A Crash Course on Prayer: Don't Give Up on Prayer

The following message from Pastor Greg Laurie is made possible by some special friends of this ministry. Pastor Greg wanted to see a special word of thanks to the harvest partners who make this ministry possible next time your online check out Pastor Greg's personal blog@blog.greglaurie.com you want to see your prayers answered in the room of gold to the Lord invites to have Greg Laurie would remind torches keep seeking keep knocking something once don't get it answered in the affirmative.

No so hard for. Should we expect God much hard answering our prayers. We have to pray with passion. Abraham open-door policy for citizens literally come right in the White House and talk with my things would change today. The IVs are universally unreachable.

Notable exception are God not only allows us to come to him. He invites us, urges us today on the glory door. Why should we pray. Prayer is the way by which God helps us to overcome our fear, anxiety and worry. Life is full of trouble is in it, so we need help. The Bible says cast all of your care upon him for he cares for you and you give Kathy this picking up something just throwing up like that.

I don't want this, you take it you give it over to the Lord. Bible says in Philippians 4. Don't worry about anything. Pray about everything in the peace of God that passes all human understanding, will guard your heart and mind in Christ Jesus of the Bible is very clear and think. Don't worry. Instead, pray. So when you're tempted to worry, we often are churn your worries in the prayer turn it over to the Lord. So as you can see, prayer is not an option.

It's a necessity.

Well, afraid prayers that are not answered in the affirmative, and we wondered why are there secrets to having your prayers answered in the affirmative. Let me say I don't know that there secrets are plainly declared in the Bible they might be secret to some because they haven't read the Bible, so let me try to unlock some secrets if you will to unanswered prayers are why our prayers are not answered and will find those answers in what is often called the Lord's prayer in Luke chapter 11. I love the Lord's prayer. Most of us know it by heart. It's a prayer that we usually pull out in case of emergencies or the bike behind glass break it out. This is a big one.

But for the Lord's prayer. There's nothing wrong with that. It's a beautiful prayer to pray. But having said that, recognize that it's not just a great prayer to pray it's a template or a model for all prayer and infrastructure for prayer if you well. Let's look at it together. Luke chapter 11 we read these words came to pass as Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he was done. One of his disciples came to him and said, Lord, teach us to pray, as John taught his disciples.

Notice the disabled and unsafe teacher for killer prayer know.

Teach us to pray. So again it's a template for prayer and Jesus said when you pray, say, our father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us day by day our daily bread and forgive us our sins as we forgive everyone who is sinned against us and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one, for thine is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen. The Lord's prayer know we could just as easily call it the disciples prayer.

The Bible never calls of the Lord's prayer, Jesus never had to pray this prayer himself because he never had to save the father, forgive me my sins as I forgive those who have sinned against us so truly for us more. But right out of the gate of the Lord's prayer will call it that we discover this that we need to acknowledge the greatness of God.

It doesn't say our father who art in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

It says our father who art in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. So our prayer should start if you have the luxury of time… Say that you're out swimming in a great white shark is coming at you quickly.

You can just pray help and cut to the chase okay but under normal circumstances when you have a little time contemplate the power awesomeness and greatness of God. Why, because when you see God in his greatness. You'll see that your problems in the relative smallness.

If you have a big God, you of small problems. If you are good problems. Is your God too small.

I'm not in any way, not acknowledging that you might be facing a real crisis right now. I simply want to say this to you, God is bigger then your problem Christ is greater then your crisis so pray and when you pray, take time to think about the power and awesomeness of God and then that brings me to my next point.

If you want God to say yes to your prayers ask for his will to be done. Then repeat that for emphasis. If you want God to say yes to your prayers ask for his will to be done again. Jesus taught us to pray to the father.

Your kingdom come, your will be done again, our Lord modeled this in the garden of Gethsemane already mentioned that once he said of the father.

If it is possible, let this cup pass from me. Nevertheless, not my will but yours be done.

But since the objective of prayer is not to get God to do what I want him to do.

It's to get me into alignment with the will of God and how to why discover the will of God by reading the Bible back to one of those earlier principles. I mention if you want to be a growing Christian you must read study memorize and let God's word impact your life. So listen, prayer is not getting my will in heaven.

It's getting God's will on earth.

First John 514 says this is the confidence we have in him. If we ask anything according to his will, he will cure us and we will have the petitions we brought before him.

Listen to this.

Nothing lies outside of the reach of prayer, except that which lies outside of the will of God. Prayer is surrender. It's where I'm surrendering to God.

Imagine if you're in a boat you're headed toward the document through your rope to the dock and you start pulling yourself in the are you pulling the dock to you. Are you pulling yourself to the.the same is true prayer supplicant getting God to do what I want God to do going to get it. Come over here no Lord what is your will show your will to me. I want to align myself with your will. Having said that, now we come to personal petition verse three says give us this day our daily bread isn't an amazing thing that this Almighty, all powerful, all-knowing, loving God who created the universe has an interest in us personally. Why would you be concerned about that which concerns me. I don't know the answer but Job 717 says what is man that you make so much of him that you given so much attention I could come up with a lot of reasons. But I think think the simplest answer is the reason God cares is because he loves you. Listen to this. Not only does he love you. He loves to bless you.

We think God's maybe sort of stingy with the blessings and holding them back.

You have to earn them the very opposite of that God loves to lavish his blessings upon you for them out upon you. Paul prayed in Ephesians. My prayer is that God will do exceedingly above and beyond that which we can ask or think, has not happened for you as an God gone beyond that what you ask for in bless you and so many ways. So we say give me this day my daily bread, and we talked about bread were talking about his provision. Now if you're on the Quito diet is and won't give me this day my daily protein that ideas just your fasting for God's provision. Bread was a staple of the first century diet so the idea was Lord and provide me everything that I need food on the table provide me an income provide me a roof over my head, a provide the everything that I need and notice its daily bread.

So I come to him on a regular basis. God loves to provide for you call out to him as your great glory will have the second half of this message in just a moment were thrilled when we hear from listeners who join us from every background, every profession, every H Christian holds for fly line gave Eckstein.

It's great to the ministry of harvesters impacting the life of this to 100 call us and tell us your story just called 866-871-1144 866-871-1144 well today. Pastor Greg is offering several practical suggestions toward a more successful and rewarding prayer life.

It's a message called a crash course on prayer.

Number two, you must confess your personal sentence in the Lord's prayer as we call it in this template for all prayer. Jesus said on a regular basis.

Just as surely as we ask God to provide our daily needs. Our daily bread.

We should ask him to forgive our sin, forgiveness, our sin, as we forgive those who sin against us. We all sin more often than we think we sent the Bible even says that we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not enough.

So we need to repent of our sin on a regular basis and say Lord forgive me of my sins. Have you done that recently I tell you this unconfessed sin can cut off your communication with God, not your relationship, because every one of his sins, but it can cut off communication. God says my year is not close that I can't hear you, my hands, not heavy, but I can't save you, but your sins that separated you from me.

So sin is a barrier we must confess our sin, and in addition to that, we must forgive others.

Remember, Jesus is here in Luke 11 for forgive us our sins and also forgive everyone who is indebted to us forgiven people should be forgiving people. God is forgiven you.

Therefore you should forgive others listen. Forgiveness is the key to all relationships that are healthy and strong because were all going to hurt one another, sometimes intentionally, sometimes unintentionally were all going to fall short. We need to learn to keep short accounts and to extend forgiveness. Ruth Graham, the wife of Billy Graham once said the secret of a good marriage is a boat. People need to learn how to be good for Gilbert's are you harboring a grudge against someone right now is able. Greg Dave hurt me okay but when you're harboring the grudge who's been hurt more than ever you.

You're the one carrying that resentment. You're the one being eaten up by your bitterness and anger and it's time for you to forgive, not just for their sake. They don't deserve it, do it pay for your sake. It's been said, when you forgive someone you set a prisoner free yourself.

You can get out of that jail of anger and bitterness and be free. Is there someone you need to forget the Bible says in Ephesians 432 be kind tenderhearted toward one another, forgiving one another as God in Christ has forgiven you. Okay, one last principle. If you want to see your prayers answered in the affirmative.

Don't give up.

Don't give up when we read a few more verses to you. Luke chapter 11 starting in verse five Jesus said which of you. If you have a friend who comes the mid-midnight and says to him, friend, let me three loaves for a friend of mine has come to me on a journey in abducting the simple forum and he will answer from within the city. Don't trouble me. The door shut and my children are with me in bed.

I can't rise and give it to you I say to you, though he will not rise and give it to him because he is his friend because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as much as he needs. So Jesus concludes and says so I say ask and it shall be given you seek and you will find knock and the door shall be open to you. Be persistent in your prayer.

Often a prayer we pray for something once we don't get it answered in the affirmative server forget that no Jesus is telling us to keep asking.

It's interesting this phrase that he uses here, ask and then seek and then not there is an ascending intensity in these words as seek not ask implies just requesting attention, sort of like when you're in a restaurant in the rear notice that you can find the server.

When you want to order them when you're not ready right in the middle of a conversation mechanic.

I take your order.

Oh will will were not sure will have iced tea okay and then the leave you for one month or something like that.

So you need their attentions of the walkabouts give me I see is me accusing. Could you tell me that's asking for is polite but then the next word is seek, that means asking plus action like I really need you to come over here and help me right now you're taking it to the next level and finally there's not that speaks of persevering the stacking of these words is extremely forceful. It could better be translated. Keep asking, keep seeking keep knocking so become the Lord and prayed about this by but I want to keep right on the pre-again in a pre-again I'm in a predicate. Listen to this.

If we put so little part in our prayer should we expect God to put much hard in answering our prayers.

We can just offer some flippant save the world Lord and move on. We have to pray with passion. The book of acts chapter 12. There's a story of when Jean's was put to death by King Herod and then he arrested Peter without question.

Peter was next to be the next martyr of the church in the next 12 one we read this powerful verse constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church love that constant prayer, not just a one-off prayer. They prayed over and over and over they they kept asking the Seeking the Knocking constant prayer was offered to God for him by the church so they prayed together there's power when we prayed together, so don't give up. I know some of you have been praying about something for a long time.

Don't give up. Maybe your single and your wonder of the Lord's ever going to provide that husband or wife. Don't give up on that, maybe even trying to have children and you feel like it will never happen will don't give up on that dream may view of a hard to start a ministry someday and you think will or will never haven't. Keep praying about it. Don't give up may view of a prodigal son or daughter is wandered away and they just seem to get harder with each year that passes, don't give up keep seeking keep asking keep knocking. Be persistent. Keep praying. Only a Christian can have a prayer life. Anybody can pray, even an atheist can pray, but only a Christian can have what we would call this prayer life God wants us all to have. But the reality is well separated from God by our sin, but the good news is is 2000 years ago God sent his son Jesus Christ to this earth to be born in a manger, then to live a perfect life then to die for us on the cross and rise again from the dead, so we could have a relationship with God, and that communication we have with him is through prayer. Jesus told a story not close with this of two men that went to pray. One was described as a Pharisee that would be someone who is very religious. Someone who knew the Bible very well and also a person who seem to be pretty self righteous and then a tax collector or a publican went to pray with them to met one outwardly perceived as a religious do the other perceived as the lowlife non-believer and the religious man. The Pharisee prayed that God I thank you that I'm not like other men men you know, your prayers are messed up when you say some like that anyone on the both of all that he did I fast twice a week. I give tithes of all that I possess.

Blah blah blah. Just what this prayer was not heard by God.

Meanwhile, that sooner. Who knew he was a sinner simply said this to God. God be merciful to me a sinner and a better translation would be, God be merciful to me, the center, he knew he was the worst of the lot.

He would even lift is eyes up you just beat his chest. He was so ashamed. Jesus said that man speaking of the sinner went away justified, not the other men because his heart was in the right place. Listen God the jurist center and you know you're a sinner and God has a solution for your sin and its forgiveness through his son Jesus Christ. If you will turn from your sin and put your faith in Jesus.

He will come and take residence in your heart. Jesus Christ who died on the cross and rose again from the dead stands at the door of your life, and he knocks and he says if you hear his voice and open the door will come in. Would you like Jesus to come in your life right now. Would you like him to forgive you of your sin.

Would you like this relationship with God when you can start having prayer life can happen through prayer and in a moment. I like to lead you in the simplest of prayers and I would ask you to pray it after me. You could print out loud if you like you can pray quietly but just pray this prayer to God. If you want Christ to come and live inside of you. If you want this relationship with the Lord, bow your head with the right now and pray these words. If you would just pray Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner but I know that you're the Savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead.

Jesus come into my life now I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my Savior and Lord is my God and my friend Jesus name I pray Pastor Grigori today.

You're on a new beginning.

And if you just prayed with Pastor Greg and asked Jesus to forgive your sins and be your Savior would like to offer some help as you get started. Living as a believer lettuce and you are new believers growth packet is free of charge if you prayed for the first time today with Pastor Greg, just go to harvest.org and click on know God or write us at a new beginning.

Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or talk with one of our operators at 1-800-821-3300 we can take your call anytime 24 seven again., 1-800-821-3300.

Now today's message wraps up Pastor Greg series called faith 101 a crash course on the Christian life. You can listen to any of our previous messages in the series by going to harvest.org everybody. Pastor Greg here in studio with my friend Darrell strawberry was just written a brand-new book called churn your season around, you know, one of the chapters in your book, Darrell discussed the importance of renewing your mind that with all the stress and anxiety and pressures of what were all facing right now we have thrown our nation into a mental health crisis. So what happens when we take the focus off of God's word, especially in times of crisis, while I dictate what happens to people of your mouse. When I take the focus off of God's word of the word is this really what bring hope and joy, peace in the mist of the storm and if you understand that. I think the problem with most Christians is they don't understand Scriptures and when you start diving into the Scriptures and understand Scriptures and let the scriptures become a part of your everyday memory, then you have something to send me the foundation of who we are is is is description the come out of the Bible and express it through your most people my people perish because of lack of knowledge there is no understanding of the word of God and so many of us, we get scattered minded Nero in the mist of the storm. You know like were sitting in right now. With everything going on in the day shift my focus this whole time the pandemic is been not only television not what's going on cell phone that is been am I still connected to God. Like stay connected to my everyday devotion to God. That's really what keeps me in us what really keeps me strong in the mist of all this in Europe and the rest was going to transform your mind will instruct to her thoughts about it. Do not be conformed to this world but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind and that is what you have to rely yourself on as is the word of God you know and I'm just one of those guys is this Pastor Greg, I just loved the Scriptures about meditating on love living living off the Scriptures because it gives me the hope that the Bible has has taught me and if I think you're people can understand.

You need to reflect back to what you learn from the word of God and not what you and on television and what's being said, all social media that's very true you know it says in the book of Philippians, whatsoever things are true and lovely and of good report, if there is any virtue and these things anything praiseworthy think on these things and you know we need to consciously think about what the Bible says because our emotions can get the best of us. Circumstances can overwhelm us. So we correct that with biblical thinking, thinking.

What Scripture teaches us to think reminding ourselves of things such as God is on the throne.

God is in control of my life.

God can cause all things to work together for good to those that loved him and as I remember these things.

I it sort of stabilizes me and can raise me above what I'm facing. And so Darrell is written about this and a lot more in his new book called churn your season around how God transforms your life. It was my privilege to write the forward for this new book by Darrell I know skinny impact you. I know you're gonna love it and I think this would be a really good book to give to a guy you know because Darrell's obviously a guys guy. He's a sports hero. He's the real deal, but he is very bold in his faith, and in it's all in the pages of this new book, so you might want to get a copy for your husband, or for your dad or for your son and let them read the story of Darrell strawberry and the lessons he is to share with the think of Darrell as the guy is going to coach you through the challenges you're facing. Using a lot of sports analogies but most important, filled with biblical truth you need to read turn your season around, and will send you a copy for free will not totally for free will send it for your gift of any size. And I mean that when I say that whatever you send will give you a copy. Some can only ascend a little. Some can send more but will get to this copy to start reading to share with someone who needs to read it yet. It's right and will send the book right away when you get in touch with us. Just mention the title.

Turn your season around.

The subtitle is how God transforms your life and thanks for your donation. Whatever amount you're able to send will touch more lives with the gospel just right is that a new beginning. Box 4000, Riverside, CA 92514 or call 1-800-821-3300.

That's 1-800-821-3300 portal online to harvest.org the next time pastor Greg lunch is a brand-new series called what every growing Christian needs to know practical insight to take our walk with the Lord and possible by harvest partners, helping people everywhere know God sign up for pastor grades free daily email devotion and harvest.org