06/04/21 SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER #4 — Essential #4 — PETITIONING GOD FOR OUR NEEDS

Matthew 6:11 Give us this day our daily bread,

Asking God honors God. Looking to God as the Source for all our needs is exactly what He wants from us.

1. “Give” — Teaches us the ownership of God. Everything we receive comes by His Almighty hand (Php.4:6; 1Ti.2:1; Mat.6:34).

2. “us” — Our petitions are to unselfish. Prayer is not just for me; prayer is for “us” — my family, my church, my friends, my nation. ALL the pronouns in this passage (our, we, us) are PLURAL; we’re a TEAM.

3. “this day” — Prayer is a daily task, a habitual labor of love that every believer sees to daily (Mat.6:34).

4. “our daily bread” — Bring our every need before God, great or small.

05/31/21 SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER #3 — Essential #3 — AGREEMENT WITH GOD

Matthew 6:10 Your kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Two areas in which we must be in agreement with God are:

1. God’s PLAN—“Your kingdom come.” When we live every day as if He may come any moment, it turns our EYES toward Him.

2. God’s PURPOSE for our lives—“on earth.” God has a purpose for every life. Don’t fight with Him over His purpose in your life.

05/28/21 SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER #2 — Essential #2 — A HEART FULL OF WORSHIP

Matthew 6:9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name…”

Verse 9 contains three truths concerning worship when we pray:

1. WHO can worship God in prayer—“Our Father.” ONLY those who can claim God as their Father can go to Him in prayer (John 8:37-44).

2. WHOM we are to worship—“in heaven.” No one else’s name is to be hallowed, kept holy.

3. HOW we are to worship—“hallowed be Your name.” “hallowed” is the Greek word for holy with a verb ending. We must come before Him conscious of His great holiness (Mal.1:11; Psa.100:4, 115:1).

05/24/21 SEVEN ESSENTIALS OF PRAYER #1 — (adapted from the booklet by Tom Ward)

Scripture — Matthew 6:8-13 (ESV) The Lord’s Prayer (or Model Prayer)

Jesus Christ is the Master-Teacher of prayer. Here He taught us seven essential ingredients of true prayer.

Essential #1—AN EXPECTANT ATTITUDE

Matthew 6:8 (ESV) Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.

Christ gives two admonitions here concerning our attitude before God when we come to Him in prayer, one negative and one positive.

1.   We are NOT to pray like a hypocrite (actor, pretender). Two qualities God cannot stand: They pray to be “seen by others” (v.6) and they use “empty phrases” (v.7). Their prayers are empty and full of words with no LIFE. There is much rhetoric, but there is no communication with the throne room of God.

2.   God KNOWS our needs before we ask… Our attitude before we pray is of vital import. We must come to God realizing that it is His desire to grant our request (see Mat.7:7; 21:22; Isa.65:24; Heb.4:14-16;). We must develop the mind set that our Father in Heaven is more than willing and “able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think” (Eph.3:20 ESV).