Prayer

What is prayer

Matthew 6

6

1 Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven.

2 Therefore when thou doest thine alms, do not sound a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may have glory of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

3 But when thou doest alms, let not thy left hand know what thy right hand doeth:

4 That thine alms may be in secret: and thy Father which seeth in secret himself shall reward thee openly.

5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.

7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.

8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

9 After this manner therefore pray ye:

Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Acknowledgement that God’s the Almighty, there is only one place for a true God, in heaven above every other.

God is Holy.

10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

3. God’s will will be established.

1. All of creation will surrender to God.

2. Today, men have the opportunity to serve God, of their own free will.

3. There will come a time when every knee shall bow and confess that Christ is Lord. But it will be too late for those who don’t surrender to God willingly.

11 Give us this day our daily bread.

We are reliant upon God, for even our DAILY needs.

This is all recognizing Him as God, and acknowledging our dependence upon God for even our basic needs.

You can never allow yourself to get to the place where, you don’t think you need God.

12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

Acknowledge who God is, and then, realizing if it were not for God I’d be lost in my sin.

13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

God is all authority!

14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you:

15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

FASTING: Matthew 6:

Fasting, it was not something God did away with, however we understand, fasting was to bring the body under subjection because the flesh is unruly.

So, fasting was to subject oneself and if you could control yourself in not eating, then you could get your fleshly desires under control also.

In fasting, because the body is not processing what you have consumed, your mind is more able to focus and therefore, the spirituality of a person can be more in tune with God.

WITH ALL THAT SAID:

Jesus, again did not do away with fasting, but, the Holy Ghost’s office in a Christians life is to “burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire”.

Matthew 3:11-12

11 I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance: but he that cometh after me is mightier than I, whose shoes I am not worthy to bear: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost, and with fire:

12 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire.

Luke 3:16-17

16 John answered, saying unto them all, I indeed baptize you with water; but one mightier than I cometh, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to unloose: he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire:

17 Whose fan is in his hand, and he will throughly purge his floor, and will gather the wheat into his garner; but the chaff he will burn with fire unquenchable.

The office of the Holy Ghost is to bring us unto subjection.

You don’t have to rely on “your works” or “God punishing you”. The Holy Ghost was sent for ALL Christians.

16 Moreover when ye fast, be not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance: for they disfigure their faces, that they may appear unto men to fast. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.

17 But thou, when thou fastest, anoint thine head, and wash thy face;

18 That thou appear not unto men to fast, but unto thy Father which is in secret: and thy Father, which seeth in secret, shall reward thee openly.

19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:

20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:

21 For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

22 The light of the body is the eye: if therefore thine eye be single, thy whole body shall be full of light.

God is what you desire.

You are no longer seeking YOUR WILL, you don’t have any ulterior motive, you are not looking for another way to serve God, you are convinced that this is the right way to God, through Jesus Christ His Son, you don’t have two ways about yourself.

You are 100% certain, you have fallen in love with God.

23 But if thine eye be evil, thy whole body shall be full of darkness. If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!

When our physical eye is in an unhealthy condition, the image is doubled and blurred.

You could say, it has a squint.

The endeavor to serve God and the flesh,

to stand well with both worlds,

to lay up treasures on earth and at the same time be rich toward God,

is a spiritual squint.

You cannot face both ways at the same time. You can’t cheat God and the devil, in the end, you will only have cheated yourself and your neighbors.

24 No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

25 Therefore I say unto you, Take no thought for your life, what ye shall eat, or what ye shall drink; nor yet for your body, what ye shall put on. Is not the life more than meat, and the body than raiment?

Some people are sooooo vain!

They want the latest fashion of clothing, hand bags, have to look a certain way.

It’s all a cover up, a facade, there is something underneath all of that and that is what God wants to see.

Not the cover up.

God wants us to be who he made us. Not what we can make of ourselves.

26 Behold the fowls of the air:...

He uses nature as an example:

...for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?

Is God going to let

27 Which of you by taking thought can add one cubit unto his stature?

which of you by being anxious, worrying etc.

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin:

29 And yet I say unto you, That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which to day is, and to morrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?

Where is your trust?

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 (For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.

34 Take therefore no thought for the morrow: for the morrow shall take thought for the things of itself. Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.

Prayer is an invocation

(invoke = call on God in prayer, as a witness, or for inspiration.

Call upon earnestly for help.

Give rise to; evoke: How does God know if we won’t bring it to His attention?)

Omniscient , all knowing, but He has the authority to limit what He does.

He is God, so if He decides to not know, or to hold back knowledge it is well within His ability to as He sees fit.

Back to defining prayer:

Prayer is an invocation or act that seeks to activate a rapport through deliberate communication.

In the narrow sense, the term refers to an act of supplication (to ask for something earnestly or humbly) or intercession (to intervene on behalf of another or self) directed towards God.

Lets look at some forms of prayer:

(1) Prayer of Adoration/Blessing,

(2) Prayer of Contrition/Repentance,

(3) Prayer of Thanksgiving/Gratitude,

(4) Prayer of Supplication/Petition/Intercession.

The importance of prayer:

Prayer is an opportunity to spend time with God.

To really understand the heart of God, you need to pray.

John 15:11-In John 15:15, Jesus says He no longer calls us his servants, but calls us His friends. Talking with God develops a deeper relationship with Him.

11 These things have I spoken unto you, that my joy might remain in you, and that your joy might be full.

12 This is my commandment, That ye love one another, as I have loved you.

13 Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends.

14 Ye are my friends, if ye do whatsoever I command you.

15 Henceforth I call you not servants; for the servant knoweth not what his lord doeth: but I have called you friends; for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you.

As we spend time with anyone, we develop a relationship:

1. We learn to trust.

2. We begin to love them.

3. The bond grows stronger and stronger with every passing interaction.

a. Not with every passing day, it with every passing interaction.

So it is with God.

To spend time with God is a privilege not just a duty or obligation.

What is the value of prayer?

Prayer accomplishes at least two things:

1. it strengthens our relationship with God

2. gives us access to God's power and purpose.

God has a purpose for our church that we can only discover as we spend time with God asking questions and listening.

In this you will find the purpose of what God has for your life.

The Five Types of Prayer

Knowing its importance in prayerful communication.

– Worship and Praise. This prayer acknowledges God for what He is. ...

– Petition and Intercession. ...

– Supplication. ...

– Thanksgiving. ...

– Spiritual Warfare.

Why is prayer so powerful?

God, through prayer, opens eyes, changes hearts, heals wounds, and grants wisdom.

James 1:5  If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him.

The power of prayer should never be underestimated because it draws on the glory and might of the infinitely powerful God of the universe!

Daniel 4:35 And all the inhabitants of the earth are reputed as nothing: and he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay his hand, or say unto him, What doest thou?

“All the peoples of the earth are regarded as nothing.

God is able to do whatever He desires.

God wants to give you the desires of your heart.

But not, if they are against His will, or if you will lose out with him in having them.

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

Psalms 5:1–3 Give ear to my words, O Lord, Consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God: For unto thee will I pray. My voice shalt thou hear in the morning, O Lord; In the morning will I direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up.

Jeremiah 29:12–13 Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Matthew 6:5–13 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou…

1 Thessalonians 5:17 Pray without ceasing.

Hebrews 4:16 Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.