Vol. 003 No 012 July. 2016Vol. 003 No 012 July. 2016

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PRAYERPRAYER:: THE WAY JESUS SEES ITTHE WAY JESUS SEES IT

Principles for Effective PrayerFrom Jesus’ Model Prayer -page 3

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Salvation: What Is It? –Page8 Inspirational Design -

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From the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief

It is just natural to begin the middle of the year with something most essential in life: Prayer. Many people may not agree with this categorical statement; however, I know everyone prays in one way or the other when the New Year began and are still praying as we are moving ahead into the year. We definitely have plans and focus; intentions and ambitions; goals and aspirations for the New Year. Some of them are so lofty and great that only Someone greater and more powerful could help us to achieve them. In ourselves we can do little or nothing to make our wishes and desires come to reality. Our best wisdom, our greatest certificates, our most powerful connections, our sure and secure jobs, whatever we may put our hopes on may fail us. Only God cannot fail. Only God is reliable. Only God is unfailing. And only God we can look up to with a full assurance of faith and hope; He never fails. That is why we need to understand prayer and cultivate a regular and daily habit of prayer as individuals and groups.

If we will pray—and I believe we should—then we need to know how the Creator of prayer looks at it. We need to see how we can pray rightly and effectively. We need the right formula, approach and dynamic faith in prayer. So, we are taking time to look at prayer the way Jesus Christ looks at it. When we understand his uncomplicated manner of prayer and the simple faith with which Jesus goes to his Father [and our Father], and we put it to practice, our prayer life will be meaningful and fruitful. We will love to pray without ceasing; we will love to pray anywhere and at anytime, effortlessly and confidently. We shall look at Jesus’ model of prayer we call “The Lord’s Prayer” with a fresh eye of faith and spiritual understanding.

I believe we need this at the beginning of the year and in the middle of the year. We will need to engage in prayer more dynamically, faithfully and regularly like Jesus did. If we can learn the principles in the Lord’s Prayer

and use them, I believe this year and many years ahead of us will be years of victory and unspeakable blessings form our loving and caring God.

May God bless you are you meditatively read this edition of Living Inspirations. Yours in God’s Service of love, Jonathan T. Olakunle B. Pharm. PhD, Editor-in-Chief, Living Inspirations e-Magazine

Prayer:Prayer:The WayThe Way

Jesus sees itJesus sees itGod personally calls us to pray to him: “Call unto me, and I will answer thee and show you great and mighty things, which you know not” [Jer. 33:3]. Jesus says, “…men ought always to pray and not to faint” [Luke 18:1].

These two scriptural passages show us the importance that God attaches to pray. God does not miss anything if we refuse to pray; we are the one on the losing side. God has made available the channel of prayer through which he can bring down his divine blessing to us. If we scorn it, we are to blame ourselves. We have the privilege and access to the throne of grace to obtain mercy in time of need; however, we must go through nothing but prayer. Our not praying is an act of disobedience to God. It is the reason for our defeated and powerless life; it is the reason we have not what we need to live as God has planned. It is time we go back to the grace. Perhaps you do not pray or you find praying a difficult task. You may not even feel the need for prayer. It could be boring exercise especially when you do not know what to say in prayer or when you run short of words in prayer. This message is to encourage you to pray and advance in prayer. It is to help you overcome the spiritual huddles in prayer by showing you what essentials in prayer and praying are. This article teaches and explains on the principles of prayer as outlined by Jesus in Matthew 6:5-15.

Prayer is an Imperative of Life

Prayer is absolutely necessary or unavoidable in life. It is force or power that demands our obedience. Prayer is priority—something that must be done. Prayer is vital to life; it is crucial and extremely important. It is not only necessary; it is indispensable to the survival or continuing effectiveness of our life on earth. We need prayer for life. I am bold to say that it is required for the continuation of life. Prayer is fundamental, crucial,

central, necessary, essential, and very important if we will live a life that will be meaningful, exciting, victorious, and triumphant.

Jesus says, “When you pray”; showing the imperativeness of prayer, the sine qua non of prayer and the essence of prayer. It is not optional, or voluntary; it is not if or whether-or-not matter. Prayer, to Jesus is compulsory and an issue of lifestyle. There is nowhere in the Holy Writ where prayer is subjected to condition of choice between two alternatives: there is no alternative to prayer. Prayer is prayer and nothing to be substituted for it. People of God normally do not struggle with this divine grace and opportunity to commune with God. It is spontaneous, readily available means of speaking to God; it is a daily practice and lifestyle that they cannot compromise anything with. It is part of everyday activities—now a divine activity that must be done just as they do other physical activities. Prayer is not on the last position on the list. It is something always integrated into moment by moment living. Let us examine the Lord’s Prayer in Gospel of Matthew 6: 7-14.

“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him. After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory forever. Amen. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Matt 6:5-15 (KJV)

6 Ps of Prayer“But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking”The fact that Jesus repeatedly used the phrase ‘when you pray’ connotes the idea that his disciples will pray; it is accepted in principle and practice that his followers definitely will constantly and faithfully pray.

# 1 P: Praise [and Worship]—Submission to God’s Will

“This manner therefore prays ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name”. Jesus teaches us that when we pray we should praise God; we should worship God. To Jesus prayer is an art and act of worship. It is an avenue to speak about the greatness, goodness, graciousness, and glory of our awesome God.  Through prayer we can and should acknowledge the saving power, divine purpose, unique purity, unsearchable peace, immeasurable prosperity, and beautiful plan of God for us.  The word of Jesus 'hallow be thy name’, is an expression of praise and worship, giving of thanks and praises to God and bowing down in humble and holy adoration of our God. Prayer in its highest form of it is nothing but adoration and submission to God will and eternal plan; demonstration of respect and honor to the Almighty God. When you pray, do you worship God or do you just keep asking like a child?

# 2 P: Purpose of God—Asking for God’s Will

“Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven”. Furthermore, when we pray, Jesus tells us to look at eternal and divine perspective of our life; asking that God's will or plan be established in our life. What is this God's will for our life? This simply includes but not exhaustive to,

living with him in his kingdom receiving his redemption and salvation through his Son Jesus Christ living a life of righteousness and holiness; enjoying his peace and prosperity bringing many people into saving knowledge of him and into his kingdom trusting God in what we do and say depending on his grace or power all our life

God's will or plans for us are revealed in the Bible: it covers all areas of our life. God's will is being and living as his children, shinning the light of his glory in this dark and wicked world. Ultimately God's will be to worship him here on earth as they do in heaven.Prophet Jeremiah tells us by inspiration that God has thoughts of peace toward us; great and good thought for now and in eternal. God's thoughts are bigger, brighter, brilliant, and bountiful and they are meant to give us an expected end, that is, to give us hope and abundant life. And friends, one of the ways to launch into God's thoughts and will is through prayer. Can you imagine how we have declined from prayer and denied ourselves of rich grace and mercy of God who loves us so much now and eternally? Would we rather avail us of the privilege of prayer provided by our loving, merciful, compassionate and caring Father?

# 3P: Provision from God—asking for God’s Supply

“Give us this day our daily bread”. Jesus also makes it bare that we can ask from God what we need for our life. When he teaches us to say, ‘give us this day our daily bread’, Jesus is giving us the open check to tell God all our needs in prayer. Our daily bread goes far and above what we eat daily: it covers all we need to live a meaningful life. It embraces our spiritual, social, emotional, physical needs. Our daily bread is what we "consume" in order to make life exciting, enthusiastic, eventful and enjoyable. Our daily bread covers our food, water, clothes, shelter, health needs, education, job and career, and numerous spiritual and physical necessities of life. Our daily bread embraces what we need to progress, prosper, perform, and protect our life from dangers and evil around us. Our daily bread is the essential commodities for our existence here on earth. You will agree with me that we do not know exactly what

When he asks us to ask in prayer, Jesus is teaching us to humbling depend on God; to daily trust God for our needs; to constantly look up to heaven from where all blessing flow. Jesus wants us

we need in reality; but God knows. And as our El Shaddai Father he has made provision more than enough for us. When he asks us to ask in prayer, Jesus is teaching us to humbling depend on God; to daily trust God for our needs; to constantly look up to heaven from where all blessing flow. Jesus wants us to rely, relate, and remain focused on God all the time. Does God not know what we all need all days of our life? Can he not automatically just release them to us? Yes, he can and he does often that. Do you know how many millions and millions of souls who never venture to pray in their life and yet have the mundane things of life? But as someone who knows God and desires the blessings of God that come without sorrow, God wants us to come to him by faith, in faith, with faith and through faith. It pleases him that way and we enjoy his blessing with peace from him. We do not enjoy blessing that bring about leanness of soul and life when we get the blessing through prayer of faith. When God blesses us through simple trust and prayer, we are in good shape. That is the way he wants it and that is what Jesus practiced and teaches us to do; to have a total dependence on God for all we need here on earth. Prayer therefore launches us before the throne of grace to receive mercy in the time of need and to get blessing from out Heavenly Father. There is no better way or alternative to prayer. Prayer brings peace, power, purpose, prosperity, purity, and progress to those who dare try this means of grace provided by God. If it could not do so Jesus should not have laid so much emphasis on practice and teaching of it. Trust me, prayer works just as Jesus reveals it.

# 4 P: Pardon from God— Asking for Forgiving of Sins

“And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”. Forgiveness means stopping to be angry or resentful towards a mistake, offense, flaw or wrong deeds by someone to you. It is to cancel a debt someone owes you. That is simple enough, right? That is exactly what Jesus does for us; that is what God does to us always through his Son Jesus Christ. That is what God would have us do one to another. Alas! That is difficult to do. And more seriously that is what gives a lot of people psychological and mental torture in life. When we do not let a painful deed or acts of someone to us go, when we do not stop thinking, or not stop feeling angry, or not stop planning revenge for what whoever did to us, we are unforgiving. It kills us more emotionally; it drains our emotion and paralyses our relationship not only with the person who offended us but God who asks us to forgive. That is the reason Jesus asks us to ask God to forgive us and then as God forgives us, we should forgive others. In another way, we should cancel debts people own us as God cancels our debt. Look at it this way; if someone does something wrong to you and it pains you to the point that you wish to pay back, he owes you an apology, like someone owing you money or material thing. Tendering an apology is just like someone paying back money owed. So, if you can ask someone not to pay cash he owes and you feel good about it, so you can ask someone to hold

back his apology for offending you and you still feel ok within you. Many people don't do that and it becomes a problem for them.

In prayer, Jesus makes us understand that we have offended God in many ways and he deserves our apology: technically in theological perspective we call it repentance, which means acknowledging our flaws, offenses, evil deeds, wrong acts before and to God, asking him to stop been angry with us, to forget his resentment and cancel all we need to pay back to make him in order to make him happy at us again. It is to turn to God in acknowledgement of our sins, asking for pardon, and to turn away from such bad deeds having received the smile of love from God again.The bottom line is: if God so forgives us, we ought also to forgive—pardon, cancel, turn from anger and resentment towards others who offend us. King James Bible uses the word trespass which means to commit an offense against someone or a set of rules. It is going into someone's property without permission. Trespass means crossing the line we suppose not go cross. So we offend, trespass, do things that make God angry. But when we ask for pardon God gives it lovingly. We ought to do likewise showing that we are children of a loving and forgiving God. In our prayer we ask for God's forgiveness—always because of our sins of omission and commission. And when someone trespasses against us, offends us, and ask for forgiveness we ought to forgive. If we find it difficult to do, we had better pray to God to help us to do so. By his power we can forgive others; we can cancel others debt; we can stop being angry, resentful or revengeful to someone who offends us. That is the key to our peace with God and with fellowmen. To err is human but to forgive is divine. As God forgives his children so likewise do. That makes our prayer goes heavenward and secures answer for us.

PRAY WITHOUT CEASING… 1Thes. 5:17PRAY WITHOUT CEASING… 1Thes. 5:17

# 5 P: Protection from God—Asking for Security and Safety“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”

Many people pay so much for physical protection but Jesus gives a simple protection and security plan that can never fail. It is obtainable only through prayer of faith. Protection should not only be physical to Christians because there are more to protection and security of our live than that. In Jesus understanding, we may need other forms of protection, but temptation and evils are also what we undoubtedly need divine protection from. Temptation and all form of evil constitute danger to our spiritual and physical life. Jesus does not mince words about the danger in temptation and how to overcome. How do children of God overcome temptation? It is simply by

prayer. In Jesus’ teaching, prayer to God to prevent us from entering into temptation and deliverance from evil is very important. Apostle Paul describes this world as presently evil. He notes that Satan is the prince of this world. Satan goes about doing his havoc and attempting to destroy every good thing God made. Jesus realizes this when he asked us to pray that God leads us not, or that God prevents, disallows, helps us not to enter into temptation. Jesus knows the gravity of the power of darkness and satanic schemes when he asked us to pray for deliverance—salvation, rescue, help out of evil. You and I rightly to a reasonable extent know what evils are. If we say we do not know what is evil, we are not sincere. There are evil in all strata of man endeavors. We can feel them; we can see them; we live in the midst of evil. Without doubt, Jesus’ teaching us to pray for deliverance from evil is just appropriate and normal. No man has power to overcome the evil in the world except God helps that person. In ourselves we have no power; however, God has power to save and deliver from evil.

We can look at the works of evil in two ways; the one that has prevailed over us and the one that are lurking around us trying to overpower. Evil comes from devil. It is interesting to note that the words, “evil” and “devil” have just a difference of a letter; “d”! When you remove the letter “d” from devil, all you have is evil. From experience in human history devil does nothing but evil. Satan, demons, power of darkness and hell all do nothing but evil. We can call all of them together, “devil”, which is dispensing evil in this world and lives of people. The antidote to Satan, demons, and their evil works is the power of God. The power of God is discovered and obtainable in his Son Jesus Christ. So when we are his disciples and followers, his power lives or resides in us. Plus, when we pray in the name of Jesus we unleash and release the power of God upon our lives and we can overcome temptations and evils from devils. So, the key is prayer in the name of Jesus Christ. For the Scripture says, “Who is he that overcome the world, but he who believes in the Son of God. And is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith”. When we exercise our faith in God through prayer, we triumph, overcome and lead a victorious life. It is never by any power of our own.

In other words, when we pray, “Thy kingdom come”, it is an evangelistic prayer; we are

telling God to touch lives and people and bring them in; we are telling the Holy Spirit to

communicate the truth, convict people of their sins; convince them beyond what we can do; convert them into believers, and comfort them with divine comfort we are enjoying in the kingdom of

God. We are indirectly

# 6 P: Proclaiming his kingdom and power“For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen” In our prayer to God our Father, Jesus explains to us that we should make it a habit of recognizing and acknowledging the kingdom of God and its power and glory. Why should we be doing that? It is honestly because we are part of the kingdom; we are members of the kingdom; we are joint heirs of and in the kingdom; we are bonafide members of the kingdom; we are in the kingdom. And if we truly are citizens of the kingdom we must appreciate, cherish, admire and talk about the kingdom. The kingdom is now and later. This means we have a present experience and membership of the kingdom by our alliance and allegiance by faith with Jesus Christ. God accepts us in the beloved when we come to Jesus. Now we are on earth but we are members of this spiritual kingdom. Eventually, at the end of age, the kingdom in our lives and hearts and lifestyle now, will be visible to all. The King of the kingdom is coming back to establish the kingdom in righteousness, peace, power and glory. Jesus is the king and he is coming back to establish an imperishable kingdom. This will be in the new earth and the new heaven according to scriptural prophecies and the divine ordination of God. We shall see him just as he is and we shall live with him forever. This is our hope. If this is our blessed hope, Jesus says we should acknowledge it in our prayer. It means telling God, we know what he has done and what he is doing and where he I taking us to. We know we are temporarily here and we are longing for the eternal kingdom where dwells righteous and peace. We therefore pray—requesting God to hasten the coming of the kingdom of power and glory. That is the climax of our prayer; that is a high degree of spiritual understanding. We do not belong here; we belong to there—the kingdom of God. As we pray, let your kingdom come, we are extending the kingdom because, that prayer

means two things. First, the hastening of coming of the kingdom at the end of age; second the coming of the kingdom into the hearts, lives, families, communities, states and nations of the world. In other words, when we pray, “Thy kingdom come”, it is an evangelistic prayer; we are telling God to touch lives and people and bring them in; we are telling the Holy Spirit to communicate the truth, convict people of their sins, convince them beyond what we can do, convert them into believers and comfort them with divine comfort we are enjoying in the kingdom of God. We are indirectly reaching out to our world through our prayers to God. Much as we cannot substitute evangelistic prayer with evangelistic outreaches and sharing and witnessing for Jesus, our prayer before, during and after our outreaches matters so much. That is the strategy Jesus used and he made so much impact in less than three and a half years of his earthly ministry when there were no technology, automobile, and sophisticated equipment we depend on for our outreaches in our days. Jesus primarily requested from God to bring his kingdom into the lives of people; then after the prayer, he went out to reach them with power, mercy, compassion and love of God. That is best evangelistic strategy or plan we can learn from Jesus Christ. We need to vertically and primarily be connected with God, and then we can horizontally be connected with hearts and lives of people. That makes witnessing and

conversion into the kingdom easy and permanent. We do well to lay hold of this divine strategy of prayer and evangelism. Jesus taught us to do that. Jesus perspective on prayer is quite different from ours. His is not a selfish, childish, earthly

and worldly perspective. He focuses on divine thing. Worship comes first. And when we are to make request to our Father, they are meaningful and reasonable. And to conclude his teaching he still brings us back to where we started—the Father and his kingdom. This is the best outline of prayer we can have. Some of us learnt the Lord’s Prayer by heart in Sunday school classes. But now as believers we need to go and grow beyond recitation to this teaching outline of Jesus on prayer and add all the necessary ingredients to our prayer. You cannot use this outline of prayer, adding and expanding the points without having a meaningful prayer life and enough things to prayer for. As Jesus has revealed, let us lay our hand on this and use it appropriately and we shall have a fruitful and dynamic prayer and spiritual life. Happy are you when you understand this truth and put them to use in a more pragmatic and consistent manner. LI

SALVATION:WHAT IS

IT?Salvation is God's greatest blessing, and man's highest privilege! To say that a man is saved, and saved by Christ Jesus, is to say that he is blessed indeed — blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places.

It is deliverance from sin —its guilt, power, and penal consequences. It is deliverance from Satan — his authority, power, and dominion. It is deliverance from the wrath of God — and the bestowment of his best and richest blessing. Salvation is restoration to the image of God, the smile of God, and the presence of God — or, restoration to holiness, happiness, and safety! Salvation is for man who has sinned.

No qualification is required, no conditions are made, for the gospel says to all, and to each one that it addresses, "Come — and be saved! Come — and be saved!" Salvation is in Christ, and by Christ alone. Salvation is by CHRIST ALONE! No one can save but Jesus, for he alone could make a satisfactory atonement for our sin — he alone could produce the righteousness necessary to justify our souls — he alone can exert the power needful to raise us from a death in sin, rescue us from Satan's power, and conduct us safely to glory. No one has authority to save but Jesus. He is given the authority to save mankind and given under heaven, among men, being intended for fallen man — not fallen angels. There is no other name or person, whereby we must be saved — but Jesus alone. He saves such wretched sinners as we are. He saves freely, by grace and not by works. He saves eternally, not for a time — but forever. Any one may be saved by Christ — but no one can be saved

without Christ. His blood can cleanse any conscience. His righteousness can justify any person. His power will reach any case. If therefore any one is not saved, it is because he has not heard of Jesus, or hearing — has refused to come to him for life.To be saved we must receive the Spirit, for we are saved by the washing of regeneration, and the renewing of the Holy Spirit. To receive

the Spirit, we must come to Jesus, for he has the blessing, and has promised to give the Holy Spirit unto those who ask him. Coming to Jesus, is to believe on him, trusting in him, confiding in his person, work, and word. When we do so — then we appeal to him, receive from him, and realize that we are saved by him. We become true children of God

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