PRAYER

Prayer and faith, a living sacrifice;

Who are we suppose to pray to?

We are to pray to the One Creator of the heavens and the earth, the Living God of Abraham, Isaac and Israel; we do not pray to a piece of rock or statue nor do we pray to angels, prophets or demons. 

What is prayer?   

We have to go back to Hebrew sources to see how Israel would define prayer or a more proper word used is “Tefillah”.

http://www.jewfaq.org/prayer.htm

http://www.torah.org/learning/rambam/tefillah/mt.tf.1.01.html

Tefilah / Tefillah came from the root word “l'hitpalel” / "li-heet-pallel" / “lehispallel” = meaning to judge oneself / inspect or act of personal introspection / to make oneself think.

Prayer in the context of Tefillah is about bringing yourself to the acknowledgement, subjection and connecting with the Creator of all things.  The purpose of personal introspection is to examine ourselves in faith with the Holy Spirit of the Lord to find our role in the universe and to develop our relationship with Him.  As such, prayer or Tefillah is so much more than just asking or petitioning to God for something; through prayer, you present to God your world for His approval, you lay the foundations of your desires and build up solid promises that you can keep and set up clear pathways to follow through.

Most of the time, prayer is a private declaration of our faithful convictions in the Lord and prayerful proclamations that we make in private are for strengthening our relationship and awareness of the Lord.  However, for the Levite Priests and Church Pastors, they are expected to also be able to pray in public, leading in a group or congregational prayer.   The Psalms of King David are not just songs; they are some of the best examples of Tefilah. 

Matthew 6:6-7

6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.

The Psalms are the prayers of King David; note the structure and prose.  King David’s prayers usually contains praises and declaring the power and greatness of the Almighty Creator and then he pleads his cause, gives just defence of his own actions, pass judgements upon his enemies, make resolutions of faith and justice. 

Why do we pray? 

The reason why we pray is to learn to take control of our lives and set our priorities straight through our faith in God.  Prayers helped King David take control of his life that was often falling apart, as well as help govern the nation of Israel and Judah.  Prayers must only be set up in truth, propagate godly justice and advancing the Kingdom of God.   

In Tefilah, we are actively “thinking” and “focused” in our mind and soul, it would mean that pagan type of prayers of mumbling, chanting, mindless speaking-in-tongues and loud repetitions must be automatically removed from the equation. 

According to language translators, the Latin word “precari” means to pray or to beg.  Asking or begging the Lord for something is normally what people think prayer is all about, although not entirely wrong, it is just a small fragment of our vast tapestry of introspection, mind and spiritual relationship with the Lord. 

Matthew 6:8

“Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.

Tefillah prayer is NOT about a two way conversation with God, where you get to tell God all your stories and troubles (as if He does not already know) and then God gives you answers and lessons in “audible voices” telling you what to do next – as what is being practised by those that speaks-in-tongues Charismatics/Pentecostals. 

  

Repetitive chanting and speaking-in-tongues mindless utterances and shaking of heads and body can be considered as obscene and self deluded presumptions of what prayer is all about.  Apostate Christians, teachers and Church leaders have lead millions of people to misconstrue Romans chapter 8 especially “Romans 8:26”. 

Oxford Dictionary: “Groan” – make a deep inarticulate sound in response to pain or despair or oppression.

The “groaning” of the Holy Spirit in Romans 8:26 is the Lord’s understands our pain and despair that we are at lost for words to describe; the Lord then intercedes for us or intervene on our behalf; for example, preventing something bad from happening to us or altering some events or help change our minds.  The Lord groans because He bears our griefs and carried our sorrows; He knows what we are going through and feels our struggles and our inner groanings.  

[When the Lord intercedes for us, it is not that he prays to the Father on our behalf like what he did in the flesh 2000 years ago as a Jewish man as an example for us to follow. ]  It is very important to know that Jesus and the Lord Most High, is one and the same person. 

When you pray to the Lord for help but are at lost for words; the Lord will help or show you the way to take control of your life again.  All you need is to put your trust in the Lord. 

PSALM 146

The Happiness of Those Whose Help Is the LORD PSALM 146:1-10 1Praise the LORD! Praise the LORD, O my soul! 2 While I live I will praise the LORD; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3 Do not put your trust in princes, Nor in a son of man, in whom there is no help. 4 His spirit departs, he returns to his earth; In that very day his plans perish. 5 Happy is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, Whose hope is in the LORD his God, 6 Who made heaven and earth, The sea, and all that is in them; Who keeps truth forever, 7 Who executes justice for the oppressed, Who gives food to the hungry. The LORD gives freedom to the prisoners. 8 The LORD opens the eyes of the blind; The LORD raises those who are bowed down; The LORD loves the righteous. 9 The LORD watches over the strangers; He relieves the fatherless and widow; But the way of the wicked He turns upside down. 10 The LORD shall reign forever— Your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the LORD!

Romans 8:26 is closely related to Isaiah 53:4 and it has NOTHING to do with what the Charismatic and Pentecostals do when they pray with strange groaning sound effects and mimic animal howling or nonsensical ramblings, etc.

 

Isaiah 53:4

Surely He has borne our griefs And carried our sorrows; Yet we esteemed Him stricken, Smitten by God, and afflicted.

Praying and worshiping the Living God “in spirit and in truth” in the Biblical context, is having clarity and understanding of all things that God has created, with words or without words.  Truth is clarity and understanding. Sometimes, though the Lord’s Holy Spirit guidance, we are able to come to an understanding about many things even when no language is spoken.   God is able to transliterate clearly and gives understanding to those who earnestly seek after Him but to the proud and lofty, He sometimes speaks in parables and gave them up altogether to their own devices.  Sometimes, languages of the peoples of the earth are not enough to express our inner most desires and thoughts.  Even as the Lord lifts us up to pray in the Spirit, connecting our human spirit with his own Holy Spirit, our mind becomes evermore clearer and even greater understanding than any language on earth is able to convey.

(NKJV)

Romans 8

8:1 There is therefore now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus, who do not walk according to the flesh, but according to the Spirit. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. 3 For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending His own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, on account of sin: He condemned sin in the flesh, 4 that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit. 5 For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the things of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the things of the Spirit. 6 For to be carnally minded is death, but to be spiritually minded is life and peace. 7 Because the carnal mind is enmity against God; for it is not subject to the law of God, nor indeed can be. 8 So then, those who are in the flesh cannot please God. 9 But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His. 10 And if Christ is in you, the body is dead because of sin, but the Spirit is life because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you. 12 Therefore, brethren, we are debtors—not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh. 13 For if you live according to the flesh you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. 14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, these are sons of God. 15 For you did not receive the spirit of bondage again to fear, but you received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry out, “Abba, Father.” 16 The Spirit Himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, 17 and if children, then heirs—heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ, if indeed we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified together. 18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us. 19 For the earnest expectation of the creation eagerly waits for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labors with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. 24 For we were saved in this hope, but hope that is seen is not hope; for why does one still hope for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we eagerly wait for it with perseverance. 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. 31 What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? 32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things? 33 Who shall bring a charge against God’s elect? It is God who justifies. 34 Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died, and furthermore is also risen, who is even at the right hand of God, who also makes intercession for us. 35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 36 As it is written: “For Your sake we are killed all day long; We are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” 37 Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us. 38 For I am persuaded that neither death nor life, nor angels nor principalities nor powers, nor things present nor things to come, 39 nor height nor depth, nor any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Today, in a highly competitive material world, majority of people think highly of extroversion and repulses introversion.

According to the Dictionary: - an “extrovert” is praised and thought of as “socially confident, outgoing and predominantly concerned with external things or objective considerations”; while an “introvert” is being demoted to a person who is “quiet, shy, reticent and predominantly concerned with their own thoughts and feelings rather than external things”. 

This would be nicely exemplified in the story of Mary and Martha in Luke chapter 10:38-42.

The introspection of Tefillah makes prayer a form of introversion. If you have no thoughts of your own, you are an empty vessel.  An empty vessel can be an easy target for the evil spirits of unscrupulous men/women.   An extrovert will likely get caught up in the image of Babylon, being “too busy” or “too concerned” with material wants and external reputation where he can become a victim of culture and tradition of the period.   

  

Luke 10:38-42

Mary and Martha Worship and Serve 38 Now it happened as they went that He entered a certain village; and a certain woman named Martha welcomed Him into her house. 39 And she had a sister called Mary, who also sat at Jesus’ feet and heard His word. 40 But Martha was distracted with much serving, and she approached Him and said, “Lord, do You not care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Therefore tell her to help me.” 41 And Jesus answered and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and troubled about many things. 42 But one thing is needed, and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her.”

Prayer is different from a conversation with another person face to face or via telephone or any electronic devices. If you are speaking to Jesus of Nazareth face to face, it would not be called prayer but a conversation between two persons. When the Lord answers your prayers, he is not communicating to you in prayer as it is considered as the Lord giving you a revelation or giving you non-audible answers that you can clearly understand liken unto thought transference.  However, most of the time, prayers are answered in the most inconspicuous manner of effecting the intended change without your immediate direct knowledge.

Prayer is also not about talking to yourself or being in a state of schizophrenia.  Although many people would like to treat prayer like a conversation with God, but in this way we can easily get lost and might turn it into speaking to an imaginary friend because most of the time God will remain silent for quite some time and does not answer our prayers immediately.  The Lord uses various ways to give us His answers.

That is why RELIGION and THEOLOGY has become a God that is made after the image of man because of the way we try to understand who God is by our own experiences instead of waiting faithfully for God to come to us and revealing Himself to us.  Our soul & spirit is made after the image of God.  No other creation on earth have this soul/spirit; not animals nor plants or rocks.  The Lord speaks and worlds are created.  

Prayer is your careful thought in the Lord and things shall come to pass.   A complete prayer/tefillah should already contain the answers. 

Many people fall prey to Charismatic/Pentecostal speaking in tongues spirits are because they demand evidence that their prayers are heard and answered immediately.  Prayers are not you demanding from God and God giving in to you, or pretending to be someone standing beside you, telling you what to do. 

As wide ranging as any conversation one would hope to have with our creator, tefillah is not about conversation.  Prayer in the Spirit toward the Lord Most High although seemingly who is not physically standing in front of you but He is all seeing and all knowing, where nothing escapes Him; your prayers given towards Him or laid before Him is a private proclamation to the Lord after carefully examining yourself and the situation that you are in and through the Lord’s Holy Spirit you are empowered, sanctified and properly guided to carry out what you have declared to do. 

(NKJV)

Leviticus 22:32

32 You shall not profane My holy name, but I will be hallowed among the children of Israel. I am the Lord who sanctifies you,

Prayers/Tefillah can be summarized into 12 basic groups or types:- 

1)	Pronouncement of Love, Praise, Honour, Worship, Blessing and Thanksgiving to the Lord Most High, creator of the heavens and the earth;
2)	Pronouncement of Blessings and Healing for other people;
3)	Pronouncement of Judgments and Resolutions;
4)	Pronouncement of Curses, Binding of evil spirits and Deliverance;
5)	Pronouncement of Encouragement, Strength, Peace and Protection from the Lord;
6)	Requests, Petitions, Supplications and Seeking Guidance & the Will of God;
7)	Sanctification, Consecrate* yourself as a Living Sacrifice unto the Lord.
8)	Intercession for other people (family, friends, and even strangers)
9)	Seeking Forgiveness; forgiving self and others
10)	“Quiet watchfulness”, is when we are at lost for words, by trust and faith, put our whole dependence and focus on the Lord to intercede for us.
11)	Cleansing, wellbeing, safety and good maintenance of land, house or living space/city/state/country around you, material goods, livestock, wildlife and even pets as well.
12)	Seeking vindication, redemption and salvation

Matthew 6 (NKJV) The Model Prayer 9 In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. ………………..   (1 – pronouncement of honour) 10 Your kingdom come. Your will be done  ………………………….(6 – seeking the will of God) On earth as it is in heaven. 11 Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, ……………...(9 – seeking forgiveness) As we forgive our debtors. 13 And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one.  ………………(4 – seeking deliverance from evil) For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.   ………………..   (1 – pronouncement of honour to our God and King) 14 “For if you forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 But if you do not forgive men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

Sample of Biblical references of the aforesaid 12 types of prayers:-

1)	Pronouncement of Blessing to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. Psalm 145 145:1 I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless You, And I will praise Your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised; And His greatness is unsearchable. Genesis 24:27 27 And he said, “Blessed be the Lord God of my master Abraham, who has not forsaken His mercy and His truth toward my master. As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me to the house of my master’s brethren.” Psalm 18:46 46 The Lord lives! Blessed be my Rock! Let the God of my salvation be exalted. Psalm 66:8-10 8 Oh, bless our God, you peoples! And make the voice of His praise to be heard, 9 Who keeps our soul among the living, And does not allow our feet to be moved. 10 For You, O God, have tested us; You have refined us as silver is refined.
2)	Pronouncement of healing for others. Numbers 12:13 13 So Moses cried out to the Lord, saying, “Please heal her, O God, I pray!” 2 Chronicles 30:18-20 18 For a multitude of the people, many from Ephraim, Manasseh, Issachar, and Zebulun, had not cleansed themselves, yet they ate the Passover contrary to what was written. But Hezekiah prayed for them, saying, “May the good Lord provide atonement for everyone 19 who prepares his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he is not cleansed according to the purification of the sanctuary.” 20 And the Lord listened to Hezekiah and healed the people.
3)	Pronouncement of Resolution and Judgment towards the wicked. Psalm 62:1 New King James Version (NKJV) A Calm Resolve to Wait for the Salvation of God 62:1 Truly my soul silently waits for God; From Him comes my salvation. Psalm 129 129:1 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth,” Let Israel now say— 2 “Many a time they have afflicted me from my youth; Yet they have not prevailed against me. 3 The plowers plowed on my back; They made their furrows long.” 4 The Lord is righteous; He has cut in pieces the cords of the wicked. 5 Let all those who hate Zion Be put to shame and turned back. 6 Let them be as the grass on the housetops, Which withers before it grows up, 7 With which the reaper does not fill his hand, Nor he who binds sheaves, his arms. 8 Neither let those who pass by them say, “The blessing of the Lord be upon you; We bless you in the name of the Lord!”
4)	Pronouncement of Curses and Deliverance Deuteronomy 27:19 19 ‘Cursed is the one who perverts the justice due the stranger, the fatherless, and widow.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ Deuteronomy 27:18 18 ‘Cursed is the one who makes the blind to wander off the road.’ “And all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ Psalm 40:13 13 Be pleased, O Lord, to deliver me; O Lord, make haste to help me!
5)	Pronouncement of protection Psalm 25:20 20 Keep my soul, and deliver me; Let me not be ashamed, for I put my trust in You.
6)	Petitions 1 Samuel 1:27 27 For this child I prayed, and the Lord has granted me my petition which I asked of Him.
7)	Consecrate:  Dedicate, devote as sacred or holy – let your life embody the sound doctrine of Christ. Psalm 2:12 King James Version 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him. Douay Rheims Bible 2:12 Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way. When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him. Exodus 37:29 (NKJV) Making the Anointing Oil and the Incense 29 He also made the holy anointing oil and the pure incense of sweet spices, according to the work of the perfumer. 2 Corinthians 2:15 (NKJV) 15 For we are to God the fragrance of Christ among those who are being saved and among those who are perishing. 1 Peter 2:5 New King James Version (NKJV) 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Romans 12:1-2 12:1 I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. 12:2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. Genesis 22:8 And Abraham said, “My son, God will provide for Himself the lamb for a burnt offering.” So the two of them went together. Luke 9:23 23 Then He said to them all, “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow Me. Mark 10:38-39 38 But Jesus said to them, “You do not know what you ask. Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?” 39 They said to Him, “We are able.” So Jesus said to them, “You will indeed drink the cup that I drink, and with the baptism I am baptized with you will be baptized;
8)	Intercession: as the Spirit of the Lord intercede for us, so shall we learn to by His example to also help intercede for our friends or enemies alike, to bring them back to the Lord. Isaiah 53:12 (NKJV) 12 Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, And He shall divide the spoil with the strong, Because He poured out His soul unto death, And He was numbered with the transgressors, And He bore the sin of many, And made intercession for the transgressors.
9)	Seeking Forgiveness Psalm 25:16-18 16 Turn Yourself to me, and have mercy on me, For I am desolate and afflicted. 17 The troubles of my heart have enlarged; Bring me out of my distresses! 18 Look on my affliction and my pain, And forgive all my sins.
10)	“Quiet watchfulness” Our trust in the Lord must be still as the grave, to wait for the Lord by faith alone to take away our heart of stone so that we may be raised from our spiritual death, just as Lazarus was raised from the dead unto life. Bible in Basic English Romans 8:26 And in the same way the Spirit is a help to our feeble hearts: for we are not able to make prayer to God in the right way; but the Spirit puts our desires into words which are not in our power to say; (NKJV) Romans 8:26-30 26 Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. 27 Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose. 29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren. 30 Moreover whom He predestined, these He also called; whom He called, these He also justified; and whom He justified, these He also glorified. John 11:38-39 (NKJV) Lazarus Raised from the Dead 38 Then Jesus, again groaning in Himself, came to the tomb. It was a cave, and a stone lay against it. 39 Jesus said, “Take away the stone.” Ezekiel 36:26 36:26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit within you; I will take the heart of stone out of your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.
11)	Cleansing, wellbeing, safety and good maintenance of land, 2 Samuel 24:25 25 And David built there an altar to the Lord, and offered burnt offerings and peace offerings. So the Lord heeded the prayers for the land, and the plague was withdrawn from Israel. Ezra 8:21-23  (Fasting and Prayer for Protection) 21 Then I proclaimed a fast there at the river of Ahava, that we might humble ourselves before our God, to seek from Him the right way for us and our little ones and all our possessions. 22 For I was ashamed to request of the king an escort of soldiers and horsemen to help us against the enemy on the road, because we had spoken to the king, saying, “The hand of our God is upon all those for good who seek Him, but His power and His wrath are against all those who forsake Him.” 23 So we fasted and entreated our God for this, and He answered our prayer.
12)	Seeking vindication and redemption Psalm 26:1-3 (NKJV) A Prayer for Divine Scrutiny and Redemption A Psalm of David. 26:1 Vindicate me, O Lord, For I have walked in my integrity. I have also trusted in the Lord; I shall not slip. 2 Examine me, O Lord, and prove me; Try my mind and my heart. 3 For Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, And I have walked in Your truth.

Throughout the thousands of years, the true meaning of prayer to the God of Israel has been heavily adulterated and sometimes completely transformed into the attributes of pagan worshipers. 

I personally do not know Arabic words, but there are those who are able to translate, says that in Islam, Quran chapter 33:56 – “Sallallahu Alaihi Wa Sallam (PBUH)” has been translated as or in short - “Allah prays upon Muhammad”.  This very declaration demotes the Almighty’s position to that of lower than a man that God should pray upon a man who is a sinner.  Who are the ones who constantly seek to undermine God’s authority and position in the Heavens and the Earth?  Fallen angels and fallen men. 

1 John 1:8-10

8 If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. 10 If we say that we have not sinned, we make Him a liar, and His word is not in us.

Are Muslims submitting to God’s will or that of the will of man?  If your God is lower than of a man, you better get your compass right again on which direction you are going or forever be trapped in another man’s fantasy, where heaven is a place for men that are perpetually satisfied in their flesh being served by women?? 

The Quran is basically known as the word of “Gabriel”, whereas the Torah is direct instructions from God.  We cannot base our faith on another person or angel’s talk; we must base our faith on our Creator alone and listen with discernment to God’s chosen Priests the Levites.  

2 Corinthians 11:14

And no wonder! For Satan himself transforms himself into an angel of light.

The real “Angel” Gabriel has never visited Muhammad in a cave or anywhere else for that matter.  Gabriel would never dictate words that need to be recorded to someone who is unable to write it down immediately. One of the duties of Gabriel is a bringer of good tidings and birth of children, as such, it does not make any sense that Gabriel should make Muhammad foam in the mouth with fear as Muhammad himself reported to have initially believed the angel to be Satan himself.  Throughout history, unless a person was suffering from epilepsy seizures or some kind of illness, otherwise only Satanic inflictions and possessions may cause a person to foam in the mouth and contort in fear.  

Although Gabriel did make Zacharias, the father of John the Baptist to become speechless but Zacharias was a strong leader; he can handle it and Zacharias did not foam in the mouth, neither did Mary nor Abraham and Sarah.  One of the three persons that visited Abraham to bring the news of the impending birth of Isaac was Gabriel.  Are any of you foaming in the mouth now?  Not likely if you are still alive because as a messenger of death, Gabriel was also at Sodom and Gomorrah when it was destroyed. If Gabriel had visited Muhammad as a messenger of death, Muhammad would be dead before he had time to give in to his fear. 

Just because billions of people believe in a religion, does not necessarily make it legitimate because wide is the road that leads to destruction.

Matthew 7:13

13 “Enter by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate and broad is the way that leads to destruction, and there are many who go in by it.

Prayers must issue from a person’s faith and trust in the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob. 

A person entreating the Lord without true faith and belief in the Lord is as a pagan in his ritual of Self-Realization and trance, typical of Eastern religions, in some cases can sometimes be effective and even seemingly prophetic because we are spiritual beings and instead of opening ourselves to the guidance of the Lord’s Holy Spirit; Charismatic/Pentecostal people, Apostate religious people and Pagans open themselves to become subjects of evil spirits telling you things in areas of prophecy, fortune telling, and such like, because the world we live in, the space, earth and natural resources are interconnected in a sense that every movement has its consequences and repercussions, therefore it is very easy to so call “predict” what will happen, if you can see the pattern of things connected.   

Palmistry for example, the lines on your palms of your hands are tell-tale signs of what you do with your life that reflects into the palms of your hands.  It is NOT that what you have on your palms that dictate what will happen in your life; therefore it is pointless to have your palms read.  A person who does a lot of manual labour with his bare hands will have more lines than someone who does not do any work at all. 

People throughout thousands of years have developed skills in watching and calculating these movements of nature like in “Feng Shui”.  If you have any skills, have the courtesy to ascribe it to the Lord who created you. 

Anything done in “Self” is occultism having no bridle and can go out of control with dire consequences.  Those who deal in occultism and black magic shall be judged accordingly.

Acts 19:18-19

18 And many who had believed came confessing and telling their deeds. 19 Also, many of those who had practiced magic brought their books together and burned them in the sight of all. And they counted up the value of them, and it totaled fifty thousand pieces of silver. 20 So the word of the Lord grew mightily and prevailed.

The purpose of bringing every power that we have into the captivity and obedience of Christ (2 Corinthians 10:5) is not about giving up our freedom or relinquishing our freewill but showing ourselves trustworthy before the Lord and allowing the Lord to curb our powers of destruction and turn it into fruitful endeavours. 

Know and understand that as a created being, we have our limitations and our mind are not as wide searching as our creator, therefore, we are bound to make choices that may not be to our best interest or we cannot see other options because of our limitations.  But the way of the Lord is perfect and even though we might not think so at times, in time we will come to see the truth and come to fully trust in the Lord to lead us.

Seeking the will of God does not negate your own choice and will to follow God.  In other words, the purpose of the will of God or predestination is not to nullify your own free will but to protect it against misuse.  The will of God is basically good advice.  Everyday, people seek advice and recommendations in all areas of their lives – for example, medical advice, technical advice, career advice, so on and so forth; so why not seek the ultimate advise from the Lord.

2 Corinthians 10:1-6

(NKJV) - The Spiritual War 10:1 Now I, Paul, myself am pleading with you by the meekness and gentleness of Christ—who in presence am lowly among you, but being absent am bold toward you. 2 But I beg you that when I am present I may not be bold with that confidence by which I intend to be bold against some, who think of us as if we walked according to the flesh. 3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled.

Proverbs 18:7

7 A fool’s mouth is his destruction, And his lips are the snare of his soul.

Proverbs 18:20-21

20 A man’s stomach shall be satisfied from the fruit of his mouth; From the produce of his lips he shall be filled. 21 Death and life are in the power of the tongue, And those who love it will eat its fruit.

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

What did Paul meant by pray without ceasing?   Become a Roman Catholic monk and lock yourself up in a tower and pray for the rest of your natural life?   Chant 12 hours a day? Maybe it’s because of the way Paul wrote his letters that has caused some misunderstandings in several areas including the case of “rapture”.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “pray without ceasing”

Same as in 1 Thessalonians 2:13 “thank God without ceasing”,

1 Thessalonians 1:3 “remembering without ceasing”,

Romans 1:9 “without ceasing I make mention”

and in Psalm 77:2 “My hand was stretched out in the night without ceasing”;

Pray without ceasing is not about the actual act of praying or thinking of only one thing all day.  It is about having faith in the Lord that is so ingrained in our lives that there is not one minute that our faith is lost or have ceased to exist. 

In Psalm 2:12 translation from original language is not exactly “kiss the son” but more closer to “Embrace discipline”.  We become or develop ourselves into what we embrace. 

Oxford Dictionary:

“Embrace” – hold closely in one’s arms, especially as a sign of affection. Include or contain.  Accept or support willingly.

“Discipline” – train in obedience or self-control, the practice of training people to obey rules or a code of behaviour.

Husband and wife embrace to become one - I am not talking about the part on what happens in the flesh; but more importantly a married couple share each other’s purpose, motive and deliberation; that in the court of law a husband or wife cannot be a witness for each other because they are considered as one. 

When we embrace the anointing Holy Spirit of the Lord, we are conformed to his image (Romans 8:29)   

When you embrace anything that is not from the Lord, for example spirits that call themselves “father, son and holy spirit” or Jesus, Yahweh, Jehovah and etc, spirits that gives you prophecy and predictions, spirits that leads you to do strange and shameful things, spirits that centralizes on gifts, so on and so forth; you slowly become the strange spirit that you embrace.  

When we embrace the discipline of the Lord, we are trained to trust in the Lord unceasingly. We develop unceasing faith, and hence, unceasing tefillah or prayer.

	King James Version Psalm 2:12	Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.
	Douay Rheims Bible Psalm 2:12	Psalm 2:12 Embrace discipline, lest at any time the Lord be angry, and you perish from the just way. When his wrath shall be kindled in a short time, blessed are all they that trust in him.
	Bible in Basic English Psalm 2:12	Psalm 2:12 For fear that he may be angry, causing destruction to come on you, because he is quickly moved to wrath. Happy are all those who put their faith in him.
	Romans 8:29	29 For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.

The following movie script extract explains quite uniquely what “prayer” is.

How green was my valley (1941 motion picture)

[The following is a transcript of conversation between Mr. Gruffydd (a Pastor played by Walter Pidgeon) and Huw (a coal miner’s son played by Roddy McDowall)] 

Mr. Gruffydd: You have been lucky, Huw, lucky to suffer, lucky to spent these weary months in bed for so God has given you a chance to make spirit with yourself; and as your father cleans his lamp to have good light, so keep clean your spirit.

Huw: How sir?

Mr. Gruffydd: By prayer, Huw, and by prayer, I don’t mean shouting and mumbling and wallowing like a pig in religious sentiment.

Prayer is only another name for good clean direct thinking. 

When you pray, think well what you are saying. 

Make your thoughts into things that are solid and that way your prayer will have strength and that strength will become a part of you, body, mind and spirit.