John 1:16-17 (Amplified) says, "For out of His fullness (abundance), we have all received, all had a share and were all supplied with, one Grace after another and Spiritual Blessing upon Spiritual Blessing and even favor upon favor and Gift heaped upon Gift. For while the Law was given through Moses, Grace (unearned, undeserved favor) and Spiritual Blessing and Truth, came through Jesus Christ."
We've done things our own way, for so long, that we've lost sight of how the Father's ways are. Jesus instructed in Matthew 6:33 (Amplified), "But seek (aim at and strive after), first of all His Kingdom and His Righteousness (His way of doing and being right), and then all these things taken together will be given you besides."
The Kingdom of God has ways that work, but we must understand how they work. It's futile to try and make Kingdom things work, by our own understanding. God will not change our ways to meet the order of His Kingdom. Our prayer lives have been hindered, because we try to "get God" to do things that are out of order to His Word. We pray for God to save so-and-so, humble that person and bring that person to salvation. God's Word and Jesus' Sacrifice have already done everything needed to save everyone on this earth.
John 3:16 (Amplified) says, "For God so greatly Loved and deary prized the world that He even gave up His Only Begotten (Unique) Son, so that whosoever believes in (trusts in, clings to, and relies on) Him should not perish (come to destruction, be lost), but have Eternal (Everlasting) Life."
Jesus' Sacrifice has already made God's will for mankind known. There's really no reason to ask God to save anyone, because we already know that's His will for all mankind, according to 2Corinthians 4:3-4 (Amplified), which says, "But even if our Gospel (the Glad tidings) also be hidden (obscured and covered up) with a veil that hinders the knowledge of God, it is hidden only to those who are perishing and obscured only to those who are Spiritually dying and veiled only to those who are lost. For the god of this world has blinded the unbeliever's minds that they should not discern the Truth, preventing them from seeing the Illuminating Light of the Gospel of the Glory of Christ (the Messiah), Who is the Image and Likeness of God."
God's will and His salvation are for all who will believe and having unsaved people, is not His will. It's God's will for even the worst of sinners, be saved. Why isn't everyone saved? Why wouldn't we pray and ask God to save the unsaved? Because, He has already done everything needed for their salvation. God and His Word aren't the problem, but the god of this world has blinded them from seeing. We should be praying against the god of this world and the darkness of the veil that prevents their seeing the Light of God's Glory. This is where the authority of the believer and the Name of Jesus can be applied, taking away that which the devil has over them.
We've missed so many things in prayer and God's Kingdom, because we've misunderstood God's way of doing and being right. Jesus doesn't preach the Gospel, but He's sent us to preach and deliver for Him, using His Name and His authority. Jesus sent us into the world to proclaim what He has already done and to use His Name and the authority of His Name, to do so. The Body of Christ is now to break the veil of darkness off from the minds of the unbeliever. The Body of Christ is to lay hands on the sick and to cast out demons and free people who are bound by the enemy, according to Matthew 16:15-20.
We pray for God to heal a hospital patient, when He instructed us to, "Take Me to the hospital, lay your hands on them and I will do the work. You are My hands and feet and you're the vehicle by which I now travel." We are the Body of Christ. We are His hands and feet, His Voice and His Word on this earth. You might say, "Well, not everyone can heal the sick." I say, "Nobody can heal the sick, but the Father in you will do the work." Don't confuse your part of the Gospel and expect the Father to function outside the Kingdom.
Paul encountered this in his ministry in 2Corinthians 12:7-10 (Amplified), where he was busy doing what the Lord told him to do. The messenger of satan was constantly working against him. Paul asked God three times to "remove this thorn in his flesh from me." God didn't remove it, but reminded Paul that it was his place to deal with it "by the Truth of the Revelation the Lord had given him." God's Grace was more than enough to deal with any messenger of satan or anything else Paul needed. In Verse 10 Paul said this about this new Revelation, "When I am without power in my own strength and flesh, I rely on the Spirit of God within me and it always works. When I am weak in human strength, then I am truly strong (able, powerful) in Divine strength."
We've misunderstood Grace and have lost sight of it's power to deliver and heal, those who are lost. Many believe that Paul had a problem with pride, concerning the Revelation he received from the Lord, so God made him sick, in order to humble Paul. Why would God give him the Light of this Revelation, commission him to preach it and then deliberately try to hold Paul back from doing what He told him to do? HE WOULDN'T.
From that point on, Paul realized what his call was and how to fulfill it. Despite what came against him, Paul prevailed, until he had "run the race and finished his course and was ready to be offered up." The hardships Christians face, aren't God's trying to stop us or try us. The hardships we face are the god of this world trying to shut us down. He uses unbelief and deception as to who and what we are in this world. We continue trying to do things our own way and then wonder why it doesn't work. God's way of doing and being right, always works. Our prayer life will even change, when we get understanding.
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