Jan 22

Prayer. Humble submission to God.

Week 3.2

I remember growing up in church and when people would pray, I would think “wow they must be close to God”. They would use big words, they would change the inflection of their voice, and it just seemed like they were close to God.

I'm sure these men meant nothing by their prayer performance, but it made me scared to pray in front of other people. I thought that I had to know the exact right words to say and was always afraid to mess up in front of others.

Now being much older in my faith I understand that prayer is special, we do not have to know exactly what to say. We do not have to know big theological words for God to hear us. What God wants more than anything in our prayers is humble submission to him.

So as we continue to think about prayer today I want to encourage you to just pray period. Very simply prayer is just talking to God. That's the blessing that we get when we can talk to God about anything. We all have enough gone on in our lives that we need to be able to stop what we're doing and pray. And knowing that we are able to pray through the creator of the universe should give us confidence to be able to make it through whatever the day may bring.

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.’

13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

Luke 18:9-14

prayer 1-2

Jan 22

Worried? Pray

prayer 1

Week 3.1

There is something significant and special about the prayer experience. When you seek to connect with God either in private prayer or corporate prayer he responds. He responds by making you aware of His presence.

When you are alone and feeling helpless you will find comfort and peace. When you are with a group of believers lifting up the name of Jesus, he fills you with wonder. When you take the time to count your blessings, he fills you with gratitude.

There’s no special formula when you pray. You don’t have to use the perfect words or phrases. All God cares about is that you are calling out to him in an attitude of worship and praise. There are several model prayers for examples of prayer in scripture. Let’s look at a few of them.

6 Don’t worry about anything, but in everything, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7 And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7

 

Here are a few things I want us to notice about the passage.

Pray about all things.

There is nothing that is too small for us to pray about. God wants us to rbing all things to Him. He knows our every need before we ask so make sure you ask Him about everything.

If you have a test, pray. If you have a flat tire, pray. If you are excited about something, pray. If someone says something that hurts you, pray. God is concerned about all things so, pray about all things.

Give thanks.

Often, we feel overwhelmed by life’s circumstances because we allow ourselves to focus on what might happen. Instead, when we consider how God has been faithful in the past, we can allow our thought’s to turn to Him and all the things we are thankful for.

Make a list out of all the things you are thankful for, and your worries will melt away. It may take some time to get started but once you start your list will flow and the more things you will be able to list, and the blessings won’t stop!

Peace comes.

It is amazing what can happen when we allow God to be God. Much of our stress and anxiety come from trying to be in control of things we can’t control. When we focus on God and allow Him to do only what he can do we get an amazing sense of peace and security that is only available through Him.

Songs

Trust and Obey

Holy Spirit

Prayer

Lord when I am overwhelmed by life’s circumstances help me remember to always pray first. May prayer and your holy spirit to be my refuge. Fill my mind and heart with true peace that can only come from you.

Jan 15

We Need Relationships

Week 2.2 We Need Relationship

Devotional

Another part of fellowship is enjoying the benefits of a close relationship with Jesus. As we experience the blessings of being united with Christ and His church we experience a joy that is not found anywhere else in the world. It is a joy that is only found in Christ and His people.

How do we make sure that we are experiencing this joy of fellowship with other Christians? By Joining a small group. There are a number of benefits. Here are three:

Friendship (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

11 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

Our lives are so busy and many of us do not have time for relationships outside of the home. When you joy a group, you get a scheduled time each week to spend with other Christians an build relationships. This how you truly get plugged into a church and body of believers.

Spiritual growth (Philippians 1:6)

6 I am sure of this, that he who started a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus.

We are promised that God is going to continue to work in us until the day we go home to heaven. Spiritual growth is a result of spending time with God and His people. Make it a priority.

Accountability (Proverbs 27:17)

Iron sharpens iron, and one person sharpens another.

I don’t know about you but I need help to do the things I need to do. Even though I know the habits that lead to growth and a pure life I still need help getting there. When you have others in your life who are willing to speak words of encouragement and rebuke into your life it help you both grow.

If you're looking to grow in your faith and build meaningful relationships, consider joining a small group or discipleship class ASAP.

Song

How great is our God – Chris Tomlin

How Great Thou Art Traditional Hymn

Prayer

Lord, Thank You for the connections formed in small groups, where genuine relationships are nurtured. Thank you for the support, encouragement, and love that flows through these gatherings, strengthening our bond as brothers and sisters in Christ.

fellowship-3