Prayer ( Are you to Busy ??? )

Prayer

I want to ask you today how busy are you. Today we are busy in life which stands for to be under satans yoke, yes we are so busy in life that every thing we do must be done at a very very fast pace. We sort of talk quickly, we dress in a hurry sometimes. Ive dressed in a hurry sometimes, I did this a while ago, as I drove to work I said to my self my feet feel strange on the cars pedals today. As I look down when I arrived at work I saw that I still had my slippers on…have you ever done something like that. I remember taking my wife Sharleen a red shoe one day because she went to work with different shoes, one red one brown. Has that happen to you, I’m sure it has.

Its like some of us eat fast , we think fast, do every thing in life kind of fast, it is as if sometimes we can’t slow down, step out of it even take the time to relax…

I don’t know about you but when I went to school we were taught to recite things, poems, stories and Passages of Scripture, it became an easy thing to do to stand on a stage and say….the poem to just repeat it or utter it aloud , especially before an audience.

I really enjoyed doing this and did speech and drama for quite a while as I found it rather satisfying.

Who learnt the Lord’s prayer?

Did you also learn Psalm 23?

( Read the Lord Prayer fast )

Matthew 6:9-13

( 9"This, then, is how you should pray: )
   " 'Our Father in heaven,
   hallowed be your name,
 10your kingdom come,
   your will be done
      on earth as it is in heaven.
 11Give us today our daily bread.
 12Forgive us our debts,
      as we also have forgiven our debtors.
 13And lead us not into temptation,
   but deliver us from the evil one.

( Read Pslam 23 fast )

1 The LORD is my shepherd, I shall not be in want.

 2 He makes me lie down in green pastures,
       he leads me beside quiet waters,

 3 he restores my soul. He guides me in paths of righteousness
       for his name's sake.  4 Even though I walk
       through the valley of the shadow of death,
       I will fear no evil, for you are with me;
       your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies. You anoint my head with oil; my cup overflows.

 6 Surely goodness and love will follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.

Its not very humble is to say it so fast, but we do.

I want to ask as we learn something off by heart do we sill savour the words?

Do the words still have the same meaning they were meant have when they were first spoken? Just like the first time a song is sang it is kind of special the second time it is less special and the third less and the fourth less till eventually it means nothing it is just sung. It is done out of habit.

I don’t know about you but this seems like a bad habit to have.

To not be humble to do things in a hurry.

Yes we can  learn scripture and recite it and it becomes habitual. Oh don’t get me wrong it is very important to know scripture. As a Jewish boy in the days of JESUS scripture was very important. You had to be able to recite the first 5 books of the bible, can you imagine been able to do that. I would say fortunately that teaching has fallen by the wayside today.

We must never forget how the words were first written and how it sounded the first time it was read or spoken. The meaning, the emphasis, that was there then, at the time, is it still there now? How it was said in a humble manner.

(Talk about brying meat how you add spices to flavour it and how as you smell it when it cooks and how it tastes as you savour it as you eat it.)

Point  1

Pray with meaning and (HUMBLE)… (2 Chronicles 7:14 if my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.)

(Answered Prayer Story)

Awhile ago a Pastor decided to set about some time to prayer for his family. He prayed everyday from 11 to 12 for all the members of his family. As the Pastors children grew up and matured they all meet with Christ. His Young adults married into Christian homes and they also had grandchildren. The Pastor decided to add the Grandchildren to his list. As Two sons from one of the families of his grand children entered adulthood both of the sons regersted at the same Bible College. When the sons completed the Bible College, the one son choose to enter the ministry. The other son decided to write stories and books which pass on the education he had gained, that sons name was Dr James Dobson from Focus on the family.

A famous son today all threw many hours of prayer every day.

Never Ceasing always at the feet of GOD the Father.

Is pray the last resort often it is in our lives I don’t know about you but I normally try everything else to solve a problem before I take it to GOD, are you also guilty of that ?

Point 2

Payer is not the last resort it should be the ( First)…and we must never (Stop)… (1 Th. 5.17). Pray without ceasing)

(Prayer Walking Story Mathew)

The Lords prayer is recorded again in Luke

Luke 11:2-13

2He said to them, "When you pray, say: " 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3Give us each day our daily bread. 4Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation. "

So Jesus tells us how we should pray, He kind of knows He needs to leave us with guide lines. Guide lines that will help us one the window to Eternity, the window to God’s world.

Yes Jesus prayed regularly, his first disciples recalled. He prayed before decisive moments, beginning with his baptism and as he faced his passion all through His ministry and even as He faced death. He prayed in times of human weakness, sickness and death, as he did at the grave of Lazarus. He frequently prayed to give thanks. His prayer was steady, thankful, and confident that God's will was for his good. His prayer was heartfelt. Nowhere is that more evidence than when Christ when He prayed on the cross to the Father during those hard times.

Andrew Murray says that

"Prayer is reaching out and after the unseen; fasting, letting go of all that is seen and temporal. Fasting helps express, deepens, confirms the resolution that we are ready to sacrifice anything, even ourselves, to attain what we seek for the kingdom of God."

John Smith

"Perhaps you will have to spend hours on your knees or upon your face before the throne. Never mind. Wait. God will do great things for you if you will wait for Him. Yield to Him. Cooperate with Him."

3.How did JESUS say we should pray, are you getting back to basics?

Point 3

Prayer is important it must not be (Missed)…JESUS instructs us how we should prayer to God the father (Matthew 6:9-13

  9"This, then, is how you should pray:    " 'Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, …10your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 11Give us today our daily bread.  12Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13And lead us not into temptation,  but deliver us from the evil one. (for thine is the kingdom the power and the Glory forever and ever Amen.)

What do they say if you want to fight like a man you have to get on you knees!!!

Closing ask people to prayer for one another

Prayer to pray

Dear Jesus,
Thank you so much

for your unconditional,

never-ending love

for all your blessings.

Forgive me for ignoring

you so many times.

I want you in my life,

please forgive all of my sins

and give me your gift of eternal life.

In Jesus’ Name.

Amen.”

FOCUS ON ME

don hershman April 2003; Rev 2: 1-7

I work hard, and I’m busy most the time

I’ve got no time for myself

My life is booked up, I just can’t relax

In truth, I run, way too fast

I’ve got my dreams I must focus on

I’ve got high standards to maintain

My family’s so busy, so many places to be

Lord, demand on our lives is extreme

CHORUS

And the Lord says..... “It’s time to rethink

You must keep the Main Thing the main thing

It’s time to re-tool; where do your priorities lie?

You are pilgrims in this world and must focus on high

Child, focus on Me, and not the world and it’s lies

Child, focus on me, not the world