Oakwood Church

Prayer Pitfalls:

1. Performance

“Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people to be seen by them.”
Matthew 6:1

Prayer Pitfalls:

1. Performance

“When you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray… at the street corners.”
Matthew 6:4

Prayer Pitfalls:

1. Performance

• Pray in Private

“When you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret.”
Matthew 6:6

Prayer Pitfalls:

2. Magic

“And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words.”
Matthew 6:7

Prayer Pitfalls:

2. Magic

• Understand God’s Nature

“Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
Matthew 6:8

Prayer Pitfalls:

3. Fate

“Which of you who has a friend will go to him at midnight…”
Luke 11:5

Prayer Pitfalls:

3. Fate

“I tell you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find.”
Luke 11:9

Prayer Pitfalls:

3. Fate

• Trust your Father

“How much more will the heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask!”
Luke 11:13

Prayer is…

1. A Relationship with our loving, present heavenly Father

“Pray then, like this: ‘Our Father…’”
Matthew 6:9

“Remember that you were at that time separated from Christ, alienated… strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope and without God in the world.”
Ephesians 2:12

To appreciate how CLOSE our relationship with God is now as our loving heavenly Father we have to first remember how FAR we were from Him.

Prayer is…

1. A Relationship with our loving, present heavenly Father

“But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far off have been brought near through the blood of Christ.”
Ephesians 2:13

Prayer is…

1. A Relationship with our loving, present heavenly Father

• Prayer is possible because Jesus paid for our Adoption

“But to all… who believed on his name, he gave the right to become children of God.”
John 1:12

Prayer is…

2. A Miracle of God’s mysterious, wonderful grace

“Our Father in heaven…”
Matthew 6:9

Prayer is…

2. A Miracle of God’s mysterious, wonderful grace

• Prayer is Impossible without God’s guidance and power

“Remain in me… apart from me you can do nothing.” John 15:4-5

Three Steps to Prayer:

1. Find a Time

2. Find a Place

3. Find a Way