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O LORD, TEACH US TO PRAY...

(this was an essay my wife wrote just the other day while meditating on the Word of GOD. I would like to share it here because it has such a vital message regarding *rightly praying* according to the instructions of Jesus Himself) . . .

And He said unto them. When you pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven.
Hallowed be Thy name. ~ Luke 11:2

.....that whatsoever you shall ask of the Father in My name, He may give it you.
~ John 15:16b

Has God changed the way to pray? Why do we hear so many Christians praying without specificly using THE NAME OF JESUS, while others address their prayers to Jesus and not to the Father. Do we need to relearn the proper way to address the Godhead in prayer?

Some people may think this is unimportant. They may say God knows my heart. Yes, scripture says He knows what you will ask before you even ask it. [Matthew 6:8] However, there is a proper and BIBLICAL way to approach God and a VERY IMPORTANT WAY to finish prayer. Except for those emergency times when all you can perhaps manage to utter is a 'HELP ME' prayer, we should follow the simple directives of scripture as given in the Bible.

I will also remind you that the day we live in is a day of much deception and compromising of the ways of God and the Word of God. We now have a politically correct 'god', which is not the GOD of the Bible. This 'god' could accommodate any religion or philosophy. This is what I call the 'mush god' or the 'whoever-you-are-god'. For this reason we should go back to the clear and unmistakable directives of scripture and be careful to make it clear Who is our GOD AND THROUGH WHOSE NAME WILL HE RECEIVE and HONOR our PRAYERS TO HIM.

For quite some time now and in the last few years I often hear Christian teachers, leaders, pastors, etc. who pray and never mention the name of JESUS. They may end the prayer with a simple 'AMEN' or IN THE STRONG NAME OF CHRIST. Well, Christ is not His name, It is only His title. HIS NAME IS THE LORD JESUS CHRIST. Is it important? YES ! Very. There are many 'christ's'.
Matthew 24:24 "For there shall arise false Christs."

When a leader is praying publicly it is especially important to say His name in ending prayer so the hearer will really know who you have addressed and through whom the prayer will be accepted. We are to pray to the God and Father of our LORD JESUS CHRIST. So I would say to end a prayer properly and to rightly acknowledge the one we actually address and the one Who is the only one to bring us into God's presence with our request we need to say, 'we pray in the name of THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.'

This is not some kind of legalism. It is a clear Biblical exhortation and instruction IN WHOSE NAME we are to pray. GOD has not changed in what He has taught and instructed us in these very important matters relating to prayer and RIGHTLY RELATING to GOD Himself. God's people are taking too many liberties and thus getting away from true prayer and (too often) into 'a FORM of GODLINESS BUT DENYING THE POWER THEREOF' [II Tim. 3:1-5]. There is POWER in HIS NAME: The Name above all other names. I do believe that this is a very important issue that needs to be addressed. Even as I write this the enemy has tried greatly to hinder me from finishing this message, but to God be the glory, the enemy's deception is now exposed.

Father, GOD. I pray in JESUS' NAME that everyone who reads this message will consider what is said and adjust their prayers, publicly or privately, to be powerful and honoring to You in every way, according to Your Word. I ask thisin the mighty and most precious Name of the LORD JESUS CHRIST. Amen.