How to (and How Not to) Pray | Sunday Message

What does your prayer life look like? Pastor Greg Laurie helps us stay on the right track as we examine the way Jesus instructed His disciples to pray.

Notes:

Matthew 6

Jesus did what the disciples had asked; and in doing so, He was acknowledging that prayer is something that can be learned.

The Lord’s prayer shows us how to pray Jesus’ way.

But first, Jesus shows us how not to pray.

Read: Matthew 6:5–8

Sin knows no boundaries; it afflicts us when we are far from God and follows us to the very throne of Heaven.

It is possible to pray with no thought of God Himself.

Prayer is not to inform God but, rather, to invite God.

The response to the question: “Lord, teach us to pray.”

Read: Matthew 6:9–13

We pray to a Father in Heaven who loves us. A Father who loves and misses His children when they go astray. A Father that longs for communication and fellowship with us.

God is not just our Father; He is our “abba” or “daddy.”

Romans 8:15

We begin our prayers with “our Father.”

Then, we are to worship Him and contemplate Him before we offer our petitions.

Matthew 6:9 – “Hallowed be Your name.”

When we pray, we should always ask for God’s Will to be done.

Matthew 6:10

Prayer is not getting my will in Heaven, but it is God’s Will on Earth.

1 John 5:14

Nothing lies outside the reach of prayer except that which lies outside the Will of God. God only answers the requests which He inspires.

Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the Will of God.

We should pray for God’s Kingdom to come.

Matthew 6:10

When we pray, “Thy Kingdom come,” we are praying for God’s rule on Earth.

Revelation 11:15

The word come indicates a sudden, instantaneous coming.

2 Peter 3:14

God’s Kingdom is brought to this Earth every time a new soul is brought to Jesus.

We should be praying for the salvation of nonbelievers.

We should pray a person sees their need for Jesus.

We need to bring our personal needs before God.

Matthew 6:11

Job 7:17

When you ask someone to give you something, you are acknowledging that they own it.

We are completely dependent on God; God is completely independent from us.

You will never have a proper relationship to all of your possessions until you understand that everything you have, everything that you need, and everything that you own comes from God.

Everything we have, ultimately, comes from God!

James 1:17

Deuteronomy 8:18

James 4:2

Romans 8:32

We need to pray for personal forgiveness, and we need to forgive others.

Matthew 6:12

Forgiven people should be forgiving people.

Matthew 6:12

“Everyone thinks forgiveness is a lovely idea until they have someone to forgive.” —C.S. Lewis

If we harbor resentment and fail to forgive, we grieve the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:30–32

We need to pray to not fall into temptation.

Matthew 6:13

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