WE ALL KNOW
· That children are very honest
· And they tend to
· Say it the way it should be said
A LITTLE BOY WAS SAYING HIS PRAYERS
· And this is what he said;
Dear God, bless my mommy & daddy, and take care of yourself, too, because without You, we’re sunk! Amen
BUT MANY ADULTS
· Have trouble
· Understanding how to pray.
LET ME SHOW YOU WHY
· Have you ever tried to use a tool you weren’t familiar with?
· You don’t have good results at first
· Because you don’t fully understand the proper usage of the tool
MANY PEOPLE PRAY LIKE THAT
· They aren’t that familiar with it,
· Then, they don’t see much result
· Because they don’t fully understand what prayer is
WE HAVE ALWAYS BEEN TAUGHT
· That prayer is just talking to God
· It is a conversation with God
· But it is so much more
THERE ARE DIFFERENT WAYS TO PRAY
· We sometimes pray in public
· But we also need
· A daily quiet time of prayer
A TIME OF NO INTERRUPTIONS
· so we can fully focus on Him
· to meditate on His holiness
· to listen as He talks to us
PRAYER IS IMPORTANT
· to our relationship with God.
· It’s the most powerful thing on earth
· and least used of God’s tools
GOD IS CALLING EVERY CHRISTIAN
· To get spiritually prepared
· and He wants us to understand
· the URGENCY of His calling
MANY CHURCHES
· Talk a lot about prayer
· But don’t model it
· And don’t teach it
AND NOW, MANY CHRISTIANS
· Don’t really understand it.
· And we end up trying to avoid it
· Rather than embrace it
THE IRONIC THING IS,WE SERVE A GOD OF ABUNDANCE
· We serve a God of abundance
· And when we ask for something to glorify Him,
· We will get it in the right way and time,
· But we rarely ask for those blessings
BILLY GRAHAM ONCE SAID,
· That heaven was full of blessings
· Nobody ever asked God for …
· So they just sit there unused
(Illustration)
TWO PASTORS WERE
· Sitting in a coffee shop
· Discussing the best position
· In which to pray
ONE SAID KNEELING WAS THE BEST
· The other said head bowed was best
THE MAN AT THE NEXT TABLE
· Finally spoke up and said
· The best position to pray
· Is when you simply realize
· You need more of Jesus
JESUS AND HIS DISCIPLES
· were resting on a mountain
· The disciples asked Him to teach them to pray
Starting in MATTHEW 6:5-13,
· we see what Jesus said:
‘And when you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites, who love to pray public so they can impress people with how religious they are. I tell you the truth; they have received their reward in full. When you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to God, who is unseen. ‘Then He, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
‘And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need even before you ask Him. This, then, is how you should pray:
‘Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come, Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today, our daily bread. Forgive us our sins as we have also forgiven those who sin against us. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’
THE FIRST THING JESUS SAYS IS
· Don’t be like the hypocrites
· who prayed in public
· so people would admire them
GOD WANTS US TO PRAY
· directly to Him
· from the center of our hearts
· a private and focused prayer
IT IS FINE TO PRAY IN A PUBLIC
· as we do in church
· but there is another form of prayer -
· a prayer that is holy - and solemn
WHEN WE PRAY IN PRIVATE
· We concentrate more intently,
· And we end up feeling closer to God
JESUS SAID TO START PRAYING
· By praising Him
· Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.
· When we pray, do we exalt God ?
WE SHOULD DEPEND ON GOD
· For everything we need in life
· Give us this day, our daily bread
BEFORE WE CAN EXPECT HIM
· to answer our prayers,
· We must believe He CAN
· And expect that He WILL
THIS NEXT PART IS VERY IMPORTANT
JESUS SAYS WE SHOULD
· Ask to be forgiven
· just as we have already given forgiveness to others
FORGIVENESS IS IMPORTANT TO GOD
· we cannot even approach Him
· until after we have forgiven others
MATTHEW 6:14-15 tells us
· how important forgiveness is
· to our salvation.
‘For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.’
JESUS ASKED GOD TO
· keep Him away from temptation
· we should ALSO ask God
· to lead us where He knows we should go
· Not where we think we should go
GOD IS CALLING EACH OF US
· To develop a deeper prayer life
· And He is calling this church to do it, too
HERE IS HOW YOU CAN DO THAT:
DON’T JUST PRAY ‘QUICK PRAYERS’
· We hurry thru everything in life
· Even in our prayers
· Take time to really talk to God
AND, HOW MANY TIMES
· Have you asked God
· To set someone else straight
· Instead of asking Him to deal with you ?
GOD IS A HOLY GOD
· Don’t approach Him
· With malice in your mind - -
· But with humility in your heart
ECCLESIASTES 5:1-2
‘Guard your steps when you go to the house of God. Go near to listen rather than to offer the sacrifice of fools, who do not know that they do wrong. Do not be quick with your mouth; do not be hasty to utter anything before God. Rather desire to be quiet instead, because God is in heaven and you are on earth, so let your words be few.’
AND WHEN YOU PRAY
· Be specific
· Be respectful
· And be of humble heart
PRAY WITH A SERVANT’S HEART
· Ask Him for things
· That will help you glorify Him --
· Not make it easier on yourself
ZEPHANIAH 3:9
‘Then I will purify the lips of the peoples’ says God, ‘so that all of them may call on the name of the Lord so they can fully serve Him.’
I SPOKE LAST WEDNESDAY NIGHT
· About the need to prepare yourself
· To meet your maker
WHEN WE APPROACH GOD
· It must be done
· With a humbled heart
· A heart that is submissive to Him
In ZEPHANIAH, it tells us
· being humble will bring blessings.
In MATTHEW,
· we are reminded
· to have a servant’s heart.
What does a servant’s heart feel towards others?
How can one really be humble, as God requires?
These answers are found in;
PHILIPPIANS 2:3-5
‘Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus.’
ALL OF US NEEDS
· A deeper prayer life
THAT PRAYER LIFE
· Consists of talking to Him
· And being quiet enough to
· listen as He talks to us
PSALM 46:10
‘be still and know that I am God.’
WE ARE BUSY PEOPLE
· So we need a time
· to be still
· and concentrate as we pray
JESUS CAME DOWN OFF A MOUNTAIN
· To see the disciples trying
· To drive evil spirits from a young boy
· But they were having no success
HE SAID THAT KIND OF SPIRIT
· Required fasting and prayer
· Regular prayer just wasn’t enough
· That in-depth prayer is sometimes needed
WE NEED TO LEARN
· The real use of prayer
(Illustration)
A YOUNG CHRISTIAN MAN
· approached an elder at his church.
· He asked if the older man
· Would join him in prayer
HE WANTED GOD
· To give him more patience.
· The older man agreed,
· And they began to pray
THE ELDER PRAYED,
· ‘God, please send this young man
· troubles in the morning ….
· And please send him troubles in the evening …’
AT THIS POINT
· The young man interrupted him
· And said he’d asked for patience
· Not troubles!
THE ELDER REPLIED,
· I know, but it is during our troubles
· That we learn to have our patience
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND
· The best way to pray
· So we receive spiritual blessings
· That honor God
THE BEST WAY TO DO THAT
· is to develop a daily prayer time
· where we get to know God
· and what He wants for us
I FEEL THE LEADING OF GOD
· He is telling us
· That if we make this a house of prayer
· He will take care of every need we have
HE IS SAYING THAT IF WE
· Start taking prayer VERY SERIOUSLY
· He will start taking CrossRoads Church very seriously
MATTHEW 6:6 TELLS US
‘when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father’
ISAIAH 56:7 tells us
· God’s house is to be a house of prayer
· And we should take that very seriously, too
WE ARE CALLED TO PRAY
· If we don’t, we hurt God
· And we hurt ourselves
HOW ABOUT YOU ?
· Do you feel the call to pray ?
· Would you like to develop
· A daily prayer time of your own ?
WOULD YOU LIKE TO
· Get closer to God than ever before ?
· Here is how you do that –
START PRAYING – OFTEN AND SLOWLY
· Ask Him to tell you about His Son
· Every Father likes talking about His Son
ASK JESUS INTO YOUR LIFE
· And then do these two things ….
· Pray to God in Jesus’ name,
· And read God’s word every day
THE MORE YOU GET TO KNOW GOD
· The more you will desire more of Him
· And the more you will know
· What His plans for you are
INVITATION
