Praying to Please God

How effective is your prayer life?

In a day where technology is consistently moving, we tend to all look for the new and bigger thing. Even churches, try to find some thing bigger, whether a new program or new book, or new method.Prayer is one of the many neglected things in churches now. Yet it moved mountains before. “What the Church needs today is not more machinery or better, not new organizations or more novel methods, but men whom the Holy Ghost can use—men of prayer, men mighty in prayer.”—E.M. Bounds Prayer is more effective and can still be effective. Are you praying?

Here in 1 Timothy, Paul is writing to his protege, Timothy. He is telling him to war a good warfare for the Lord. , In chapter 1, we see that there the problems with unsound doctrine. People were turning to fables rather than the truth. Paul is going to tell Timothy how to war a good warfare. Paul starts with the public gathering of the church, and in ch. 3, telling who can be pastors and deacons. Chapters 4 is about Timothy’s own spiritual walk. Chapter 5 talks about how Timothy is to deal with certain groups of people, while chapter 6 mainly talks about finances. The first way God wants Timothy to war a good warfare is through prayer. Prayer is vital to our Christian life. Many times we think it is not, but it is. Yet prayer tends to be the first thing to go. A Christian must pray. You must pray because it pleases God.

How do you pray to please God?

Priority of prayer v. 1

First of all,

Prayer is to be a priority

Acts 6:4 “But we will give ourselves continually to prayer, and to the ministry of the word.”

In our teen class on Wednesday night, I try to prioritize our prayer time, and preaching. Sometimes it is hard to get the teens to quiet down, but I never cut out prayer to add more game time. That messages shows that prayer is important. I would rather get out a couple minutes late, then skip prayer because of time.

Now prayer is not a priority in churches, or in our personal lives. Time in prayer is one of the first things to go. We get busy, we might read for a few minutes, but then forget to pray.

Is it a priority in your life to prayer

Practice of Prayer

Methods of prayer

supplication-asking God

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

One of the things we miss is to ask God for everything

We only ask God for the big things, but we are to in everything ask God

Sometimes we feel bad for asking God, yet God wants us to ask Him for things

Luke 11:9-13 “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened. If a son shall ask bread of any of you that is a father, will he give him a stone? or if he ask a fish, will he for a fish give him a serpent? Or if he shall ask an egg, will he offer him a scorpion? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?”

Psalm 81:10 “I am the Lord thy God, Which brought thee out of the land of Egypt: Open thy mouth wide, and I will fill it.”

prayers

direct communication with God

Praise is a part of prayer that we can miss, many times we do not use prayer to praise God, but only to be a genie or as a business where we go with our list

Intercessions

Praying for other people

Our prayer can be very self centered, while God wants us to be focused on other people

Colossians 4:12 “Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you in prayers, that ye may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.”

giving of thanks

God wants us to thank Him for all He has done

1 Thessalonians 5:18 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”

Giving thanks will help change your mindset

One thing that bothers me as a youth pastor is when my wife and I do something for the teens, and they are ungrateful. Whether it is a certain event, or some treat I give them. It can be very frustrating to see teens act entitled and only a couple are grateful. Many times we act like that for God

People to pray for v.1-2

All men

Those who are in authority

regardless how we feel but all of them, both people and government. We pray for those who we like, but do not pray for those who we do not like, but God through the apostle Paul is saying we need to pray for everyone.

Purpose of prayer v. 2-7

God wants us to pray for those who are in authority, so that we can live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty

God wants us to pray for the government so that they might leave us alone, that the government is not coming after us for our faith, but rather will get out of our way so to speak, and not to be a hinderance to the spreading of the Gospel. But also for us as Christians to be living the kind of life that the government does not have to be involved. With this there is a spiritual angle to our prayer. Many times we just pray for the physical, but God is calling us also to pray for spiritual things. We want to be praying that Christians live the type of life that the government does not need to get involved in.

Our prayer life needs to be pleasing to God.

God wants our prayer to have an evangelistic focus

God wants all men to be saved, so that we need to be praying for people to be saved.

The only way man can be saved is through the provision God has given in Jesus Christ. Not multiple ways to heaven but one, and that is the way of Christ.

God wants us to pray for the lost

2 Corinthians 4:4 “In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them.”

Ephesians 6:18-19 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel,”

This is why need to pray

Purity of prayer v. 8

This is talking about men, in this context, because Paul is expecting men to take the lead of the service. However there is a good point that is made for everyone and that is the idea of purity when praying.

Uplifted hands was a posture of prayer, but it is to be holy hands

1 Peter 1:15-16 “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”

They were not to be angry men, and also they were not to be doubting, not disputing, or having debating

Psalm 66:18 “If I regard iniquity in my heart, The Lord will not hear me:”

A disobedient child cannot expect to get what they want from their parents, so will a child of God who is disobedient.

Is your heart pure? Are you asking selfishly? James 4:3 “Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.”

James 5:16 “Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”

Are we praying with a pure heart?

We need praying Christians more than ever.