Purpose For A New Year

1 - PURPOSE TO PRAY

a - SECRETLY

Mat 6:5-6 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. (6) But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

-Pray for your food openly, this is the one prayer that many neglect, the prayer of thansgiving.

-Get into your prayer closet and close it to the world and get hold of the Lord where He will hear you in secret

b - SELFLESSLY

Luk 22:41-42 And he was withdrawn from them about a stone's cast, and kneeled down, and prayed, (42) Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.

-Will we put ourselves to the very end of the list when we pray?

-Jesus selflessly prayed to His Father placing even his very life after yours and mine.

c - STEADILY

Luk 18:1-8 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint; (2) Saying, There was in a city a judge, which feared not God, neither regarded man: (3) And there was a widow in that city; and she came unto him, saying, Avenge me of mine adversary. (4) And he would not for a while: but afterward he said within himself, Though I fear not God, nor regard man; (5) Yet because this widow troubleth me, I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me. (6) And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. (7) And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? (8) I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?

d - SAVED

1Pe 3:12 For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.

-If you are unsaved, the Lord does not hear your prayers and does not know you.

-If you continue to reject Christ, then you reject the commandment of the Lord to believe on the name of His son Jesus in 1 John 3. Will you yield your life to Christ tonight? If not, the face of the Lord is against you tonight, and will continue to be tomorrow, and throughout 2010, and in eternity if you should die in your sin.

e - SINLESSLY

Psa 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me:

-You know what it is to hold someone {Pastor} or something {material possession, activity} in high regard

-You hold affection for it, you esteem it, you may practice it

-Are you giving regards to sin in your life when praying? God does not hear you.

-How will you pray in 2010? Confess sins that may be present in your life to the Lord that your prayers will be heard and be more effective for those you are praying for.

2 - PURPOSE TO PONDER

2Ti 2:15 Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.

-I am not talking about simply reading, but STUDYING the Word of God

-Reading through the Bible in a year is good, but at the end of that year, what have you learned? Have you fallen behind in the schedules and just played catch-up for the rest of the year? Does it become a chore?

Psa 1:2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.

Meditate - To dwell on any thing in thought; to contemplate; to study; to turn or revolve any subject in the mind

-Reading is fine, but if you get nothing out of it, what good does it do you?

-When we read, we let the Lord speak to us, if we are not completely focused on him, we'll not hear him {Our wives speaking to us and we are tuned out}

-How will your study in God's Word be in 2010?

3 - PURPOSE TO PROVIDE

2Co 9:7 Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver.

-When you give your tithes and offerings, how do you give it?