Prayer is the Priority

We were made in God’s image for the purpose of fellowship with Him. It wasn’t about a church service, it has always been about our daily relationship with God. Our prayer life is like an altar fire that should never go out. We should continually be sending up prayers to God. To forget to pray is to forget God.

Key Scripture:
Leviticus 6:9-13; I Samuel 12:23; Matthew 6:6; Luke 11:2

Key Points:
1. Your prayers are the proof you believe God is real. You are to pray continuously.

2. God started the fire, but we must keep the fire burning. God can start a fire without matches.

3. The fire is a picture of your salvation. It is supernatural.

The 5 Laws of Prayer:
1. Prayer must be a priority. We are to pray continuously. It is the fire we are responsible for keeping alive. a. Everything centers around your prayer life.

b. Center your day around daily time with Him.

c. Prayer is a victory giver and an obstacle remover.

d. Go to a private place and shut the door—nothing else gets in your prayer place because it is a priority

e. Pray in secret

2. There must be a time to pray. Life runs on schedules and prayer has to be scheduled.

a. Keep showing up to pray.

b. Pray even when you don’t feel like it.

c. God blesses the effort.

d. In the Bible prayers were offered in the morning and in the evening.

e. 9AM and 3PM were significant times to pray in scripture. It doesn’t have to be 9AM and 3PM, but try to set a daily time.

3. You need a place of prayer. Jesus often went to a solitary place to pray for focused prayer. WHERE you pray matters.

a. Mountains

b. Gardens

c. Outdoors

d. A solitary place

e. A special chair

f. A place to walk

g. Find YOUR prayer place

4. Find a pattern of prayer. The Lord’s prayer is a model prayer for us to follow. Here are six categories to be covered in your prayer and a model you can follow:

1. Praise - Begin with gratitude and thankfulness.

2. Priority - Ask “thy will be done,” asking for God’s will not yours.

3. Provision - Pray for your needs.

4. Pardon - Ask for forgiveness of your sins and for those who have sinned against you.

5. Power - Seek power to overcome temptation.

6. Praise- End as you began with gratitude and giving glory to God.

5. Pray out loud. When we were instructed to pray the Lord’s Prayer he said “say.”

a. Your children need to hear you pray and call their names

b. We are to “speak” to that mountain

c. Prayer is taught by hearing others pray

Final Thoughts:
One out of every two marriages ends in divorce. But only one in two-thousand couples divorce when the couples pray together. Desire peace and pleasantness in your family. You release warring angels when you pray. It’s time for the church to get the fire back on the altar. The fire is your prayer. Prayer is the test for whether you really believe in God or not. Do you? If you do, then pray as if you believe the God of the universe is listening, and ready to move on your behalf. Make prayer a priority and find a time, a place, and follow the pattern set down in Luke 11.

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