STEPS TO FAITH

CLEAN THE TABLE

How did it go last week with the assignment to read the Bible? Were you faithful to read steps 8-14? If not why not?

List your excuses here:

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It isn't always easy to pray and to read the Bible. As you can see. But it is a must and a necessity if you want to grow. "... grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ..." 2 Peter 3:18 Being born-again is great and wonderful, but to be a mature saint and soldier of Jesus Christ you will need to stop making excuses.

You can have a feast but there is always time to clean up. "He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully." Psalms 24:4

Are your hands clean? What have your eyes read today? You need to keep your heart right toward God. Before you pray, be sure you are in right standing with the Lord! Clear your mind and ask the Holy Spirit to show you anything in your heart that may have not been pleasing to Him.

Sin in our lives can hinder our prayers. It is important to acknowledge your unworthiness and lostness before the Lord, but it is equally important to acknowledge your faith in Jesus' blood to cover all your confessed sin and to put you in right standing with Christ.

PRAISE THE LORD

Besides cleaning up the table we need to praise the Lord with thanksgiving for all the wonderful things He has done. Here you are entering into prayer with the Creator of all things; you ask Him to bless your day and begin to mention some needs that you know of, when all of a sudden you find that there doesn't seem to be anything else to pray about. All you can think about is what's going to happen later today or you begin to wonder if you packed your pencil in your backpack after you used it to clean your sister's hair out of the sink drain last night. Is this lack of focus still praying? Don't worry, this is a common struggle. I haven't heard anyone claim that they find it easy to keep focused. Let's consider how praise can keep a focused mind on God.

Remember, you are talking to the one and only true GOD. Focus on Him while you're praying. Reading a psalm or hymn of praise beforehand can help draw your mind into a heavenly perspective. Beginning with praise in your prayer times lifts our spirits and helps us to know that we are before a God that can do anything. It also lets God know that we're not just coming for Him to meet our needs, but we are coming to worship Him first. In your prayer, you can keep returning to praise between petitions, reminding yourself of who it is exactly that you have audience with!

ASSIGNMENT:

Below are several choices. Whatever you pick, be sure not to forget to EAT SOME BREAD and to CLEAN THE TABLE before you PRAISE THE LORD!

Experiment #1 Think of a prayer need. Start dwelling on how awful and impossible the situation is. NOW try to get into prayer! Like wearing lead boots, isn't it? The situations of life can be too overwhelming for us. Then read Psalm 103. Read it aloud concentrating on the goodness of our God. After reading it, do you feel a fresh appreciation for our Lord?  

Experiment #2: Find a hymnal. Look up "I Sing the Almighty Power of God". Read through the words rejoicing in the wonders of nature. Now, try to pray....you will be filled with an overwhelming wonder and knowledge of the greatness of God, His love and omnipotence! This will increase your faith as you pray.

PETITIONS

Now that you're in a spirit of praise and appreciation for the One you're praying to, let's look to the Holy Spirit to guide us into the petitions. The key to answered prayer is praying the petitions that GOD wants lifted to the throne. It isn't our job to tell God what He ought or ought not to do in order to save His reputation. Be open to the Spirit telling you what He wants prayer for- He is waiting for us to ask, and is willing to give us good gifts.

"Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent? If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?" Matthew 7:9-11  

God is more than willing to give us our request.   Ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Be quiet before the Lord and ask that He will bring to mind the needs that should be prayed for.

Then really focus your mind and heart on what you are praying. Remember that you are fighting a spiritual battle against the devil and his powers. This is not child's play - we're dealing with eternal issues. Romans 15:30 says "strive together with me in your prayers". This indicates a pressing into prayer and a conflict or battle that we enter into in prayer. It is not something to be too nonchalant about. This isn't battle we fight in the flesh, but it does mean that we put some effort into our praying. You will find as you ask the petitions the Holy Spirit lays on your heart and as you focus intently on the needs, that you will gradually find more and more words to express your requests, and you won't be tempted to let our mind wander so badly.

Putting it into Practice: Next time you have a time of prayer, begin with praise then become quiet and ask the Lord to bring to your mind the needs that are on His heart. Listening to the Lord may be more important than talking to Him. As needs come to your heart, begin to pray, putting your heart into it. Be as specific in your prayers as you can. Praying softly out loud can also help us to be attentive. Give yourself time and have patience. Learning how to pray is a process. Remember that Christianity is not a push-button lifestyle. As you continue to practice praying, you will find you enjoy prayer more and more and your faith will begin to grow.

ASSIGNMENT:

1) Pray specifically for your pastor. Use the scripture "Finally brethren, pray for us, that the word of the Lord may have free course, and be glorified even as it is with you" (2 Timothy 3:1). You will know you are praying the petition God wants because He has asked in His word that we pray it! Use this scripture in your prayers for your pastor. You could put it in your own words, i.e. "Lord, help my pastor(s) to have the freedom he needs to have in preaching your word. May our church bring more glory to You by our response to the words that we hear." You could go on and ask that certain spirits of pride or complacency would be removed. Again, ask the Holy Spirit to help you. Then watch in your services to see how God will answer and record it in your diary.

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