Prayer On Purpose

FCF: Our sin disqualifies us from talking to a holy God.

Big Idea: Jesus makes prayer possible and effective.

What is prayer?

—> Prayer is how we communicate and commune with God.

What is the practice of prayer?

—> Learning to set aside dedicated time to intentionally be with God, in order to become like him and partner with him to do what he’s called us to do in the world.

What are the four layers of prayer?

   1. Talking to God

   2. Talking with God

   3. Listening to God

   4. Being with God

Talking with God includes:

   1) Gratitude = talking with God about what is good in your life and the world

   2) Lament = talking with God about what is evil in your life and the world

   3) Petition & Intercession = asking God to fulfill his promises to overcome evil w/good

    —Petition = asking God to do something on our behalf

    — Intercession = asking God to do something on someone else’s behalf

How should we pray?

1) Pray with faith that Jesus dealt with your sin once and for all and he is reconciling us to God. (1 John 1:9; James 5:16)

2) Pray with humility because God is not obligated to hear from unbelievers. (James 4:6; 1 Peter 3:12; Prov. 15:29; John 14:6)

3) Pray with boldness for God promised to hear & answer when we pray according to His will. (John 16:23; 1 John 5:13-14; John 15:7)