Our Father who art in Heaven….

Prayer is one of the most intimate times of fellowship and relationship with our Father. We are able to come into the presence of His Spirit and worship, petition, and intercede through prayer. Many things are accomplished through this obedient act. To witness the fruit of ceaseless prayer is an amazing testimony of God’s faithfulness. Some are confused on how to pray or approach God in prayer, but Jesus himself gave a “guideline” of how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13

Our Father who art in Heaven Hollowed be thy name… Worship and Praise

When beginning to pray, acknowledging God as Holy and in heaven would be an act of worship. It gives a chance to connect with God. Not all worship is done in words, some like to sing songs to worship God, while others like to quietly acknowledge His presence. Either way worshiping and praising God in prayer is one of the commands the Lord teaches thru His word.
When beginning my time in prayer with my Lord I also like to call on the names of God and acknowledge them as truth in my life. For example “Lord my Banner” I say, “Lord you are my banner I have victory over smoking through you,” “Lord of Peace” I say, “Father you are the Lord of peace in my life because you have given me peace over my household.” There are many different names of God that are in His word, I encourage you to learn about them and claim them in your life through worship and praise in prayer.

Lip-service worship is not enough. Isaiah 29:13

Worship in spirit and truth. John 4:20-24
Worship with reverence. Hebrews 12:28

Give thanks always. Ephesians 5:20
Offer sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15 Praise God with song. Psalm 69:30

Thy Kingdom come thy will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven… Pray for God’s Will

You don’t have to wait to experience all that God has in His will for you! He says, “His will be done on Earth as it is in Heaven.” How amazing is it to know that we can have those fruits of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self control now! God proclaims His will and promises’ for us through His word. It is up to us to seek out and find what we are to pray for. Ask God to see through His Holy eye’s, so that we can accomplish His will.
If we know “His will be done,” our prayer life will be a lot more effective! Don’t use God’s name in vain, know His will and believe it for your life and the lives of others!

Pray for Christians everywhere. Ephesians 6:18

The Ten Commandments. Exodus 20
Works out His sovereign purpose. Ephesians 1:11

God’s truth is everlasting. Psalm 117:2
Makes all things work for good for believers. Romans 8:28

Give us this day our daily Bread… Asking for provision

God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow, is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you… (Matthew 6:30) Ask for your daily provisions…
Ask for strength for the day, knowledge, wisdom, discernment, faith, hope; love etc. anything it takes to possess the character of Christ. Ask for daily provisions of food, finances, and anything it takes to make it through the day. God gave the Israelites manna from heaven, He will surly take care of our needs also. As we hunger physically we also hunger spiritually. Ask for your Daily Bread, Jesus said He was the Bread of Life! Ask for spiritual fulfillment. Do not tire in your walk take it one day at a time!

Bread of life. John 6:48

Trust God, not money. 1 Timothy 6:17
God is sufficient. 2 Corinthians 9:8

God will supply all needs. Philippians 4:19
Seek first Gods kingdom, all else will be added. Matthew 6:33

And forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us… Confession and Cleansing

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. (1 John 1:9) When we sin we usually know that we have sinned, but when we are not familiar with Gods commands through his word we may commit unconscious sin. Ask forgiveness of all sin committed, consciously and unconsciously, and ask God to bring forth to your mind all that needs to be confessed. During time of confession you can ask God to bind and render useless all: hate, discord, anger, lust, or negativity you have spoke out against someone or someone has spoken against you. It’s not only important to confess our own sin, but to forgive sin committed against us. God calls us to bless those who curse us; there is power in confession and forgiveness!

Confess your sins. 1John 1:9

Confession lead to healing. Psalm 41:4
Confession cleanses guilt away. Psalm 51:2

Model prayer of confession. Psalm 51
Keep yourselves pure. 1timothy 5:22

Be Blameless. Philippians 2:14-15

Lead us not in to temptation but deliver us from the evil one… Asking for Protection

We know that the enemy prowls around like a roaring lion looking to devour (1Peter 5:8) and temps believers to immorality and to lie (1 Corinthians 7:5; Acts 5:3). This is why Jesus gave us this example to ask for protection. This battle is not between us and Satan, but rather between God and Satan. When in prayer ask God to protect: your finances, your relationships, your spirituality, your mind, your health, your home, your decisions, your actions, your words, your family, your job, etc. It is not a sign of weakness to ask for help or protection, because God is truly the only one who can protect and help us! “For this battle is not mine, but Yours”

Divine wings, a refuge. Psalm 17:8-9; 27:5; 31:20

God is our hiding place. Psalm 32:7
Put on the armor of God. Ephesians 6:11-18

Put on faith, love, and hope. 1Thessalonians 5:8
Cloth yourselves with the armor of light. Romans 13:12-13

I encourage you my brethren, to grow a personal relationship with the Father through intimate prayer! Seek God with all your heart and you will find Him!

Can I Get a Witness!

At this I fell at his feet to worship him. But he said to me, "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God! For the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy." Revelation 19:10

As followers of Christ it is our obligation to live in constant testimony. Most people see more than they hear. If we are to spread the gospel of Jesus, aren’t we to live the gospel also. If we witnessed to non-believers about the goodness of Jesus Christ but did not display the character He displayed, we would be an unreliable source and the non-believer would not think the gospel had any validity. We are human and God knows we are not infallible for he said in John 2:25, “He did not need man's testimony about man, for he knew what was in a man.” I know that this is a work in progress stage in my life, but I know the only thing that sustains me is being in constant fellowship with the Lord. I could just imagine the pure excitement John must have felt in Revelation when the angel of the Lord brought him up to reveal Gods plan. He was so awestruck with God’s angel that he fell to his knees and the angel replied "Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers who hold to the testimony of Jesus. Worship God!” Wouldn’t it be awesome if when people looked at our transformation through Christ they wanted to fall to their knees to worship and give thanks to God? “In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:15

The Narrow Gate

“You can enter God’s Kingdom only through the narrow gate. The highway to hell is broad, and its gate is wide for the many who choose that way. But the gateway to life is very narrow and the road is difficult, and only a few ever find it.”
Matthew 7:13-14 NLT

Thank the good Lord that he is speaking of a spiritual gate. I don’t think I would be going through any narrow anything right now, I have yet to accomplish that through Christ. Nevertheless this passage leads us to a very serious matter, our perception of the narrow gate. Today our perception is blinded by the immorality of our nation and the tolerance of things that are in opposition of Christ. In the book of Luke someone had asked Christ how many would be saved, and he replied, “Work hard to enter the narrow door to God’s Kingdom, for many will try to enter but will fail.” OK if that doesn’t hit you lets go back to Genesis in the days of Noah. In those days the entire world was evil. God was so angry that he made plan to destroy all that he created, all except Noah, his wife, his children, their wives, and of course two of every kind of animal. Granted the world was not as populated as it is today, but the whole world was evil with the exception of Noah and his family. God had made a covenant with his people that he would never flood the Earth again, but naturally evil has found its way back into mainstream daily life. The reason God had spared Noah was because he had walked through the narrow gate. He lived a life worthy of Gods Blessings. The world’s ways are not Gods ways, so the world tends to turn its back on those who choose to turn to Christ. The road to hell is paved with half truths. The most dangerous untruths are truths moderately distorted (Georg Christoph Lichtenberg). Many times we tend to justify our faults, sins, or even our way of thinking. The Lord will hold us accountable for every thought, word, and deed we have done; unless we have confessed and repented. Galatians 5:19-25 tells us, “When you follow the desires of your sinful nature, the results are very clear: sexual immorality, impurity, lustful pleasures, idolatry, sorcery, hostility, quarreling, jealousy, outbursts of anger, selfish ambition, dissension, division, envy, drunkenness, wild parties, and other sins like these. Let me tell you again, as I have before, that anyone living that sort of life will not inherit the Kingdom of God.” Then he goes on to say “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” Are we walking the path to the narrow gate by being obedient to God and living under his yoke, or are we on the path to death by being of the world and our own selfish desires?

Blessed Are Those Who Mourn.

“Blessed are those who mourn, For they shall be comforted.” Matthew 5:4

How often do we mourn? How often do we mourn over the wrong things? When Jesus gave the Sermon on the Mount He said that those who mourn would be blessed He did not say, “Those who complain and throw pity parties will be blessed.” Too often we center our reality on ourselves and our own comfort. When we mourn God is looking inside to our true heart of the matter. He can see if we are mourning over the fact that we have been caught, displeased, or upset from our own selfish desire rather than mourning over the broken relationship we have caused by sinning against the one who has sacrificed His life for ours. The Mourning we will be blessed for is the sorrow over our sins which produces true repentance. Paul spoke about it in 2 Corinthians 7:10 “Godly sorrow produces repentance leading to salvation, not to be regretted. But sorrow of the world produces death.” True sorrow results in forgiveness. How many times do we ask for forgiveness without mourning over our fault? Woe to us who slip into our selfish sorrows and ask for forgiveness in vain!