Based on Donald Whitney's book, Spiritual Disciplines for the Christian Life. These are teaching notes from LTCi, Siliguri

1. PRAYER IS ANSWERED
Psalm 65:2 You who answer
prayer, to you all people will come.
Whitney says all prayer is
answered, Matt 7:7-8 “Ask
and it will be given to you; seek
and you will find; knock and the
door will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives; the
one who seeks finds; and to the
one who knocks, the door will be
opened.”
Tuesday 8 May 2012

2. Andrew Murray comments on Christ’s
pledge. “Ask and you shall receive,
everyone that asks receives.”
Therefore, if you ask and receive not it
must be because there is something
wanting in our prayers. Maybe God
answered in a way that is not obvious
to us. Maybe we are asking for things
that are outside the will of God or will
not glorify Him. Maybe we are praying
with selfish motives. Maybe we are
failing to deal with blatant sin in our
life. God does not mock us with His
promises to answer prayer.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

3. C.H. Spurgeon said “I can’t
imagine anyone of you
tantalizing your child by exciting
in him a desire that you did not
intend to gratify.When God
leads you to pray, He means for
you to receive.”
We need to discipline
ourselves to pray and pray
aright so we can experience
the joy of answered prayer.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

4. MORE APPLICATION
Since prayer is expected will
you pray? You need to develop a
specific plan about your prayer life.
At what time of the day will you
faithfully go before the Father? How
long will you pray each day? Will
you read the Bible? Will you read
books about prayer written by
godly men so you can learn how to
pray aright? Where will you pray?
You need a special place. Will you
take action today?
Tuesday 8 May 2012

5. John Piper says, “Unless I’m badly mistaken, one of the main
reasons so many of God’s children don’t have a significant life of
prayer is not so much that we don’t want to, but that we don’t
plan to. If you want to take a four-week vacation, you don’t just
get up one summer morning and say, ‘Hey, let’s go today!’ You
won’t have anything ready.You won’t know where to go. Nothing
has been planned.
“But that is how many of us treat prayer.We get up day after
day and realize that significant times of prayer should be a part
of our life, but nothing’s ever ready.We don’t know where to go.
Nothing has been planned. No time. No place. No procedure.
And we all know that the opposite of planning is not a
wonderful flow of deep, spontaneous experiences in prayer.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

6. “The opposite of planning is the rut. If you don’t plan a
vacation, you will probably stay home and watch TV.The natural,
unplanned flow of spiritual life sinks to the lowest ebb of vitality.
There is a race to be run and a fight to be fought. If you want
renewal in your life of prayer, you must plan to see it.
“Therefore, my simple exhortation is this: Let us take time this
very day to rethink our priorities and how prayer fits in. Make
some new resolve.Try some new venture with God. Set a time.
Set a place. Choose a portion of Scripture to guide you. Don’t be
tyrannized by the press of busy days.We all need midcourse
corrections. Make this a day of turning to prayer—for the glory
of God and for the fullness of your joy.”
Tuesday 8 May 2012

7. Since prayer is learned, will
you learn to pray? Will you learn
about how others have prayed? Will
you meet others to pray? Will you
learn to pray by linking Bible reading
to prayer via meditation? When will
you start? Start where you are. If you
are not praying, start. If you are not
meditating, start. If you are not
reading your Bible, start.
Tuesday 8 May 2012

8. Since prayer is answered will
you persistently pray? Matt 7:7-8 is
in the present, continuous tense. That
means we must pray persistently before
answers come. If we fail to persist it may
mean that at the heart of our prayer
lacks seriousness about our request.
God may want us to persist in order to
strengthen our faith in Him. George
Mueller observed, “The great fault of the
children of God is, they do not continue in
prayer, they do not persevere. If they desire
anything for God’s glory, they should pray
until they get it.”
Tuesday 8 May 2012

9. Spuregon said, “Even as the moon
influences the tides of the sea, even
so does prayer influence the tides of
godliness.”
JC Ryle, "What is the reason that
some believers are so much brighter
and holier than others? I believe the
difference, in nineteen cases out of
twenty, arises from different habits
about private prayer. I believe that
those who are not eminently holy
pray little, and those who are
eminently holy pray much."
Tuesday 8 May 2012