The necessity of prayer – Prayer is the difference between a good year and a GOD year!
Jesus talked about how we should pray….
Matthew 6:5-6Matthew 6:5-6
English: World English Bible - WEB
5 “When you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites, for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Most assuredly, I tell you, they have received their reward.
6 But you, when you pray, enter into your inner chamber, and having shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
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“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
1. Not just for professionals
Prayer is not a spiritual office or spiritual gift/ it’s not limited to certain kinds of people/ not to say some people aren’t more bent that way but you don’t find it expressly in scripture. We can all have a powerful prayer life!
James 5:16James 5:16
English: World English Bible - WEB
16Â Confess your offenses to one another, and pray one for another, that you may be healed. The insistent prayer of a righteous person is powerfully effective.
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Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
Because of Jesus we are all righteous and can pray this kind of effective prayer!
Matthew 6:7-8Matthew 6:7-8
English: World English Bible - WEB
7 In praying, don’t use vain repetitions, as the Gentiles do; for they think that they will be heard for their much speaking.
8 Therefore don’t be like them, for your Father knows what things you need, before you ask him.
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“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again. 8 Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him!
2. Not a bunch of flowery phrases and perfect speech
“True prayer is measured by weight—not by length. A single groan
before God may have more fullness of prayer in it than a fine oration of great length.” —Charles H. Spurgeon
3. Not easy because of all the clutter of life
We are bombarded with distractions…have to cut through the clutter to hear His voice:
The Pattern of Prayer: How did Jesus teach us to pray – Lords prayer
Matthew 6:9-13Matthew 6:9-13
English: World English Bible - WEB
9 Pray like this: ‘Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy.
10 Let your Kingdom come. Let your will be done, as in heaven, so on earth.
11 Give us today our daily bread.
12 Forgive us our debts, as we also forgive our debtors.
13 Bring us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. For yours is the Kingdom, the power, and the glory forever. Amen.’
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Pray like this:Our Father in heaven,may your name be kept holy.10 May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.11 Give us today the food we need,12 and forgive us our sins,as we have forgiven those who sin against us.13 And don’t let us yield to temptation,but rescue us from the evil one.
This is a pattern prayer not one you HAVE to recite necessarily
- Prayer is to proceed problems, not just be a response to them
- If we prayed more proactive prayers we wouldn’t have to pray so many reactive prayers
“The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came.… Anticipate your battles; fight them on your knees before temptation comes, and you will always have victory.” —R. A. Torrey
There is Power in Prayer
“We must never forget that the highest kind of prayer is never the
making of requests. Prayer at its holiest moment is the entering into
God, to a place of such blessed union as it makes miracles seem
tame and remarkable answers to prayer appear something very far
short of wonderful by comparison.” —A. W. Tozer
The amazing thing is that we can approach God with boldness and confidence!
Do you approach God with timidity or confidence? You can seek God boldly today knowing you are fully forgiven and Jesus has made you righteous.
Hebrews 4:16Hebrews 4:16
English: World English Bible - WEB
16 Let us therefore draw near with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and may find grace for help in time of need.
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So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it most.
It’s intimidating to think about taking a fearless, confident, bold attitude when coming before God in prayer. Yet this is exactly what we are told to do! God has already settled the issue of our access to Him!
When we pray, we come to God in the authority of Jesus’ name, and we can be confident that we will find grace, mercy, and perfectly timed help.
Starts this Sunday 10-10-10 at 10am
Shoal Creek Elementary
This would be a great time to invite someone to check out Journey Church. See you Sunday!