POWERFUL PRAYER / Confession

Intro: Welcome back to our powerful prayer series

Thank online audience for being here

Sermon is on Freshwind central with notes

Prayer definition from last week

Prayer is the heart and soul of every successful relationship with God. Prayer is absolutely crucial to every area of a believer’s life.

​Eerdmans Dictionary of the Bible:

Prayer: A primary means of communication that binds together God and humankind in intimate and reciprocal relationship.

>>> “We must stop viewing prayer merely as a means to get our needs met. Far more than just meeting needs, prayer is God’s primary means of our coming to know Him, worship Him, and experience transformation through the indwelling Christ.”

>>> “We must stop viewing prayer merely as a means to get our needs met. Far more than just meeting needs, prayer is God’s primary means of our coming to know Him, worship Him, and experience transformation through the indwelling Christ.”

Phase one : Approaching God through Daily Praise and Worship

God reminds us that we are to come before Him with a sense of awe, praise, and reverence.

Psalm 100:4 NLT

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

Praise puts powerful words on your lips as we remember that He is our healer, our firm foundation, that He never fails.

Remember who you are, you are the created in this part of prayer. Sometimes our approach to God gets dumb down.

We do need to recognize that he is abba father and we do come to him like that. In some areas we are princes and princesses like in petition

In some areas we are princes and princesses like in petition

In praise and worship we need to remember He is God and we are not.

Hebrews 4:16 NLT

16 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.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise. Give thanks to him and praise his name.

It’s different talking to God, come to the throne of grace. It is still a throne!

It’s different talking to god, come to the throne of grace. It is still a throne!

>>> In our prayer time as we end praise and worship and move into phase two we approach God with reverence. Recognizing Him for who He is and what he has done and what He is about to do in us in this most important phase of your prayer time.

>>> In our prayer time as we end praise and worship and move into phase two we approach God with reverence. Recognizing Him for who He is and what he has done and what He is about to do in us in this most important phase of your prayer time.

Phase two: Confession: Getting clean before God. the path to holiness.

I. Confession

Definition of Confession: To agree with God that you are wrong

To agree with God about a behavior or attitude in your life that is sin. Sin means to miss the mark. To not live up to Christ standard.

Definition

Confession is how we grow and allow God to conform us to the image of Christ and fees the Holy Spirits power in our live. The same power that raised Jesus from the dead.

Romans 8:29 NLT

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

romans

It is during this time of prayer that God corrects and adjust your life. It is where you are made holy and sanctification occurs.

God begins to change the way you think and react to life.

It is during this time of prayer that God corrects and adjust your life. It is where you are made holy and sanctification occurs.

Romans 12:1–2 NLT

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

The one thing we don’t want to face

The one thing we don’t want to face

Am I to be reminded of my failures everyday? Let God rub it in that I fail on a consistent bases.

Hyper serious culture, no fun and no freedom

Not only do we recognize the wondrous grace of God, it embarrasses us. This is the main reason unbelievers push back against Christianity. So many things are not okay but God says come confess i will pay for that.

So many things are not okay but God says come confess i will pay for that.

We have to live with the consequences and make restitution but its hard to believe and accept that God puts it as far away as the east is from the west.

After confession I am free? Free from guilt and shame? The question is should I be free?

Confession and repentance is a gift from God.

Confession and repentance is a gift from God.

God has given them so we could be happy. The secret to being happy in life is using the gift of confession.

When we look seriously at it we feel it should’t be that easy. Many unbelievers push back against what Christians call easy grace.

God offers confession so we can have a relationship with Him. He gives us repentance so we can be refreshed.

Acts 3:19–20 NLT

19 Now repent of your sins and turn to God, so that your sins may be wiped away. 20 Then times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.

Acts 3:

God did it for the Israelites in the Law.

ILLUS: The insatiable altar. The Lord ended the question of where they stood with Him

This is the primary way we tap into God’s forgiveness and maintain a Spirit filled life. When he saved you he Saved your past present and future.

Ephesians 1:7 NLT

7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

When we confess we claim the forgiveness he paid for on the cross. We still have to live through the consequences and make restitution but God makes us white as snow.

You cannot pray powerful prayers without daily confession and repentance

Psalm 66:18 NLT

18 If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened.

(NLT)

Confession is how you put on the the righteousness of Christ. Crucify your old self and change a dry lack luster prayer life into powerful intercession

• For our confession o be genuine I must be thorough

(NLT)

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my thoughts. Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

• You have to spend time. Don’t give God ten seconds this rates the same amount of time as any thing else.

James 5:16 NLT

16 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.

>>> This is why confession is a gift. It is a time to align yourself with Gods will and fee you from the affects of un-confessed sin. To free you from the Les Miserable Life.

ILLUS: The insatiable altar. The Lord ended the question of where they stood with Him

II. Les miserables life

Un-confessed sin.

Is like the Canadian moose and ticks

Every un-confessed sin robs you of life. So many of us Christians are living a miserable existence because the lack on intentional confession.

So many Christians are miserable in their faith.

Push back

So many Christians are miserable in their faith.

They don’t feel like can live up to what God has done for them. The truth is they can’t.

When God saved you he saved you from your past present and future failures.

He knew the cost when he extended His hand to you. He paid the price for all of you from beginning to end on the cross.

1 John 2:2 NLT

2 He himself is the sacrifice that atones for our sins—and not only our sins but the sins of all the world.

The secret to happiness

Confession is the way we can learn to be happy.

Yes, I deserve to be damned. I confess that. In that confession I am free.

1 Corinthians 6:20 ESV

20 for you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

1 corithians 6:20

>>>You have been forgiven and freed. For you to live miserable in guilt and shame is to bear false witness about the God who gave His life for you. The ninth of the ten commandments is not to bear false witness. Is the way you live in the freedom purchased for you on the cross reflect the truth of what God has done for you? If others would accept or reject Christ solely on the joy you have in Christ how many would accept Jesus?

You have been forgiven and freed. For you to live miserable in guilt and shame is to bear false witness about the God who gave His life for you. The ninth of the ten commandments is not to bear false witness.

Ephesians 1:7 NLT

7 He is so rich in kindness and grace that he purchased our freedom with the blood of his Son and forgave our sins.

III. Getting clean

Lies we believe

it all happens with lies

Every sin we fall into is because we believe a lie. This will make me happy. I need this. I have to react this way. I know this is wrong but this is what I need to do to be fulfilled.

The lie we fight is the first lie that God is holding out on us. It’s the Lie Adam and Eve believed.

It is why we start with praise and worship. God is Good, God is great, He has proven His love for me. It pushes back against the lie that got us all here in the first place.

the lie we fight is the first lie that God is holding out on us. You can’t be happy without this

It is why we start with ppraise and worship. God is Good, God is great, He has proven His love for me. It pushes back against the lie that got us all here in the first place.

God to search us

we need God to search us because we have believed a lie for truth

This is the time God will search your heart and cleanse you from any sin that would hinder your power in prayer.

Romans 12:1–2 NLT

1 And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.

Romans 8:29 NLT

29 For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters.

12:1-2

Psalm 139:23–24 NLT

23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24 Point out anything in me that offends you, and lead me along the path of everlasting life.

point out anything and everything. I know it seems petty but think of it like this. Is it just a little bite of apple. It was a small thing thing that caused the downfall of all mankind.

; ; ; )

psalm

Habits

Can’t filled if there is anything in the vessel

Habits

Habits are really about emotional dependency

Overeating, anxiety, drinking anger drugs. I am emotionally invested in these sins. I need them to cope be happy satisfied and secure

When we confess, even after the hundredth time we are agreeing with God that we don’t need this to be happy. All we need is Him. We need to have that truth on our lips everyday.

Never give up giving it up until you have given it up.

Holy spirit filled

We cannot be filled with the Holy Spirit if there is anything else in us.

We confess so God can clean us out and pour himself in. If there is one thing in there we are not filled.

>>> We want God to clean us out. We want to be a empty vessel. How do I make sure I cover everything each day. I’m going to give you 5 categories of potential sin. We need God to search us because the heart is wicked and know man can know it. But here are some places you can cover that will help you focus on confession.

IV. 5 categories of potential sin

1. Sins of Thoughts and Attitudes

Matthew 15:19 NLT

19 For from the heart come evil thoughts, murder, adultery, all sexual immorality, theft, lying, and slander.

2 Corinthians 10:5 NLT

5 We destroy every proud obstacle that keeps people from knowing God. We capture their rebellious thoughts and teach them to obey Christ.

Ask yourself are there any hateful and bitter thoughts

;

lustful thoughts

thoughts of fear and doubt

attitudes of pride, prejudice or revenge

2. Sins of Speech

Sins of Speech

Sins of Speech

Matthew 12:36 NLT

36 And I tell you this, you must give an account on judgment day for every idle word you speak.

James 3:10 NLT

10 And so blessing and cursing come pouring out of the same mouth. Surely, my brothers and sisters, this is not right!

How do you talk.

; ;

Ephesians 4:29 NLT

29 Don’t use foul or abusive language. Let everything you say be good and helpful, so that your words will be an encouragement to those who hear them.

ephesians 4:29

3. Relationship Sins

Deuteronomy 5:11 NLT

11 “You must not misuse the name of the Lord your God. The Lord will not let you go unpunished if you misuse his name.

Relationship Sins

Can you think of people you may have hurt or offended in some manner?

Matthew 5:23–24 NLT

23 “So if you are presenting a sacrifice at the altar in the Temple and you suddenly remember that someone has something against you, 24 leave your sacrifice there at the altar. Go and be reconciled to that person. Then come and offer your sacrifice to God.

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Are your bitter or holding grudges against people who have offended you?

Are your bitter or holding grudges against people who have offended you? (; )

Are you involved in any improper relationships? How about in your mind?

ILLUS: Fantasy, girl at work, sailing, space, Whitney, body Guard

Do you neglect regular fellowship and meaningful service through your church? We are all given a gift to serve the church do you use yours? 2 Cor 12-14

Hebrews 10:25 NLT

25 And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Do your family relationships consistent with God’s Word?

Are your family relationships consistent with God’s Word?

Husbands

1 Peter 3:7 NLT

7 In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.

Wives

Ephesians 5:33 NLT

33 So again I say, each man must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

Wives (, ; )

Ephesians 5:24 NLT

24 As the church submits to Christ, so you wives should submit to your husbands in everything.

1 Peter 3:3 NLT

3 Don’t be concerned about the outward beauty of fancy hairstyles, expensive jewelry, or beautiful clothes.

Ephesians 5:25 NLT

25 For husbands, this means love your wives, just as Christ loved the church. He gave up his life for her

Parents

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Ephesians 5

Matthew 18:6 NLT

6 But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to have a large millstone tied around your neck and be drowned in the depths of the sea.

Parents (

what do your kids see you doing, watching and saying. they will end up with your habits and attitudes.

Children and youth

Ephesians 6:1–3 NLT

1 Children, obey your parents because you belong to the Lord, for this is the right thing to do. 2 “Honor your father and mother.” This is the first commandment with a promise: 3 If you honor your father and mother, “things will go well for you, and you will have a long life on the earth.”

4. Sins of Commission and Transgression

these are things you new were wrong for you,Commission and things that are wrong for everyone transgression.

1 John 1:9 NLT

9 But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.

5. Sins of Omission

These are things we know we should do but we don’t.

James 4:17 NLT

17 Remember, it is sin to know what you ought to do and then not do it.

5. Sins of Omission (; )

; )

Summary:

I know what you are thinking. If I have to go through all that everyday I don’t have a chance. Here is what I suggest. Ask the Lord to search you and find any wicked way in you. Then take a moment and let Him speak. If you feel something is wrong and your prayer life is ineffective go through the list of each category one at a time and give God time to speak to your heart. The difference between powerful prayer and happiness is the act of confession. God gives this to you and we should embrace it.

ILLUS: Bertha Smith and the Great shantung revival. God poured out His spirit on them when they confessed their sins.

PRAYERS FOR DAILY GROWTH

Father, open my eyes to my sin that I may be fully conformed to the image of Christ (). Lord, correct me that I may walk in the full freedom of Christ (; ,).

Wash me O God, that I may be clean and pure. Refine my heart in the beauty of holiness (; ).

How often have I traded my greatest treasure for the worst filth? How regularly have I surrendered my highest joy for the most base indulgence? How quickly have I been to squander your gift of grace

for the worst filth?

How regularly have I surrendered my highest joy

for the most base indulgence?

How quickly have I been to squander your gift of grace

in exchange for the worthless trinkets of this short-lived world? I confess that my desires are not your desires, but beg you to change them. I confess that my hope is for my own glory, but ask you to set my hope on yours. I confess that my need for you is monumental, but my dependence upon you is minuscule. Hear my prayer good Lord. In your grace, come to my aid.

of this short-lived world?

I confess that my desires are not your desires,

but beg you to change them.

I confess that my hope is for my own glory,

but ask you to set my hope on yours.

I confess that my need for you is monumental,

but my dependence upon you is minuscule.

Hear my prayer good Lord.

In your grace, come to my aid.

Amen.

Father, open my eyes to my sin that I may be fully conformed to the image of Christ (). Lord, correct me that I may walk in the full freedom of Christ (; ,).

Wash me O God, that I may be clean and pure. Refine my heart in the beauty of holiness (; ).