PRAYER THE TRUE WIRELESS CONNECTION

PRAYER THE TRUE WIRELESS CONNECTION Ephesians 6:18 – “With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” Note the “alls”: “with all prayer,” “at all seasons,” “in all perseverance,” “for all the saints.” Note the strong words, “prayer,” “supplication,” “perseverance”

WHY PRAY? First of all, because we have an enemy! – He is cunning, he is mighty, he never rests, he is ever plotting the downfall of the child of God. Ephesians 6:12 – “For our wrestling is not against flesh and blood, but against the principalities, against the powers, against the world rulers of this darkness, against the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly.”

PRAYER THE TRUE WIRELESS CONNECTION Prayer is God’s appointed way for obtaining things. The great secret of all lack in our experiences, in our lives and in our work is neglect of prayer. Prayer is the most important business of our lives. Prayer is the means that God has appointed for our receiving mercy and obtaining grace to help in time of need.

PATTERN FOR DEVOTION Devotion is the place where we connect with God, and our lives are changed. Isaiah 50:4,5 (NASB) – “The Lord God has given me the tongue of disciples, that I may know how to sustain the weary one with a word. He awakens me morning by morning, He awakens my ear to listen as a disciple. The Lord God has opened my ear; and I was not disobedient nor did I turn back.”

PATTERN FOR DEVOTION PRAYER: Start your devotion in prayer. Use the word C.H.A. ​ T. as a guideline below in your prayer. – C - ​ Confess When you pray, it’s best to confess your sins first. Confessing sins keeps the air clear between you and God. Psalm 66:18 reminds us that if we cherish sin in our hearts, God will not hear us. But when we confess our sins, we open up clear lines of communications with Him.

PATTERN FOR DEVOTION PRAYER: Start your devotion in prayer. Use the word C.H.A. ​ T. as a guideline below in your prayer. – H - ​ Honor This is the toughest part of prayer for most people. By honor, we mean to praise God for who He is; to tell Him how great He is. Look at it this way: if you were to meet a famous athlete or musician, you would probably tell them how much you like their work and how big a fan you are. Give God the same kind of honor; tell Him all the great things you appreciate about Him.

PATTERN FOR DEVOTION – A- Ask Most of us are experts at this. We ask God for things all the time. But notice the order here: “Ask” comes third, not first. That’s important because unless you’re talking to Santa Claus, it’s rude to jump right into a conversation by asking someone to do all kinds of favors for you. Clear up your sin first and honor God as God, then bring him your requests.

PATTERN FOR DEVOTION – T - ​ Thank Day in and day out, without even asking, God gives us all kinds of good things. In fact, James 1 says that every good thing comes down from the Father. So when you pray, don’t come off like God never does anything for you. Thank him for things at least as much as you ask him for things.