*PRAYER #4*

A) Prayer, as with all issues of Bible Doctrine, must be taught from the Scriptures to the Royal Family to be properly understood. Mt6:1 to 13; Lk11:1
B) Like most doctrines in Scripture, the concept of legitimate prayer has suffered due to
misconceptions and religious distortions.

1) Prayer is not some kind of “*BLANK CHECK*”, which the believer fills in and God honors
upon demand, distorting Mt 21:22 “And all things you ask in prayer, believing, you
shall receive.”
2) Prayer is *NOT A SYSTEM* by which we seek to PERSUADE God to acclimate to our thinking, or try to force Him to do something we desire, distorting Mk11:23. “Truly I say to
you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and does not
doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is going to happen, it shall be
granted him.”
3) Prayer *does NOT enable us to FORCE God* into doing something He does not want to do,
which distorts Lk 18:1-7.
a) we cannot legitimately pray for something that would violate God’s Essence (“pray
someone saved/positive”), or pray for something that is against Doctrinal principles
b) we cannot legitimately ask Him to make an “EXCEPTION” in our case
c) if the answer to a prayer request is obviously “no” because of going against God’s character, we should NOT RATIONALIZE and insist
d) dont ask God for deliverance from DISCIPLINE Heb12/6
4) Standard WRONG human viewpoint about prayer includes:
a) ”King James’ English is God’s preferred choice as far as language is concerned” – WRONG! Mk 14:36 “And He was saying, “Abba!=Daddy!…” God is not looking for an elaborate complicated vocabulary.
b) ”repetitious phrases somehow impress God and get His attention” – WRONG! Mt6:7 “And when you are praying, do not use meaningless repetition, as the Gentiles do, for they
suppose that they will be heard for their many words.”
c) ”posture (kneeling, bowed head, folded hands, etc.) affects how well God responds
to our prayers” – WRONG! See Gen32:29; Ex33:18; Jdg20:28; 1Sam1:9 to 13; Ps28:2; Ez9:8; Lk22:41; Acts1:15;16:24-25
d) ”God is more inclined to listen if we are hungry/fasting” – WRONG! (the Lord’s prayer of Jn17 came immediately after a meal). Fasting does not force God to answer your prayer but it helps you to concentrate more on God than on food, dstv or other issues.
e) ”long public prayers impress God” – WRONG! (saying Grace before dinner and mentioning
everything but the food) Luke20:47
f) ”shouting impresses God ”– WRONG! 1Kings18 prophets of Baal shouted to their sleepy god. Our God does not sleep, no need to shout.

*What is prayer?*  Prayer is personal communication with God – talking and listening to Him.  He loves and cares for us.  He wants to hear what we have to say.  He is delighted when we pray.
*Why is prayer important?*
God commands us to pray 1Thess5:17; Eph6:18
Prayer glorifies God Jn14:13
Prayer prepares our hearts to obey and walk with Jesus
Prayer builds intimacy with God
God answers prayer Acts4:23to33; Matt9:38
Prayer is more a privilege than a duty
*What did Jesus say about prayer?*
Luke11:1to13
Matt6:5to18
Matt7:7to11
Luke18:1to14
*What example did He set for us?*
Jesus prayed. He loved to pray. His regular habit was to pray. Prayer was a natural part of His life. Examples:
Mark1:35 We see Him praying in the morning
Luke5:15,16 He often slipped away to the wilderness to pray even when He was busy
Luke6:12,13 He spent the entire night in prayer
The night before the crucifixion was spent in prayer
Luke22:32; Jn17:6 to 19 He prayed for others by name
Luke9:29 He prayed with others
The disciples never asked Jesus how to walk on water or how to raise the dead but they begged Him to “teach us to pray”. They knew there was a relationship between the power His life manifested and the hours He spent conversing with God the Father.
*How to pray -elements of prayer*
*ADORATION* – We express our adoration and praise to God, express wonder of His great majesty, His sovereignty and mighty power. We praise God for who He is and what He is like. We honor Him for the wonderful things He has done. In the Psalms are many excellent examples of praise and adoration.
*CONFESSION* – What is confession? Confession means to agree with God about our sin.  Confession involves repentance 1Jn1:9, Ps51
*THANKSGIVING* – We express appreciation to God for what He has done for us. Our gratitude demonstrates faith 1Thess5:18, Ps107:1, Ps103:2
*SUPPLICATION* – Making requests. We pray for other people and their needs and for our own needs Matt6:11 to 13, Phil4:6,7
Prayer is like anything else: we learn by practicing. If you want to learn how to pray then pray; praying with other mature believers helps. God has invited us to come freely into His presence. Let us take Him up on this incredible offer! AMEN