BUILDING OUR PERSONAL PRAYER LIFE I.

INTRODUCTION:

An average Filipino /Asian Christian prays 15 minutes a day. The average attendance in a church prayer meeting is 10% of the total membership. The prayer is the least attended of any church activities. There are three stages of prayer life: a. Desire b. Discipline c. Delight Jesus Christ is our personal model. He is our ultimate intercessor. He taught His disciples a pattern of prayer in Matt. 6:9-13; Luke 11:1-4. Do not pray to please men. Prayer is intimacy with the Father. II. PATTERN OF THE LORDS PRAYER (Matt.6:9-13) A. Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed be thy Name (V.9). Our prayer must be directed to the heavenly Father and His Son Jesus Christ. First Part of our prayer must be: 1. In praise of God. 2. Thanking Him. 3. Recognizing His character in our lives. Praise opens the door of heaven and right away pulls the power of God into our lives. Take time to praise our heavenly Father. If we want to make God great in our lives, we should find different ways and methods of praising Him. As we call the Names of our God by these Names one by one as we pray His Name will be hallowed. He will open the door of heaven In the Word of God we can find the Names of our Father in heaven which have been revealed to man. The multi-faceted nature of God: a.) b.) c.) d.) e.) f.) g.) Jehovah Jireh the Lord our Provider (Gen.23:14) Jehovah Ropheka The Lord our Healer (1Peter 2:24) Jehovah Nissi the Lord our Banner of victory. (Exodus 17:15) Jehovah Shalom the Lord of our peace (Judges 6:24) Jehovah Rohi The Lord our Shepherd (Psalms 23:1) Jehovah Tsidkenu The Lord our Righteousness (Jeremiah 23:5-6) Jehovah Shamah the Lord is there (Ezekiel 48:35)

Gods presence will always be in the temple throughout the B. Thy kingdom come (v.10) Our Lord Jesus Christ brought the kingdom God to earth. For the kingdom of God to be implanted completely into the human race, Jesus willingly went to the cross. It was the sacrifice of His broken body and shed blood that the kingdom of God was able to enter human history for us bringing with it: 1. The forgiveness of sin 2. Reconciliation with God 3. Healing 4. The work of the Holy Spirit in earth. The kingdom of God also removed the curse of man and brought blessings of Abraham by Jesus death and resurrection. He abolished the power of death and hell. Nowadays the kingdom of God is manifested through: 1. Great signs and wonders; healing the sick, casting out demons through the power of the Holy Spirit. 2. The blessings of Abraham imparted through Christians. 3. Righteousness, peace and joy. Let us pray daily, Oh God reign in human history. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven (v.10) Gods will is already complete, fulfilled in heaven. God is the Alpha nd Omega. As far as God is concerned all human history has already been completed. It is only the desire and those who live under his or her influence who do not accept Gods will here on earth. Give us our daily bread (v.11) It is the will of God for us to receive abundant supply of physical and spiritual food. Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors (v.12) If we would receive forgiveness for our sins we have a liability to forgive others who have sinned against us. The amount of forgiveness we receive is dependent on the forgiveness we give. Forgiving others is very important but difficult to do. We should not pray in a general way but definitely mention the persons name as well. Dont not lead us into temptation (v. 13) We are living in a world full of temptation. Temptations are snares, enticements and entrapments of the enemy who is like a roaring lion looking for someone he can devour. Jesus teaches us to pray that we will not be enslaved by these enticements from the enemy. To resist the devil and is to stand fast in the faith. Satan attacks us through our weak points in our lives. We have many eaknesses in our lives. Some people have weakness in money, others have a weakness for the opposite sex and others have a weakness for pride.

C.

D. E.

F.

Everyday we must pray that God would give us strength to overcome temptations. Pray that God would give us strength. Pray that God will protect us from our weaknesses. Nobody is perfect. G. Deliver us from the evil one (v.13) Satan is the evil one. He comes to steal, to kill and to destroy. (Jn.10:10) God has defeated Stan completely at the cross of Calvary but the enemy continues to ensnare us and tempt us. He continues to accuse us before the throne of God. We must pray daily for Gods empowerment and protection so that we will not be ensnared and fall. H. For thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory (v. 13b) Kingdoms rise and fall but the kingdom of God will be forever. All powers have limitations but the power of God is unlimited. The glory of men and all creatures face but the glory of God shines for all eternity. There are many Christians who are living in the flesh but to make genuine Christians prayer must be the starting point. Prayer brings down the kingdom of heaven into our lives. Prayer makes genuine Christians