NJ - Purposes of Prayer - 1

Prayer is an act of Dedication

Intro:

Good Morning and welcome to our Oasis Online Service today. We are believing that your life will be touch and changed by Gods love for you. Over the past few months we have been studying, cultivating and applying prayer to our lives.

Prayer is a vital part of our relationship with God as believers.

Prayer is the heartbeat of all who follow after God

It is the defining mark of importance in our lives, knowing the difference that prayer makes for us.

Our focus today will be on: Prayer is an act of Dedication

Open in Prayer:

Father we thank You for your goodness and Your love towards us. We thank You for Your word and for Your Holy Spirit for we know it is He who brings revelation of Your word to our lives. Father bless Your people today in Jesus name Amen.

Prayer is an act of dedication:

1. Express

Acts 2:42 NKJV

42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles’ doctrine and fellowship, in the breaking of bread, and in prayers.

Our devotion to God

Our dependence upon God

Jesus would get alone by Himself and pray to His Father

Over past few months we have heard about Denial openning his windows and praying

Prayer is an act of dedication:

2. Our dependence upon God

Proverbs 3:5–6 NLT

5 Trust in the Lord with all your heart; do not depend on your own understanding. 6 Seek his will in all you do, and he will show you which path to take.

Part of the problem with prayer is that we don't feel our dependence is upon God.

Prayerlessness is our declaration of independence from God.

I can do it all

Reality is: God is able to make all grace abound to us

2 Corinthians 9:8 NKJV

8 And God is able to make all grace abound toward you, that you, always having all sufficiency in all things, may have an abundance for every good work.

Prayer is an act of dedication:

3. What does it cost to show our dependence upon God?

Honesty

We must admit "I need help"

"God, I admit I have a need and need your help

John 15:5–7 NKJV

5 “I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. 7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.

Remain = depend on/in God

Branch/Vine= Christian/God

Prayer is the support system

Conclution

As we conclude today Prayer is an act of dedication, it is devotion to God and our trust in Him. It is sign that we are belong to Him, we are His children and our need of Him

Daniel 9:3 NKJV

3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.

James 5:13–18 NLT

13 Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. 14 Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. 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. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.

Acts 16:25 NKJV

25 But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.