form of prayer and he answered their prayer oh he told him oh you come you can go in there so it shows you God's willingness to answer prayers if there's a man to pray does it go to answer once you just begin to pray God will answer your prayer because God wants to answer prayers people didn't believe he answered their prayer like the guy who had a child was sick and he said oh Jesus come here Maya Jesus say do you believe I can he let me say I don't believe just help my unbelief and Jesus did it for him so again there are no formulas no rules the only thing is pre pre pre always pray without ceasing something that you said just you know a little bit earlier was about you know God wants to answer but there are many times even I know that I'll pray for something and I just I don't get it so what happens whatever where's the room whether unanswered prayers are why do our prayers not sometimes good answer again how strong is your desire will begin from there how strong is your desire because they also do with desire when you pray believe you receive the problem is not with God answering the problem is with you receiving God answers prayer all the time the problem is which you receive it sometimes when I teach in church this is the analogy I use for them you go to the bank your lodging your money in that bank account they give you an ATM money ATM card and they give you a code you go to the ATM machine your money is there but if you forget the code it's not the bank's fault it's your fault to receive what is yours by not applying the code that you were given by the bank all right now God has already put everything you need on the earth you need a wife she's somewhere you need a husband is somewhere you need money is somewhere you need a car is somewhere you need a job is somewhere you want to have children it's all there but when you pray knowing God's character his character to make available everything that you need before you knew you needed them that's God that's God's character nice left for you to receive what God has already provided in Christ many believers don't know that about God they are in doubt about his character because as this notion on this traditional teaching which is not scriptural that's it sometimes when you pray God says yes all the times God says no other times God says yes but the Scriptures clearly tell us in the Epistle all the promises of God in him yes and amen no no no wait so now it has beauty has to do with you receiving James is when you pray pray in faith not wavering for hidden waiver it is like the wave of the sea and let that man think he shall be see it is already noting that God will give it see later not that man think he shall receive anything of the Lord so the faith you need is to receive what God has already made available if read a priestess carefully you see that everything you need has been provided he has given unto us all things that pertain to life and godliness the Epistle to tell you he has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus the heavenlies everything has been made available solely on answered prayer Tina's Amit's is not scriptural because crypto all everything you need has been provided either in this planet or in Christ that's what about wood tells you Matthew chapter 5 he now tells you the character of God he says God makes the face the Sun to shine on the wood and on the bat he makes the rain to fall on the righteous and on the righteous he gives you the tongue food and the contact sometimes you preachers would tell you if your tongue fool your tongue could be fooled it's not true God does not wait for you to be thankful for him to do anything for you that would be God reacting for God to react means it's not God if he is God issue product he should have known everything before ahead of time I made available those things so God is not waiting for your tongue fullness hey you know to be able to give you what you're looking for so many times you hear preach and see when prices go up blessings come down that's not true blessings came before crazy praises went up the blessings of God came before we even knew who God was what way it is see so we just have to understand God character we are prey is concerned that is a prayer answering God and he loves to answer pray us all the time so the Epistle skips admonishing us pray always pray without ceasing pray all the time you know you know that's the way it is so the character of God is critical you know for a lot of times you you really want something you know and many of us you know growing up in the church I know I know that you know growing up in a Nigerian church we were sort of taught or told that well God sometimes there's some things that are not good for you so he wouldn't give them to you so this concept of receiving is one that might blow some people's mind just because that's not what we were taught anyway so what how then do is how do we shift there's a lot there's a lot of unlearning and relearning that is required in the body of Christ and it only takes pride for somebody not to be willing to relearn and you know or learn certain things the scriptures are very clear Philemon 1:6 that the communication of your faith may become if Chua by the acknowledging of every good thing that is in you in Christ every good thing you need is already in you in Christ except you are not in Christ if you're in Christ every good thing is already in you but the communication the word communication is : Anja participation fellowship of your faith that word faith Lea is not faith as in the tool to get something your Christianity your Christian walk okay of your faith becomes effectual effective productive how by the acknowledging the word acknowledge is a Greek word epignosis it means accurate exact precise knowledge so the extent to which your faith becomes effectual whether in receiving will be to the extent that you acknowledge you have accurate exact precise revealed knowledge of every good thing that is in you because you are in Christ so if you are short in the area of knowledge then you don't have the faith to receive that's where the issue is so that's why again knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge your prayers concern if you observe all the prayers in the EP stores and the epistles of course is from Romans to Revelation you see the prayers of poor for the churches in Ephesus he never prayed for them to have anything he prayed for them to know that the eyes of your understanding be flooded with light the church in Philippi that they will know he says since that they we had we do not cease to pray to decide I will be filled with the knowledge of God's will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding the church in Colossae the same thing you pray that you'll love me about now you may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing being fruitful in every good thing Philemon that the communication of your faith becomes effectual that you come to a place of knowledge so is knowledge knowledge knowledge knowledge more watch this in Ephesians 3:20 announce is now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that you ask all things that already conscious unanswered prayer because you will do everything that rocks or things been in ask he now puts a closed there according to the power that worketh in you the question is what power is at work in you will determine what you receive that we are acknowledging accurate precise revealed knowledge of every good thing that is in you because you are in Christ when you come to the place of a chronology you don't take your no for an answer keep on pluggin just you grab it the Greek word Islam bono you use seize it nothing can stop you because you did what you seemed in Christ is more real than any note from anywhere what you've seen in Christ is more real than circumstances and situations you know you just imagine the way jesus operated on the earth he's in a ship going across the day understand and is a wind as the storm there's disturb units and any suppose a shouting we're going to perish or going to perish and they woke jesus off he just stood up and said he rebuked the wind probably always peace are you guys doubting and it was say we should perish I say we should go to the other side look at his attitude he knew what he was doing the Bible said he had just two hundred pennyworth of food and five thousand men and then bounces and jesus knew what to do knowledge you cannot compromise the place of knowledge in your walk with God in your prayer life in your relationship with God it's knowledge knowledge knowledge and not just head knowledge but revealed knowledge it's I call it inside out knowledge not outside in knowledge not derived from circumstances and situations but knowledge that comes from the Holy Ghost on your inside remember jesus said when he the spirit of truth is come he will teach you he will guide you into all truth that's his primary assignment to take what is Jesus's and reveal to you and I always say this when you see Jesus your reality is in Christ if you're in luck is because you've not seen your reality in Christ because he lacks nothing if you're sick is because you've not seen your reality in Christ because he heals everybody so the Bible now tells us that we may have boldness in the day of judgment because as he is over there so are we in this world right now how is he there he has no need how are we here we should be without needs when we see our reality in him so the believer must focus on the reality that he has in Christ Jesus whether in prayer in your work in every area of your life acknowledging every good thing that is in you in Christ okay so I want to talk about this process of Prayer if you don't pray out loud if you don't pray in tongues if you don't say in Jesus name before you pray if you just have if you're just having a conversation with God that's not sufficient this process of Prayer this it's one plus two plus three equals this the formula thing this formula I always thought that myself I had to unlearn and then relearn and it has made my life so she make it a mess on learning it seems like this is what needs to be done something like these we keep pushing the truth out and getting people to think again I look at their Bibles again I'm not just follow what somebody said you know everybody grew up in your home where you have to pray all the time you fail Christine you don't wake up in the morning let's pray whether you're happy or not let's pray whether you want to pray on so everybody grew up with that have to pray up to prayer so people are just praying for praying sake but you cannot really pray until you know the god you're praying to it's very important you know so debunking the formula theme is understanding God's character when you begin to see God as your father the Bible says God has set for the spirit of his son into our hearts crying Abba Father when you begin to see the Fatherhood of God I began to understand God's consistent character his nature his love towards you and that in his love for you he wants to give you everything not just wants to give you he has given you everything in Christ everything I mean what else would a man want eternal life he gave me eternal life forgiveness of sins he is giving you the forgiveness he will not give you he has give you the forgiveness of sins righteousness is your righteousness wisdom is your wisdom sanctification is your scientific aja so what else are you looking for is it material things they are all over the planet and as giving you the Holy Spirit to guide you into all truth so you know what to do what not to do when to do when not to do everything you need is provided for but again not the knowledge of God is key you don't need a formula it doesn't have to be a long prayer it doesn't have to be a short prayer just pray you know sometimes I teach in church and I say wake up in the morning you're getting late for work just stand up and get into the show while you're showering father thank you for this morning I bless you and I praise you you don't have to kneel down you don't have to look for a secluded corner no God does not have issues with with temperaments but always waiting for a time to follow a formula is not relationship God is not a formula God is a relationship he loves Mac and he wants to relate with you and he doesn't want to put limitations to the relationship just be yourself with God he understands I remember once meeting listening to a sermon and the preacher said God is not the Holy Spirit is not your errand boy and prayer should be a conversation you should you know and I then asked myself well I don't hear from the Holy Spirit I don't know I don't know what that conversation should be like it sees me asking for things it is me just saying oh this is what I want so then it now felt to me that Oh perhaps I'm being selfish I mean and I want to talk about that concept of prayer as conversation and for those who say well I don't hear anything back so do I stop asking what should I be asking for you do not hear anything about because you are not listening when you listen you will hear because you have the Spirit of God in you and the Spirit of God is suppressing when you listen you will hear him except you're not listening now sometimes when you get into prayer there's so much noise your mind is talking your body is talking that's why you need a little time and that's where the Holy Spirit comes in when you have the Holy Spirit the Holy Spirit helps to Tim your body especially we begin to pray in tongues we call it prayer language when you begin to pray in tongues and somebody says but I don't have it no no no every born-again child of God has a Holy Spirit and speaking in tongues is a gift given to the believer these signs shall follow those that believe in my name they shall speak with new tongues why because when you pray in tongues but Holy Spirit uses your tongue to give expression to your thoughts beyond English language that's why brother Judas MOT Lord building up your most holy faith rising higher and higher and higher like an edifice and then announces the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man make a tremendous power available that is dynamic in its workings so when you begin to pray and you know you just you just spend a little moment just pray and then you listen you hear God speak to you and of course he was picked to you within the confines of his word again knowledge comes in when you keep spending time with the Word of God you spend time to study the world you spend time in the world you spend time in the world the Word of God is God when God speaks you all know in the beginning was the wonder what was with God the Word was God so God's Word is God Wow and what a wonderful way thank you so much thank you for having it's time for another break on church culture and we take you into this break as you enjoy another one of t Webelos spontaneous worship sessions [Music]

Channel: Church Culture Inc

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Keywords: abel damina, dr. abel damina, abel damina 2017, abel damian, abel damina sermons, abell damina sermon, dr abel damina sermons 2017, the believers heritage ii (by dr. abel damina), dr abel damina - the doctrine of prayer ( agtv new sermon 2017), #the doctrine of prayer 1harvest of answers season 5 dr abel damina, david oyedepo, salvation, adeboye, bible teachings, oap meaning, antinomians, kaydeeann r1

Id: BJPHNBGwbIM

Length: 20min 11sec (1211 seconds)

Published: Tue Aug 07 2018