1. Just pray!

2. Have you ever prayed for anything lots of times and over a long time? If you have you’ll have begun to learn some things about prayer.

3. Prayer is not magic

4. We are limited

5. God is generous

6. This series… Just pray! Looking at Ephesians 6: 18

7. 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 Lord’s people.

8. Defined by the use of the word ALL Pray ALL the time Pray ALL kinds of prayers Be alert and ALWAYS keep praying. Pray for ALL of God’s people. John Stott – we change ALL for SOME!

9. To pray with all kinds of prayers and requests Been to the gym recently? We can easily get big biceps but skinny legs! Learning to exercise many spiritual muscles.

10. Jesus was versatile in prayer Healing prayers – command, touch, spit and mud Public prayers Private prayers Biblical prayers Teaching prayers

11. The Disciple’s prayer – a good model for us. Matt 6: 11 – 13 Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Three petitions to cover the whole of our lives.

12. Give us our daily bread the needs of our body Forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors our emotional needs Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. our spiritual needs Jesus shows us that prayer covers the whole person - body, mind and spirit.

13. All things and all times. God help me in the present. Give us our daily bread God cleanse me from the past. Forgive us our debts… God deal with fear & anxiety about the future. Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Comprehensive prayer – everything!

14. A myth to bust… Real prayers are about spiritual things. But Jesus is very clear. He begins with the physical and the present. Illness, wanting a spouse, wanting a baby, a job, weight loss…

15. Find a rhythm for our prayer life. With no rhythm we won’t maintain our conversation with God. We have routines for many things… Daniel prayed 3 times; David prayed 7 times; Jesus withdrew; our rhythm?

16. Decide which parts of the day are for the Lord. Step into his presence… I have set the Lord always before me. Ps 16:8 Make appointments with God - and keep them! Routine becoming empty religiosity? Be clear who we are doing it for. Ring the changes; do what’s good for your personality.

17. Develop a constant awareness of God Include him in decisions through the day. Pause – shoot an arrow. This defends us from relying on our own wisdom. God help me in this moment.

18. Pray informal, conversational prayers Children’s prayer – simple, effortless and honest!

19. Children know who they are talking to. If our image of God is of a stern task master our prayers will be fearful, we’ll watch our words…

20. Jesus’ use of the word father – radical, unprecedented and outrageous! OT - 15 times. Not as an individual, but father of a nation. NT - 245 times. Abba. Made such an impression, Hebrew word was maintained in the Greek.

21. Galatians 4:6 Because you are his sons, God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out Abba Father.

22. Romans 8:15 The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by him we cry, Abba, Father.

23. The starting point for a healthy life is to know ourselves as God’s children. We are adopted into the family through our faith in Jesus. We know God as our dad.

24. Is your image of God a kind and loving father? Or a policeman? And how do you see yourself in relationship to him? As a loved child? We each have to wrestle with this. If we haven’t had a good model of fatherhood in our own lives, our image of God can be distorted.

25. Pray Biblical prayers Jesus prayed from the Psalms. On the cross: My God, My God why have you forsaken me. Psalm 22 Praying along with Jesus & God’s people through the ages.

26. Psalm 13 How long, L ORD ? Will you forget me forever? How long will you hide your face from me? How long must I wrestle with my thoughts and day after day have sorrow in my heart? How long will my enemy triumph over me? Look on me and answer, L ORD my God. Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep in death, and my enemy will say, “I have overcome him,” and my foes will rejoice when I fall. But I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the L ORD ’s praise, for he has been good to me.

27. Let’s come to our Abba father with all kinds of prayers and requests