8 Essentials of Effective Prayer

 

Prayer is our highest privilege!

Would you imagine how awesome it is that we can connect to The Creator of all things, enjoy access to God’s presence and have an intimate and dynamic conversation with Him?! This is possible all by His great grace to us in Christ! Here are at least the major eight essentials of effective prayer:

1. Genuine

We have to be real before God. Open up your heart with all honesty yet hold on to His unchanging nature! Trust His Heart!

39 And going a little farther he fell on his face and prayed, saying, “My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as you will.” -Matthew 26:39

2. Current

God cares about you now! Tell God of your current concerns. Stop dwelling about the past. Face the present with faith in Him!

8 Then Amalek came and fought with Israel at Rephidim. 9 So Moses said to Joshua, “Choose for us men, and go out and fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the staff of God in my hand.”-Exodus 17:8-9

3. Persistent

Never say “I give up.”God will not only change the circumstance He wants you changed ultimately!

And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.2 He said, “In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor respected man.3 And there was a widow in that city who kept coming to him and saying, ‘Give me justice against my adversary.’ 4 For a while he refused, but afterward he said to himself, ‘Though I neither fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will give her justice, so that she will not beat me down by her continual coming.’”-Luke 18:1-5

4. Earnest

Put your heart into it. Don’t just babble words, connect to God passionately!

44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.-Luke 22:44

5. Always

This is the ultimate “unli” full bar signal connection we could ever have!

Don’t just be limited praying like a monk in your room. Do it while walking, jogging, driving (of course, open your eyes!) in every season, whether summer, fall, winter, or springtime etc. etc.

18 praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,-Eph. 6:18

6. Specific

Be clear about what you need, where you want it, when you desire it and how you want it answered.

6 do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God… 19 And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.-Phil. 4;6;19

7. Humble

Remember that prayerlessness is the height of spiritual pride. Come to Him with all due honor yet by grace with God-confidence.

6 But he gives more grace. Therefore it says, “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”-James 4:6

8. Time

It’s one thing to just know things about prayer, but its another thing to really get to our knees and do it!  

We really have to set time for this and so experience the power and grace that flows from this greatest privilege we have!

12 Rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer.-Romans 12:12

Neon Greenhills’ New Series!

5 Steps To An Effective Quality Time With God

Assuming that you now have your own Bible (preferably ESV or NIV), a journal notebook, and a resolved place and time to spend the time with God, here is a basic guide, not a formula to enjoying a quality time with God:

1. Relax!

We all tend to wake up with all the worries for the day. Free your thoughts of any to do’s and be still before your Creator. Thank God for the new day and prepare your heart to humbly hear from Him through His Word.

2. Read

Reading the Bible right changes a person! Read it like a love letter! Indeed God is our Greatest Lover ever! The Bible is not your usual academic text book in school! Get to know God intimately, His desires, plans, what He likes and what He hates. Begin reading the Gospel of Mark, John through the rest of the New Testament. I personally recommend you to go YouVersion.com for any Bible Reading Plan that would fit your season’s need.

3. Reflect

Reading without reflection is like eating food without chewing! Ask yourself questions like “what does the passage tell me about who God is, about the people, and about me and my current issues and situation?” Renew your mind in line with His truth.

4. Record

Have a notebook where you could journal your insights and reflections-the things God is teaching you from your quality time with Him. You can always go back to these notes in the future (during your year end reflection and as a reference to the people you are helping in your walk with God).

5. Request

Close your date with God by asking Him for grace to live out what you’ve learned from Him so you could obey his truth for His glory and your deepest joy! Ask Him for whatever you need by faith (whether wisdom for school, a major decision, or for provision) and remember to pray for other’s need as well!

Seize the day with the presence of God with you!

Holy Teens…Holy What???

Just the mention of the word “holy” would make most teens today cringe. It sounds so archaic, so ideal, so far far away! I myself use to associate holiness with old people who have white hair in nice formal clothes with halos and wings who could take you to the skies! This topic is just too controversial that even we Christians would just be silent about it and sometimes joke about it.

But what is it really in the first place? What does the Bible teach us about holiness? And most importantly, how can we effectively teach this to teenagers?

Dictionaries would often relate the word “holy” to the words “religious”, “sacred”, “devout”, and “pious”. They’re all external. And so we tend to miss what it really is and so we try to pursue it from the outside-in rather than from the inside-out.

Here are 3 Basic Truths About Holiness that we must teach Teens about:

1. Holiness is Beautiful!

It it surely for teens! It’s never for old people who we tend think have nothing to do but just pray. It’s not archaic or boring. It is good! It is truly beautiful!

But to really appreciate its beauty, we first have to acknowledge that sin is awfully ugly! Sin might be pleasurable for a time but its only for a short time! It is a sugar-coated poison, like a chocolate-covered poop! Its a killer! Sin would always lead to death! This is the Truth. It could cause teens to get into a distorted kind of love, same-sex not to mention, and kill out of rage and jealousy in a public mall. Sounds familiar huh?

Sin leads to death.

But Holiness is life! It is beautiful!

Yet the thing is, its impossible to have on our own because…

2. God Alone Can Make Us Holy

To be “holy” is to be right and approved before God. On our own its totally impossible. But God gave us the way to be right with Him. It’s through faith in Christ alone.

“This righteousness from God comes through faith in Christ Jesus to all who believe.” -Romans 3:22a

Teens must be led to the truth about the person and the work of Jesus for only by trusting him and giving our lives to him can a person be truly holy and happy! This is good news!!! And…

3. Because of Jesus, We Would Pursue Holiness!

God saved us through Jesus, from the power and the consequences of sin that leads to death so that we could experience true life and really live! This new life He gives must be set apart exclusively for His use! We won’t eat a bread whose rolling pin was used to scratch an itching armpit or drink a glass of water that has cockroach’s feet soaked in it! In the same way, we don’t live in the world’s ways and expect to be used by God.

In short, Christ followers no longer live for themselves but for a Cause that’s something bigger than their own lives!

Teens must know that to live for effectively for God’s use and for His Honor, we could and we would pursue holiness!

If you’ve already trusted Jesus as your Savior and Lord and is on the verge of giving up because of the heavy tide of temptation that we have in today’s culture, know that Holiness for you is still possible!

It only comes from God through Christ and for the rest of God’s people, esp. teenagers who are yet to respond to this good news!

“Usapang Lalake” (A Father & Son Moment)

“My son, be attentive to my wisdom; incline your ear to my understanding,
that you may keep discretion, and your lips may guard knowledge.”

-Proverbs 5:1-2

Proverbs chapter 5 is a continuation of a Father-to-son impartation of wise instructions for life. In this chapter, the father begins with a call for attention (as if “oh anak ko… maginig ka sakin”) so that he would truly understand and be kept from the reality of possible destructions in life, one of which all men are prone to- “the forbidden woman.”

“The forbidden woman” is subtly dangerous, deceiving and does not know the path of life. She is lost.

They are the kind of women who are filled with insecurities. They dress in a way that would call your eyes to gaze at their bodies, and they believe that they will be accepted primarily because of their mere outward “beauty”.

Many “forbidden woman” appears in printed glossy magazines, online and on the streets! They are also scattered around campuses, work places and public areas. They are lost and they might not even know it.

And every man who is not walking in wisdom could easily fall for them and even take advantage of them. Men who do so are led in a trap and soon they end up in remorse and regrets! (vv.12-14)

But after the wise father gave his son a picture of what could happen negatively if wisdom is neglected and despised, he then gives a wiser option that will lead to a positive and satisfying life! (vv. 15-19) These imply intimacy, pleasure, exclusivity and the enjoyment and satisfaction that a man and his rightful one and only woman could have inside marriage.

 In short, the father encourages his son to act like a man! He says “keep yourself from the “forbidden woman”, be wise and work yourself towards marriage and there you’ll enjoy the benefits of living in wisdom.”

The book of Proverbs says in its first chapter, wise living begins by having “the Fear of the Lord”  (Prov. 1:7) that will eventually manifest itself in a life of self-discipline, right choices, hard work, diligence and productivity. The “Fear of the Lord” is not like the fear of cockroaches, fear of heights, or like the fear of ghosts.

“The Fear of the Lord” is an attitude of a humble heart-A heart that honors the God as Lord. An acknowledgement that God is wise and His ways are right and are to be followed for life! For we are fools apart from him and our best ways are nothing compared to His!

 May we, students, single men and even the married men take the Father’s instructions with full attention and listening ears!

7 Lessons After College

After a year of graduation from FEBIAS College of Bible and almost a year of actual fulltime field work in the youth and student ministries, here are seven major lessons that I got:

1. THE MINISTRY IS TRULY A SPIRITUAL WORK! We should never do it in the power of the flesh or human striving. Only in abiding in Christ daily and thriving in His grace can we accomplish things that will last. As Jesus himself said, “apart from me you can do nothing (of lasting value).”

2. PRAYER & INTERCESSION IS POWER! This life is a fight! We are at war! Against our flesh, the world’s ways, and the devil himself. It’s essential to cover other ministers in intercession and get covering as well.

3. FRIENDSHIPS ARE VITAL! Be sure to have a number of people (at least a few ones) who really know te worst in you, your darkest side and tendencies. We can never thrive in this life without people who we can trust, backing us up in times of challenges and with whom we can share the joys and sorrows that life brings.

4. LIVE MISSIONAL! Helping People Follow Jesus is a Lifestyle. This is what evangelism is all about. Include Jesus in your daily conversations with people, and you will get various response. The Truth, will always be the truth. We don’t need to argue with people who just can’t accept the gospel truth at a certain time.

5. FIGHT FOR PURITY! God has always desired the best for us. And yet our perverted selfish mindsets would always want to edge God out in areas such with regards to sex and relationships. Holiness is beautiful! And by His grace, its still possible to live pure and set apart in this generation!

6. MONEY, A GOOD SLAVE, A BAD MASTER. I’ve learned that really, its just money! And God is God! When it is managed right and handled in wisdom, sowed and shared with others-it serves it purpose well! God indeed blesses us more to be a blessing. The fear of lack does not please God but generosity results to more blessings!

7. BE A STUDENT FOR LIFE! Learning should never graduate. It must never be limited on the four corners of the classroom. I’ve come to realize that when you stop learning, you stop leading. The A.K.N.Y. (Alam Ko Na Yan, “I know it already”)-attitude is dangerous! We can and should always learn from anyone, anytime, anywhere!

All For Jesus’ Fame!

“Truly, truly, I say to you, unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit.”

-John 12:24 (ESV)

“Are you in the movie?” Louie Giglio asked thousands of students that have gathered in Araneta Colesium during the Passion World Tour 2010 (With Chris Tomlin).

“You Are invited to be a part of His-Story” he continues as he shares how all of life is God’s story unfolding each day and that we, as His people saved by grace, are called to live in a way that gives fame and honor to the One whom life is all about.

Life is indeed like a one big movie where everything is by God and for God-even our very lives. We are to die to our own “fame” and myopic tendencies and die like a kernel of wheat on the earth so that we could bear much fruit and bring all fame to Jesus!