PRAYER

The Christ Follower’s Hardest Work

What is Prayer?

Communication With God Prayer is request to a personal LORD

who answers as He knows best

Effective Prayer

“Effective Prayer must be a scripturally informed response of persons saved by grace, to the living God who can hear and answer on the basis of Christ’s payment of the penalty which sinners deserved” Nelson’s Illustrated Bible Dictionary p. 866

Break That Down

Response To the great need we have for God To His Greatness To our helplessness

Break That Down

Scripturally Informed God operates within the purpose of

His will He does nothing apart from His will I must pray within His great purpose He has revealed His purpose in His

Word

Break That Down

Persons saved by grace “Sinners who have not trusted Jesus

Christ for their salvation remain alienated from God” [Nelson p. 866]

Their first prayer must be” Lord save me from my sin”

Once we have trusted Christ for salvation we have access to God through Christ’s payment of our sins.

Break That Down

He Hears and Answers according to His sovereign will.

Aspects Of Prayer

Faith Worship Confession Adoration Praise Thanksgiving Dedicated Action Request

Why Do We Pray?

Our DEEP Need Apart from Christ we can do

nothing!!!! [John 15:5] It is a response to God’s love for us In our prayers we should not only

seek answers to our problems, but we should seek God Himself.

Why Do We Pray?

In our prayers we should seek God as revealed in His Word

We MUST live by FAITH Faith in God means being obedient to

His Word Faith in God is always rewarded by

God.

Why Do We Not Pray As We Ought To Pray? “The answer, I think, is simple: I don’t pray as

I ought because I’m self-reliant, which the Bible calls pride. My pride makes me think, erroneously, that I can handle things by myself, with a little help now and then from God. So, I rely mostly on myself and a little bit on God. I don’t really believe Christ’s words, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” So God graciously brings me trials to show me my great need so that I will look to my great God in prayer and trust Him to work on my behalf.” Stephen J. Cole

Bringing myself under the control of God’s Holy Spirit is where I need to live. The World, the Flesh, and the Devil all are in opposition to this. It is HARD work to fight the enemies of my soul and rest in the power of God.

We often sing; “Savior you can move the

mountains, our God is mighty to save. Jesus, author of salvation you rose and conquered the grave.”

He is willing and able to release that same power into our lives. And it pleases him when we yield to His strength. That is how we fight.

BUT IT IS VERY HARD

FIGHT FAMILY