40 Days of Prayer: Week 4 - Starting point for prayer.
Notes
Transcript
Sermon Tone Analysis
A
D
F
J
S
Emotion
A
C
T
Language
O
C
E
A
E
Social
Overwhelmed with options
JOhn A and I going to Baltimore…he was like…I wouldn’t go this way, or that way. We followed google maps because they woudl direct me in the quickest route. JOhn was like, I always went that way....or I”ve never been this way…all along Google was telling me turn right, turn left.
Sometimes you can go different ways and get to the same place, but without clear directions, it’s easy to get lost
It’s the same with our prayers. When we are told to pray…often times we don’t have a clear understanding how to pray so we just roam around…or we have so many things going on inour lives we feel pulled in all directions in our prayers.
In this 40 Days of Prayer, my prayer is that we would have a healthy understanding of prayer so that we would have healthy prayer lives…
God starts to move in his people as his people move into prayer.
We want ot pray prayers that have power.
Starting point is for us to have the right direction in our prayer.
Principal of the path…the direction we travel determines our destination.
Today I want us to start our prayer right
UP
UP
Start by looking up to God.
As Acts 12:5 describes the church prayed unto God.
Doesn’t everyone pray unto God?
Often times our minds are taken up by the thing which we are praying rather than the one to whom we are praying to.
How many of us spend much time praying to God as opposed to praying about our problems. We even say it…I’ll pray about that.
Or other times, our minds aren’t caught up with either our Good Father nor our needs…but in stead our minds are wandering here and there. When we find ourselves wandering, we need to capture those thoughts and submit them to Christ...
There is no power in this sort of prayer…Power is found when we come into God’s presence, really meeting him face to face int eh place of prayer…seeking the things we seek from HIM…That’s where our prayers get power…in HIM.
I remember when our kids were young, we had to teach them to look at us when they spoke to us…it was a way of letting everyone know who you were talking to…even the on doing the talking.
15 For the Spirit that God has given you does not make you slaves and cause you to be afraid; instead, the Spirit makes you God’s children, and by the Spirit’s power we cry out to God, “Father! my Father!” 16 God’s Spirit joins himself to our spirits to declare that we are God’s children. 17 Since we are his children, we will possess the blessings he keeps for his people, and we will also possess with Christ what God has kept for him; for if we share Christ’s suffering, we will also share his glory.
Personal
Personal
Prayer is personal…Abba - daddy
Many of us come to God formal like a job interview
We don’t have to impress him. It’s ok if we call him dad.
Again: When you settle this fact it will change how you pray!
All misunderstanding of prayer is a misunderstanding of God!
Passionate
Passionate
Cry Out...
Children cry out & they don’t care where or who’s listening!
Put some feeling in your prayers! “I’ve got to have this!”
Partnership
Partnership
Did you know that when you pray, the Holy Spirit prays with you?
26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don’t know what God wants us to pray for. But the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
Your loving Father understands exactly what he wants for you...
- Even though you don’t know what to pray , God says, I’m showing up!”
- Even though you can’t really explain what you want, God says “I understand”
God joins in with you, and talks to himself when you talk to him!
In coming to pray, we look up…then we look in. Up and In
IN
IN
Then look in at our hearts…What do I mean? we are praying to God here. Why do I need to look in me? For two reasons.
First we need to apprecaite the fact that God is alive in me.
Not a part of God, but all of him.
10 But if Christ is in you, your body is dead because of sin, yet your spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.
Remember, Jesus isn’t just in heaven! He’s as close as you!
Then, since I know I’m unconditionally accepted by my H Father it gives me the freedom & courage to honestly face my faults.
Looking in, with God’s help, I can see where I am missing the mark and I can repent and turn from my sin and back to God.
5 Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith; test yourselves. Do you not realize that Christ Jesus is in you—unless, of course, you fail the test?
Let me ask you, does God answer everyone’s prayers? NO
He answers the prayers of people who’s hearts are turned towards him.
1 John 3:22 says God answers prayers of people who keep his commandments and do what is pleasing in his sight.
Is that you? NO? Then hear this.
13 People who conceal their sins will not prosper, but if they confess and turn from them, they will receive mercy.
“You get another chance”
Now before you come to God this way, you should probably know this...God already knows what you need to work on. But when you start being honest to God- it takes you to a new level of intimacy.
People pray for God to let them win the Power-ball....$1.6 billion. I never buy them…on principle because I see it as gambling, but I’d be lying if I didn’t think about it for a second. I wonder how many people have prayed over their tickets.
Everyone wants the benefits of a relationship- but they don’t want the honesty required. You must be willing to open up!
To invite God into (what you think) are your “secret areas”
Intimacy means “see into me”…Remove what is against your will and produce in me teh fruit of your spirit.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Litterally, pray “Jesus, produce some Fruit in me today!”
Look UP to focus on God my good father, IN to see Jesus my savior, then down to see
DOWN
DOWN
Looking down to see that my prayers are rooted in the promises of God.
14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.
HOw do we know the will of God?
1st by knowing his word. While praying to win the lottery may not be the prayer to pray, asking for Wisdom certainly is. I can pray for the Holy Spirit’s help. I can pray for the Holy Spirit to pray for me.
Praying for my kids:
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”
Praying for our church:
23 Then he said to them all: “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will save it.
What promises do I cling to…What facet of God’s will am I seeking him to fulfill in my life or in the lives of others? Is it healing? Is it conviction of sin? Is it forgiveness for others?
What are my prayers standing on?
OUT
OUT
Instead of criticizing...complaining…judging ...whining... in your prayers, are you prepared to offer yourself to be a solution! “USE ME!”
I was at a meeting yesterday and someone told me…don’t make suggestions unless you are willing to be part of the solution. That's what this OUT approach to prayer is all about.
13 Do not let any part of your body become an instrument of evil to serve sin. Instead, give yourselves completely to God, for you were dead, but now you have new life. So use your whole body as an instrument to do what is right for the glory of God.
The world is waiting for what God is doing in you, and living as part of the church is the best place to see this happen.
The Cross
The Cross
Up, in, down, out. If you draw them out, you find the cross. The cross can be our pattern for prayer that keeps our prayers lives heading in the right direction.
Jesus made the way for us.
So the next time you pray…pray daddy, I”m here. YOU KNOW ME, there’s nothing I can hide; and because you love me I come standing on your promises to your children asking you to use me as your fruit stand.