|
JANUARY
2010
Dear
Friend:
A blessed New
Year to everyone! We enter
another NEW Year, NEW month, NEW
day. We do not know what will
happen and what changes we may
experience in the New Year. But
I know the One who never
changes--our Lord Jesus
Christ!
"Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday, today and
forever"
Hebrews 13:8.
Jesus is the
same; He never changes? That is
what God's Word declares. As I
thought about that , I decided
for the next few months, as we
begin the new year, I'd like us
to take a look into the
Lord's
Prayer recorded in
Matthew 6:9-13.
I have a
question: Does praying ever seem
boring to you? If you're like
me, then sometimes praying does
seem boring. Praying becomes the
same old routine over and over
again, blah, blah, blah. Most of
us do experience that sometimes
and our prayer time becomes just
one more thing that we "have to"
do, a duty.
How can our
prayer time change from duty into
delight?
We need to
recognize that praying is having
a relationship with God and it is
a life-long process. It is a
step by step process of learning
how to pray. Yes, we need to
learn how to pray. Even Jesus'
disciples who were with Him day
after day asked Jesus to teach
them to pray.
Jesus responded
to His disciples with a model
prayer, an example of how we are
to pray. This prayer is called
the Lord's
Prayer.
-
- The Lord's
Prayer can be summarized by
five words that all begin with
the letter P.
- "The Five
P's":
-
- 1)
Praise
-
- 2)
Priorities
-
- 3)
Provides
-
- 4)
Protection
-
- 5) Praise
(the same word we began
with)
Just as Jesus
wanted to teach His disciples how
to pray, 2000 years ago, He also
wants to teach us, His disciples
in the year 2010, how to pray.
I'll be sharing on "The Five P's"
over the next few
months.
Maybe you are
very familiar with the
Lord's
Prayer. Many people
have memorized the Lord's
Prayer by heart. The
Lord's
Prayer is often quoted
at funerals and weddings, or when
our nation is facing a crisis
you've probably seen people come
together and pray the
Lord's
Prayer. However many
people do not fully understand
what the Lord's
Prayer really means or
why we pray the Lord's
Prayer.
At the same time
we see that prayer in general is
fading away from our nation,
government, schools and even
fading away from our lives. I
believe there is a satanic
inspired movement to get God out
and prayer out of our society and
out of our lives.
Following are
four passages of scripture that
I'd like to share with you
(NIV):
Matthew 5:6
(Beatitudes), "Blessed are
those who hunger and thirst for
righteousness, for they will be
filled."
Matthew 6:9-13,
(The Lord's Prayer),
"Our Father in
heaven, hallowed be Your name,
Your kingdom come, Your will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also
have forgiven our debtors. And
lead us not into temptation, but
deliver us from evil; for Yours
is the kingdom and the power and
the glory forever.
Amen."
Matthew 7:7-12
(Ask, Seek, Knock),
"Ask and it will
be given to you; seek and you
will find; knock and the door
will be opened to you. For
everyone who asks receives; he
who seeks finds; and to him who
knocks, the door will be opened.
Which of you, if his son asks for
bread, will give him a stone? Or
if he asks for a fish, will give
him a snake? If you, then,
though you are evil, know how to
give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your Father in
heaven give good gifts to those
who ask him! So in everything,
do to others what you would have
them do to you, for this sums up
the Law and the
Prophets."
Matthew 7:13-14
(Narrow way/road),
"Enter through
the narrow gate. For wide is the
gate and broad is the road that
leads to destruction, and many
enter through it. But small is
the gate and narrow the road that
leads to life, and only a few
find it."
The above verses
are in the order that they appear
in Matthew. As I read them I
notice this pattern:
- 1) First a
person thirsts for
righteousness, hungers for
God, then that person will be
filled, content.
-
- 2) That leads
a person to the five P's of
Lord's Prayer,--starting with
praise, setting priorities in
life, praying for provision
and protection, and
continueing to praise the
Lord.
-
- 3) In our
daily walk with the Lord we
pray for direction as we
ask--we receive, as we
seek--we find, as we
knock--the door is opened to
us.
-
- 4) The
Christian walk is a narrow
road and the Word of God tells
us not many people choose this
road, sadly, only a few. It
is choosing to live a godly
life, a life that pleases God.
It is a life that leads to eternal life. It is a life that leads to
Jesus Christ
Himself.
It is a life
of--did you catch it? PRAYER!
Prayer is the key! This
life of prayer leads to
contentment; as we pray the five
P's of the Lord's Prayer; as we
continue to ask, seek, knock; as
we enter the narrow gate and
follow the narrow path (which is
not easy) but it leads to life
with Jesus Christ! We experience
an abiding relationship with
Him!
 What
about you? What about your life?
Do you hunger
and thirst for God? Do you want
that contentment found in a
realtionship with Jesus? Do you
desire to pray and have a
relationship with Jesus? Are you
asking, seeking and knocking for
God's will in your life? Have
you entered the narrow gate? Are
you walking on the narrow
road?
It starts with
you and me. As we put prayer
back in our lives it will
influence our homes. But it will
not stop there. As we pray it
can influence our schools, our
govenment and our nation and we
can once again be "one nation
under God" with prayer in our
schools, our government and in
America.
My friend, come
walk with me the next few months
as we "dig" into Matthew 6:9-13
together.
PRAYER:
"Our Father in
Heaven, teach us to pray. Cause
us to hunger and thirst for You.
May we ask, seek and knock. May
we walk the narrow way, even
though it is the rough way, it is
the best way because it leads to
You. And when we find You, we
have life! May we live a life of
righteousness and follow Jesus'
model prayer, the Lord's Prayer.
We pray in Jesus Name--whose Name
is above all! AMEN.
GOD BLESS
YOU!
- ARCHIVES
-
- 2009
- December
"Born to Die" (by Gary
Barrett)
- November
"THANKSGIVING"
acronym
- October
"Eagle
Renewal"
- September
"The
Eagle's Enemy"
- July/August
"Through
the Storms"
- June
"The
Eagle's Lifestyle"
- May
"Learn
to Fly"
- April
"Eternal
Eyes"
- March
"Under
the Shelter of His
wings"
- February
"Mount
Up With Wings Like
Eagles"
- January
"His
Faithfulness"
-
- 2008
- December
"Born to Die"
- November
"THANKSGIVING"
acronym
- October
"Psalm
23" conclusion
- September
"Psalm
23:6"
- August
"Psalm
23:5"
- July
"True
Liberty"
- June:
"Psalm
23:4b"
- May:
"Psalm
23:4a"
- April:
"Psalm
23:3b"
- March:
"Psalm 23:3a"
- February:
"Psalm
23:2"
- January:
"Psalm
23:1"
-
- 2007
- December:
"Born
to Die" (by Gary
Barrett)
- November:
"Thanksgiving-Give
Thanks (acronym)"
- October:
"Discover
the Peace that God
Gives"
- September:
"The
Heart of a Pilgrim"
- August:
"Abide"
- July
"True
Liberty"
- June
"Knowing
God's Deep, Deep
Love"
- May
"Revive
Us Again"
TO
SEND A PRAYER REQUEST OR MAKE A
COMMENT BY EMAIL
CLICK HERE
|
