The Freedom of Prayer
By Stephanie Lane
... Jesus said, "As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world"(John 9:5) When He said this; He was just about to heal a man blind from birth. We are all born with a spiritual "birth defect" - we cannot see clearly the will and way of God for our lives. It is only by an encounter with Jesus Christ that clear vision becomes ours.
John 3:3 "Unless one is born again, He cannot see the kingdom of God" It is only in the light of Christ's person, presence and power that we receive the knowledge of God (we perceive His fullness and reality, as well as our need of Him). Ps. 36:9 "In Your light we see light."
Archbishop Fulton J. Sheen wrote, "God does not show Himself equally to all creatures. This does not mean that He has favorites, that He decides to help some and to abandon others, but the difference occurs because …of the hearts are under the conditions they set up.
Sunlight plays no favorites, but its reflection is very different on a lake than on a swamp."
Living & Praying in Jesus' Name
Prayer isn't simply an abstract idea... Believers live under the witness of heaven - before the watchful eye of our Jesus - constant in prayer for men. Our lives naturally reflect heaven in our obedience and in our conversations with people, because we have found freedom through Christ to live our lives with heaven in sight.
An observer might think the Christian is earning his way to heaven by trying to be good until he really understands that it is our love for God that drives us. We can take comfort that, even under persecution, as we trust the Lord we will inherit the right to speak to them of heaven.
Such was the way of an Iranian shopkeeper who gave his life to Jesus. He was driven from his job, his home, his family... and yet, the Lord brought it about that he would face his family and give a testimony to them.
They wanted know what had caused him to be firm despite all the opposition. He gave the descriptions of freedom in Christ as his answer. One freedom was the freedom from living for the power of money or the fear of loss.
God is our provider; we can follow and obey even in the face of loss. He will never leave us or forsake us. Another freedom allows us to live without needing a high worldly position, because we have already achieved the greatest position as children of the Most High God.
A third freedom allows us to trust and pray and obey the voice of God with boldness, instead of living under the fear of what man can do to us.
He gave them the true objective of gaining spiritual insight. That knowledge acquired will be applied to transform and bring forth faith. All that a love relationship with the Living God, our salvation and eternal truth, is promised through Jesus Christ.
God desires through prayer to impress the mark of Christ's nature, and freedom, into our families, work, relationships, ambitions and affections for today. He will mark every moment if we will determine to listen for His voice, trust and obey.
We are spiritual children who want to become all that God desires. Every born again believer has a strong desire to please God by the grace of His Spirit working within us.
Each one of us was chosen by God in Christ from before the foundations of the world. We ARE to become all that God has purposed for us. That is obedience.
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He chose us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love, having predestined us to adoption as sons by Jesus Christ to Himself, according to the good pleasure of His will, to the praise of the glory of His grace…
Having these amazing promises in our lives, we are compelled to live a life of freedom and love. The best way to turn a conversation to freedom in Christ and focus on heaven is to ask any person how you can pray for him or her.
Unbelievers are often moved by this unusual expression of concern....and curious about this freedom we have.
Our obedience is to share our hearts and concerns for them with our Lord, and listen for His voice. Christ will meet them when we cry out to Him. Every person has a longing in their heart to become all they were created for.
The greatest practical blessing to daily Christian living is divine guidance.
God speaks into the confusion or darkness of any life that will call upon Him. He will instantly bring guidance and remove clouds of oppression. At the moment any person can see and accept this light, a harvest bursts forth.
We have the answer to the questions that the world is asking - bringing
situations into the reality of Christ's intervention. He brings the same work that has set us free - and we are free indeed.
Into every void, God desires to breathe the life of Jesus Christ - in transformation, restoration, and fruitfulness in Jesus. It is ours to linger in Christ's presence long enough to receive His revelation of God's best. True prayer is when a person will pray until he is the one who hears what God wills.
Listening is the next promise we ask. Hearts that are hungry for unhindered tarrying. Lord Jesus, give us the freedom to enter that tarrying place.
