Week of Prayer January 6-12, 2008

POINTS ON PRAYER
Discovering the road to God’s Glory & Power for your life

Knowing How to Pray & Why

Luke 11:1 “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” (NIV)

Matthew 6:5-15 “…This, then, is how you should pray…” (NIV - look up and read the entire passage)

Q: When was the last time you asked the Lord – how to pray?

The answer to that question will determine if you have begun to understand the gravity of Ephesians 3:20-21 and if you have begun to understand the gravity of that passage, then you are likely ready to engage in the following THREE ACTIONS.

This road to God's Glory and Power will require at least THREE ACTIONS on your part:

Prayer
Planning
Prioritizing

Q: Are you willing to engage in these essential actions?

If you will engage in these actions THREE THINGS WILL OCCUR:

1. a RELEASE of POTENTIAL – Sermon 1 Jan 6, 2008
2. a REVELATION of POSSIBILITIES – Sermon 2 Jan 13, 2008
3. a RENEWAL of PASSION – Sermon 3 Jan 20, 2008

The above THREE ACTIONS that cause the above THREE THINGS TO OCCUR indeed begin with prayer.

Knowing What to Pray
There are many good and proper things to pray, but to be most effective and to develop in the skill of praying, one should first follow the Lord’s pattern of prayer.

The Lord’s Prayer
When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He gave them a simple 6 step pattern to follow, known as the “Lord’s Prayer.” Jesus didn’t intend for us to just pray the same words he spoke in Matthew 6:9. He intended it to be an outline for prayer. Use each verse of the Lord’s Prayer as a guideline to help keep your prayer-time on track.
THE PRAYER a decision to obey the Lord and just do it
THE PLAN a specific place and time that you fit into your life even just 10 minutes a day
THE PRIORITY of the prayer should follow the Lord’s pattern



Matthew 6:9-15 “Pray, then, in this way:”

Step 1 “Our Father Who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name.” This is the call to praise and worship. Take time to honor the Lord and consider His greatness. Remember His faithfulness to you and be encouraged by His promises.

Step 2 “Thy kingdom come Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven.”
Align yourself with God’s will, and listen so you can know His desires. Proclaim God’s will over your life, family, church, the lost, etc. Wait and allow the Lord to share His heart and will with you.

Step 3 “Give us this day our daily bread.” Ask God for your needs and the needs of others. Be specific, and ask in faith for anything and everything the Lord wants to give you, i.e. Ask and you shall receive.

Step 4 “And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” Ask God for forgiveness in any areas of known sin, and speak out forgiveness toward anyone you have not forgiven. Remember Jesus said from the cross “Father forgive them, for they know not what they do.” Most people who sin against us don’t have a clue as to how much hurt they’ve subjected us to, yet we must still forgive.

Step 5 “And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.” Ask God for the grace to stand firm in the face of temptation and resist the schemes of the enemy, always remembering to look to Jesus for the way of escape (1 Corinthians 10:13).

Step 6 “For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.” Finish with proclaiming who God is and exalting His name. Take time to thank Him for the answers to come, and to worship Him.

Going beyond the above pattern

The following is a list of things you may focus on as you pray this week:

Personal repentance of sin
A greater desire to pray
A greater desire for the lost to be saved
Holy Spirit power to witness
Revival in our church and America
A deeper hunger for God’s Word
Pastor Kinney and church leaders
Souls saved weekly in church
Visitors each Sunday AM
100% tithing and faith promise participation
The church to grow numerically and spiritually
Your family / church families
Your unsaved friends and loved ones
Our missionaries
A weekly move of the Holy Spirit
A spirit of humility and forgiveness
Healing to occur in our bodies and souls
Prosperity on all levels
Our schools
Our local government and authorities
Other churches and pastors
Your immediate neighbors

What ever the Holy Spirit leads you to pray

Just What the Doctor Ordered

“Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. (8) Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-8 NLT

“Be not wise in your own eyes; reverently fear and worship the Lord and turn [entirely] away from evil. (8) It shall be health to your nerves and sinews, and marrow and moistening to your bones.” Proverbs 3:7-8 AMP

As I read these verses, I begin to understand a bit more about God’s provision for healing through the atonement of Jesus Christ. The Bible tells us that BY HIS STRIPES WE ARE HEALED [Isaiah 53:5; 1 Peter 2:24]. Meaning that, as His body was wounded and bruised, God made provision for our bodily healing [our flesh = mind, will, emotions, and physical body].

Over and over the Bible clearly declares that we can and should expect to receive healing from God, but have we ever considered that there may be some conditions to that healing? First we must understand that, what Jesus did for us and what was provided by His scourging is already done and in place.

Much like a miracle drug that cures every disease, affliction or injury, so too is the power of God working through His Son’s suffering before, during and after the cross. So understand this, the miracle of healing is already in place. The prescription is already filled and all we have to do is TAKE AS DIRECTED.

That’s right, just like a medicine is designed to be taken as directed, or it will not work AS INTENDED, so too with the power of God’s healing virtue.

Consider the Great Physician’s directives on taking His RX for our healing. TAKE AS DIRECTED: DON’T BE IMPRESSED WITH YOUR OWN WISDOM, FEAR THE LORD, TURN AWAY FROM EVIL. When taken as directed refills are unlimited and healing is guaranteed.

So consider now if you will; are you taking God’s RX for your healing AS DIRECTED? Are you willing to follow the Doctor’s Orders today and everyday from this day forward? Always remembering that for a prescription to be fully effective, one must TAKE THE ENTIRE prescription. Don’t stop when the bottle’s half empty and your symptoms have subsided. If you do, the affliction may return.

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more important GOOD HEALTH is to my daily living. I want to live the FULL LIFE that Jesus suffered, died and rose from the dead for. I really do want to live out the promised purpose of Jesus’ coming [John 10:10].

Do you?