PRAYER

"A CLOSER WALK WITH GOD"

A. INTRODUCTION

1. Recall the Wheel Diagram of the Christian Life Series. One of the spokes is prayer. This is a very basic way of growing in our relationship with the Lord

Jesus Himself took prayer very seriously. His own life was characterized by prayer (cf. Mark 1:35, 6:46; Luke 5:16, 6:12; notic that He prayed before choosing the twelve apostles He taught His disciples how to pray (cf. Luke 11:1)

2. Prayer is something we can learn; we can learn to do it better.

3. In the talk, we will see what prayer really is, and how we can grow in our prayer-relationship with God.

II. WHAT IS PRAYER

A. Prayer is asking God to provide our need

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7:78 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, he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

B. It is coming to Gods pressure in order to worship and honor him

You would consider it an honor to be invited to meet the president or the pope. What a greater honor to have an audience with the king of kings and Lord of Lords. The Lord takes notice of us. He listen to us and enjoy our company.

C. It is time spent with the Lord so we mat know and love Him more as well as experience His love

This is true in human level. We cannot know (and love) other people unless we spend time with them. E.g. husband and wife relationship. Prayer is a dialogue, not a monologue. Not only should you speak to God, but let Him speak to you It is an opportunity to express our dependence and reliance on Him.

PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER:

1. One of the greatest blessings enjoyed by Christians in this life is the privilege of PRAYER, by which we can approach God

a. Through prayer, the Christian can find FORGIVENESS for sins 1Jn 1:9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness b. Through prayer, the Christian can find PEACE to replace anxiety Php 4:6-7 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. c. Through prayer, the Christian can receive STRENGTH from God through His Spirit - Ep 3:14-16 For this reason I bow my knees to the rFather of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, saccording to the riches of His glory, tto be strengthened with might through His Spirit in uthe inner man,

PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER:

2. For such reasons, Paul frequently exhorted Christians to be diligent in their prayers...

a. "praying always with all prayer and supplication."

Ep 6:18 Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints

b. "Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving" -Col 4:2 c. "Pray without ceasing - 1Th 5:17

PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER:

3. Yet Jesus knew that people would tend to become slack in their prayers. Lk 18:1 - Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, a. It is out of a similar concern that prompts two lessons devoted specifically to "PRAYER" b. It is hoped that you will be encouraged to be more diligent in prayer as we examine:

1) Basic PRINCIPLES of prayer taught in God's Word 2) Suggestions concerning the PRACTICE of prayer in our daily lives

IN THIS LESSON, THEN, PRINCIPLES OF PRAYER, BEGINNING WITH...

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

A. IT MUST BE OFFERED "IN FAITH"... 1. "And in all things, whatever you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive." - Mt 21:22 2. We must have faith in God, and in His ability to answer

But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him - He 11:6 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is ia double-minded man, unstable in all his ways -Jm 1:5-8 So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God. - Ro 10:17

3. Otherwise, prayer will not be answered

4. Is our faith weak? Then increase it with the help of God's Word

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

B. IT MUST BE OFFERED "IN THE SPIRIT OF HUMILITY"... 1. Notice the example of the Pharisee and the publican

Also He spoke this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and despised others: Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I thank You that I am not like other menextortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector. I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess. And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, God, be merciful to me a sinner! I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted. Lk 18:9-14

2. Remember, "The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, and saves such as have a contrite spirit" - Ps 34:18 3. As quoted by James: "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" - Jm 4:6

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

C. IT MUST BE OFFERED "IN HARMONY WITH GOD'S WILL"... 1. God answers prayer that is offered "according to His will"

Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. - 1Jn 5:14

2. Jesus provided the example for us in His prayers at Gethsemane

The LORD is near to those who have a broken heart, And saves such as have a contrite spirit. - Lk 22:42

3. Too often, prayers are unanswered because they are more concerned with OUR will, rather than GOD'S will!

You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. -Jm 4:3

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

D. IT MUST BE OFFERED "BY THOSE RIGHTEOUS BEFORE GOD"... 1. "For the eyes of the LORD are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil" - 1Pe 3:12 2. The prayers of the righteous person are effective

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man twith a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.- Jm 5:16-18

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

3. But those continuing in sin He will not hear!

One who turns away his ear from hearing the law, Even his prayer is an abomination. 28:9; Is 59:1-2

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4. To be righteous before God... a. Requires that we submit to the "righteousness of God" offered in Christ

Brethren, my hearts desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved. For I bear them witness that they have a zeal for God, but not according to knowledge. For they being ignorant of Gods righteousness, and seeking to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted to the righteousness of God. 4 For Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. - Ro 10:1-4 For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for wit is the power of God to salvation for everyone who believes, for the Jew first and also for the Greek. For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith to faith; as it is written, The just shall live by faith. - Ro 1:1617

b. Respond to the gospel of Christ

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

E. IT MUST BE OFFERED "IN THE SPIRIT OF THANKSGIVING"... 1. "giving thanks always for all things to God" - Ep 5:20 2. "in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving" - Php 4:6 3. "...prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving" Col 4:2 4. "pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks" 1Th 5:17-18

-- DO WE THINK GOD WILL HELP US WITH OUR PRESENT BURDENS IF WE DON'T TAKE THE TIME TO THANK HIM FOR PAST BLESSINGS?

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

F. IT MUST BE OFFERED "WITH PERSISTENCE"... 1. Jesus illustrated this aspect of prayer through two parables

a. The parable of the persistent friend - Lk 11:5-10

And He said to them, Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him; and he will answer ... Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, saying: There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, .

b. The parable of the persistent widow - Lk 18:1-8

2. The virtue of persistence is demonstrated in the prayers of:

a. Jesus at Gethsemane - Mt 26:44

So He left them, went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.
And lest I should be exalted above measure by the abundance of the revelations, a thorn in the flesh was given to me, a messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I be exalted above measure. Concerning this thing I pleaded with the Lord three . And they continued steadfastly in the apostles doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

b. Paul, pertaining to his "thorn in the flesh"-2Co 12:7-8

c. The early church - Ac 2:42

I. CHARACTERISTICS OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYER

G. IT MUST BE OFFERED "IN THE NAME OF JESUS"... 1. "Giving thanks always for all things to God the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ" Ep 5:20 2. This means much more than simply adding a little phrase "in Jesus' name" at the end of our prayers!

a. We must realize that Jesus is the only way by which we can approach God - Jn 14:6

Jesus said to him, I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. But He, because He continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. 25 Therefore He is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them He 7:24-25 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son ; Jn 14:13

b. We must view Him as our "high priest" who intercedes for us

3. Appealing to God in the name of His Son can give us great confidence that God will give us what we need! - He 4:14-16

Seeing then that we have a great High Priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points ...

SUCH ARE THE CONDITIONS THAT MAKE PRAYER ACCEPTABLE TO GOD. BUT IT MIGHT BE HELPFUL TO ALSO NOTICE A FEW...

II. OBSTACLES TO PRAYER

II. OBSTACLES TO PRAYER

A. UNCONFESSED SIN... 1. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear" - Ps 66:18 2. The BASIS for prayer rests upon our being in fellowship with Him; such fellowship is broken if we do not confess our sins to Him!

II. OBSTACLES TO PRAYER

B. IMPROPER TREATMENT OF OTHERS... 1. How we treat others has a bearing upon whether God will hear our prayers!

a. E.g., how we treat the poor - Ps 41:1-3 b. E.g., how one treats his friend - Mt 5:23-24 c. E.g., how a husband treats his wife - 1Pe 3:7

II. OBSTACLES TO PRAYER

2. We must correct our relationships with others (if possible) before we can expect God to hear our prayers! 3. Especially if we desire to receive forgiveness for our sins! - Mt 6:14-15; 18:2123

FINALLY, IT IS IMPORTANT TO BEAR IN MIND THAT GOD ANSWERS PRAYER IN VARIOUS WAYS...

III. ANSWERS TO PRAYERS

III. ANSWERS TO PRAYERS

A. "REQUEST GRANTED"... 1. God may answer "YES" , and grant the petitions we ask of Him 2. Such will be the case the more we try to do His Will in our lives - 1Jn 3:22

III. ANSWERS TO PRAYERS

B. "REQUEST GRANTED, BUT NOT YET"... 1. God may grant our request, but in time and according to His purpose for our lives 2. "To everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven" - Ec 3:1 3. So we may think God is saying "NO", when He is really saying "YES, BUT WAIT"

III. ANSWERS TO PRAYERS

C. "REQUEST GRANTED, BUT NOT AS YOU MIGHT EXPECT"... 1. Sometimes God says "YES", but answers it in way differently than we anticipated 2. Remember, God's thoughts and methods are often much different than ours - Is 55:8,9

III. ANSWERS TO PRAYERS

3. Like asking God for strength and perseverance...

a. He may give us trials to bear b. Which in turn develops the virtues we prayed for!

4. We should be careful and not dictate to God HOW to answer our prayers...

a. Limit the "HOW" and we might be limiting the "RESULT" b. For example, the way some pray for the sick, they limit God as to how He might restore them

III. ANSWERS TO PRAYERS

D. "REQUEST DENIED"... 1. Often God says "NO" 2. But we must trust that God, who knows all and what is best, would do so only if granting our request might not be for our good - cf. He 12:5-11 3. We may not fully understand, but we can still fully trust Him! - cf. Hab 3:17-19 4. Especially in light of the promise in 1Co 10:13

CONCLUSION

CONCLUSION

1. The ability to pray to God and receive answers in our lives is truly one of the greatest blessings we can have as children of God! 2. Hopefully, understanding and applying the principles discussed in this lesson will assure greater success in having our prayers answered 3. Our next lesson will deal with "THE PRACTICE OF PRAYER", offering suggestions on the when, with whom, how and what of prayer

SOME QUESTIONS TO STIMULATE YOUR THINKING...

1. Do you find it easy or difficult to pray? 2. Do you believe in the power of God to answer prayer? 3. Should you be disappointed when it appears that God has answered your prayer with a "NO"? 4. Are you spending time every day devoted to prayer?

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
1.

It is important to find the RIGHT TIME and the RIGHT PLACE to pray The right time should be prime time, when you are most alert and attentive Right place is the one with the least distractions e.g. Quiet chapel, own room where you can worship spontaneously

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
2. Stick to the decision to pray daily Even when its difficult. God will honor us for the effort we put into it. Important principle: Success in prayer depends on whether or not we were able to honor God, not on how we feel Good News: As we continue to remain faithful in our prayer life, our own feelings will begin to be transformed by our decision

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
3. Pray for at least 15 Minutes Never decrease, rather INCREASE the length of your prayer time

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
4. Use SCRIPTURES Psalms give us great examples of prayer. The gospels help us to focus on Jesus. God also speaks to us personally through many other passages Recommendation: meditate on the Gospel reading for each day

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
5. On handling distractions Ask for grace to fight against it; call to mind your decision to pray Do spiritual warfare If the distracting thought is important, write it down and set it aside. If youre feeling sleepy, STAND UP. Be more active and dont give in to laziness, tiredness, etc.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
6. Share with someone (or your action group) what you are experiencing in prayer; get input from them 7. Be Patient. Dont expect perfect prayer times and immediate results (see Luke 18:1-7)

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS
8. Dont be too self-evaluative or introspective. When we pray, the focus should be on God, not on ourselves. 9. Pray intelligently. We need to pray with our mind, not only our mouths. Jesus warned against mindless, repetitive prayer (cf Mt 6:7). Pray consciously and deliberately, not absentmindedly.

PRACTICAL SUGGESTIONS 10. Be EXPRESSIVE. We want to worship God freely with our mind and body.

HELPFUL FORMAT (ACTS)

1.ADORATION(PRAISE) Coming before the Lord to honor and praise him, because he is worthy of it We express our honor, and proclaim Gods characteristics, His acts, our relationship to Him, etc Feel free to worship using bodily postures and gestures(raising hands, clapping, kneeling, standing as a sign of respect)

HELPFUL FORMAT (ACTS)

2. CONFESSION We need to repent of our sins each day, since these sins can prevent us from entering into Gods presence. Have confidence that, when you repent of sins, God forgives you

HELPFUL FORMAT (ACTS)

3. THANKSGIVING We want to be grateful for all the Lord has done for us

HELPFUL FORMAT (ACTS)

4. SUPPLICATION (INTERCESSION)
Coming before the Lord to seek His help and to acknowledge our need for Him The Lord knows our needs, but He wants us to ask.(Luke 11:9-13)

HELPFUL FORMAT (ACTS)

5. SILENCE We want to be silent before God, to listen to His word, or to reflect (meditate) on some Christian truth An ACTIVE not passive part of prayer. Apply the truths of Scripture to your life; use your imagination; ask the Lord for greater understanding about something, or for personal message

QUESTIONS FOR DISCUSSION

1. How have you experienced prayer in your life? 2. What have you found helpful in your prayer time?

THANK YOU!