Prayer Always July 15, 2024

The following is an excerpt from a Benny Hinn teaching on the subject of prayer. You may or may not have been taught sound instruction to help you as your Christian walk continued. This teaching I believe will open the Heavens to you and the ministry of the Holy Spirit through you as you endeavor to serve God.

Acts 1:8 8 "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 Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth."

Acts 1:4  4 "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me."

Great power is released when we are really serious about prayer, not selfish prayer, but true prayer. Waiting on God is what brought the power later. 

Isaiah 40:31 31 "But they that wait upon the Lord (who have relationship with him), shall renew their (spiritual)  strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. " We have no strength against the enemy, or flesh without prayer. Mount up with wings of eagles means you will know the current of the winds of the Spirit. When you begin to pray, you begin to discern where the winds are. You begin to know when to surrender to them. The Holy Spirit is like the wind, you don't know where it comes from, and where its' going to. You cannot fight that wind when it comes your way. The only thing you can do is spread your wings and surrender to that wind and it will carry you.

In prayer we receive discernment on where the winds are moving and how to surrender to those winds at the right moment.  They shall run and catch up with where God wants you to be.  In the Christian life, running comes before walking, not the other way around, because you have to catch up before you can fellowship with the Lord. So prayer not only gives you discernment but it also gives you speed so you can catch up to God.

There is restoration in prayer and it happens quickly when you pray properly.

Whom does God hear? Luke 18:9-14 9 "And he spoke this parable unto certain which trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others:

 10 Two men went up into the temple to pray; the one a Pharisee, and the other a publican. 

11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this publican. 

12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I possess. 

13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner. 

14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other: for every one that exalts himself shall be abased; and he that humbles himself shall be exalted. "

He hears the humble and the righteous.

Psalm 34:17 17 "The righteous cry, and the Lord hears, and delivers them out of all their troubles." The righteous are God's children. They are only ones He hears. Not sinners. The only prayer He hears from sinners is, "save me Lord."

Psalm 145 18-19 18 "The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, to all that call upon him in truth.19 He will fulfill the desire of them that fear him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them."

1 John 3:22 22 "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight."

Prevailing prayer is abiding in Jesus. John 15:7 7 " If ye abide in me, and my Words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you."

A branch has no independent life from the vine. So our prayers become the outflow of Jesus life in us. It is the Spirit of prayer within us.

That is why we have to wait upon the Lord. The secret of prayer is waiting, which quickens you to pray. Otherwise you pray prayers that mean nothing. it is better to have a heart without words than to have words with no heart. When you pray it is your heart talking. A lot of people don't wait on the Lord, they just start talking which doesn't get them anywhere. There is no heart behind it. That is where selfish prayer begins, because all they are doing is talking about themselves or unbiblical things. (Like, please Lord kill all my enemies!)

Psalm 80:18 18 "So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name."

With Heart prayer, you will hear yourself praying in the Spirit, not with the Spirit. Praying with the Spirit is praying with tongues. This is important. Most prayer meetings are prayer in tongues (Praise). There are 3 types of tongues mentioned in the Bible.

1. Acts 2 in Jerusalem, everyone knew what they were saying because they spoke in native tongues (real languages).

2. is praying mysteries that no one understands but God.

3. Tongues that has to be interpreted as prophecy.

Isaiah 6:5 5 "Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts."

 God reveals you to yourself. God couldn't use him until he saw himself. Because the second you see yourself you throw yourself upon the Lord. you become dependent on Him completely. And then God says, "Who will go?" and Isaiah said, "I'm ready," and he could not say I'm ready until he saw himself. (I'm undone a man of unclean lips!)

When Peter fell he said, "I'm a sinner, depart from me, "the Lord said, "Now you are going to win souls." You have to see who you are before you can see who God is in you. You have to see your weakness before you can see your strength, your inability before you see His power.

Psalm 19:12-13 12" Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.13 Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression."

Prayer will cleanse you from secret sins. Prayer will not only reveal sins to you, it will deliver you from them! Secret sins means you don't know them. God will show them to you. We have a cry which says, "Lord don't let them have dominion over my life!" There is a cry for holiness because of God revealing our weaknesses.

Psalm 17:5 5" Hold up my goings in thy paths, that my footsteps slip not. Lord hold me up that I won't slip."  

These are all prayers of the saints. Only prayer has the power to hold you up and to keep you going.

Psalm 141:3 3 "Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips."

When you pray, nothing filthy can come from your lips! You know when someone has prayed, they speak holy things and you know when someone has not been praying, they let filthy things slip out! Prayer keeps your mouth under control, it's so simple.

Psalm 119:18 18 "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law."

The power of prayer unlocks the Bible to you. It reveals the word to you. The minute you pray, the fog lifts, the blockage goes, everything is clear.

Acts 2:4 4 "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance."

When you pray, the Holy Spirit will come on you in fullness! When you pray, the Glory comes. Take God at His word, and when we pray the Holy Spirit will fall. Get praying. Greater things will happen as you pray.

As the Lord prayed, Jeremiah 31:9 "9 They shall come with weeping, and with supplications will I lead them: I will cause them to walk by the rivers of waters in a straight way, wherein they shall not stumble: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn."

They shall come weeping, prayer will cause you to walk by the rivers of God, where you will not stumble and make mistakes.

Luke 3:21 21" Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened"

Jesus prayed to the Father while being baptized.

Mark 1:35 35 "And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed."

Why did He pray? He knew the Lord would give Him strength to face the devil later. He was tempted after that. So He began His ministry with prayer.

Jesus went out at morning to a secluded place. No matter how powerful the anointing is on a life, The anointing is only sustained as you pray.

Luke 6:11 11 "And they were filled with madness; and communed one with another what they might do to Jesus." They were planning to harm Him. What did He do after that? He went out and prayed.

It was prayer that kept Him safe from the evil plans of the Pharisees Jesus knew the secret didn't He?

Luke 6:12 12" And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God."

Their plans were cancelled in verse 12. See the connection?

Luke 6:13 13 "And when it was day, he called unto him his disciples: and of them he chose twelve, whom also he named apostles; God told Him who to choose while He prayed."

Desperate times, situations, and people that can threaten us are what the enemy uses. Especially in this day and age. Time to fill up on the Words of deliverance in the Bible. There is no other way to gain peace enough to sleep. How is it that Donald Trump is able to get through trials, and attempts on his life? But God! The prayers of the saints!

Repeat after me:

Psalm 3 Lord, how are they increased that trouble me! many are they that rise up against me.2 Many there be which say of my soul, There is no help for him in God. Selah.3 But thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my glory, and the lifter up of mine head. I cried unto the Lord with my voice, and he heard me out of his holy hill. Selah.5 I laid me down and slept; I awaked; for the Lord sustained me.6 I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about.7 Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.8 Salvation belongs unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people. Selah."

Say it, think about it, say it, think about it until you gain the shield of faith stronger than any other. We shall not fear but overcome!