Sermon Central
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It's Praying Time
Contributed by Levi Wright on Oct 6, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: To pray means many things to many people, but basically prayer is simply talking with God. Jesus taught us to direct our requests to God, expecting Him to answer. Prayer is the most Powerful force that we have as Christians. “Prayer really do changes t
Banner of Praise Ministries
Rev. Dr. Levi Howard Wright, Pastor & Founder
“It’s Praying Time”
Scripture: Matthew 6:5-13
5And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
6But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
7But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
8Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.
9After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11Give us this day our daily bread.
12And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Introduction
Since the beginning of time, prayer has been the building block and the concrete which has held our families and society together.
In today’s society, many times we see that society in itself, has become alienated from itself. This is true in regards to helping our neighbors, helping our friends, helping mankind, and more importantly, praying for one another.
To pray means many things to many people, but basically prayer is simply talking with God.
Prayer means directing our requests to God, expecting Him to answer.
Prayer is the most Powerful force that we have as Christians.
“Prayer really do changes things.”
Jesus warned us against putting on an outward show of Spirituality. And He said to His people, “Don’t Fake It”.
True Christians are open and transparent. They are aware of the fact that it is God in them who produces True Spirituality and Righteousness.
True Christians don’t fall into the trap of trying to “Fake and Act like a Christian”.
True Christians they allow the “Fruit of the Spirit” to move in their lives because they are Walking with the Lord.
Jesus Christ gave His people a “Model Prayer”, one which we all have come to know as either “the Our Father Prayer or the Lord’s Prayer.
The Model Prayer that the Lord Jesus Christ taught His disciples first of all involved addressing “Our Father in Heaven” and asking God for His kingdom to come.
When we pray we must ask the Lord for the establishment of His rules in our lives and situation right now, here on earth. It is up to us to call down God’s intervention and power in dark situation we see in life.
The Model Prayer... reminds us to ask the Lord for our Physical and Material needs, because He is will to supply them if we ask for them.
The Model Prayer... stresses the need for us to forgive others who have wronged us so that God can forgive us.
The Model Prayer... urges us to remember that we all are in a spiritual battle the Evil One, and he is trying and seeking to lead us astray through temptation and sin.
The Model Prayer... reassures us that we can count on the Lord’s delivering power to see us through.
And finally the Model Prayer... closes by reminding us to focus on the fact that the Lord Kingdom, not the kingdoms of Darkness of the world, God’s Kingdom will ultimately win out over the kingdoms of Darkness.
But nowadays prayer in our society has taken a back seat to secular living and other things in this world.
Let’s look at this for a minute or two, it takes a majority of people to elect the president, but it took only a few to eliminate prayer in schools.
And since the elimination of prayer in the schools, there has been nothing ...but hell in the schools!
Children fighting on a regular basis
Children killing each other
Children talking back to instructor
Children disrupting instruction time
Children having babies why they are still babies themselves
Brothers & Sisters... “It’s Praying Time.
You know I have come to realize that the reason we do not do certain things is because we do not know what it is that we are trying to do. Many people do not know that God is there to help us through the rough times in our lives.
Some people do not know what prayer is or how it works. You would be surprised at the number of individuals who will tell you that they do not know how to pray or what to pray for.
