January 8, 2016<\/p>\n
In this passage, Jesus shows us the essentials to an effective prayer life. Jesus was a man of prayer. He prayed early in the morning and He prayed often. His disciples were watching Him pray and decided to ask Him how to pray.<\/p>\n
This means that we don\u2019t know how to pray. We need to learn to pray. It is a skill that needs to be taught. So the first question to ask is:<\/p>\n
What is prayer?<\/p>\n
Prayer is communication with God. Prayer is talking to God. But what should you talk to God about? Well, we should start with the basics. That is what Jesus taught His disciples. It is what He teaches us. There are five basic elements to a Christian\u2019s prayer life.<\/p>\n
EFFECTIVE POSITION OF PRAYER<\/strong><\/p>\n In each of these cases, the proper prayer is addressed to God and the people who pray focuses on God, not themselves. For an effective prayer life, I need to communicate to God about God asking God for God\u2019s help in God\u2019s way. Prayer centers myself on God. It does not center God on me.<\/p>\n FIVE ESSENTIALS TO AN EFFECTIVE PRAYER LIFE<\/strong><\/p>\n 1. God\u2019s name (Luke 11:2)<\/p>\n God\u2019s name is personal. Jesus addressed Him as Father, or Daddy. This shows that when we pray, we pray to a personal God. At the same time, we pray to a God with respect. Just as a child learns to respect the father, Jesus showed respect to His father. He respected Him and His name.<\/p>\n 2. God\u2019s kingdom (Luke 11:2)<\/p>\n Jesus prayed for God\u2019s will because He was interested in God\u2019s kingdom. He put God\u2019s desires above His own.<\/p>\n 3. God\u2019s provision (Luke 11:3)<\/p>\n Each day we depend on God. For most of us, we live on more than just our daily bread. But in Jesus\u2019 time, and even now for some people, they live day-to-day.<\/p>\n 4. God\u2019s forgiveness (Luke 11:4)<\/p>\n God provides forgiveness for those who need it. God also expects us to share that forgiveness with others.<\/p>\n 5. God\u2019s deliverance (Luke 11:4)<\/p>\n God always provides a way of escape when we are tempted. God can keep us from evil if we ask Him.<\/p>\n<\/body><\/html>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" January 8, 2016 In this passage, Jesus shows us the essentials to an effective prayer life. Jesus was a man of prayer. He prayed early in the morning and He prayed often. His disciples were watching Him pray and decided to ask Him how to pray. This means that we don\u2019t know how to pray. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2886,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[81,6],"tags":[1267,1564,10],"class_list":["post-6803","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-luke","category-simple-thoughts","tag-luke","tag-prayer","tag-simple-thoughts"],"yoast_head":"\n