PRAYER

PRAYER is a LIFESTYLE
Matthew 6:9-13 / Luke 11:1-4
 MATTHEW 6:9-13
MODEL PRAYER
Matt. 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way: OUR FATHER/AMA NAMIN
‘Our Father who is in heaven, LORD’S PRAYER
Hallowed be Your name.
Matt. 6:10 ‘Your kingdom come.
Your will be done,
On earth as it is in heaven.
Matt. 6:11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.
Matt. 6:12 ‘And forgive us our sins,
as we forgave those who sin against us.
Matt. 6:13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation,
but deliver us from evil.

[For Yours is the kingdom and the power

and the glory forever. Amen.’]
I. PRAYER DEFINED

People assume that if you are talking to God then that is “PRAYER”.
That is because the popular view of "prayer" is too shallow and limited based on
the traditions of men.

A TRUE PRAYER IS MORE THAN JUST TALKING TO GOD

IT REQUIRES A STRONG FAITH AND BELIEF IN ALMIGHTY GOD

I. PRAYER DEFINED

PRAYER – comes from the Greek word - PROSEUCHE (pros-yoo-khay).

mix of two words PROS and EUCHE
(used approximately 127 times in New Testament)

PROS is a preposition that means toward, (lapit)

and it denote a sense of closeness.

EUCHE is a word that describes a wish, desire, or vow. (panata)

I. PRAYER DEFINED

THIS TELLS US SEVERAL IMPORTANT THINGS ABOUT PRAYER.

1. The word PROSEUCHE tells us that prayer should bring us

face to face and into close contact with God.

2. Prayer is more than a mechanical act or a formula to follow;

3. It is a way to bring us to a place whereby we may enjoy a

close, intimate relationship with God.
II. WHY DO WE PRAY?

1. IT WAS COMMANDED BY GOD.

Colossians 4:2 Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.

Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion.
Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers
for all believers everywhere.

The command is enough reason to pray, EVIL DOERS are more reasons.
II. WHY DO WE PRAY?

2. IT WAS EXEMPLIFIED.

Mark 1:35 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up,

left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he

prayed.

Daniel 6:10b Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed,

giving thanks to his God, just as he had done before.

II. WHY DO WE PRAY?

3. TO COMMUNICATE WITH GOD

- communication is an essential part of maintaining a relationship.

‘Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable
things you do not know.’ Jeremiah 33:3

We pray not to get what we want out of God like vendo machine,
but to keep us connected to and dependent on Him

We pray because we depend on God and not rely on our own strength.

We are nothing and can do nothing without God.

II. WHY DO WE PRAY?
4. GOD PROMISED TO ANSWER PRAYER.

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. 1 John 5:14-15

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer,

believe that you have received it, and it will be yours Mark 11:24

* God promised to answer prayer - and God keeps His word!

II. WHY DO WE PRAY –

IF GOD ALREADY HAS A PLAN?

Bible teaches us that God is sovereign and eternal –

He plan everything that happens and what will happen.

Why do we pray for something if God has a plan

and it will happen according to His plan anyway

regardless of what we ask
II. WHY DO WE PRAY – IF GOD ALREADY HAS A PLAN?
Prayer is about submitting ourselves to God,
aligning ourselves with His will and His purposes.

Prayer is not about telling God what we want

so He can give us our heart’s desire.

It’s about submitting to His will, with the understanding that if

He wants something different than what we want,
we acknowledge that He has the right to do whatever He
wants
because
Gen.50:20 He is God
You intended and me,
to harm He but
knows
God the best itfor
intended forALL.
good
to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?

JESUS SAYS WHEN WE PRAY,

THERE IS A RIGHT WAY
AND A WRONG WAY

The disciples once approached Jesus as he was praying.

They asked: “Lord, teach us to pray,” (Lk. 11:1)

This reveal that there is a - correct way to pray.

It is a sad reality that Christians

“know not how to pray as they ought (Rom. 8:26).
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?

WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

1. PRAYING BUT LACK OF FAITH

JAMES 1:6-7
But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt,
because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea,
blown and tossed by the wind.

That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?

WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

1. PRAYING BUT LACK OF FAITH

HEBREWS 11:6
And without faith it is impossible to please God, because
anyone who comes to him
must believe that he exists
and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

1. PRAYING BUT LACK OF FAITH

God is almighty (Gen. 17:1) and can do all things (Job 42:2)
he is able to answer prayer.

He is a God who is, at his very nature, a loving God(1 Jn. 4:8).
he answer our requests in harmony with our genuine needs.

Paul says in Romans 8:32 that:

“He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—
how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?”
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

2. PRAYING BUT LIFE FULL OF SIN

Isaiah warned Israel that GOD would not hear them

because of their sins (Isa. 59:2).

We solemnly pray in church on Friday service

but during weekdays we live a life of sin.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

2. PRAYING BUT LIFE FULL OF SIN

It is not that we must be perfect in order to have our prayers heard.

None of us has reached permanent perfection—not even the Apostle.
We are all still struggling in our many weaknesses.

But we are sure of one thing.

Unless we are earnestly seeking to grow daily (Rom. 12:2),
Our prayers will be ineffective!
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

3. SELFISH PRAYER

“Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,

that ye may spend it in your pleasures” (James. 4:3).

The prayers of many members of the church today are selfish

prayers.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

3. SELFISH PRAYER

When we pray . for something,

is it for the glory of God or for earthly pleasure?

We need to examine the motivation behind our prayers so that

it’s not only for us but to serve and glorify God.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

4. PRAYING TO IMPRESS

Are we praying merely to impress other people, or are

we praying to communicate with our Father in Heaven?
Matt. 6:5 “When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love
to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may
be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
Matt. 6:6 But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and
pray to your Father who is in secret, and your Father who sees what is done in
secret will reward you.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

4. PRAYING TO IMPRESS

The issue. for God was the state of our heart as we PRAY,
not only that we PRAY

We receive praise from people who see us and think we’re holy

But God knows our heart and will not reward a false heart
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

5. PRAYING USING MEANINGLESS REPETITION OF WORDS

Matt. 6:7 “And when you are praying, do not use

meaningless repetition as the Gentiles do, for they suppose
that they will be heard for their many words.
Matt. 6:8 “So do not be like them; for your Father knows
what you need before you ask Him.
 III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

5. PRAYING USING MEANINGLESS REPETITION OF WORDS

• Jesus says do not

.
engage in ritualistic, meaningless repetition…
• Do not recite the same words over and over again
• Jesus says that is not prayer at all - It’s mantra or a chant
• The word “meaningless repetition” means “babbling” or “stammering”
- It refers to the sound that a baby makes as it babbles
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

5. PRAYING USING MEANINGLESS REPETITION OF WORDS

In many churches on Sunday, congregations are still taught to recite
prepared prayers together each week

And many Christian families recite the same meaningless prayer over
dinner each night

And Christian parents teach their children to chant the same rhyming
mantra every night before bed
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
WRONG WAY OF PRAYING

5. PRAYING USING MEANINGLESS REPETITION OF WORDS

• Buddhists chant,
.
Catholics recite the rosary, Jews recite daily
prayers, and many unsaved in Protestant churches recite liturgy.

• Using meaningless repetition and calling it “prayer” is

approaching God the way the unsaved try to find God

GOD already knows what you need before you ask,

so talk to Him from the HEART.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING

After learning the wrong way to pray,

Jesus then gives us the right way to approach God
.

And it is found in our verse in Matthew 6:9-13 “OUR FATHER”

Jesus says in Matt. 6:9 “Pray, then, in this way:

He wasn’t asking us to pray “OUR FATHER” word for word

Instead, we are to pray only according to that format
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING
1. PRAYERS SHOULD BE DIRECTED TO THE FATHER WHO IS IN HEAVEN

Matt. 6:9 Our Father who is in heaven,

.

We direct our prayer to the Father – In Jesus name (John 16:23)

Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give [it] you.
Through the Guidance of the HOLY SPIRIT (Romans 8:26)
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses.
For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought,
but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us…
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING

2. PRAYER SHOULD ALWAYS START WITH PRAISE

Matt. 6:9 Our. Father who is in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.

Glorifying God should be our first priority because

it puts everything else in proper perspective.

It sets our heart in the right place for the rest of your prayer
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING

3. PRAY IN LIGHT OF GOD’S WILL

Matt. 6:10. ‘Your kingdom come. Your will be done,

On earth as it is in heaven.

Before we start listing our prayer requests,

it is important to remember His plan is the best plan.

We want to align our prayers to HIS WILL more than anything.

III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING

4. PRAY FOR YOUR DAILY BREAD

- which means to pray for your personal needs
.
Matt. 6:11 ‘Give us this day our daily bread.

So whether that’s a financial need, a health need, or whatever,

Bring them before the Lord because He cares for our needs also
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING

5. PRAY FOR FORGIVENESS, BOTH FOR YOURSELF AND FOR OTHERS

Matt. 6:12
. ‘And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.

God doesn’t want anything hinder our relationship with Him,

so He asks us to confess our sins and seek His forgiveness
and to forgive those who have wronged us.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING

6. PRAY FOR PROTECTION FROM SPIRITUAL WARFARE

Matt.
. 6:13 ‘And do not lead us into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

Satan is real and so are the demonic angels that followed him
We are going to experience their attacks from time to time

We need to pray that the Lord would protect us from falling

from the schemes of the enemy
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING

7. END YOUR PRAYER BY PRAISING GOD

.
Matthew 6:13 For Yours is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
Because His kingdom and power is without end, so must our
praise be without ceasing. Every moment of life must be
filled with praise, both now and throughout all eternity.
III. HOW DO WE PRAY?
RIGHT WAY OF PRAYING

7. END YOUR PRAYER BY PRAISING GOD

.
Matthew 6:13 For Yours is the kingdom
and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

Finally, Jesus taught His disciples to conclude their prayers

with the sure attestation, “Amen.”
IV. PRAYER AS A LIFESTYLE

Prayer is not just assuming a certain posture and reciting phrases

It’s not something you do occasionally, or even for a few minutes a day.

God said “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17)

Prayer, when applied to your life the way God intended it to be,
is a 24-hours-a-day, seven-day-a-week conversation with God.

It is a LIFESTYLE.
V. CONCLUSION

Prayer is often misunderstood and therefore, misused.

To know how to pray is the key to an effective prayer.

The lifestyle of prayer is prayer without ceasing.

It is allowing GOD to be a part of our everyday life.

Paul says that whatever we do, we are to do it to the glory of God.

And we all say…………………… AMEN!