1. The Meaning of Prayer (note: Genesis 3:15, 4:25-26)
* Prayer is calling on the name of the Lord, which began in the Bible as a cry for God to do what he has promised – to deal with the reality of sin by delivering on his covenant promises.
* To pray is to ask God to do for us what we cannot do for ourselves; it is to admit our weaknesses and appeal to his awesome strength, recognizing both God’s commitment to us and our own helplessness.
2. The Importance of Prayer (note: Ephesians 6:18-20)
* Spiritual battles are not won by our own strength or anything we do, it’s by relying on the Lord’s provisions, and nothing does this more than prayer – praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication, keeping alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints.
* None of us can live this life alone; we’re meant to support and care and build up one another, and specifically we’re praying for one another, acknowledging our need for God so we can’t get the credit when God comes through for us, instead giving thanks.
3. The Practicality of Prayer (note: v. John 16:23-24,Isaiah 41:10, Psalm 16:11)
* Knowing God’s promises allows us to pray with confidence; the more scripture you keep buried in your heart, the more the Holy Spirit can just speak to you, causing verses to come to mind or illuminating them brightly.
* The Lord wants us to pray and to ask him – it’s our lack of faith that keeps us from asking; he has plans we don’t know about and might answer in a different way than we expect, but we are to be asking always, fighting every battle through prayer.
So now what?
* Learn scripture and place it deep within your heart.
* Pray constantly to the Lord. Rely on Jesus and the power that he provides.
* Get in the battle, we are not prepared for spiritual warfare for nothing.
