If you don’t pray, you won’t life

Let’s pray

Father in heaven

Thank you for your mercy, grace and love

we are sinners

and need to be forgiven every day

we know we don't deserve it we ask for mercy

forgive us draw us into the freedom of your love

the love you gave when your son died in our place

God created us to love with us. and everyday he want to lead us to true life.

If we don't think about God's love and God's will, we won't life

pray is our connection with God.

so we have to pray for our true life

so let me give you a few practical suggestions

just three brief practical suggestions

because we're not doing as well as we should

now

suggestion number one in your life of prayer

1. Set aside a time and a place each day and don't leave it to chance

set aside a time and a place each day and don't leave it to chance

The devil defeats most praying before it happens

because we didn't make a plan

If you don’t plan?

believe me

oh I have been at this a long time

and the devil hates me and my prayer life

like you wouldn't believe

how many good things keep me from praying

not sin

sin does not keep me from praying

righteousness keeps me from praying

answering holy messages

and other holy things

preparing for sermon, preparing for worship

I did a good job today, but time ran out.

it's not evil that keeps us from praying

it's good things

and satan is shrewd(슈루드),

Satan interferes with my prayer life through good things.

so pick a place and pick a time and pray

number two

I suggest that you combine your praying with reading the bible

and that you take what you read in the bible and you turn it into prayer.

because your brain will have a very hard time

holding a train of thought while you pray with no help from the bible

(책상 위에 쌓인 먼지로 바꿔보자)

Try it for just 10 minutes without your brain flipping out onto the dust

you see on the desk

just try it!

Satan is wicked in his goodness.

he says to your brain.

“it needs to be dusted.

wouldn't be sin to get up and dusted”

would it?

Use the bible and turn the bible into prayer

read pray read pray read pray read pray

as long as you want to or can

that's number two

number three

I suggest that you pray in concentric circles

and what I mean by concentric circles is

I’m the most needy spiritual person I know at least I know my sins better than I know anybody else

so I pray about me a lot

“have mercy upon me,

convict me, kill me, change me,

guard me, humble me,

destroy those aspects of me”

I pray about me a lot

because of how sinful I am

and then I move out from me to my family

pray about my wife, pray about all my family

that's another circle

then I move out from there to the staff,

I can name the staff and the readership

and then I move out to you the church and school

and then I move out from there to the wider

movement of christ around the world

our missionaries and the whole global cause of christ

and I move out from there to the political,

historical arena of the world

and the main point of every circle is

‘Hallowed be your name

your kingdom come, your will be done’

Three big massive

your name hallowed, your kingdom arriving,

your will on the planet done

the way it's done in heaven and in my life

those are in every circle

so those are my three suggestions

the hard truth is we christians don't do very well

we don't pray very much.

pray at meals maybe

and we don't think it's worth it to meet with others to pray

and we wonder

“why is my faith weak?

why is my hope feeble?

why is my passion for christ small?”

is intentional regular discipline your duty?

is christ-dependent, god-glorifying, joyful prayer a duty?

well

you could call it that

it's a duty the way

it's a duty for a scuba diver to put on his air tank before he goes underwater

it's a duty the way pilots should listen to air traffic controllers

it's a duty the way hungry people eat food

it's a duty the way thirsty people drink water

it's a duty the way a deaf man puts on his hearing aid

so you call it duty if you want it is like that

I hate the devil

I hate the way he is killing

some of you by persuading you

It's legalistic to do regular set aside disciplined praying

I hate the devil and the way he's killing you

you should just look at him says

“I’ve got work to do because I am a sinner in desperate

need of talking to my king every day

and my sin inclines me to leave it over and over.

if I don't set a time and a place, I’m a goner”

folks, God has given us means of grace.

you know that phrase?

God has given us means of grace.

if we don't eat, we starve

if we don't drink, we die of thirst

if we don't breathe, we suffocate

and just as there are physical means of life

there are spiritual means of grace

It's so simple

and you so many of you trying to live

your life without breathing, eating, drinking, exercising

and you wonder

“what's wrong? it's your fault!”

No, it’s your fault!

If you don’t pray, you won’t life!

Our father who art in heaven

Hallowed be your name

make your great and holy name to be honored

and treasured above all things

especially deep in our own hearts

and everywhere in the world

Your kingdom come

cause your sovereign authority and wisdom

to hold sway at all times in every place on earth

and in the deepest parts of our own souls

Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven

grant that your all-wise all good all just all holy

will would be done throughout the world

the way the Angels do it perfectly and joyfully in heaven

and make it a reality in each of us