LifeWay Community Church

A Wave 94 Power Point featuring Pastor Eli Hendricks.

A Wave 94 Power Point featuring Pastor Eli Hendricks.

A Wave 94 Power Point featuring Pastor Eli Hendricks.

Introduction: Prayer is perhaps the area of our lives in which Satan attacks us the hardest. Many believers find it difficult to spend more than ten minutes a day praying in English, or their prayer time is on the run while doing other things. In this teaching our aim is to:

§ Get motivated to pray.

§ Learn how to pray different kinds of prayer.

§ Establish an effective prayer life.

I. Get motivated to pray by seeing the tremendous benefits of prayer.

A. Praying effectively will give you spiritual endurance so you won’t quit and give up. “Then Jesus told His disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up” (Luke 18:1 NIV).

B. Praying brings you into the spiritual realm and makes God and His truths real to you. “And Elisha prayed, ’0 LORD, open his eyes so he may see. ‘Then the LORD opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha” (2 Kings 6:17 NIV).

C. Prayer is the key to being able to effectively minister to others. “While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2 NIV).

D. Through prayer you receive from God His blessings and provisions for your life. “Ye have not, because ye ask not” (James 4:2 KJV).

E. Effective prayer enables you to find direction and guidance for your life. “If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, Who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him” (James 1:5 NIV).

F. Prayer is vital to overcoming the devil and his forces in your life. “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak” (Matthew 26:4 1 NIV).

II. Learn how to pray different kinds of prayer.

One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciple” (Luke 11:1 NIV).

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints” (Ephesians 6:18 NIV).

A. Pray by using the Lord’s Prayer as a model prayer guide (Matthew 6:9-13). Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them to pray. His reply to them has come to be known as the “Lord’s Prayer.” (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4). Jesus was instructing His disciples to pray “after this manner.” Rather than giving a prayer to be recited over and over again, Jesus was demonstrating a model prayer guide, showing the basic elements which should be contained in your prayer life. Here is a listing of the basic parts of prayer as found in the Lord’s Prayer:

1. Prayer of worship; acknowledging Who He is and what He has done. “OUR FATHER WHICH ART IN HEAVEN, HALLOWED BE THY NAME.” Begin your prayer by worshiping God. You may wish to pray through the compound names of God as found in the Old Testament.

a) Jehovah-tsidkenu = The Lord is our righteousness

b) Jehovah-m’kaddesh = The Lord Who sanctifies

c) Jehovah-shammah = The Lord is there

d) Jehovah-shalom = The Lord is peace

e) Jehovah-rophe = The Lord heals

f) Jehovah-jireh = The Lord is my provider

g) Jehovah-nissi = The Lord is my banner (of victory)

h) Jehovah-rohi = The Lord is my shepherd

2. Prayer of intercession: praying for others. “THY KINGDOM COME. THY WILL BE DONE.”

3. Prayer of petition: praying for your own personal needs. “GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREAD.”

4. Prayer for cleansing from sin and from hurts from others, forgiving them. “AND FORGIVE US OUR DEBTS AS WE FORGIVE OUR DEBTORS.”

5. Prayer of spiritual warfare: putting on the “whole armor of God” (Ephesians 6:10-17) and wrestling against the enemy of your soul. “AND LEAD US NOT INTO TEMPTATION, BUT DELIVER US FROM EVIL.”

6. Prayer of surrender to God’s authority and will. “FOR THINE IS THE KINGDOM, AND THE POWER, AND THE GLORY.”

B. Pray in the Spirit. What is it then? “I will pray with the spirit, and l will pray with the understanding also. I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also” (1 Corinthians 14:15 KJV). When you are filled with the Spirit, the Spirit gives you a language of prayer, which we call “speaking in tongues.”

1. This prayer language is a way that the Spirit tells the secrets of your heart to God. “For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to God. Indeed, no one understands him; he utters mysteries with his spirit” (1 Corinthians 14:2 NIV).

2. When you pray in the Spirit, your spirit is praying, not your mind. “For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prays, but my understanding is unfruitful” (1 Corinthians 14:14 KJV).

3. Praying in the Spirit will build you up in your faith. “But you, dear friends, build yourselves up in your most holy faith and pray in the Holy Spirit” (Jude 1:20 NIV).

4. Praying in the Spirit will help you to pray continually throughout the day. “Pray continually” (1 Thessalonians 5:17 NIV).

III. Establish an effective prayer life.

A. Pray early in the morning. “In the morning, O LORD, You hear my voice, in the morning I lay my requests before You and wait in expectation” (Psalms 5:3 NIV). Praying before you start your daily work is often best because the mind is uncluttered and the body is refreshed. This also gives you an opportunity to pray over the situations you will face during the day.

B. Find a place where it is quiet and free from distractions. “After He had dismissed them, He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. When evening came, He was there alone” (Matthew 14:23 NIV).

C. If possible, pray out loud, as this will help you to keep your mind from wandering. “To the LORD I cry aloud, and He answers me from his holy hill” (Psalms 3:4 NIV).

D. Listen to God. Learn to distinguish His voice from all others. “When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a strangers’ voice” (John 10:4-5 NIV).

E. Pray over the Word as you read it, and pray over what God speaks to your heart through the Word. “Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law” (Psalms 119: 18 NIV).

F. Pray to the Father in the name of Jesus. “In that day you will no longer ask Me anything. I tell you the truth, My Father will give you whatever you ask in My name” (John 16:23 NIV).

G. Pray in faith. “Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer believe that you have received it, and it will be yours” (Mark 11:24 NIV).

H. Pray from a clean heart and a pure conscience. “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me” (Psalms 66:18 KJV).

I. Pray the will of God as it is revealed in His Word. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us” (1 John 5:14 NIV).

J. Humble yourself before God. “Humble yourselves before the Lord, and He will lift you up” (James 4:10 NIV).

Be bold in your approach before God, as He wants to give you mercy, grace, and help. “Let us then approach the throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need” (Hebrews 4:16 NIV).

One of the best things you can do to have a good and happy life is to take a few minutes each night to forgive everybody of everything they did that affected you adversely during the day. When you do this, you keep yourself free from all the emotional and spiritual stress that comes from holding on to unforgiveness.

Unfortunately, when someone has offended you, forgiveness is usually the furthest thing from your mind – and the hardest thing to do. Because you feel angry, hurt and betrayed, your flesh would rather find a way to make them pay for what they have done.

While forgiveness may be far from your mind, it is never far from God’s. How could He forget that He has given you forgiveness of all your sins – past, present and future – through the blood of His Son, Jesus Christ? According to Romans 6:6, Jesus broke the power of sin over our lives so we wouldn’t have to live as slaves to sin. He also forgave us so that we can forgive others.

Why Should I Forgive?
If for no other reason, you should forgive because Jesus said to. You’ve probably recited the Lord’s Prayer from Matthew 6 many times, but if you are like most people, you like the “forgive us our trespasses” part a lot better than the “as we forgive those who trespass against us” part. Like it or not, though, the Biblical pattern is, “Forgive and you will be forgiven” (Luke 6:37).

You and I should also forgive because a lack of forgiveness spoils lives. Hebrews 12:14-15 tells us we should pursue peace with all people “lest a root of bitterness spring up causing trouble, and by this many become defiled.” When you don’t forgive, an ugly root begins to form inside you. As you carry the grudge, that root begins to grow and cause trouble for you, for your family and for everyone around you.

You might think that by not forgiving someone, you are getting even or causing them some of the same pain you’ve felt. Actually, the person you hurt the most is you. By refusing to forgive, you open the door for Satan to have access into your life. Depression, fear, sickness, problems with your family, and financial problems are some of the many common results of unforgiveness.

I once knew a man who had become extremely angry and refused to forgive someone who had offended him. Since the incident, a tumor had developed in his body, and he faced a serious surgery. When confronted with what God’s Word says about forgiving others, he realized that he needed to make the choice to forgive. Within an hour of praying to forgive the man who had hurt him, the tumor left his body – he was completely healed!

The effect of forgiving someone isn’t always seen that quickly, but freedom always comes when you choose to forgive.

Who Should I Forgive?
In Mark 11:25-26, Jesus said, “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.” This scripture covers it all. There are no other options. Anytime anyone hurts you, no matter how deep the hurt, you are to forgive.

Think about what happened to Joseph. In Genesis 37 and the chapters that follow, you can see many reasons why Joseph could have become a very bitter man. His brothers hated him and sold him as a slave. Next, his master’s wife falsely accused him of a serious crime, and he ended up in prison. Then, a government official promised to help him but instead left him in prison to rot. Regardless of all these things, Joseph didn’t allow unforgiveness and bitterness to take root in his life. He forgave everyone who did anything against him and went on to fulfill the destiny God had for him.

Understanding Forgiveness
Forgiveness is not a feeling. Like Joseph, you must make a decision to forgive by faith. If you wait until you feel like forgiving, you may never forgive anybody for anything. Also, forgiveness is not merely pushing a memory to the back of your mind; that’s denial. Offenses and hurts must be dealt with so you can be free from them and the trouble they cause.

Forgiving someone does not negate their wrongdoing, but it puts the responsibility of judgment for their actions into God’s hands. That’s what Jesus did. Despite everything that had been done to Him, 1 Peter 2:23 tells us that “…when He was reviled, did not revile in return; when He suffered, He did not threaten, but He committed Himself to Him who judges righteously.”

Forgiveness is a choice. The Bible says, “Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you” (Colossians 3:13 NIV). When you think about how much God has forgiven you, forgiving someone else seems much smaller!

Don’t be alarmed if your feelings don’t immediately line up with your choice to forgive. The same devil who tells you you’re no good because you haven’t forgiven someone will try to keep harassing you once you’ve chosen to forgive. Feelings are fickle, but they will stabilize as you follow through by speaking and acting out your choice to forgive.

Forgive Now
Choosing not to forgive is like drinking poison and expecting the other person to die. The longer you carry a grudge, the more damage it does to you. Why risk a physical or emotional breakdown when you can choose to forgive now?

No matter how long ago you were hurt, whether the ones who offended you are living or dead, choose to forgive them. Don’t let unforgiveness and bitterness remain locked up inside your soul. As you line your will up with God’s, you’ll experience the freedom that comes through forgiving.

It doesn’t have to take days or weeks or years to forgive. You can do it right now, right where you are by praying this simple prayer out loud:

Father, I choose to forgive _____________ for everything they did that hurt me. I release them to you because you are the One who judges righteously. I trust you to work in their life and to draw them to you. In Jesus’ Name, amen.

Then What?
People often say, “All this sounds good, but what do I do once I’ve chosen to forgive?” Here are some helpful tips from God’s Word:

- Surrender the right to get even. “Do not avenge yourselves…vengeance is Mine, I will repay,” says the Lord.” (Romans 12:19)

- Surrender your thoughts about the person “…casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ…” (2 Corinthians 10:5)

- Surrender your words regarding the person. “Let no corrupt word proceed out of your mouth, but what is good for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers. Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice.” (Ephesians 4:29-31)

- Surrender your own resentment, anger, bitterness, self-pity, etc. “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” (1 John 1:9)

Finally…
Every human being has a deep, sometimes hidden, desire to be forgiven. Ernest Hemingway’s short story about the broken relationship between a Spanish father and his teenage son, Paco, highlights this desire.

Paco ran away from his home to Madrid, and his grieving father looked everywhere for him. In desperation, the father placed an ad in the Madrid newspaper that read, “Dear Paco, meet me in front of the newspaper office tomorrow at noon. All is forgiven. I love you.” The next morning, 800 hopeful men named Paco were standing in front of the newspaper office!

Someone needs your forgiveness right now, but even more, as you choose to forgive and surrender yourself to your loving heavenly Father, you’ll begin to experience the freedom that comes through forgiving.