On Prayer

I would like to write something today to help a lot of folks realize that there are no shortcuts to obtaining actual revelation knowledge regarding the things of God. A lot of the younger people of this generation have taken to internet videos and sensational teachings that have mainly served to darken the minds of those who frequent them, rather than enlighten them to anything divine. I'm certainly not saying there is nothing of any worth that can be viewed on internet videos, as even I myself post videos of ministry and song and such things. I'm talking about just making internet videos our main course of learning about the Gospel of Christ. I couldn't count the people I've met who are doing this, and are being led astray into these fantastic doctrines that have no biblical substance to them. The Lord has led me a lot of times to tell those who are making this mistake that they just need to pray more, and read the Bible more. Some have come back and told me that it really helped them to learn that, and that they have benefited from it. My experience is that when someone is sitting around watching videos on the internet constantly, they generally are not applying themselves to prayer or to the diligent study of the Bible. In fact they usually don't have much of a clue as to what is in the Bible. This is not a prescription for learning of God, I can assure you of that. There is just so much pollution on the internet that seeking for God's truth through that venue is akin to looking for the proverbial needle in the haystack. Not to mention that if a person is not disciplined in prayer and study of the scriptures, they aren't going to recognize what's actually real if it smacks them in the face. The fact that we now have fast-serve technology at our fingertips does not change the long established way of finding the knowledge of God.

I love how Solomon laid it out, especially considering that he was given divine wisdom above anyone before or after him: "Yea, if thou criest after knowledge, and liftest up thy voice for understanding; If thou seekest her as silver, and searchest for her as for hid treasures; Then shalt thou understand the fear of the Lord, and find the knowledge of God. For the Lord giveth wisdom: out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understanding" (Prov. 2:3-6). Solomon did not just have a dream where God promised him the vast wisdom that he said he would give him, and then wake up the next morning with that promise fulfilled. As he stated here, he 'cried' out for understanding, and sought diligently after the knowledge of God continually; and by those means he was able to hear what was coming from the mouth of God, as he said. In other words he knew God's word because he put himself in a position to hear it. Along with constant prayer, it's certain that he became very well read in the scriptures, and listened intently to his wise counselors as well (Prov. 15:22). Solomon was a strong advocate of being able to be taught, as the following verse shows: "Take fast hold of instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy life" (Prov. 4:13). In fact he made it clear that regardless of someone's position in life, if they could no longer receive instruction from others, their life was greatly diminished because of it: "Better is a poor and a wise child than an old and foolish king, who will no more be admonished" (Eccl. 4:13). Funny those two verses have corresponding chapter and verse numbers. Probably a coincidence, but interesting nonetheless. It's interesting as well that so many of the people who get their vast 'knowledge' from their vast collection of internet videos, always seem to want to be the teachers, not the learners.

Daniel began praying for the release of God's people from Babylonian captivity, not because he heard on the fly that it was time for that, but because he had made diligent search of the scriptures, which showed him that the time was come (Dan. 9:2,3). Both Jesus and the apostles preached the Gospel by means of the old testament scriptures, in which scriptures the revelation of Christ was manifest (Jn. 5:39,46; Acts 2:25-32). The apostle Paul, who received greater revelation knowledge probably than anyone who did not come from heaven, understood the fulfillment of the law entirely from the old testament scriptures.That is why most of his writings, as well as the other apostles, are either citations from the old testament, or references to the scriptures. This is why he wrote these things to Timothy, whom he had appointed as a bishop in Ephesus: "But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; And that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works" (II Tim. 3:14-17). There simply is no substitute for a thorough knowledge of the scriptures, and there is no shortcut to learning the knowledge of God. Too many young people today approach the idea of obtaining the knowledge of God the same way that someone may believe they can take a pill once a day and it will give them a sculpted, muscular body. There simply are no shortcuts. Folks think they can watch a few videos and they'll know just how the end time events are going to play out. I've got news for you, the things that are going to take place from here till the coming of the Lord are in the scriptures. Search them out!

When the apostle Paul preached in the city of Berea, Luke pointed out something that was very special about the Bereans: "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so. Therefore many of them believed; also of honourable women which were Greeks, and of men, not a few" (Acts 17:11,12). So the Bereans wanted to know if this new thing Paul was teaching was of God or not, and they started searching the scriptures every day until they had proven it. Since they proved it to be right, many of them believed, as we are told in the passage. But study of the scriptures is only part of the formula for gaining the knowledge of God. As Solomon said, we must "cry after knowledge, and lift up [our] voice for understanding;" and there is no doubt he was talking about prayer, and plenty of it. It is certain that both Jesus and all of the apostles instructed us to pray much, and pray always. Jesus plainly said, "men ought always to pray, and not to faint [quit]" (Lk. 18:1). In fact after he had finished the parable that he began with that statement, which parable was all about continual prayer, he said, "Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" (Lk. 18:8) The faith he was speaking of in particular was the faith that compels the faithful to "cry day and night unto [God]" (Lk. 18:7). Paul echoed the sentiment of Jesus, saying that we should "pray without ceasing [fainting]" (I Thess. 5:17). All of the apostles instructed us to do the same, as they were all in one mind about what Jesus did and instructed us to do. But there is one more part of the true formula for knowing the Spirit and voice of God in our lives, and that is to remain free from sin. Jesus sent the holy Ghost back to cleanse us from sin, and to keep us pure from sin in our hearts (Acts 15:8,9; I Cor. 6:11; I Pet. 1:22).

Jesus being able to baptize our inner man clean with his divine life, and nature, and power; was the whole reason he came to this world to begin with (Mk. 1:7,8; Acts 1:4,5,8; I Cor. 12:13; Rom. 8:2). When someone believes wholly on Jesus for what he has done for us, they are baptized by him with life, and love, and "power from on high" (Jn. 10:10; Rom. 5:5; Lk. 24:49). Jesus also made it clear that his Spirit would teach his people everything they need to know about him, after they had received it: "Howbeit when... the Spirit of truth, is come, [it] will guide you into all truth (Jn. 14:26; Jn. 16:13). The apostle Paul confirmed that reality, saying plainly, "even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God" (I Cor. 2:11). The beloved John gave us the same exact instruction: "But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him" (I Jn. 2:27). This scriptural and spiritual reality was confirmed powerfully by Jesus many years after he had gone back to heaven, making it clear what the word of God truly is: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the [congregations]" (Rev. 2:7). The scriptures also show us that the holy Ghost is both the mind of God, and the word of God as Jesus stated in the preceding scripture (Rom. 8:27; Eph. 6:17). The reason the Spirit can teach us the things of God is because the Spirit is in fact the life and nature of God, and it purifies our heart from sin, thus giving us a clear channel to God for the first time since the garden of Eden. It should be understood that the holy Ghost does not continue to purify our hearts passively, but rather by continued active prayer on our part, as the scriptures show (Acts 15:8,9; I Pet. 1:22; I Jn. 3:3; Jude 1:20,21). So if someone wants to obtain actual and true knowledge of God, these are the things that must be followed; and God will simply not be known apart from these age old virtues.