How Do You Pray For Results?

Matt. 8:1-3 - When Jesus came down from the mountain, large crowds followed Him. 2 And a leper came to Him and bowed down before Him, and said, "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean." 3 Jesus stretched out His hand and touched him, saying, "I am willing; be cleansed." And immediately his leprosy was cleansed. NASU 

• What Had Just Happened On Top Of That Mountain? 

Jesus had preached His famous Sermon on the Mount, which is recorded for us in Matthew chapters 5, 6, and 7. He is now coming down off the mountain and He is met by a leper and the leper asks to be cleansed.
 
It is now time for Jesus not to preach anymore but to put into action what He has preached. You see, I found out a long time ago, it is fairly easy to preach a sermon, but to live what you preach now that is when life becomes challenging. 

• Jesus Is Challenged To Live What He Preached 

He has been teaching His followers to help those who are in need and do good works.
 
Below are some of the lessons that Jesus had just finished teaching His followers. They were to be the light of the world and to let their lights shine.
 
Matt. 5:14-16 - "You are the light of the world.... Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven." NASU
 
When Jesus heals this leper He will have displayed His good works and glorified His Heavenly Father exactly like He told the followers to do in His sermon on the mount.
 
The leper is asking, seeking and knocking on the Lord's door, and He has already said if you will do those three things, the door will be opened to you.
 
Matt. 7:7-8 - Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  8 "For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.  NASU
 
You will notice Jesus teaches a lesson on how we are to treat people. We are to treat them the same way we want to be treated. Matt. 7:12 - "In everything, therefore, treat people the same way you want them to treat you, for this is the Law and the Prophets."NASU
 
Can you hear the followers murmuring in the background? What murmuring? The murmuring, "It's a leper. Is He going to help a leper?"
 
It was believed by many that you were cursed with leprosy from God because of something evil you had done.  When Miriam sinned against her brother Moses God struck her with leprosy.
 
Numbers 12:9-11- So the anger of the LORD burned against them and He departed. 10 But when the cloud had withdrawn from over the tent, behold, Miriam was leprous, as white as snow. As Aaron turned toward Miriam, behold, she was leprous. 11 Then Aaron said to Moses, "Oh, my lord, I beg you, do not account this sin to us, in which we have acted foolishly and in which we have sinned. NASU
 
Now a leper is coming to Jesus to be healed.
 
Jesus taught them to treat people the way you want to be treated. He didn't say unless they are Babylonians, Moabites, or lepers.
 
Jesus is close to the end of His message when He says, in Matt. 7:17-20 - "So every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit.  "A good tree cannot produce bad fruit, nor can a bad tree produce good fruit. " Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.  "So then, you will know them by their fruits." NASU
 
When Jesus heals this leper He is letting them know He is a good tree and He will bear good fruit. 

• So How Do We Pray For Results? 

We come to Jesus no matter what society thinks of us. They can think we are the worst sinner in the world, and they may be correct. A leper in Jesus' day was considered very evil and was being punished by God.  
 
Yet, he knew enough to come to Jesus for help. When you pray you need to be like this leper. You need to come to Jesus and inform Him that He can heal you from whatever problem you are carrying in life, if He so desires.
 
You don't want to miss what the leper said to Jesus. "Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean."
 
That my friends is FAITH. The leper had faith that Jesus could heal him and he wasn't afraid to say it.
 
Hebrews 11:6 - And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him. NASU

If you want results in your prayer life come with faith believing that if it is the Lord's will you will be healed.
 
Think On These:
 
Prayer doesn't need proof, it needs practice.
 
If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy.
 
Nothing lies outside the reach of prayer except that which is outside the will of God.

Stay Pumped,
 
Gary A. Serago
 
Minister of God's Word

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