Influencing God: Prayer

Part 3:

Christ gave us an example of the perfect prayer when He gave us the Lord’s prayer.

The disciples asked Jesus how to pray and He said to pray “like this” and gave us this prayer, (see Matthew 6:9-13):

FIRST- “Our Father in Heaven” This shows us who we are to address our prayers to. This focuses our faith on the fact that if we are saved into a right relationship with God, we have the right to approach Him as His child. Addressing Him as our Father is knowing that God cares for our needs and meets all of these needs as a loving Father would, (read Philippians 4:19).

SECOND –“hallowed be Your name/praised and holy is Your name..” "Praise and honor the Father’s name; “ tells us to approach God with praise and honor, acknowledging His holiness. The word, “hallowed,” means; “holy.” Worship and praise should always go along with prayer, (Philippians 4:6). If your faith is weak then praise God, fixing your mind on what you have already received through prayer and on what you will receive. Your faith will grow. Praise releases the power of faith. Our next lesson will cover praise in more detail.

THIRD- Seek His kingdom; “...Your kingdom come…” God's Kingdom has come within us REFERENCE and will continue to come being more real to this world as time passes away. This puts God and His King­dom as our first priority in prayer. Our love for God should show itself by a love for others, hoping to bring them into the Kingdom of God’s love. Seeking to understand and to experience more of the Kingdom of God or God’s reality should be our highest priority in life. Matthew 6:33 tells us to seek first the Kingdom of God and all else will be added to us.

FOURTH- Pray that His will be done over yours; “...Your will be done...” This accepts and agrees with the Father's perfect will in all things. It is submission to the will of God over your own wants because of your love and trust in Him, (read 1 John 5:14-15).

FIFTH- “….on earth as it is in heaven…. Accept the fact that it is God’s will to have things on earth as they are in heaven. Since we know that sickness, disease, lack, unhappiness, and pain are not in heaven; then we know that these things are not God’s perfect will for us here on earth.

SIXTH- Pray for your needs; “...give us this day our daily bread...” In review of the instructions from Jesus; we have directed our prayer to the Father; we have praised His name and we have put the interests of the kingdom first. Now, we can lift up the promises of God that cover our needs and express those needs knowing that it is God’s will to fulfill them. When we pray for our needs first, above all else, we are praying a selfish prayer. This is not prayer that expresses love for God and His creation, nor does it reveal a yielding and humble heart.

SEVENTH- Pray for forgiveness and expect it in the same amount that you forgive others; “...forgive us our sins as we forgive others and those indebted to / who have sinned against us... Have a right relationship with God and man. Unforgiveness in your heart can prevent your prayers from being heard. If you are not forgiven, you are not in right standing before God. We saw the importance of right standing before God in the above lessons. If you do not forgive, God will not forgive you, (Matthew 6:12-15; Mark 11:25).

EIGHT- Pray that we not be tempted; “...lead us not into temptation and deliver us from evil..” (also see Matthew 26:41). God’s guidance, protection, and deliverance should be part of our prayer life.

NINTH- End in praise and reverence to God; “...for Yours is the power, and the glory, forever and ever…” We end our prayer by praising and acknowledging God’s power and offering up to Him the glory that is rightfully His. Sin begins when we glorify ourselves or our desires rather than God. The sin of Satan was that He would be like God. The first sin of mankind, was that he would be like God. Give the glory of all good things to God and not to yourself or your abilities.

TENTH - ”… Amen.” Finalize in your mind that the prayer has been answered. The word, “Amen,” confirms a statement, an oath, or a covenant. “Amen” can mean; "it is done, it is true, or it is finished." Think of this meaning every time you say it. Think, “Amen, this matter is finished and true.” I prefer to say, "It is done" rather than "amen"to remind myself that God has solved my problems.

Christ’s prayer life:

A) Jesus spent a lot of time alone with God the Father, (Mark 1:35; 6:46, 47; Luke 5:16).
B) Christ put our Father’s will above his own, (Luke 22:42).
C) He prayed before beginning God’s work, (Luke 6:12-13).
We can see from the scriptures that Jesus needed to retreat to spend time with God. Everything He did was as an example for us to follow. We need to go back to the well when our bucket is empty. You cannot give away what you do not have. Fill yourself with the Spirit and presence of God often so that your cup will overflow into the lives of those around you.

SUMMARY OF HOW TO PRAY:

Pray in the name of Jesus,
by the power of the Holy Spirit.
Approach God with humility.
Repentance is necessary for us to have the right standing.
Believe you have received and see the answer in your mind and spirit.
Know and claim the promises of God and His words;
Know that the love of God makes it His will that you have good things.
Add praise to it
Seek Him with your whole heart
Pray in the name of Jesus
Pray with others
Pray with persistance.
Consider fasting for more powerful prayers.

CONSIDER THE LORD’S PRAYER:

1. FATHER AND ACCEPT HIS LOVE
2. GIVE PRAISE AND HONOR TO HIS NAME
3. SEEK HIS KINGDOM FIRST
4. SEEK HIS WILL ABOVE YOURS
5. ACCEPT THAT HIS WILL FOR YOU IS GOOD
6. PRESENT YOUR DESIRES AND NEEDS
7. PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS
8. PRAY FOR GUIDANCE AND DELIVERANCE FROM EVIL
9. GIVE ALL GLORY AND PRAISE TO GOD
10. ACCEPT HIS ANSWER; IT IS DONE.
PRAY CONTINUALLY ABOUT EVERYTHING AND CONTINUALLY EXPECT ANSWERS TO YOUR PRAYERS.