LOVE PRAYS #5 – AM Service
…AND LOVING IT! – THIS MESSAGE IS TO ASSIST YOU TO BE INSPIRED TO PRAY AND TO ENJOY IT.
RELATIONSHIP
In a practical sense, prayer is talking to God, but of course it’s so much more than that. Prayer is an indicator of your relationship with God. Little prayer, little relationship; deep prayer, deep relationship.
The foundation of how we all live our lives as Christians is given by Jesus at the Sermon on the Mount. Matt 6:33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. (NLT) Seeking His kingdom first must begin by meeting with God in prayer and listening.
How can you get inspired to pray? (Read these prayer quotes http://www.christian-prayer-quotes.christian-attorney.net/ )
Here’s some heavy Duty Prayer quotes…
- “Prayer is not overcoming God’s reluctance, but laying hold of His willingness.” Martin Luther.
- “There is not in the world a kind of life more sweet and delightful than that of a continual conversation with God.” Brother Lawrence
- When asked how much time he spent in prayer, George Muller’s reply was, “Hours every day. But I live in the spirit of prayer. I pray as I walk and when I lie down and when I arise. And the answers are always coming.” Source Unknown.
- “The one concern of the devil is to keep Christians from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks at our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.” Samuel Chadwick
- “I would rather teach one man to pray than ten men to preach.” Charles Spurgeon
- “The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.” Andrew Murray
- “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.” (Robert Murray McCheyne)
- “One day George Mueller began praying for five of his friends. After many months, one of them came to the Lord. Ten years later, two others were converted. It took 25 years before the fourth man was saved. Mueller persevered in prayer until his death for the fifth friend, and throughout those 52 years he never gave up hoping that he would accept Christ! His faith was rewarded, for soon after Mueller’s funeral the last one was saved.”
- On persevering prayer: “I look at a stone cutter hammering away at a rock a hundred times without so much as a crack showing in it. Yet at the 101st blow it splits in two. I know it was not the one blow that did it, but all that had gone before.”
When I was a younger Christian I recognised I needed some inspiration to pray. I saw a TV program about marathon runners that interviewed two of the greatest marathoners of all time; Robert De Castella and Alberto Salazar. They interviewed Robert, an Australian, and asked how often do you train? He replied that he rose every morning to run 10kms and each afternoon another 16kms. “Don’t you ever feel like sleeping in?” they asked. “Yes,” he replied, “but that’s the time I know I must rise and begin to run or I will never have that gold medal to hang around my neck.” Robert had one sleep in per year – Christmas Day! I thought, if he can do that for a lousy Gold medal, then I can do that for the eternal value of winning lost souls! Paul shares this same idea in 1 Cor 9:24-27 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.(NLT)
INTERACTION: ASK YOUR PARTNER – DO YOU EVER FEEL INSPIRED TO PRAY? ONE MINUTE EACH, THEN BACK TO THE MESSAGE.
HOW TO PRAY
Using the “Lord’s Prayer” as a guide to pray is helpful.
PRAYER GUIDE The Lord’s Prayer Outline from Dr. Larry Lea’s “Could you not tarry?”
http://larrylea.webs.com/LordsPrayerOutline.pdf from Matt 6:9-13
- OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN
- Picture Calvary and thank God that you can call Him “Father” by virtue of the blood of Jesus.
- HALLOWED BE THY NAME
- Praise God for Who He is and for what He has done for us.
- Hallow the names of God corresponding to the positive benefits in the new covenant.
- THY KINGDOM COME, THY WILL BE DONE, (It’s a commanding statement) Pray for:
- Yourself and your family (mate, children, other family members).
- Your church (pastor, leadership, faithfulness of people, harvest of souls).
- Your nation (city, state and national political and spiritual leaders, harvest of souls).
- Pray for the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6).
- GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD
- Be in the will of God (prayer life, church, work habits, obedience in giving).
- Believe it is God’s will to prosper you.
- Be specific and tenacious.
- AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS
- Ask God to forgive you.
- Forgive and release others – set your will to forgive those who sin against you.
- AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL
- Put on the whole armour of God (Put on the Lord Jesus Christ – Ephesians 6:10-18)
- Loins girded about with TRUTH
- Breastplate of RIGHTEOUSNESS
- Feet shod with the PREPARATION (READINESS) OF THE GOSPEL OF PEACE
- Shield of FAITH
- Helmet of SALVATION
- Sword of the Spirit, which is the WORD OF GOD
- Pray a hedge of protection around yourself and your family.
(The Lord is your refuge, your fortress, your God – Psalm 91:2)
- Because you have made the Lord your habitation
- Because you have set your love upon Him
- Because you have known His name
- FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, THE POWER AND THE GLORY FOREVER
- Make faith declarations, be bold in faith – God hears and answers prayer ( John 5:14-15).
- Return to praise.
BIBLE READING PLAN
It’s essential that every Christian has access to the word of God. Man shall not live by bread alone but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God. – Matt 4:4.
Please convince yourself of the importance of reading God’s word at this webpage.. http://pvcoc.org.au/bible_reading_plan.php
PRAY READING THE BIBLE
Almost any verse can turn into a prayer. Let’s go to the psalms and I will show you how to pray read the bible.
Psalm 23
1 The Lord is my Shepherd [to feed, guide, and shield me], I shall not lack.
2 He makes me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; He leads me beside the still and restful waters.
3 He refreshes and restores my life (my self); He leads me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.
4 Yes, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
Now pray the words like this….
1 Thank you Jesus that you are my Shepherd you feed me, you guide me, and you shield me], I shall not lack.
2 Lord you make me lie down in [fresh, tender] green pastures; you lead me beside the still and restful waters.
3 Lord you refresh and restore my life (my self); You lead me in the paths of righteousness [uprightness and right standing with Him—not for my earning it, but] for His name’s sake.
4 Yes Lord Jesus, though I walk through the [deep, sunless] valley of the shadow of death, I will fear or dread no evil, for You are with me; Your rod [to protect] and Your staff [to guide], they comfort me.
Try Ephesians 1:4
Even as [in His love] He chose us [actually picked us out for Himself as His own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.(AMP)
Could be prayed like this..
In your love God you chose me [actually picked me out for Himself as your own] in Christ before the foundation of the world, through Jesus now I am becoming holy (consecrated and set apart for Him) and blameless in His sight, even above reproach, before Him in love.
INTERACTION: ASK YOUR PARTNER – WHAT WOULD HELP YOU TO BE MORE FOCUSSED TO READ THE BIBLE AND PRAY? ONE MINUTE EACH, THEN BACK TO THE MESSAGE.
JOURNALING – SOAP
Journaling is a very powerful way of connecting with God. Simply put, journaling is writing down prayer points and answers you receive. How to get started… Obtain a prayer journal notebook or use an app on your phone to record a journal entry every day (Try Pages, Notes, on iPhone or One Note on Android)
Use the SOAP Format.
S- Scripture – Write out in full one or a few verses.
O – Observation – What is this verse or passage saying to you? What is the main point of the scripture?
A – Application – How can I apply that verse and the truth of that verse to my life?
P – Prayer – Write out a prayer hat you now pray to ask God to help you apply that verse to your life.
WORSHIP
Get hold of some great Christian music and listen and sing along and love Jesus with all your heart.
RESPONSE
One of the most important prayers you will ever pray is, “Lord Jesus, forgive my sins and come into my life. I believe you died for me and I believe you rose again from the dead for me.” If you have never prayed that prayer before, will you pray it right now?
craigmanderson 