Scripture: Matthew 6 v 9 - 15: "After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:
15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses."
This is the prayer given to us by Jesus Christ, and it is the perfect prayer that covers every spiritual, physical, emotional or mental need that we may have.
We pray this prayer often, but we need to understand what we are praying for so that we can do our part in putting God's will into action. We have a Covenant with our Father that depends on both parties being in agreement and activating it properly.
This covenant includes the establishment of God's kingdom on this Earth. It's promise is for every human to enjoy the abundance of blessings the Father has for His children. However, there are many billions of people who reject this covenant and replace it with human rulers in whom they place their trust for a better life for all.
Israel did this in the time of Samuel, the prophet. 1 Samuel 8 v 6 - 7: "But the thing displeased Samuel, when they said, Give us a king to judge us. And Samuel prayed unto the LORD.
7 And the LORD said unto Samuel, Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee: for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected me, that I should not reign over them."
The Lord commanded Samuel to tell them how an earthly king would demand taxes, their son's to be soldiers in his army, their daughter's to be workers in his palace, fields and vineyards. There would be all manner of contributions to his every empty coffers. The people rejected the Lord's reign, they wanted a king, a human leader, to protect them.
In many nations this has led to democratic rule through governments that are meant to serve the people. Our taxes pay their large salaries, and keep the state functioning so that all should prosper from its resources. Sadly, corruption and greed have overturned these plans and divided people into classes.
The upper class are the rich landowners. The middle class are prosperous through industry. The lower classes, the biggest group by far, suffer the most and have the least. This ultimately devolves into uprisings, violent protests or civil war.
The greatest prosperity is found in the Kingdom of God on Earth as it opens up the Heavenly treasure house to everyone that seeks after truth, righteousness, peace and most of all, His presence. Abraham heard His voice and followed Him out of Ur, a Chaldean city, full of occultism and idolatry. He came to Canaan, the Promised Land, where he had great spiritual and material prosperity.
Christian prosperity is not based on the size of your bank account, but the joy of having your needs met, and having fellowship with God the Father. He answers prayers on every level...... finance, healing, deliverance, education, protection, business, trade, church, government, peace, climate, and life. If there is a delay in receiving answers check carefully to see if there has been any disobedience on your part as it ties God's hands.
The real heart of God is revealed when He states, "If you do not forgive men their trespasses, then I will not forgive you your trespasses." It is repeated and even more emphatic in Matthew 18 v 33 - 25: "Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee?
34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him.
35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
You do not want to be delivered to the tormentors! This is when the Lord turns His face away from you and does not protect you against demonic invasion. Our Father insists that we forgive from our hearts our Christian family members, fellow believers, or we will be sent into a life of misery.
Tormentors steal from you, wreck your marriage, bring huge debts, health issues, rejection, persecution, unfairness, accidents etc etc. Only when we put our hearts right with God and people does this change into the promised abundant life.
Deuteronomy 8 v 17 - 19: "And thou say in thine heart, My power and the might of mine hand hath gotten me this wealth.
18 But thou shalt remember the LORD thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day.
19 And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the LORD thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish."
Never forget that the Lord our God gives us power to get wealth, and when we bless those in need, or pay tithes to our spiritual storehouse, He will bless us abundantly. When we understand the full impact of the Lord's Prayer, 'Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven', we will be shocked out of our complacency.
We are in fact praying to re-establish what Israel had with the Lord before they demanded a king. We are praying to obey God's will rather than man's will, even our own will, and we need to grasp what we are really saying. The Lord's Prayer is very powerful.
We need to know the perfect will of God for each one of us every day, and put His will into action. We need to be conscious of His anointed presence to correctly discern the nuances of changes He makes as things develop.
This week in South Africa, 7 days till national elections, mass prayer rallies are being held mostly for a change in government. The government is holding its own mass prayer meetings to stay in power. Who will receive the answer they seek? We need to have unity in prayer i.e. everyone praying in harmony for the will of God to be done. Anything less just brings confusion through the will of humans pitted against Him.
When we know that by walking the walk of Faith, we cannot have the best of both worlds, nor serve two master's, but are committed to living in harmony with Jesus, then we will be fruitful and prosper in all things. There is no greater joy than this.
Prayer: Heavenly Father, we choose to do Your will so Your Kingdom can be established here. This will last for the seventh millennium, 1000 years of peace and restoration of oceans, plants, animals and humans back to the Manufacturer's original settings. You created it pure, without war, abuse or corruption. We long for it, O Lord. In Jesus' name. Amen.