Today I want to talk about our inspiration for prayer. This will be our; why we do what we do, as we connect with God. This part of the study is taken from Matthew 6:5-8 The Passion Translation, (TPT.)
When you pray:
Be sincere: when verse five tells us not to be like: “The pretenders who love attention…” the understanding is that those pretenders are actors who are behaving outwardly in a certain way but who are actually not lovers of Jesus Christ. The literal context is that of a stage player who is playing a part. How does one avoid being a pretender? We avoid being a play-actor when we are genuinely born from above and Jesus Christ has become our Savior and Lord. So, if you are His, you have nothing to worry about; you do not fit into the pretender category!
Be alone: we are not always alone when we pray but we will certainly benefit from personal prayer times. These are the times when we will hear from and see the face of God. He will speak to us personally, identifying us as His own. I highly encourage you to engage in private prayer. Another way to interpret going into your inner room and closing the door to pray is to be sure you are praying from the heart, from your innermost being. There is no need to hide from God your thoughts; He sees them all and He loves you fully.
Be specific: there are times when I’m praying, and I don’t know what to say or how to convey what’s on my heart. In these times I may beat around the bush a bit. That is not what is being addressed here. Those who pray with many words imagine that their long prayers earn them favor with God. Maybe they use big words, and good-sounding ideas, but all God wants is a heartfelt communication time with you. You talk, He listens. Then He talks, you listen. It’s simple and beautiful and you’ll find all your needs met as you spend time with Him. Next week, we’ll look at the practical application of prayer.
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Prayer Zoom Call Invitation!
We will be gathering as a community to practice what we’ve been learning about prayer.
I hope you’ll join me Tuesday, January 25th from 6:30-7:30
More information will follow!
