2-Speaking to God

INSIGHT

   It is wonderful to know that God, our Father, hears and answers our prayers. He doesn't always do what we request, but He answers in harmony with His will and according to what is best for us. This is why the apostle John says in 1 John 5:14-15: "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have what we asked of Him".

   According to the Bible there are many things to include in our prayers: Praising God for His greatness, thanking Him for all He has done, confessing our sins, asking for forgiveness, requesting His help for others, and requesting wisdom and strength.

   Prayer is not a ritualistic performance; it is talking to God. It does not require special "religious" words such as Thou, Thee and Thy. God wants our prayers to come from our hearts. We should not allow the fact that we sometimes don't know what to say keep us from praying. The Holy Spirit of God knows our minds and expresses our thoughts according to God's will. This is what our brother Paul said in Romans 8:26-27: "In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will."

   God is our loving Father who is always glad to have you talk to Him. Let Him hear from you often! And pray for the saints as well!

The Relationship with God
Prayer: Speaking to God

Key Text: Ephesians 6:18
And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.

Theme:
What would be more natural between two people who love each other than communication? Surely one would expect to see an enormous amount of communication between man and the God he loves with all his heart, soul, mind and strength. Yet, this is not so! This kind of communication does not come naturally, but it can and must be learned. Satan tries his utmost to keep us off our knees! Satan’s obstacles can be overcome, if we are willing to rely on God and give prayer the priority it deserves.

Application:
Hear are some practical suggestions:
   1. Set a regular time to pray every day.
   2. Devotional prayer time should include four aspects denoted       by the word
   A-C-T-S:
   Adoration -- 1 Chronicles 29:10-13
   Confession -- Proverbs 28:13
   Thanksgiving -- Philippians 4:6
   Supplication -- John 14:13
   3. Keep track of these prayer items in a “prayer list”.
   4. Pray everyday using the ACTS method.

May the Lord richly bless you!

Sermon Outline

Speaking to God

I. "...en pneùmati"
A. Uses of this term in the NT
    1. To be in a spiritual state: vision
      a. Rev. 1:10--the apostle John
        i. Similar to Peter in Acts 10:10
    2. To inspire or to stimulate to action.
      a. Matthew 22:43
        i. David wrote some of the Psalms.
        ii. 2 Pt. 1:21--men inspired by the Holy Spirit wrote
          Scripture.
    3. In the likeness or image of
      a. Luke 1:17
        i. John the Baptist likened to Elijah, the fearless reformer.
    4. In sincerity--Heartfelt
      a. John 4:24
        i. worship in truth (Jn 17:17)
        ii. worship in Spirit
      c. Rom 2:29
        i. a true Jew is Jew within

II. Pray in the Spirit
A. Ephesians 6:18
    1. Events surrounding verse 18
      a. Life is a warfare
        -Enemy: Satan (vs 12,16b)
        -Armor yourself (vs 13)
          1. armor of defense (vs14,15,17a)
          2. armor of offense (vs 16,17b)
    2. The conclusion is PRAY!!!
      a. Pray always (Luke 18:1)
        -- in the Spirit
        -- on all occasions
        -- pray all kinds of prayers
        -- remember the saints!!!

Conclusion:
1 Thessalonians 5:17!

"...for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thess. 5:18b

Small Group Study

Warm-up:
Were you ever determined to get something you wanted and wound up getting it? What was that “something” and what did you do to receive it?

See To It Luke 18:1-8
1. What is the main point of this parable?
2. What point is Christ trying to emphasize here between this widow and this unjust judge?
3. What kind of prayer seems to be in discussion here? Explain.
4. How are we like the widow? How are we unlike the widow?
5. How is God like the judge? How is God unlike the judge?

Seeing It Closer:
1. Assuming you pray before eating a meal, how often do you pray?
   a. Once a day.
   b. Sometimes once a day.
   c. More than once a day.
2. Do you find yourself praying mostly for your physical needs or for your spiritual needs?
3. This widow needed deliverance from her adversaries. What are your personal “adversaries”?
4. Have you been praying eagerly to God to help you in your struggles?
5. What does God require of us? What does He promise us?

Getting To It:
Christ desires us to pray continually, without giving up. All God’s people ought to be “praying people.” He teaches us that persistent prayers will deliver us from our adversaries. Pray constantly to the Lord and don’t give up!

This week's Quiet Times:

Speaking to God

MONDAY
Read Luke 11:1-4. We find Christ “praying in a certain place”. One of His disciples takes special note of Christ’s prayer life and asks Him “Lord, teach us to pray...”. Tuesday, we will look at Jesus’ prayer life, but for now, let us meditate on the phrase teach us to pray. This phrase in itself is a good prayer. Asking the Lord to teach us, by His word and Spirit, how to pray is very needful. We ought to learn to pray with wisdom. Note the following unwise prayer requests: Moses in Numbers 11:10-15; Elijah in 1 Kings 19:1-4. Why were these prayers unwise? Did these prayers reflect trust in God’s deliverance? Did God grant their requests? Unwise prayers don’t always have to be prayers reflecting despair--read Matthew 20:20-23. Remember, God always answers prayers--He answers them with a “yes” or a “no”. Ask the Lord to teach you to pray today. Using Luke 11:2-4 and Matthew 6:9-13 as your basis, write down the contents of the Lord’s model prayer. Include the person addressed in prayer. According to John 14:13, in whose name do we ask? Write Luke 11:1 down on an index card and take it with you wherever you go today and reflect upon it.

TUESDAY
Read Luke 11:1. Despite His busy schedule, Jesus always took time out to pray--not only on special occasions, but also as a regular practice. To Christ, maintaining a communication link with His Father was a top priority! What prompted this disciple to ask to be taught to pray? Read the following: Luke 3:20-21; 5:16; 6:12. Jesus was a man of prayer. Write down your thoughts on the following passages: Acts 2:41-42;10:1-2;10:9; 2 Thess 1:11-12. How often do you pray? Is it a top priority in your life? Write Psalm 63:1-4 down on an index card and take it with you wherever you go today and reflect upon it. Also, starting today, when a brother or a sister is in need of encouragement, pray with them--whether it’s by phone or face to face. If you are in a Christian household, pray together as a family daily.

WEDNESDAY
Read James 4:1-3. Prayers are sometimes rejected by God, either they are not in accordance with His divine will, (2 Cor. 12:7-10) or there is a problem with us. From verse 1, what causes fights and arguments? The term “kill” in verse 2 is referring to spiritual murder, not physical. Hating our brothers makes us murderers (1 John 3:15). Read Matthew 5:21-23 for further insight. According to James 4:2-3, what two things prevent us from “receiving” from the Lord? Why won’t the Lord grant requests asked out of impure motives? Another reason why we don’t receive is because we lack persistence (Luke 18:1). Write down your thoughts on the following passages: Psalm 66:18; Luke 18:1-8; 1 Peter 4:7; 1 John 5:14-15. Write 1 John 5:14 down on an index card and take it with you wherever you go today and reflect upon it.

THURSDAY
Read Ephesians 6:18. How should we pray? What does it mean to “pray in the Spirit”? When should we pray? Write down the kinds of prayers you ought to be praying. Who should you be praying constantly for? Have you been doing this? Write down your thoughts on the following passages: John 17:20-21; Ephesians 3:14-19; James 1:5. Write Ephesians 6:18 down on an index card and take it with you wherever you go today and reflect upon it. Call up someone who needs your prayers and pray with them over the phone, especially the sick.

FRIDAY
Read Ephesians 3:14-15. It is important for us to remember who we are praying to. Various positions in prayer reflect the type of prayer and the humility we must have before God. Paul knew that he was praying to the God of the universe. For this reason he knelt before Him, addressing Him as Father! Write down your thoughts on the following passages: Ps 95:6; Mt 26:39; Mark 11:25. Write Psalm 95:6 down on an index card and take it with you wherever you go today and reflect upon it.