How Are You Praying?

I. Text: Matthew 6:5-13

II. We studied prayer in depth for a whole quarter

A. Topics

B. We studied the power of prayer (James 5:16)

C. We learned how to pray (Matthew 6:5-7)

D. Not with vain repetition Not to be seen of men

E. We learned what to pray about (Matthew 6:8-13)

F. Many things in Jesus’ model prayer Four types of prayer: Thanksgiving, I ntercession, Praise, Supplication We learned that God hears our prayers We learned that God answers prayer (Mark 11:24

G. Are your prayer habits any different now than they were before the study?

H. If your prayer life has not changed:

I. It cannot be that you needed more information for the study was thorough Do you not believe that prayer is effective? Do you not think that it is a wise use of your time? If your prayer habits are not stronger, what hinders you from improving it?

J. If your prayer life has changed

K. Do you feel more at peace knowing you are always taking things to God? Are you constantly reminded of God’s control? Have you been more focused on spiritual things? Do you feel closer to God? We can improve good prayer habits

III. We must develop good prayer habits

A. Wanting a closer relationship with God or more peace without prayer is just wishing

B. Personal relationships are built with interest, desire to find moments together, edification, and time.

C. We desire closeness in many critical relationships

D. God desires our company; we should be humbled and awed by this Will we open ourselves to God’s fellowship through prayer and study? We must invest ourselves in Him if we hope to grow in our relationship to Him John 4:23 – God wants us to worship Him We must determine to improve our relationship to God through prayer Will we ignore Him by ignoring His word and failing to confide in Him through prayer?

E. We must plan for change and improvement

F. Schedule prayer

G. Some people put time for prayer in their day planners and will not let others book an appointment in that space Some will choose to pray at every even hour, or every odd hour. The important thing is to make it a planned part of your day otherwise it, like so many things that are unscheduled, will be forgotten in the bustle of the day.

H. Remember that it takes 30-60 days to develop solid habits

I. Again, desire must be there or the habit will never take root (New Year’s…) Making something a habit means that you have integrated a behavior into your life so that you do not have to remind yourself to do something

J. Ideally, we will become so dependent on prayer and enjoy opening our hearts to God so much that we will feel discomfort if we cannot pray.

K. Jesus was an important example for us

L. Mark 1:35 – Get up early and get away from others

M. Chose an early hour Got away to a place where He could be alone with the Father If we jump out of bed and into the frenzy of life, it is hard to find a stopping place to retreat with God. Luke 5:16 – It was a regular habit for Jesus

N. We must find a way that works

O. Is a long prayer in the morning good for you or is the evening better? Do you feel closer by many smaller prayers throughout the day? Will notes on what to pray for help you? Should you spend time reading or studying before prayer? One way will not work for all people

P. It is important to develop prayer habits that are effective for us and to start changing ourselves today.

IV. What does lack of prayer really say to God?

A. God desires our company. Do we desire His?

B. Our message to God when we do not pray:

C. You are not important to me

D. I do not have time for youI do not want to schedule my precious time for youI do not want to spend time with youI can handle things today without YouI do not believe that you can affect the things I am facing in my lifeI have nothing of which to thank You or praise You

E. I can take advantage of our relationship

F. I’ll use You when I am in trouble or in need You will be there whether I pray or not

G. I hope we do not feel this way and we should prove it through prayer