DEVELOPING A LIFE OF PRAYERPrayer - a powerful weaponEphesians 6:18

Dear God…

RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD IT must never be forgotten that Almighty God rules this

world. He is not an absentee God. He is every present in the concerns of time. His hand is ever in the mix of human affairs.

God is… A personal, loving being

Jn 3:16…God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…

All powerful Luke 1:37 … for nothing is impossible with God

All-knowing Ps 139:2-4 … you know when I sit & when I rise Ps 147:4-5 … He determines the number of stars and calls them

each by name Prayer is the key to the heart of God. Prayer is essential

to a real and personal relationship with God - intimacy

Intimacy

PRAYER IS COMMUNICATION Prayer is, at its heart, the communication that is the

fabric of the human being's relationship with our Father

However… A rather large part of the Christian church rarely prays They are not much different from the typical agnostic

Rom 1:18-26 Both doubt that prayer matters Doubt that God loves them Doubt that they are clean enough Doubt that God is able to make good things happen in this

world Relationship challenge

Don’t worry about …. Discipline is required for intimacy

GROWING A PRAYER RELATIONSHIP A relationship is a living, growing entity that

needs the fuel of attention and heart Growing our prayer life is like growing a

relationship: We start off as acquaintances; then, as we get

to know each other, we become more confident and spend more time together. The time spent helps us build trust, intimacy, submission…

To make it work, as with any friend /lovers, we must desire to know and pursue …if anyone is thirsty, let him come to Me and drink

Jn 7:37It comes down to Lord, I want to know You!

DEVELOPING A LIFE OF PRAYER

"When I go aside in order to pray, I find my heart unwilling to approach God; and when I tarry in prayer my heart is unwilling to abide in Him. Therefore I am compelled first to pray to God to move my heart into Himself, and when I am in Him, I pray that my heart remain in Him.“ John Bunyan

OBSTACLES TO PRAYER

One of the first things that happens when we pray is that we get distractedExpect distractions! Establish a routineDon’t get frustrated; know how to

handle themInternal noiseJust comePreparation

BIG DISTRACTION—INTERNAL NOISE• It is greatly feared that much

of the work of the Church is being done by those who are perfect strangers to the closet E. M. Bounds

A busy mind and heart results in our not actually being ‘present’ at prayer time

We need to slow down mentally and physically to pray Eph 6:12-19

For our struggle is not against flesh & blood …

Phillip 4:8 Finally, brethren, what so ever things

are true, noble, right, pure, lovely, admirable..

Try Think about what you’re

thinking about – focus Breathing exercise and

consciously tell yourself you are entering a time of prayer

If things keep popping up, practice simply placing it in God’s care and ask him to remind you of all the things that need to be done after your prayer time

BIG DISTRACTION - INTERNAL NOISE

Inadequate God may ask something of me I don’t measure up, I’m not

perfect I feel really sinful, I am not

perfect, and I feel God must be repulsed by me….

Remember: Moses the murderer, Rahab the

harlot, Jacob the liar, Jonah the rebel

Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything,

but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God…

Hurt / Trust I can’t share it with

you. Things have happened in my life that I am hurt by

God, if you cared you would have prevented it…...

I am angry at the church and I am angry at you

JUST AS I AM - COME Christ came to us just as we are, to establish, remake

our relationship with God Rom 5:8 …But God shows his love for us in that while we

were still sinners, Christ died for us Knowing that even our best holiness is rags

Isaiah 64:6 … all our righteous acts are like filthy rags …BUT Jesus' holiness in us means everything, when we

come in prayer we come as we are Unwashed Messy and icky inside Scared Needy Empty Bored Screaming for revenge

Just as I am; just as you are … come

COME Come…God has called you out to us out of

darkness – into His marvelous light 1 Peter 2:9-10 Come trusting that through prayer God can

change us, and can change the things that happen in life

Come trusting that God is with us and builds us up, that the Holy Spirit prays with us and for us Rom 8:22-28 … the Spirit helps us in our weakness.

We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

Come trusting that the Lord will lead us to lose our anger, lead us to repentance, lead us to being open to the Spirit's voice, lead us to love Rom 2:4 … not realizing that God’s kindness is

intended to lead you to repentance? Joseph – Gen 43:15-44:17

PREPARATION - WAR ROOM

A command center; a single location which serves as the central point of coordination for military activities. By extension, a single location from which any activity is directed

In a political campaign, it is the location of the 24/7 media monitoring operation

Space – Luke 6:12 Mountain …night

Time – Mark 1:35 Early in the morning

No interruptions Turn off cell phones Do not disturb sign

Plan/ Strategy Write it (SBAR) - Journal

Reference material Communicate

Keep participants constantly updated on rapidly changing situations

Defined

Set up – Positioning

GOD’S

EMBARKING: PRAYER IS YOUR WEAPON

The fight is for your life Jn 10:10 … the thief comes only to steal, kill & destroy… 1 Peter 5:8 … be sober-minded; be watchful Eph 6:13-18 … put on the whole armor of God, that you may be

able to stand A very real enemy has been strategizing and scheming against

you & is coming after your : Emotions Mind Family Future

He’s doing it right now – right where you're sitting But remember

You are fighting from faith … in Enemy has been defeated

Gen 3:15 … her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shall bruise his heel

Heb 2:14-18 … He too shared in their humanity so that by His death He might break the power of him who holds the power of death

So come

THIS IS WAR – WELCOME TO WEEK 1But… His reign of terror stops here Stops now He might keep coming, but he won’t have victory

anymore Because it all starts failing when we start praying We must pray now. You must pray now

Prayer can no longer be an after thought It must be specific & strategic

Welcome to week 1 God created each of us for His glory & wants us to

grow closer to Him & be more like Him To grow spiritually we must continue to be truthful &

open about where we are

HONEST SELF-EVALUATION – SCALE 1-10Evaluation In your opinion, how close are you to God right

now? Regarding closeness to God, where do you want

to be in one year from now? How diligently do you seek and pursue a closer

walk with God each day? How much time and effort do you spend in His

Word and in prayer each week? How quickly do you obey God when He tells you

to do something? When God reveals sin in your life, how quickly

do you confess and repent of it?Movie Clip – Lukewarm Coffee

CLIP DISCUSSION

What biblical metaphor did Miss Clara use to help Elizabeth evaluate God’s place in her life? READ ALOUD Rev 3:14-22 … So, because you are lukewarm--neither

hot nor cold--I am about to spit you out of my mouth How do our lives slowly become lukewarm the

further we get from the Source of living water? What evidence of lukewarm living do you see in

believers’ lives today? How about in your own life? Rev 3:19 – What was motivating Jesus to offer such

a harsh rebuke and stern discipline Heb 12:1-6 … because the Lord disciplines the one he

loves, and he chastens everyone he accepts as his son

BE SPECIFIC What 3 specific things in your life keep you from

being more on fire for God?1. ____________________________________________2. ____________________________________________3. ____________________________________________

We invite you now to pray that God will do these 3 things in your life. Ask Him to…

1. Search your heart and reveal your true condition before Him

2. Give you the grace to repent of any unconfessed sin and be more zealous and passionate in your relationship with Him

3. Help you open your heart & stay obedient and intimately close to Jesus

LIVING THE BATTLE PLAN

1 Peter 1:13 Therefore, prepare your minds for action,

keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ.

Deuteronomy 41:6 "Be strong and courageous, do not be afraid

or tremble at them, for the LORD your God is the one who goes with you He will not fail you or forsake you."

Ps 27:1 The LORD is my light and my salvation;

Whom shall I fear? The LORD is the defense of my life; Whom shall I dread?

Phillip 4:13 I can do all things through Christ who

strengthens me. James 4:7

Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.

Father, I come to You today in Jesus’ name, asking You to draw me into a closer, more personal relationship with You.

Cleanse me of my sins and prepare my heart to pray in a way that pleases You.

Use all the circumstances of my life to make me more like Jesus, and teach me to pray according to Your will and Your word.

Verses Prayer

MATTHEW 6:9-13