G… Mail (Week 8)

ICEBREAKERS

• What is your most-used emoji?
• What’s your favorite sports team and why?
• What is the best gift you’ve ever given/received?

OPEN IN PRAYER

MESSAGE REVIEW

LET’S TALK ABOUT IT!

• Read Matthew (6:9-13) and Luke (11:2-4). These two scriptures speak of The Lord’s Prayer, which, according to the New Testament, Jesus taught as a way to pray: Pray then in this way. Our Father which art in Heaven. The Lord’s Prayer focuses our thoughts on what’s important in life “Give us this day our daily bread. Forgive our sins.” Most importantly, Jesus teaches us to pray for God’s ways above our own. Furthermore, Jesus states “When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites.” The word hypocrite means actor. Don’t play a role that’s not really you. Don’t be untrue because you want somebody to think something about you that is not true. God is seeking a pure and humble heart. How should you approach God in prayer?

• Read Matthew 6:6 The bible says but when you pray, go into a secret place, and shut the door and pray to the Father. “So, we know that we don’t any longer pray to Jesus, we pray to the Father in His name. Remember when Jesus was in the earth, people couldn’t pray to the Father because Jesus had not yet died and dealt with sin, so nobody could approach the Father.” However, God the Father is omnipresent. He sees what is done in secret, and even knows the secrets of a person’s heart and God tells us he will reward us according to our heart posture.” We have the ultimate benefit in getting to know God and having free access to come to him in faith. Importantly, God gave us a promise according to Jesus, he will add to the answers to prayer, and reward us in heaven. What did Jesus say about praying in your room?  What is the right posture to pray?

Reference Scriptures

• Matthew 6:6 The Power of the Secret Place, reveals its core principle of Prayer and calls you into being guided to an understanding of what transpires when you access God in the private, intimacy, revealing place of prayer and communion. The word secret place means inner. You know what God is saying? He’s saying, yeah, go into a room and get alone and focus. The environment in which you pray in is essential. The reason why privacy is necessary for prayer is privacy encourages honesty, and honesty promotes a true intimacy with God. Distractions can cause us to miss God voice, because you’re listening to so many others. Where is your secret place to pray? 
• James 5:16 James teaches that it should be a daily practice for Christians to confess our sins to each other and to pray for each other, knowing that the effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much. Pastor shared the effectual, fervent prayer of righteous people; they are the ones that produce. The Bible says, “Whatsoever things ye desire, when ye pray, believe you have received them, and you shall have them. “But if you desire it, and it moves you, and it makes you walk around your house and pray all night,” He said, “then that thing is the thing I want you to bring to Me”, because when you desire it and you pray it, and then you believe you’ve received it, the Bible says you shall have it (Ron Carpenter). How can you pray more fervently? What are the things that you’re believing for in your life?
• Read John 1  The word became flesh, and now God wants the word returned back to Him. While we are praying this allows us to create a cycle between heaven and earth. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on the earth, as it already is in heaven.” Everything in heaven is, but in the earth, it needs to come. Jesus said, “It is finished.” What you want to come in the earth, it already is in heaven. You have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places. It’s done. So, we must start declaring what God has already done.  The online dictionary says declaring is to make known formally, officially, or explicitly publicly. A good example, the judge declared the defendant fit to stand trial. She was declared the rightful heir to the throne. Romans 8:16-18 states we are heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ/ joint heirs to the kingdom.  Let’s start declaring our rightful heir to the throne of grace. What does it mean to be joint heirs?
• Ephesians 6:11-18 points out that “we do not wrestle against flesh and blood.” Meaning, the fight is not against leadership or people or employment or even our circumstances. The real battle, the unseen battle is against spiritual forces which is the enemy trying to distract us. The Bible said Daniel was faithful in prayer, Daniel prayed three times a day. Daniel had been seeking God for an answer for his people. After some time had passed, the angel Gabriel finally comes to Daniel with the answer to his prayer. “Then he said to me, ‘Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand and to humble yourself before God, your words were heard, God heard you.” But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me 21 days. One of the chief princes came to help me, Michael” He said, “I got so much resistance coming to answer your prayer in the second heaven; the demonic forces over the Empire of Persia resisted me.” Why? Cause he was a Hebrew living in captivity inside Persia, and the angels were trying to get God’s answer to him in a place that was ruled by demonic power. Gabriel came to give understanding of the vision. As believers we face similar battles, such as encountering seasons where the enemy surround us. For example, sickness may occur, conflict at our job my arise. However, with each of these conflicts, we can choose to put on the full armor of God, and fight in prayer like Daniel. We must learn how to pray and be still knowing God is fighting our battles.