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Teach Us To Pray Week 1: How Not To Pray

Teach Us To Pray Week 1: How Not To Pray

by | May 10, 2020 | Sermon Audio and Notes, Teach Us To Pray

5 “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. 6 But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you.
7 “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. 8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Matthew 6:5-8

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This week we start a new message series called “Teach Us To Pray” where we will be unpacking different elements of prayer and redefining how it impacts our daily lives. This message encourages us to see prayer as a way to intentionally choose to invite God into what is going on inside of our bodies, hearts, minds, and souls. When God invites us to pray, He is a father figure wanting to hear from His kids, and it is important for us to remember that He actually wants to be a part of doing life with us.

We also find out that we need to unlearn some of the unhelpful ways that others have taught us how to pray. Prayer is not about showing off or about competing with someone else’s prayer, so there should be no pressure for prayer to be a performance. It also might be tempting to only go to God when times get tough, but it is important for us to always be including God is our lives, especially the times of celebration. Finally, at it’s core, prayer is about listening and responding to God. It’s about a relationship with your Heavenly Father.

Next Step Questions:

  1. What is your prayer life revealing about who God is to you? Is He someone to trick into giving you things or is He a Father?
  2. What burdens are you carrying because you are not really sure if God is able to hear you?
  3. What is one thing you need to give up this week to receive God’s invitation into a better prayer life?