How to Pray (Part 1.1)

By Odon Bulamba

I would like to thank our Great God for this opportunity He has given us to meet together tonight. It is true that we haven’t paid anything to benefit from this gift of life we have. Many people have left this earth and many have departed as we speak. So what do you think about your God while you are still breathing? Are you better than those who are dead? It’s a question you must ask yourself.

It is really good to find a group that has a desire to pray. You have to know dear brothers and sisters that what you do is not in vain and God will pay you back. I don’t think any parent would be happy if their child was mute because each parent wants to communicate with their child. If you have a child who stutters and you see other children that don’t, you risk becoming jealous. It is the same with God. To pray is to talk with God.

Because we are God’s children He needs to hear our voice, but since we make out as if we are mute this is painful for God’s heart. God wants us to come back to Him even if it is to disturb Him. If we don’t talk with God it is like a mum who worries when her child runs out onto the road. If a child doesn’t talk for three or four hours she will become concerned. The mother will ask the child, “What’s wrong son, are you sick, have you got a headache, has someone abused you, what’s wrong with you?”

The same thing applies with God towards us. Do you talk with your God? If you take the opportunity to talk with your God this is really good. God Himself said He is our father and we are His children. On earth we have physical parents, and it is the same when you receive Jesus Christ into your life, you need parents for that life as well. This is eternal life. Everything in us is born again and this is what it means to be spiritually born again. Jesus told us in John 15 to abide in Him and He’ll abide in us, what ever you ask Him He will do it. When two or three are gathered together in Jesus name and you ask for anything whether it be a car, house or job be sure that you will receive it, Amen. Open your Bibles.

1 Timothy 2:1, “ I urge than first of all requests, prayers and intercession and thanks giving be made for everyone.”

God said that in everything we must pray, intercede and give thanks. This is very true. In this world we have many gods. In Africa you will find a god in each tribe. Each custom has a god, each area has a god but these gods are different from our God. You will find in Europe that some people practice magic and the god they pray to is different to our God. In Africa sorcery is practised more than anywhere else in the world. The government and sorcery attack God’s servants daily. If you find a sister praying and her neighbour is a sorcerer, the sorcerer will do anything to stop the power that is in this sister. This is a spiritual battle.

One day my brother and I were in Kinshasa and we were praying one night. We know that the devil works well in the night but one night there were sorcerers on a plane coming from the east and west (they are not the planes we know). Sometimes they used brooms to fly and had a power we did not understand, and while we were praying one of them fell. When I started playing the drum I saw somebody naked in front of me and I was really surprised. She had eyes like cats and was trying to threaten us with all kinds of tactics, but when we said the name of Jesus it was compelled to bow down and confess, Amen.

As children of God we have to intercede for others. Have you got a problem? Do you worry? The only solution is Jesus Christ. As Jesus said in 1 Peter 5:7, cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you. So how do we know we are children of God? If you really want your prayers answered and you want to perform miracles, there is one condition.

1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us, and if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
The first condition is that we have to pray according to His will. What is God’s will? What does God want from us? The will of God is in the Bible, you have to know the scriptures very well. You have to know what God wants and what God doesn’t want.

Example: some people pray against the will of God, it is written in the Bible that in the last days there will be war and troubled times, the Bible says it and it’s true. Today Christians pray that war won’t happen even though they know that this is a prophesy and has to be fulfilled, so how can you tell God to stop what is written? When some Christians read the Bible they make contradictions. God said that there will be wars but today we have Christians that pray against God’s will. So is God a liar? For this very reason God won’t answer your prayers because you ask Him to do something that is not His will. Another example:

I was born a boy and then I ask God I want to become a women. His will for me was to be the way I was born, so I cannot ask God to change me. In most churches you’ll find that Christians are confused, especially young people. “As long as I have teeth I can break bones, because I am young I have to smoke, because I am young, now is the time while there is pleasure and have opportunities”. But you forget that God created you and your body is the temple of God.

After doing all these worldly activities, people will kneel down and want to intercede for others. But this person is out of God’s will because God gives us conditions so that our prayers can be answered. You have to walk according to His will. You can pray for months and no answer and then you’ll start condemning God saying, “why haven’t you answered me? You’ve answered this prayer and this prayer, but why not my pray?” It is your fault if you are not living according to His will. His ear is not far from us and His Hand is not too short to save. Our God is a God of love.

Another example: let’s say Nathanael is screaming, “papa help,” what will Michael do? Will he rush to the problem or just walk? It is the same thing with God. When we pray God hurries to help us. If God doesn’t help you, then assess yourself. Examine yourself and ask yourself, “why hasn’t God doesn’t answered me?”