Just a closer walk: Effective prayer life
Notes
Transcript
Handout
Principles of effective prayer
Principles of effective prayer
Prayer is vital in the life of a Christian who wants to have a closer walk with God. It is a blessing, a privilege and also a responsibility to be able to pray and know our prayers are heard. Today we are looking at the character, or characteristics of effective prayer.
Prayer brings forgiveness (1Jn1:9)
9 If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
(Expand)
Prayer brings relief to anxiety (Php4:6-7)
6 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
How do we find relief to anxiety, according to this by prayer! and the outcome of prayer offered with supplication, thanksgiving results in peace!
Prayer brings strength (Eph3:14-16)
14 For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, 15 from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name, 16 that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power through His Spirit in the inner man,
Prayer more than just for the physical, but for the spiritual, inner strength to be able to know we are forgiven, to know that our anxiety can be relieved! Strength provided by the Spirit! (expand)
Paul exhorted on the principles of prayer (Eph6:18; Col4:2; 1The5:17)
Paul said pray always
18 With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints,
Pray vigilantly and earnestly
2 Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving;
And without ceasing
17 pray without ceasing;
So, prayer, we see some of the principles of it, now may we look at the characteristics of acceptable prayer, the obstacles of acceptable prayer and then some common answers to prayer.
Characteristics of acceptable prayer
Characteristics of acceptable prayer
Did you know you can develop your character? You can develop the character of your prayer life too and we are going to look at some much needed elements to have an effective prayer life that helps us to have a closer walk with the Lord.
Faith is needed (Heb11:6; Jm1:5-8; Rom10:17; Mt21:22)
6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
(expand briefly) for we need to pray in faith, for in James1 it say we need to ask without doubt, don’t be double minded, be a person of faith and we know that faith comes by hearing (Rom10:17) and when we do that then we can know
22 “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.”
on that I will expand more in a little bit.
Humility is needed (Ps34:18; Jm4:6; Lk18:9-14)
Look what the Psalmist says when it comes to prayer and humility
18 The Lord is near to the brokenhearted And saves those who are crushed in spirit.
(expand on knowing our own brokenness) lead to pride, hinders God’s grace so be humble!
6 But He gives a greater grace. Therefore it says, “God is opposed to the proud, but gives grace to the humble.”
Don’t be like the Pharisees, but more like the Publican, oh wait here is the scripture.
9 And He also told this parable to some people who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and viewed others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.
11 “The Pharisee stood and was praying this to himself: ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other people: swindlers, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 ‘I fast twice a week; I pay tithes of all that I get.’
13 “But the tax collector, standing some distance away, was even unwilling to lift up his eyes to heaven, but was beating his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, the sinner!’ 14 “I tell you, this man went to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but he who humbles himself will be exalted.”
Harmony with God’s will (1Jn5:14; Jm4:3; Lk22:42)
Effective prayers happen when we realize God has our best interest in mind and will always do what is best for us, even when we don’t know or see the big picture. We need to be praying in accordance to God’s will.
14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.
Oftentimes we may not have, or receive because we ask for our will not His will as mentioned in Jm4:3, a good example of praying God’s will is Jesus Himself in the garden.
42 saying, “Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done.”
God’s righteous ones can offer prayer that is effective, so righteousness is needed (1Pt3:12; Jm5:16)
Evil, well, God does not hear evil, in fact set’s His face against evil, but hears and set’s His eyes upon the righteous ones. And our righteousness is only found in Christ Jesus and we know that when we are in Him and He is us that he hear our prayers; Good scripture on this is (1Pt3:12)
Prayers of the righteous, well they are effective, look at this version from the Message.
16 Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with.
look at that, whole, healed, and prayer is powerful and a force to e reckoned with!
(overflow blessings picture inserted here)
Thankfulness is needed (Eph5:20; Php4:6; Col4:2; 1The5:17-18)
When we realize everything we have is a gift from God and is for our enjoyment, we need to then, in prayer come with a thankful heart.
Giving thanks for all things (Eph5:20)
Praying with all supplication and thanksgiving (Php4:6)
that is asking earnestly and humbly with a thankful heart
Don’t allow it to be an occasional prayer, may it be a common, vigilent, and constant prayer (Col4:2)
And a passage we have looked atbefore that I want to throw out there again for our consideration when it comes to thankfulness is needed.
17 pray without ceasing; 18 in everything give thanks; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
IT IS GOD’S WILL FOR YOU!
Persistence is needed (Lk11:5-10; Lk18:1-8; Mt26:44; 2Cor12:7-8; Act2:42)
Jesus gives great illustrations of persistence when it comes to prayer in the persistent friend (Lk11) and the persistent widow and the unjust judge (Lk18)
Jesus also gives demonstration of persistent prayer in the garden
44 And He left them again, and went away and prayed a third time, saying the same thing once more.
three times, three hours, same prayer; It was a great example for the early church that they made it a part of devoted worship (Act2:42)
Under correct authority needed (Eph5:20; Jm14:6; Heb7:24-25; Jn14:13; Heb4:14-16)
According to Mt28; all authority has been given to Jesus so we need to pray in Jesus name, under Jesus authority.
When we do that we are giving thanks to the Father through the son as it says in Eph5:20, well here, here is the verse.
20 always giving thanks for all things in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God, even the Father;
We do it in Jesus name for He is the only way (Jn14:6)
We do it in Jesus name knowing He is our High Priest
24 but Jesus, on the other hand, because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is able also to save forever those who draw near to God through Him, since He always lives to make intercession for them.
He lives to intercede for us when we pray to Him as our High Priest. Prayers of faith offered in humility with thanksgiving can give us great confidence that God will give us what is needed.
14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. 15 For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin.
16 Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
(Transition) So there we have some great characteristics, principles for effective prayer that helps us have a closer walk with the Lord, but there are obstacles to prayer too and I want to touch on that.
Potential obstacles to prayer
Potential obstacles to prayer
Life has obstacles, so it is with prayer, but when we know the obstacles we can do something to try to avoid them too. May we take just a few minutes and look at potential obstacles that can impact effective prayer that is to help us to walk closer with the Lord.
Unconfessed sin (Ps66:18)
the pattern of unconfessed sin is what is being addressed here
18 If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear;
Dwelling in sin (1Jn3:9; 1CO6:9-11)
This is dwelling in sin, knowing what is right, what GOd’s will is and still chosing something else.
9 No one who is born of God practices sin, because His seed abides in him; and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.
or better yet look at this passage
9 Or do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived; neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor homosexuals, 10 nor thieves, nor the covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers, will inherit the kingdom of God.
11 Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God.
How we treat others (Ps41:1-3; Mt5:23-24)
You are God’s hands, feet today, and mouth too, so how we treat others is a direct reflection of what we think about God. How do we regard others, look at Ps41.
1 How blessed is he who considers the helpless; The Lord will deliver him in a day of trouble. 2 The Lord will protect him and keep him alive, And he shall be called blessed upon the earth; And do not give him over to the desire of his enemies.
3 The Lord will sustain him upon his sickbed; In his illness, You restore him to health.
the helpless, the poor, The Lord will deliver them, and you may be the tool to help bring someone out of the bondage, the helplessness, the destitution they are in.
You may be the protection that someone needs
And in return, you will be called blessed and will not be handed over to your enemies.
How we treat spouse (1Pt3:7)
Did you know what you say, what you do, how you treat your spouse can hinder your prayers? Here’s proof
7 You husbands in the same way, live with your wives in an understanding way, as with someone weaker, since she is a woman; and show her honor as a fellow heir of the grace of life, so that your prayers will not be hindered.
Unforgiveness (Mt6:14-15; Mt18:21-22)
Jesus words on unforgiveness are pretty harsh
14 “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. 15 “But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.
Jesus also tells of the frequency of forgiveness to Peter when he asked in (Mt18). So, if you want forgiveness, offer forgiveness, you want God to hear your prayers do not store up iniquity (and unforgiveness is that) in your heart.
God’s answers to prayer
God’s answers to prayer
We have covered characteristics of effective prayer, including requirements. We have looked at hindrances to having effective prayer. Now, may we look at how God answers prayers.
Praying asking for God’s will to be done, following the example of Jesus as mentioned before is important and God wants to answer our prayers and may in several different ways, keep in mind, in accordance to His will.
Answered prayer, Yes! (1Jn3:22)
22 and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.
Answered yes for we are obedient to Him, and do the things that are pleasing to Him, like walking in His will, and living for His purpose and glory.
Answered prayer, Yes, but not yet (Ecc3:1)
1 There is an appointed time for everything. And there is a time for every event under heaven—
No one likes to wait, we want what we want and we want it now, we know that adage, but with God there is a time and a place, as well as a reason for everything.
Answered prayer, Yes, but not how you think (Isa55:8-9)
8 “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” declares the Lord. 9 “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways And My thoughts than your thoughts.
God’s way is not our way, and we do not see the big picture sometimes, but God does because He painted it and knows what is best for us. Think of this, a couple of scriptures not on your outline but are on the screen.
32 He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him over for us all, how will He not also with Him freely give us all things?
God did not hold back His Son, he will not hold back from us either!
11 For the Lord God is a sun and shield; The Lord gives grace and glory; No good thing does He withhold from those who walk uprightly.
To those who are righteous, those who walk in righteousness not of their own, but of the Son he does not withhold any good thing!
Answered prayer, No, but it’s for your good (Heb12:5-11; Hab3:17-19)
In Heb 12 it speaks of the chastening of the Lord is for our good, so not giving us all that we pray for is for our good.
A good illustration is found in Habakkuk
17 Though the fig tree should not blossom And there be no fruit on the vines, Though the yield of the olive should fail And the fields produce no food, Though the flock should be cut off from the fold And there be no cattle in the stalls, 18 Yet I will exult in the Lord, I will rejoice in the God of my salvation.
19 The Lord God is my strength, And He has made my feet like hinds’ feet, And makes me walk on my high places. For the choir director, on my stringed instruments.
We may not fully understand God, for his thoughts, his ways are not ours, we are called to trust Him and rejoice in Him regardless.
so, want a closer walk with thee? Hit your knees in prayer, prayers of faith that can deliver you like here in 1Cor10:13, can heal you, restore you, strengthen you. Oh wait, here is the passage.
13 No temptation has overtaken you but such as is common to man; and God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will provide the way of escape also, so that you will be able to endure it.
(Transition to conclusion) One of the greatest blessings, privileges and responsibilities we have is in prayer, and it helps us to have a closer walk with thee. Today we looked at the principles of prayer, or the characteristics of prayer, next week we will look at the practice of prayer.
One of the requirements for prayer to be heard is righteousness
(invitation slide - put on new self)
Where outside of Christ condemned; in Christ no condemnation
Where we were dead, we pass from death to eternal life in Christ
From enemy of God to child of God in Christ
From being separated and without hope; to having Jesus Christ who is our hope.
Be a new creation in Christ today, put on righteousness today
(Invitation slide 2) song, prayer (exit slides)