Prayer made simple

A famous quote about prayer by C.S. Lewis: “I don’t feel I could write a book on prayer. I think it would be rather ‘cheek’ on my part.”

The Book of Ephesians is the highest ground of grace truth and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in it is critically important because it tells you exactly how God works in your life—through His Word, explains Richard Jordan.

Ephesians 3:16: [16] That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;

Where’s the Holy Spirit’s mighty miracle-working power going to operate in your life? In your inner man and it’s going to do that so that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith.

It’s your faith resting in the truth of God’s Word to you that allows the Spirit of God to strengthen your inner man.

II Corinthians 4:16: [16] For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.

The outward man perishes. Somebody asked me the other day if I pray for sick people. Duh. Certainly. The question isn’t do you pray for them; what do you pray for them?

I don’t go to the hospital and say, “Oh, Lord, I just pray if it be your will that you would guide the doctor’s hands and heal this person.” I mean, that’s about as pagan a thing as you could think about praying. Explain to me how you think that’s going to happen. Nobody can explain that to you and the people who try to explain it, it gets weirder and weirder and weirder.

I tell you what you can pray. You can pray Scripture. Romans 8: [22] For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now.
[23] And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.

You inward man is renewed day by day and that’s the part of you that you never lose. The things that are eternal you can’t lose. So what’s really real? Those things.

What strengthens you is truth in your inner man that, no matter what circumstance you go through, you have the capacity to have Christ at home in your life and living for His glory.

Ephesians 4: [3] Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.
[4] There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling;

The unity of the spirit is the unity that God made when He put you into Christ. Verse 4 says “in one hope of your calling.” The one spirit baptizes the Believer into the one body.

[5] One Lord, one faith, one baptism,
[6] One God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.

The one baptism by the one spirit into the one body—that’s the unity that God’s made when He put you into Christ and He said our function is to not try to remake it; it’s just to keep it. What God the Holy Spirit has already done we simple rest in and enjoy.

Ephesians 5:[9] (For the fruit of the Spirit is in all goodness and righteousness and truth;)
[10] Proving what is acceptable unto the Lord.

You see where He says the fruit of the spirit. The spirit of God is the spirit of life. I love that verse in I Thessalonians that says they turned to God from idols to serve the true and living God.

Romans 8 begins, [1] There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.
[2] For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death.

There’s LIFE in Christ Jesus and life produces fruit; that’s what it does. The fruit of the spirit in Galatians 5: [22] But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
[23] Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law.

That’s the result of Him working through your life, producing the character of the Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 1:11: [11] Being filled with the fruits of righteousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God.

God gives you His righteousness and if you have the righteousness of God, the justice of God can give you His life and that righteousness that you have produces the life of Christ bears fruit in your life and literally it enables you in your life where you live, and the circumstances you live in, to literally have an outbreak of the righteous character of God. That’s what the fruits of the spirit are, right on the stage of human history where you are.

Ephesians 6: [17] And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:
[18] Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;

Two things. The sword of the Spirit, the Word of God. When the Spirit of God wants to go out and do battle, take the offense, He does it with His Word.

And prayer. Praying in the spirit, praying in line with what the Holy Spirit’s doing. Where did you learn that? In His Word. So you’re going on the offense in the Christian life by applying the Word of God to the details of life through prayer.

Supplication is to ask God about stuff. The details of my life come along and I talk to God about them. I pray about them, make requests. “Lord, I need wisdom to do this.” I find out what His Word says about the circumstances or situation I’m facing and then I take that answer from His Word and I work out how to apply that.

All of a sudden my prayer life is the catalyst for me to study the Scripture so I have the understanding to apply it to the details of my life.

People say the Word is sort of like the food and prayer is sort of like breathing. The two go hand in hand in the Scripture. You never separate one over here and another over there.

It’s the Word of God that works effectually in you that believe because it’s your faith that releases the operating of the Holy Spirit into your life to take that Word and to make it life and energy in your inner man.

It’s just like Genesis 1. The spirit moves upon the face of the waters; He moves in your life and "He said." He moves in and through His Word.