passionate prayer life cultivating a passionate prayer life

Not this type of passionate prayer…

A passionate prayer life that is… More devoted More attentive More persistent More fervent More Spirit-led More wholehearted More effective

1 pray. meditate. surrender. 2 3

1 Cultivating a Passionate Prayer Life pray

pray. God gives us a greater desire for Himself.

pray. God gives us a greater desire for Himself. 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us.

pray. God gives us a greater desire for Himself. 1 John 4:19 We love because he first loved us. John 6:44 “No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day.”

pray. Jeremiah 24:7 I will give them a heart to know me, that I am the Lord. They will be my people, and I will be their God, for they will return to me with all their heart.

pray. Ezekiel 11:17-20 17 “Therefore say: ‘This is what the Sovereign Lord says: I will gather you from the nations and bring you back from the countries where you have been scattered, and I will give you back the land of Israel again.’ 18 “They will return to it and remove all its vile images and detestable idols. 19 I will give them an undivided heart and put a new spirit in them; I will remove from them their heart of stone and give them a heart of flesh. 20 Then they will follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. They will be my people, and I will be their God.”

pray. In Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer

pray. In Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer “O God, I have tasted Thy goodness, and it has both satisfied me and made me thirsty for more. I am painfully conscious of my need for further grace. I am ashamed of my lack of desire. O God, the Triune God, I want to want Thee; I long to be filled with longing; I thirst to be made more thirsty still. Show me Thy glory, I pray Thee, so that I may know Thee indeed. Begin in mercy a new work of love within me. Say to my soul, ‘Rise up my love, my fair one, and come away.’ Then give me grace to rise and follow Thee up from this misty lowland where I have wandered so long.”

2 Cultivating a Passionate Prayer Life meditate

meditate. The scriptural command to set your mind on things above.

meditate. The scriptural command to set your mind on things above. Colossians 3:1-2 Since, then, you have been raised with Christ, set your hearts on things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.

meditate. Philippians 4:8 Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable — if anything is excellent or praiseworthy — think about such things.

meditate. Meditating on God will cause us to want to know Him more.

meditate. Meditating on God will cause us to want to know Him more. Turn your eyes upon Jesus, Look full in His wonderful face, And the things of earth will grow strangely dim, in the light of His glory and grace.

meditate. In Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer The Lord Jesus said, “Everything I do is to please the Father.” Jesus never once performed a non-sacred act. The “layman” should never think of his humbler task as being inferior to that of his pastor — “Let every man abide in the calling wherein he is called and his work will be as sacred as the work of the ministry.” It is not what a man does that determines whether his work is sacred or secular, it is why he does it — motive is everything. Let a man sanctify the Lord God in his heart and he can thereafter do no common act. All he does is good and acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For such a man, “living itself will be sacra-mental and the whole world a sanctuary — his entire life will be a priestly ministration.”

meditate. 1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.

meditate. 1 Corinthians 10:31 So whether you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God. Colossians 3:17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

meditate. When we meditate on God, the most mundane of tasks can bring glory to Him.

3 Cultivating a Passionate Prayer Life surrender

surrender.

surrender. Genesis 22:1-2 Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love — Isaac — and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

surrender. Genesis 22:12, 16-17 12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” … 16 …“I swear by myself, declares the Lord, that because you have done this and have not withheld your son, your only son, 17 I will surely bless you and make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and as the sand on the seashore. Your descendants will take possession of the cities of their enemies, 18 and through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed, because you have obeyed me.”

surrender. In Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer God suffered Abraham to go through with it up to the point where He knew he would not retreat — God only wanted to “remove Isaac” from the temple of his heart that He might reign unchallenged there; He wanted to correct the perversion that existed in his love.

surrender. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

surrender. Matthew 6:24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.” Isaiah 45:5a I am the Lord, and there is no other; apart from me there is no God.

1 pray. meditate. surrender. 2 3