Series Developing a powerful prayer life Exposition 4

Series: Developing a powerful prayer life. Exposition # 4. Do not be anxious about anything. Pastor Yaciel Toledo. 1

Five basic types of prayer. 1. Praise and thanksgiving. 2. Confession. 3. Petition. 4. Intercession. 5. Meditation. 2

Content I. Type of Prayer II: Petition. II. How can my prayers get results? III. Examining Jesus’ prayer: His six petitions. 3

Type of Prayer II: Petition means to make a request. We come to God asking him to do something. It is the type of prayer in which we present our individual needs and desires to God. ■ God wants us to come to Him with every need and concern. ■ It is critical that we learn to focus our personal petitions on God’s greatest priorities for our lives. ■ The more you spend time with the Father and the Scripture, the more you will learn to ask for petitions that are biblically based and born from the heart of God Himself. 4

How can my prayers get results? a) When I ask anything according to His Will, 1 John 5: 14 -15. ■ 1 Jn 5: 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 1 Jn 5: 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him. 5

How can my prayers get results? To pray according to His will means to go to the Word, consult with the Holy Spirit to let Him develop our petition in detail. Our petition should be SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, reasonable, and timely). We should petition Him with the promises of His Word. ■ Specific: well-defined, focused, meaningful, clear and not vague. ■ Measurable: being able to measure the answer, a way to assess the prayer effectiveness. ■ Attainable: reachable and realistic. Setting up my prayer for success. ■ Reasonable: not excessive or immoderate; a reasonable request. ■ Time-based: waiting on God’s time and not our time. God knows what is best for us and when to answer our petition. 6

How can my prayers get results? b) Depends on the condition of the heart and our relationship with the Lord. ■ Our iniquities make a separation between us and God. Our sins have hidden his face from us, so that he does not hear (Isa 59: 1 -2). Isa 59: 1 Behold, the LORD's hand is not shortened, that it cannot save, or his ear dull, that it cannot hear; Isa 59: 2 but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear. 7

How can my prayers get results? b) Depends on the condition of the heart and our relationship with the Lord. ■ The Lord’s face is against those who do evil, 1 Pe 3: 12. 1 Pe 3: 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. ” ■ God looks on our attitude, our heart, 1 Sam 16: 7. 1 Sa 16: 7 But the LORD said to Samuel, “Do not look on his appearance or on the height of his stature, because I have rejected him. For the LORD sees not as man sees: man looks on the outward appearance, but the LORD looks 8 on the heart. ”

How can my prayers get results? b) Depends on the condition of the heart and our relationship with the Lord. ■ The Lord is far from the wicked, but hears the prayer of the righteous; Prov 15: 29. ■ If I cherish iniquity in my heart, the Lord would have not listened; Psa 66: 17 -20. ■ When the righteous cry, the Lord hears them, Psal 34: 17. Psa 34: 17 When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. ■ The Lord’s ears are open to the righteous’ prayer; 1 Pet 3: 12 1 Pe 3: 12 For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayer. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. ” 9

Examining Jesus’ prayer: His six petitions. Mat 6: 9 Pray then like this: “Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Mat 6: 10 Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Mat 6: 11 Give us this day our daily bread, Mat 6: 12 and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Mat 6: 13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 10

Examining Jesus’ prayer: His six petitions. ■ The petitions, and those are six; the three first relating more immediately to God and his honor, the three last to our own concerns, both temporal and spiritual; as in the ten commandments, the four first teach us our duty toward God, and the last six our duty toward our neighbor. The method of this prayer teaches us to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and then to hope that other things shall be added. 11

Examining Jesus’ prayer: His six petitions. ■ That in prayer we ought to come to God as children to a Father, a common Father to us and all mankind. Let us therefore in our requests both for others and for ourselves, come to him with a humble boldness, confiding in his power and goodness. ■ That in prayer, as well as in the tenour of our lives, we must seek first the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof, by ascribing honor to his name, his holy name, and power to his government, both that of his providence in the world and that of his grace in the church. 12

Examining Jesus’ prayer: His six petitions. ■ The prayer acknowledges that we are indebted to God for our simplest boons; (i) asks them for all; (ii) asks them only day by day; and (iii) asks for no more. Pro 30: 8 Remove far from me falsehood and lying; give me neither poverty nor riches; feed me with the food that is needful for me. ■ The daily bread signifies the continuity of God’s grace, mercy, and provision to our lives. ■ Those that come to God for the forgiveness of their sins against him, must make conscience of forgiving those who have offended them, else they curse themselves when they say the Lord's prayer. 13

Examining Jesus’ prayer: His six petitions. ■ Having prayed that the guilt of sin may be removed, we pray, as it is fit, that we may never return again to folly, that we may not be tempted to it. It is not as if God tempted any to sin; but, “Lord, do not let Satan loose upon us; chain up that roaring lion, for he is subtle and spiteful; Lord, do not leave us to ourselves (Psa_19: 13), for we are very weak; Lord, do not lay stumbling-blocks and snares before us, nor put us into circumstances that may be an occasion of falling. ” ■ Temptations are to be prayed against, both because of the discomfort and trouble of them, and because of the danger we are in of being overcome by them, and the guilt and grief that then follow. 14

Examining Jesus’ prayer: His six petitions. ■ But deliver us from evil; - from the evil one, the devil, the tempter; “keep us, that either we may not be assaulted by him, or we may not be overcome by those assaults: ” Or from the evil thing, sin, the worst of evils; an evil, an only evil; that evil thing which God hates, and which Satan tempts men to and destroys them by. “Lord, deliver us from the evil of the world, the corruption that is in the world through lust; from the evil of every condition in the world; from the evil of death; from the sting of death, which is sin: deliver us from ourselves, from our own evil hearts: deliver us from evil men, that they may not be a snare to us, nor we a prey to them. ” 15

Conclusion We have confidence that God will hear our prayers and will answer them at His time if we put into practice the fear of the Lord, and if we come to Him with clean hands and a pure heart (Psa 24: 4). 16

Series: Developing a powerful prayer life. Exposition # 4. Do not be anxious about anything. Pastor Yaciel Toledo. 17