40 Days of Purpose Preview
What on Earth Am I Here For?
We'll answer this question and more during our 40 Days of Purpose Journey.
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Friday, October 10, 2003
My Prayer Today
Heavenly Father, Thank You for the opportunity to communicate with You anytime, anywhere, throughout my life. What an awesome blessing that You, the God of the universe are available to me twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week! I pray that You will create in me a new desire to be with You, to honor You and to deepen my relationship with You in every way. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit that I may hear Your voice clearly every moment, and always live to do Your will. I pray that as the 40 Days of Purpose emphasis starts in two days that You will anoint us all with Your Holy Spirit and bring such a resurgence of faith and commitment among us that our whole community and region is impacted by the results! Thank You in advance for what You will do through us as we make ourselves available to You. This I pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Bible Verses
Matthew 6:5-15
5“And now about prayer. When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I assure you, that is all the reward they will ever get. 6But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father secretly. Then your Father, who knows all secrets, will reward you. 7“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as people of other religions do. They think their prayers are answered only by repeating their words again and again. 8Don’t be like them, because your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! 9Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done here on earth, just as it is in heaven. Give us our food for today, and forgive us our sins, just as we have forgiven those who have sinned against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. 14“If you forgive those who sin against you, your heavenly Father will forgive you. 15But if you refuse to forgive others, your Father will not forgive your sins.
Reflecting on the Scripture
How is your “prayer life” right now? What are you doing to see that it becomes more effective?
Exploring the Scripture
What does Jesus tell us ought to be our approach to prayer? (6:5-15)
What does Jesus tell us we ought to avoid in prayer? (6:5:15)
What aspect of the Lord’s prayer is the most comforting and the most challenging to you right now? (6:9-13)
Understanding the Scripture
The Pharisees loved to make a “show” of prayer in their lives. How do you think this impacted Jesus’ comments on prayer in today’s Scripture?
When Jesus tells us, “Pray like this…” In Matthew 6:9, do you think He means that we are to pray those exact words, or that our prayers ought to have the components of His model prayer in them? Why?
Applying the Scripture
What one action do you need to take as a result of reading today’s Scripture?
Prayer: The Power Source for Living!
In just two days the 40 Days of Purpose will be upon us. Some of us have been praying for several months that God will use this season of spiritual growth and renewal to totally transform not only our congregation, but our whole community. While some of you may be tired of hearing about the 40 Days of Purpose, we know that the undergirding power of the 40 Days of Purpose is prayer. The 40 Days Leader Team has been meeting a praying every week since the first week of September, and will continue to do so throughout the 40 Days of Purpose. Those prayer times have been powerful as we have acknowledged God as worthy of our worship and praise, simply for who He is; as we have thanked God for all He has already done in our lives; as we have brought petitions to Him for the healing and wholeness of folks known to us who are hurting, as we have called on God to draw people to Himself in salvation and to draw each of us deeper in our relationship with Him; and as we have asked God to do far more than we can ask or imagine. Those prayer times, and the daily individual prayer times of us all are the power source for our lives, for anything that is worthwhile. Jesus reminds us that prayer is not an “add on,” or an “extra” in life—He assumes prayer as part of our lives. He said, “WHEN you pray…” Please take Jesus command seriously and pray—pray for each and all of us to become more conformed to His image in our daily lives, and for all that we say and do during these 40 Days to glorify Him!
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