The Life of Prayer

Luke 11:1, “One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” The word “prayer” in the Bible has two different applications.  First, it means, “to make a request” or “ask for something.”  Second, the…

Matthew 6:9, “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…” As Jesus began to teach His disciples how to pray He gave them a basic outline and routine.  Today, his example prayer is known as, “The Lord’s Prayer.”  However, many people use this specific prayer to actually violate Jesus’ command in the prior verse.  In…

Matthew 6:10, “… your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.” The second “exercise” of the Lord’s Prayer “workout” is to bid God’s kingdom to come on the earth as it is in heaven and for God’s will to be done.  God’s Kingdom or the Kingdom of God is…

Matthew 6:11, “Give us today our daily bread.” The third exercise in the Lord’s Prayer workout is to pray for one’s needs to be met in the context of community.  After a believer has started their prayer by praising and “hallowing the name of God” and seeking first “His kingdom to come and His will…

Matthew 6:12, “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.” The fourth exercise in the Lord’s Prayer is the prayer of forgiveness of sins.  Though the believer has been saved perfectly and given a new nature made in the perfect image of God he or she is still able to both be…

Matthew 6:13, “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” The last and final exercise in the Lord’s Prayer workout is to ask God to both lead you not into temptation and deliver you from the evil one.  The source of temptation comes to the believer in two ways, (1)…

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.” Paul in the above verse gives the basis for “all kinds of prayers and requests” in the Christian life.  Some may think of…

2 Corinthians 7:10, “Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death.” Another dimension of prayer is the “prayer of repentance.”  Repentance means to “changes one’s mind and direction.”  Therefore, when people sin against God’s holy and just commands they should pray this kind of prayer to…

Romans 8:26-27, “26 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. 27 And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for…

Philippians 4:6, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Have you ever enjoyed a pizza without crust?  Or a cake without batter?  Of course not.  Why? Because you can’t really have a pizza without crust or a cake without batter- it wouldn’t…