Title: Success and Prayer / Philippians 1:3-6
One person died. As his will, he put on the most expensive robes. Instead of a 'coffin', a 'Rosroy' car was loaded with a corpse and decorated with money. Thousands of people came to the funeral. The grave was dug wide and the burnt corpse was buried in a rosroy. Someone looked at this scene and said, "If I lived like that, I would be happy." Someone said, "He's a really successful man."
Who do you consider to be a successful person? Are you a person with social status, wealth, and power? Can you say that a person who enjoys and enjoys pleasure at will is a successful person? What is the image of a successful person?
There are things that support true success. It includes 'joy', 'a sense of security', 'peace and contentment', 'a sense of worth and fulfillment', etc. Without these elements, a truly successful life would not be possible.
In the book of Philippians, we find that Paul was a man of genuine joy and happiness, and that he lived a life of peace and contentment. The Apostle Paul was not rich. He has neither worldly status nor fame. Also, many abandoned him. But the Apostle Paul had joy and stability. And he was a person who lived fulfilling his life in a sense of peace and contentment. What was the main factor that made the Apostle Paul live such a life? According to the text, he thanked God and was a person who came to God and prayed. Because he lived a life of prayer, he had joy and a sense of security. Because he was a man of prayer, there was peace, there was contentment, there was value and fulfillment. Therefore, we can see in the Bible that Christian success is closely related to prayer.
I. His joy was associated with prayer.
The Apostle Paul had joy because he was a man of prayer. Paul speaks of 'joy' 16 times in the 'Philippians'. The Apostle Paul wrote a letter to the Philippians while he was imprisoned in a Roman prison, telling them to rejoice. Think of the apostle Paul. His circumstances and circumstances were nothing to please. He was just an evangelist. Rather, while preaching the gospel, he was caught, beaten, wrapped in cloaks, and imprisoned. Paul and Silas were imprisoned in prison, and while carrying a painful body and wearing clothes, they prayed and sang praises. The Apostle Paul did nothing wrong except to preach Jesus. Nevertheless
He became a prisoner in chains and was thrown into a Roman prison. He tells them to rejoice toward the saints in Philippi even while they are in prison. It was not because of circumstances that the Apostle Paul rejoiced. It was not because of material things that the Apostle Paul rejoiced. He wasn't happy either because people were nice to him. But when you see it here, it says, 'Whenever I make a request, I always make intercession for you all with joy' (Philippians 1:4). The reason that Paul was able to become a happy person enjoying joy was because he was a man who prayed and trusted in God. He pleads with God with joy. The Apostle Paul rejoices in the Lord. And he had the joy of praying to the Lord (Philippians 4:4).
II. A true sense of security is associated with prayer.
The Apostle Paul lived a life of stability, not a life of anxiety and impatience. Having money doesn't make you feel secure. Just because a job brings stability to life and has a guaranteed future doesn't mean you feel secure. We see many difficult things in Paul's life. Some of those who followed him at first abandoned him. The Apostle Paul is now in prison. His future was uncertain. He didn't know when he was going to die. If you read Paul's letters written in such a situation, you can't find any anxiety or impatience. Rather, it can be seen that the Apostle Paul has a sense of stability.
“Because I know how to bring this to my salvation through your supplication and the help of the Holy Spirit of Jesus Christ” (Philippians 1:19).
The reason the Apostle Paul was able to have confidence and stability was through prayer. See what it says 'your supplication'. The apostle Paul prayed for the saints in Philippi, and the Philippian saints prayed for Paul. Those who pray have confidence, and those who pray have stability. It is not material, not companions, that guarantees our lifetime. Because humans have a sinful nature, no one knows how they will change. It was prayer that brought reassurance to the Apostle Paul and relieved his restlessness and anxiety. That
III. True peace and contentment are associated with prayer.
How many people would want to become rich even at the expense of happiness? How many people would want to get rich without a security guarantee? How many people want to be rich without peace and contentment? The Apostle Paul, while in prison, told the Philippians not to worry about anything. I exhort you to ask for what you ask only with thanksgiving. It is said that when we pray, there will be peace from God (Philippians 4:6-7). Those who pray are at peace. Those who pray are freed from anxiety. A person who prays is a self-sufficient person. A person who prays is a person of peace regardless of circumstances.
IV. Fulfillment is also related to prayer.
“You lust, and you do not get it, you murder, you envy, and you cannot get it; you fight and fight. 3)
Even if you are greedy, there is no sense of accomplishment. Murder and envy have no success. If you fight and fight, you will not achieve anything. If there is no fulfillment, it is because we do not pray. It is said, “You ask, and you do not find, you do not ask.” It is said that the center of success is prayer. But some people pray but are not happy, there is no peace, there is no fulfillment. Because they made the wrong object of prayer. Some pray to nature, and some to man-made handicrafts. No matter how much we pray, there is no joy, no peace, no sense of accomplishment. There is a sense of fulfillment when we pray to God the living, almighty, and unchanging Father. However, some people see that even if they pray to God the Father, there is no sense of fulfillment. Because he prays only for himself. You cannot achieve it because you are praying selfishly. He prays and fails to achieve.
※ Things to include in successful prayer
1) Prayer of repentance
The only prayer you can pray before becoming a child of God is a prayer of repentance. As the publican prayed, "God, have mercy on me, I am a sinner," so no other prayer can be answered except to repent before God and receive Jesus Christ. To become a person of prayer, first of all, you must be saved and become a child of God. Only then can you pray to God.
2) Prayer of devotion
3) Pray for everything
“The God whom I serve with my heart in the gospel of his Son is my witness, and he always speaks of you in my prayers without ceasing” (Romans 1:9). We should not pray selfishly, praying only for ourselves and our family, but pray for others.
4) Pray not to give up
The Lord is telling us to pray without ceasing. He tells us to pray without giving up (Luke 18:1). Pastor Torrey said that it is spiritual indolence to pray once or twice and then give up because it is not God's will. George Muller prayed for lost souls for over 60 years. One said he was saved when he last preached, and the other said he was saved after he passed away. Successful prayer is praying without giving up.
A person who prays successfully, God hears his prayer and blesses him to lead a successful life. Not success from the point of view of the world, but the life of greatest success with eternal worth recognized by God. Prayer is a Christian's privilege. It is a blessing that Christians can enjoy, and it is a channel of power. Prayer is a way to change your life and make your life successful. So pray without ceasing. Jesus also set the example of prayer. Prayer is the breath of our life. Prayer is the number one priority in our lives. I hope that you will live a successful life that God accepts because you live a life that depends on God and prays.