Bible study on effective Prayer and fasting
Bible study on effective Prayer and fasting
Posted on January 5, 2009 Updated on January 5, 2009
Memorise: “And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while, for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat” (Mark 6:31)
Read: Mark 6:30-32
“Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father” (John 4:21).
Going to mountains for the purpose of sacrifices and worship has been an ancient custom of the Jews. When Jesus came, He frequently visited mountains for the purpose of worship and fellowship with His Father. But unknown to many, His coming brought about a change. It relocated the mountains to the spiritual mountain of the heart. In a Samaritan city named Sychar, Jesus met a woman at a well. As they discussed, He observed their ignorance over the change in worship, and told her there was no need to travel all the way to a mountain before one could worship God.
Today, it is becoming the norm to visit ‘prayer’ mountains. Infact, some people are now building certain myths around mountains. Some Christians do not believe they can hear God except they go to a mountain several miles away. Surprisingly, the lives of some mountain visitors is nothing to write home about. If we should go by what Jesus told the Samaritan woman, God expects worship to be in spirit and in truth, not on prayer mountains.
That means, it is not your physical presence on a prayer mountain that guarantees answers to prayers, but satisfying Heaven’s requirements for acceptable worship. Some have turned ‘prayer’ mountains into commercial ventures.
“And he said unto them, Come ye yourselves apart into a desert place, and rest a while, for there were many coming and going, and they had no leisure so much as to eat” (Mark 6:31).
Apart from visiting mountains, Jesus frequently resorted to deserts. Why? To avoid distractions in worship. It is perfectly in order to go to mountains for the purpose of avoiding distractions, but not to turn them into another idol.
Some Christians never believe in their prayers until they visit a mountain. That was the error of the Samaritans – turning ‘prayer’ mountains into objects of worship. This you must avoid. God expects you to have this mountain in your house. Set apart a room – your study, for the purpose of uninterrupted worship. If you have a smaller apartment, you can set some time apart at night on a regular basis.
Establish a family altar where the family would gather regularly to pray. Let your heart be free from defilements so that God can always answer you whenever you call. The feat some people accomplish for several days or weeks on a prayer mountain can be accomplished faster by others in their bedrooms. It is your manner of worship that matters.
Some Christians have become so lazy that when confronted by a simple challenge, rather than pray, they go to a ‘prayer’ mountain to pay somebody to do it for them.
