Purpose of Prayer
What is the first purpose of prayer? According to Rick Warren.
Act of Dedication - to express your devotion and dependency on God.
***John 15
Jesus was talking about dependence when he says I am the vine and you are the branches if you remain in me and I in you you'll bear much fruit but apart from me you can do nothing.
God is a caring ____________.
God is a caring "Father"
Jesus taught his disciples the pattern of prayer. Here was the most part about the pattern of prayer: First, Jesus did not start his teaching by say this is WHAT you should pray but he said this is _______ you should pray.
HOW
Jesus said this is HOW you should pray. He model it for us.
WHAT vs HOW
What is the first step to pray for breakthrough? According to Rick Warren.
Let God speak to me before I speak to him.
What’s the difference between a breakthrough and a crisis?
Breakthrough = Years of imprisonment/captivity/suffering (Daniel prayed for 70 years)
Crisis - When you’re in an emergency. Right then right there! Unexpected, Sudden.
Everyone prays, it's an inborn instinct in every human being. Everyone may not pray to the one true God but they pray to an idol, they may pray to ancestors, they may pray to themselves but everybody (human) prays, why is that?
It’s because we were made in God's image, and we were given the ability to communicate to God.
In the Old Testament before Jesus when people prayed, they prayed to God as the creator as their deliverer, a healer, provider even the Great and dreadful God. That's a direct quote and they use many other titles but never in prayer.
For thousands of years, did people refer to God as father?
No, we only refer to God as their creator, their deliver, their healer and provider.
Only after Jesus taught us. Jesus referred to God as father over 150 times. He really wanted us to get this message.
What is the Prayer of Cleansing?
Admitting to your sins and asking for forgiveness. Once you own up to your sins, God forgives you instantly. He forgives you completely and he forgives you permanently.
The model for a breakthrough prayer is a man named ______________ in the Old Testament and his prayer life shows us exactly the steps to follow when you need to pray a breakthrough prayer.
Daniel
Who was the best example in the Bible on how to pray in a crisis?
Jehoshaphat
*** He was a good king who led his people into a spiritual revival and renewal. The whole nation was given new hope. Jehoshaphat faced a crisis out of nowhere. His kingdom was under attack by 3 enemy nations.
The Bible actually says that you can't understand anyone, your spouse or anybody else unless you communicate with them. Now the same is true with God. You can't understand God, you can't know God's will for your life unless you ________________.
Communicate with him. It's vital in your personal spiritual life that you learn to communicate with and to God.
God is a caring father. l;Nothing can stop God from loving you. Not your failures, not your attitudes, not your sins, not your stubbornness, not your mistakes. What did the bible say in Romans 8:38-39?
For I'm convinced that neither death nor life, neither Angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers neither height nor depth, nor anything in all of creation in other words, not even you, nothing you can't stop God from loving you nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
The Prayer of _____________ talks about forgiving those who have sinned against us. The Bible says be kind tenderhearted one to another and forgive one another.
Release
Step 4: Demonstrate your seriousness. How do you do that? How did Daniel do that? Daniel 9:3
“I did not eat any food. And to show my sadness, I put on sackcloth and sat in ashes.” (FASTING)
***In the old testament putting on sackcloth is a way of showing intense sorrow and distress.
*** You are saying, I'm super serious about this. I'm serious enough to go without food. I'm passionate and I'm desperate. Help me.
What is the first step to "how to pray in a crisis"?
"Turning to God for help" is the first step to pray in a crisis.
***Jehoshaphat turn to God for help not people.
Prayer is an act of supplication. Supplication is a Bible word that simply means make a request. In the book of Philippians Chapter 4 verse 6, the Bible says what?
Do not be anxious about anything don't worry about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with Thanksgiving.
God is a consistent father. God is consistently loving consistently caring consistently compassionate he's consistently dependable he's consistently reliable. The Bible says what about God’s character…
God's character never changes he's always consistent that means God's love will never stop it will never fail. It will never end, caring and consistent.
The Prayer of Protection is where we ask God to ______________________.
Guard our hearts and lead us not into temptation.
The 5th key of praying for a breakthrough is to Thank God for His love and promise (Be grateful , have gratitude). This is what Daniel did, he pray and remind himself of how good God. In Daniel chapter 9 verse 9 says...
In verse 9 Daniel says Lord God you are merciful and you're forgiving even though we've rebelled against you.
***Here's the point in this step you just tell God God I'm grateful that God is God and that God is loving and forgiving. But because is merciful and you thank God for who he is and what he has done you. You thank God for his love and you thank God for his promises this is an important point we always pray with Thanksgiving.
Jehoshaphat was outnumbered 3 to 1. It was a hopeless situation. What is step 3 of how to pray in a crisis?
Relax in faith. Sometimes when you’re in a crisis it takes more courage to do nothing then it takes to do something. Sometimes relaxing, do nothing require more faith.
The Act of cooperation is how God has sovereignly chosen that we get to cooperate in his plan by praying for his will to be done right here on earth. How do we cooperate with God?
We cooperate with God's plan through prayer. Prayer is God's way of letting us partner with him to accomplish his purposes on earth.
God is close. God is sympathetic to your hurts. He's not distant. He's up close so he can see and feel and hear how you're hurting. Some fathers tried to toughen you up when you're hurt and say things like “get over it, quit being a baby, be a man, grow up.” BUT God does not say that to you. The Bible says, the Lord is close to the ________________ and he saves those who are ____________ ______ __________.
brokenhearted / crushed in spirit
***the Lord is close to the brokenhearted and he saves those who are crushed in spirit.
Finish the Lord’s Prayer.
Our father in heaven hallowed be your name your kingdom come your will be done on earth as it is in heaven give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil for yours is the _________________.
... kingdom and the power and the glory forever Amen!
Last step of How to pray for a breakthrough: Confess our sins. God doesn’t want to listen to our prideful complaints but he wants to listen to our ____________________.
Humble confessing
***prideful complaints vs. humble confessing
Step 5 is very important, Thanking God in advance. How did the army of Jehoshaphat thank God in advance? What was their military strategy?
Sing songs of victory. “Go out into battle, I want you to put the choir in front of the army and appoint men to sing to the Lord and to praise him and give thanks to the Lord.”
***Without faith nothing is impossible to please God.