2. Transcendental Meditation

4. Prayer is a personal communicative response to the knowledge of God.
Prayer Defined
Prayer is a personal communicative response to the knowledge of God.

5. Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Matthew 6:1

6. Warnings From Jesus About Prayer
When you pray, do not pray like the hypocrites.

7. Warnings From Jesus About Prayer
When you pray, do not pray like the hypocrites.
When you pray, do not pray like the pagans.

8. Is All Prayer Good?
Jesus is telling us not all prayer is good, not all prayer is helpful, some prayer is flawed, wrong and sinful!

9. Descriptions of Flawed Prayer
Hypocritical Prayer – Self-righteous, people-directed, people-pleasing prayers.
For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

10. Self-Righteous Prayer
God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ Luke 18:11-12

11. Humble Prayer
But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ Luke 18:13

12. Descriptions of Flawed Prayer
Hypocritical Prayer – Self-righteous, people-directed, people-pleasing prayers.
For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward.

13. Descriptions of Flawed Prayer
Pagan Prayer – Mindless, repetitive, verbose prayers.
And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 Do not be like them…

14. Jesus Teaches Us to Pray This Way:
Pray to your Father in solitude with God as your primary audience.
But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.

15. Why Does Jesus Teach Us to Pray This Way?
Because your Father in heaven knows what you need before you even ask him.