Making the Most of Your Prayer Life - Part 2

Found them to be intensified To town Stanley for Wednesday, May 4. Scripture tells us to devote myself to prayer. I can attempt to follow those instructions make teaching how to make the most of your prayer life. I believe you. I had asked the Lord Jesus Christ. What is the priority in his given day. On any given date is what he would say it's the Thomas would be my father.

You recall the Scripture says that he was up early in the morning out alone with the father, praying in the evening he was alone with the father, praying he said only do those things that please the father only do those things are see the father doing odd. I take no initiative of my own Jesus Christ was in continuous worship with his father but that wasn't just because he was God, but simply because he took time to be alone with his heavenly father.

While you turn if you will to Colossians chapter 4 and here Paul gives us an admonition and I believe in this passage, he really deals with about every facet we need to deal with when it comes to praying will. There was one primary part of an Colossians chapter 4 verse two he says devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert and it with an attitude of thanksgiving. Praying at the same time crosses well that God may open up to us a door for the word so that we may speak for the mystery of Christ, for which I also have been imprisoned in order that I may make it clear in the way I ought to speak now I will talk about something very practical for a moment about our prayer life because it hung them devote myself to prayer. It won't be just haphazard praying on the expressway on my way to work or sitting at a table having a blessing and so forth. But you see a lot of people have lots of problems and heartaches in life and they don't realize God would either illuminate or sustain them through those.

They just spend enough time talking with him and letting him give them wisdom as to how to respond to these things if you don't have a prayer like that really makes a difference is going to have any impact having impact on your life, the lives of the people. Therefore, things I believe are essential. Number one, and that is to set a definite time if you don't you won't devote yourself to prayer. It doesn't happen the reason I know this because since Satan hates that about every other activity you not engage ourselves in.

He's going to do everything in his power to keep you what busy they keep you busy so you can say I don't have time to pray number one time.

Secondly, a place you sent one of the world is a place have to do it. Here's what he has to do it is something about having a spot in your home a place in a bedroom or a requirement may be a DNR may be in the bathroom but someplace you have prophecy a place for you and God get together where you battle it out with those things that you and he just need to deal with privately in your life is something that having a place and something to remind you.

The third thing is a purpose. If you have a purpose. You will pray you just pray here in Jan things things arise in this. At the other your present but here and there, but you will pray much. What's the purpose and here's the purpose. The purpose ultimately is not to get something from God in what God sees.

The primary purpose of praying developing an intimate wall personal intimacy with him.

That's his ultimate purpose. And then, of course, meeting our needs and all the rest. The fourth thing is plan his simple plan is very important is so simple even a look over if you're not careful. There's something about recording what you praying about it several cheap little notebook right in the request.

But today the end of it when you made the request and then we got answers that prayer draw one line through it. Only one sitting still rated and put the date at the end is what happens every time you open that book. If the line says God heard me.

God loves me.

God cares for me. God is interested in me. God is intervening in my life. God's answering my prayer God's developing my relationship to him growing in my faith life is getting exciting God is in my life. And then he says watchfulness. He says watchfulness.

Be alert and with the attitude of thanksgiving, expressing gratitude toward him and keeping that prayer journal will motivate you to give thanks again and again and again, but what God is doing in your life. So that's his first word to his then I want you to notice what he says devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert and with an attitude of thanksgiving playing at the same time crosses well. Paul is talking about himself is writing this imprisoned now and he says that God may open to us a door for the word that is the gospel so that we may speak for the mystery of Christ, for which I've also been imprisoned in order that I may make it clear in the way all speak now I want you listen carefully.

God didn't give us this awesome opportunity of prayer just to get our needs met though that is part of our current personal concerns and concerns for people that are friends and loved ones are concerned about, but also for ministry now as I think about what Paul spoke of here and he says, praying for us. Also, what he's doing is trying to motivate these Colossians to really talk to God. So what I want to give you is 10 results. Here are 10 things that will happen when you and I begin to pray not just for ourselves but for the world for ministry around the world.

The 10 things are going to happen.

A person's life. When you get serious about that. So I want you Japanese down the first one is as we sit in the very beginning your personal intimacy with God something is going to happen your relationship to Christ.

When you get serious about praying, number one, number two, your perspective about life is gonna be in large you gonna be able to see things the way God sees you going to be of the get concerned about things that you've never been concerned about before and you going to be able to have a discerning spirit about things that you've never had before. Number three a positive faith attitude is going to develop when you begin the price seriously and you keep that notebook and you just keep marking down the things that God's been saying to you, and how he's been working in your life. Number four there is going to be a piece in the midst of precious and I didn't say that prayer is always going take away the pressure. Take away the hardship take the trials and tribulations, heartaches, burdens, tears hurt sorrow. No, he's not going take all that away, but what he does when you and I begin to get serious about our pro-life. What happens is, there begins to prevail over us and awesome sense of peace that no matter how strong the pressures are, how deep the hurt may be there is going to be an awesome sense of peace that we begin to experience that we had not experienced before you sit, you may just talk into God's going to make that kind of difference. I guarantee you if you get serious about your prayer life and listen begin to get devoted spend time with him. Listening to him and talking with then number five it's going to have a purifying effect upon your life is no way to come to him with an open heart, day after day week after week, month after month, year after year without God beginning to reveal things in life that we not seen someone else.

It seemed that we had not seen beginning to stir up within us a sense of conviction about something, or an awareness of something not necessarily just sins, but things in life that God knows would be better if we were the outcome or something that he wants to add in our life. Number six is the pathway to true genuine spiritual growth in every area of our life as you now begin to pray. What is he do, he shows us the facets of life that you know should be involved.

He shows us how to invest our spiritual gifts. He begins to give us more concrete direction about where our money is to be spent.

How it's to be invested where were to give away to support what ministers to support God begins to give clear direction in every aspect of our life.

Number seven. We begin to develop a passion to obey God as you begin to pray and miss. It is God begins to reveal himself to you. You want to obey you desire to obey him. Satan is not going to give up. He's not going to quit and you can listen. It may be there when you get serious about praying Satan begins to launch his most vicious attacks more frequently than ever before and you begin the one the Lord.

One of the world have. That's the time you and I can rejoice because, listen when the Devils not bothering you. You not bothering him. And when you begin to get serious and intercede begin to pray than Satan begins to get upset and he's going launch his most vicious attacks number eight. He's going to provide every single need of your life, physical needs, material needs, emotional needs, whatever they are they going to begin to flow into your life in a way that's much smoother than they have been before number nine this going to be a power in your service forgot review singing in the car taken up an offering of teaching a class of preaching a sermon to sing a solo. It is negatives with its own your job as a as as the boss on employee in whole and not in the home as a mother is a father.

Whatever you and I are doing there will be more of the awareness of the presence and power and wisdom of God to do it and do it well and then number 10 sum it all up you going to be productive in every facet of your life. When prayer becomes that major issue when it becomes the priority time. The most important event and God becomes the most important person in your life and your relationship to Jesus Christ becomes the most important relationship and when you begin to major on that something happens to every single facet of our life and the life you to find that out is not listening to me know where to find that out is to try it for yourself. And so, as I think about the awesome opportunity we have listened what he's saying is that you and I become the channels by which God releases his omnipotence in heaven and gets it down here on earth and gets it involved in the lives of people in the situations and circumstances that change people's lives. When you not develop our prayer life. We begin to learn to listen to him and talk with him. God will burden us to pray specific things that people will think will my praying that I have people to call me once in a while that's been going on for years will calm and stable. Is everything all right usually it probably isn't, but is everything all right will what you mean what yesterday I was praying for you had this this tremendous burden for you and I can tell you I don't remember anybody ever calling me and telling me that that I couldn't tell them yes I needed that. Yes, let me tell you what was going on. Yes, God must've had me in mind the put me on your heart yes yes yes you think about this. How many of you would love to have a group of people praying for you every day how many of you are willing to be that prayer partner for somebody else. You see, if you want folks praying for you. You can start pray for somebody and you know the tragic listen I hate to think for one minute that I had to be the pastor of anybody's church and have nobody praying for me cannot help me. I'm here to take. I could handle it, and the truth is you and I can even handle life without somebody praying for, we can handle it.

Listen, every teenager should cry out to God for parents who pray for them and call their names daily and every parent should be crying out to God for the children and we should be crying out to God. The people who are in need and what we don't realize is we don't realize the power of people's prayers, lifting us up and asking God to protect his give us wisdom and direction and decisions in life. Listen the best asset you've got in your life is not what you got in the bank of Wall Street, the best asset. You've got people praying for you, lifting you up to God, crying out to God in your behalf.

That's what Paul is talking about here when he says, praying is at the same time for us as well that God may open a door of opportunity and he says, praying for the minister. He says now two things. Primarily, he said that God, God would open up a door of opportunity. You see it's prayers that open up doors of opportunity. That's how we got another countries in the world. We begin to pray God, you must open the door.

What can we do we know who to talk to you how to go about it. We don't have the money.

Lord we don't trust you to open the door the day in every single country in the world every day and is the result of God's people praying. So if you want God to work in your life, get somebody praying for you if you want to get somebody praying for you.

You begin to pray for someone else and God will raise up people to pray for you can ask people to pray for, and given the small group of people praying but spend time alone with God on your face before him, crying out to him for those things that are needed in your life and so here's what he says listen he just praying at the same time process. Well, that God may open us up a door for the word that God will open opportunities for them to preach the word of God. Then he said, so that we may speak for the mystery of Christ which he was referring to. Primarily that the gospel is open to both Gentiles and Jews preaching the gospel message which have also been imprisoned. Listen, this is normal to make to request in praying ministry was number one.

That God would open doors of opportunity and second listen what he said. He said, and also that I may make it clear in the way out to speak once in a while I want to say to people who are members of churches and sometimes they criticized our pastor well you know my prankster. I just don't like the way he preaches I don't like the way he dresses. I don't like the way he speaks. I don't like this. I don't like that I don't like the other. Let me ask a question when's the last time on your face before God, you begin to cry out to God, his behalf and ask God to work in his life or do you just enjoy criticizing because I want to. This pastor, no pastor is perfect. What in the world would you do with a perfect pastor you got to go find another church because the no perfect church members, and so all of us are imperfect and that's what all of us need one another and the most powerful thing we can do for one another is to talk to God talk to God in behalf of each other. What is he going to do. He's going to do what he enjoys doing answering our petition and never have had policy is running you do. He said I need you to pray that God will open doors of opportunity, but I need you to pray that God will show me how to speak the truth clearly, and I can tell you that is some of the prayer of my own heart that you would pray for me to know how to speak the truth simply and clearly so that nobody, not even a child would misunderstand. Now the only way that can happen is for people to pray for God to speak until way can happen often times people say you know the best thing I got to that sermon also was that it would be something and never said I never said I know I didn't say what is that that is the Holy Spirit taken the word of God and doing what so working it there when you hear it you get what you need.

It may have been something I said then said that's why you should never miss coming to church is a lot I don't know about, like us, not what you may not mate something else since God's doing it even listen to him because he can say in a way that I can say. And Paul said I want you to pray that I'll be able to speak the truth, so clearly nobody will misunderstand now, I'm ready. Pray that that he asked to do that because when I read some of things he wrote I think is what in the world that he may but that, and yet is you not keep on praying and seeking and reading and study God begins us to give us understanding so let's think about your prayer life from personally do you spend most of your time praying for your self, your needs, your family, people closest to you.

How much time do you spend outside that little circle, listen, this is the circle most of us praying how often you get out of that circle into the V Cir. of this world and praying for people to be saved with the millions and think about all the homeless, helpless, hurting, dying people in other countries the world in the midst of bloodshed warfare, vengeance, hostility and anger brother against brother and sister consistent family against family and people who desperately desperately need to know the truth. You and I know enough about what's happening in this world to know that people need the gospel and the need to be saved and we read enough lettuce to realize that people are hungry for the truth. They want to know the truth and what we read in these letters.

Please tell us the truth please because I beg you tell us the truth and here we sit enough truth to say the whole world. Paul says devote yourself to prayer and my challenge to use if you want your life to really count for God. You want your life to barren impact if you want to make your life full of things that really make a difference if you will devote yourself to prayer. You will discover a relationship to him that you never dreamed possible. And secondly, God will begin to use you in ways you never thought you were even worthy of being used is so simple. It is a matter of giving time to the father and I am doing your life what he chooses to thank you for listening to part 211, making the most of your prayer life.

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