I WANT TO START TODAY WITH PRAYER.
Father God, thank you that we can come to you in prayer. I come to
you for those who are in pain and in distress, who are sick
nauseous, depressed, exhausted. I pray for those in prison and in
despair. Lord, have mercy on each of us and strengthen us. Open our
heart to hear your Word today.
TODAY, I WANT TO SHARE A MESSAGE FROM LUKE 11
ON THE LORD'S PRAYER.
Luke 11:1One 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 disciples."
Jesus, the sinless Son of God, found it necessary to pray every day.
How much more do WE need to pray in order to walk the right path
with God?
The disciples realized this and so they asked him HOW to pray. This
was His answer:
Luke 11:2-4 2And he said unto them, When
ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. 3Give
us day by day our daily bread. 4And
forgive us our (TRESPASSES) sins; for we also forgive every one that
is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us
from evil.
Matthew 6: 9-13 9In this manner therefore
pray ye: Our Father who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy name. 10Thy
Kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth, as it is in Heaven. 11Give
us this day our daily bread.12And forgive
us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. 13And
lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For Thine is
the Kingdom, and the power and the glory for ever. Amen.
IF WE JUST “GET” THE FIRST TWO
WORDS OF THE LORD’S PRAYER AND THINK ABOUT IT EVERY DAY, OUR LIVES
WILL CHANGE.
Say “Our Father”
We could stop right here and have enough for a whole message. We
need to understand that, although God is concerned with us
individually and wants a personal and intimate relationship with
each one of us---HE IS THE GOD OF ALL OF US.
Anyone who has raised a child has seen
what happens when they play with other kids and have toys. “Mine”
because their mantra. And, it doesn’t matter if there are two
identical toys—they want the one that the other one has. It’s cute
for about 30 seconds—then it’s not cute anymore, especially when one
or both of them start screaming like they are being tortured. You
ask what’s wrong and they say “MY toy…want MY toy!” And you say “but
you have your own and they say “NO! Want THAT one!” It’s not even
cute for 30 seconds when we who are God’s children do that with one
another.
WE NEED TO CONSIDER EACH
OTHER---ESPECIALLY WHEN WE PRAY.
Most of the time (if not all) when we
pray, we are really saying “My Father” and praying an
individual prayer. And, that’s GOOD---there has to be individual
prayer—a time when we go into our prayer closet and pray alone and
secretly and God will reward each one of us openly.
There is also a time when we pray
corporately and we can do that even on the internet by agreeing in
prayer.
But we can also pray individually as a
group? Confusing? Not really. We are all joined to one
another—part of the same Body and we have also become a congregation
of believers who worship together every week. So, when we pray, we
need to keep the others in mind and ask on behalf of one another—not
just ourselves and our own family.
We in this Body care for one another
because we are part of each other. What happens to one of us really
affects all of us. What happens in Idaho or Washington affects me
down here in Florida and our brothers and sisters all over the
world. And, what happens across the world affects each of us.
NOW, THE SECOND PART IS….
Say “Our FATHER”
Let’s realize all the time that we are praying to our Father—not to
a far away distant Potentate who is not interested in our daily
affairs. He is our Abba Father—our Daddy. Some of us may not have a
correct idea of what a father is supposed to be like because our
earthly fathers did not treat us the way they should. We need to
pray that God gives us the revelation of what a TRUE father is like.
We need to find out about our Heavenly Father through His Word and
through intimate contact with Him through prayer and worship.Gal 4:6 (NIV) Because you are
sons, God sent
the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, the Spirit who calls out
"Abba, Father".
He cares intensely about us and He is
protective of us. Never doubt it. He paid a great price to make us
His children; He gave His Son for us while we were still sinners.
How much more will He give to us now that we are His own children.
If OUR OWN MOTHERS AND FATHERS FORSAKE
US--GOD WILL TAKE US UP.
3. HEAVEN IS HIS HOME---“Which
art IN HEAVEN” God the Father is on His throne in Heaven. Jesus sits at
this right Hand where He makes intercession for us with the Father
AND WE ARE SEATED WITH HIM IN HEAVENLY PLACES. Ephesians
1:3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath
blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in
Christ:
Because of our vital union with Christ,
His death is our death, His life is our life, and His exaltation is
ours. Our physical position may be on earth, but our spiritual
position is “in heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
Ephesians 1:20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from
the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
Ephesians 2:6 And hath raised us up together, and
made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus:
Ephesians 3:10 To the intent that now unto the principalities and
powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold
wisdom of God,
And the Holy Spirit dwells within us—individually
and corporately. The Holy Spirit knows our needs and will pray
through us and give us wisdom. He will bring all things to our
remembrance.
But, bringing something to our remembrance
requires that we learn it to begin with. We can’t remember what we
never learned. We need to study His Word.
THE NAME OF GOD---“Hallowed be
thy Name” God’s Name is Holy and He wants us to keep
that in mind. His name is not just part of a formula we rattle off
in prayer; it is holy and sanctified (which means set apart) and not
to be spoken lightly, but rather, praised and Glorified.
THE NAME OF GOD LITERALLY MEANS
“I AM THAT I AM”
People around us often use the
Lord’s name as a swear Word, but that’s not the only way we take the
Lord’s Name in Vain. Let’s make sure we honor His Name.
God’s Name is our refuge and
our strong tower---it is a fortress for us against the attacks of
the enemy.
Prov
18:10 (NIV) The name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous
run to it and are safe.
Rom 10:13 (NKJ) For "whoever calls on the name of
the Lord shall be saved."
“Thy Kingdom COME”
God is not interested in building a religion; He desires to build
His Kingdom. The Father sent His Son who was born a king---born THE
KING.
WE NEED TO UNDERSTAND WHAT A
KINGDOM IS. IT IS NOT A DEMOCRACY OR A REPUBLIC. IN A KINGDOM,
EVERYTHING IS OWNED BY THE KING AND HE HAS GOVERNORS TO GOVERN THE
KINGDOM IN HIS NAME.
WE ARE A PART OF THE KINGDOM
OF GOD—NOT THE KINGDOM OF SELF.
Too many people in this world are busy
adding to their own kingdoms. There are rulers of nations who are
especially trying to do this and I could name a whole bunch of them
here, but I won’t. We just have to make sure that WE aren’t doing
this ourselves. God wants to bless our lives but He wants to build
HIS kingdom. He wants His Kingdom to be brought to this world
through us—for the Kingdom of God is within us. Luke 17:21 (KJV) "...the kingdom of God is
within you."
Rom 14:17 (NIV) For the kingdom of God is not a
matter of eating and drinking, but of righteousness, peace and joy
in the Holy Spirit.
“Thy will BE DONE ON EARTH as
it Is in Heaven” God’s will is already being done in
Heaven. He wants for us to pray that it be done on earth. We give up
too easily concerning this because we see all the evil and
worldliness and willfulness around us and we just want to throw up
our hands and sigh. We should not give up. We are the ones who are
to pray for God’s will to be done on earth. Who else will do it if
not us?
We need to pray that His will
be done in each one of us and by each one of us. Not my will, Lord,
but Thine. We need to want His will and even that requires prayer.
But He is the one who promises to work in us both to will and to
do—IF WE PRAY.
We need to do more than give
God a shopping list for our OWN wants and needs.
John 4:34 (NIV) "My food", said Jesus, "is to do
the will of him who sent me..."
Mat 26:39,42 (NIV) "...Yet not as I will, but as
you will... May your will be done."
Mark 3:35 (NAS) "For whoever does the will of God
is My brother and My sister and mother."
Eph 5:10,17 (NIV) ...find out what pleases the
Lord... understand what the Lord's will is.
Mat 16:19 (Phi) "...whatever you forbid on earth
will be what is forbidden in Heaven and whatever you permit on earth
will be what is permitted in Heaven!"
And speaking of needs…
“Give us this day our daily
bread”
This, Of course, has a double application—temporal and spiritual. We
want God to give us food to eat for today—literally. But we also
want spiritual food. It’s the spiritual food that brings every other
blessing and provision into our lives.
We want revelation from His
Word—for TODAY. Yesterday had its own needs. The problems of
tomorrow and next week are to be dealt with then. Today
we deal with and ask for provision for TODAY…one day…24 hours.
We can save for the future and
that’s good. But, really, we don’t know what the future holds or if
our money will even be there. That’s why if we train ourselves to
trust in God for DAILY bread, we will never have to fear.
And we expect to receive
what we ask for.
Prov
30:8 (NIV) Keep falsehood and lies far from me; give me neither
poverty or riches, but give me only my daily bread.
Ex 16:14-20 (NIV) When the dew was gone, thin
flakes like frost on the ground appeared on the desert floor. When
the Israelites saw it, they said to each other, "What is it?"
["Manna", in Hebrew] For they did not know what it was. Moses said
to them, "It is the bread the Lord has given you to eat. This is
what the Lord has commanded: 'Each one is to gather as much as he
needs...' No-one is to keep any of it until morning." However, some
of them paid no attention to Moses; they kept part of it until
morning, but it was full of maggots and began to smell.
John 6:32-35 (NAS) Jesus therefore said to them,
"Truly, truly, I say to you, it is not Moses who has given you the
bread out of heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true
bread out of heaven. For the bread of God is that which comes down
out of heaven, and gives life to the world." They said therefore to
Him, "Lord, evermore give us this bread." Jesus said to them, "I am
the bread of life; he who comes to Me shall not hunger, and he who
believes in Me shall never thirst."
Phil 4:6-7 (Phi) Don't worry about anything
whatever; whenever you pray tell God every detail of your needs in
thankful prayer, and the peace of God, which surpasses human
understanding, will keep constant guard over your hearts and minds
as they rest in Christ Jesus.
“And forgive us our trespasses” Without forgiveness of sins, God won’t hear
our prayers. He has provided a way of forgiving and cleansing. We
CONFESS our sins and His Blood cleanses us from all sin.
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and
righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness – 1 John 1:9
Confessing our sins requires
that we recognize and admit them to ourselves first. That’s not
pleasant. It’s something that many people try to avoid, but sins
don’t go away just because we deny they exist. In fact, the only way
to get rid of them is to admit they exist and confess them to God
(and to others if we’ve sinned against people).
1 John 1:8-9 8If we claim to be without
sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us.
9If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. 10If we claim we have not
sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in
our lives.
We REPENT of our sin and turn
from it. God wants to forgive us, but sometimes, we don’t want to
forgive ourselves. And, we don’t really accept God’s forgiveness.
And, sometimes there is a reason why we can’t…
Luke 11:4 (NAS) And forgive us our sins, for we ourselves also
forgive everyone who is indebted to us.
Luke 11:4 (Phi) And forgive us our failures, for we forgive everyone
who fails us.
Mark 11:25 (NAS) "Whenever you stand praying,
forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father
who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
“As WE FORGIVE those who
trespass AGAINST US”.Aha!!! That’s the catch.
Unforgiveness in our hearts is a deal breaker. God won’t
forgive us if we refuse to forgive others…PERIOD, EXCLAMATION
POINT!!!!
IF WE DON’T RECEIVE
FORGIVENESS FROM GOD, THEN OUR PRAYERS WILL NOT GET ANSWERED AND OUR
FELLOWSHIP WITH HIM IS BROKEN. AND HE CAN’T FORGIVE US IF WE DON’T
FORGIVE OTHERS.
We will never feel
forgiven if we don’t forgive others; in fact, the scriptures say we
will be tormented if we don’t forgive others. And, certainly
our prayers won’t be heard if we don’t forgive others. God says that
we are to forgive when we pray. Ask God to show you anything and
anyone you have not forgiven.
Mat
6:14-15 (NIV) "For if you forgive men when they sin against you,
your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not
forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins."
Eph 4:32 (NAS) Be kind to one another,
tender-hearted, forgiving each other, just as God in Christ also has
forgiven you.
Col 3:13 (NKJ) ...bearing with one another, and
forgiving one another, if anyone has a complaint against another;
even as Christ forgave you, so you also must do.
And then—forgive yourself—you’re
someone too!!
“And lead us NOT into
temptation” This is very important. We want to be able to
resist temptation, but it’s even better if we avoid it
in the first place. Only God can do that. His Spirit will guide us
on the path we need to take—a path that will lead away from
temptations and every pitfall. One of the major ways He guides us is
through His Word, through His ministers and other authorities in our
lives, through our conscience, and through a still small voice.
Luke
22:40 (NIV) ..."Pray so that you will not fall into temptation."
Yes, He will show us the way,
but then, it is up to us to TAKE that way. If we don’t, we cannot
blame Him for what happens. And, He wants us to pray for this
guidance—not just take it for granted.
Eph 6:11-17 (NIV) Put on the full armour of God so
that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes...
Therefore put on the full armour of God, so that when the day of
evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have
done everything, to stand. Stand firm then, with the belt of truth
buckled round your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in
place, and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from
the gospel of peace. In addition to all this, take up the shield of
faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the
evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit,
which is the word of God.
God’s Word is our Light to
guide us: PSALM 119:104-105
104Through
thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way.
105Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my path.
“But deliver us from evil”
Pray this every day. Expect it every day—because you need
this every day. Deliver us from evil and bring us into goodness is
the whole point of the Lord’s prayer.
Remember, people can’t
protect or deliver you from evil. They can counsel you and pray for
you—but only GOD can deliver you from evil. And He can and will
deliver your family too—if you pray.
2
Thes 3:3 (NIV) But the Lord is faithful, and he will strengthen and
protect you from the evil one.
2 Tim 4:18 (NAS) The Lord will rescue me from every
evil deed, and will bring me safely to His heavenly kingdom; to Him
be the glory forever and ever. Amen.
God is more powerful than all
the forces of hell and He will put use His might and power to
protect you—to protect us—because He is our Daddy.
PSALM 91 IS OUR BEST
PROTECTION FROM TERRORISM:
Psalm
91 1He that dwelleth in the secret place
of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. 2I
will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in
him will I trust. 3Surely he shall deliver
thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence.
4He shall cover thee with his feathers,
and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield
and buckler. 5Thou shalt not be afraid for
the terror by night; nor for the arrow that flieth by day; 6Nor
for the pestilence that walketh in darkness; nor for the destruction
that wasteth at noonday. 7A thousand shall
fall at thy side, and ten thousand at thy right hand; but it shall
not come nigh thee. 8Only with thine eyes
shalt thou behold and see the reward of the wicked.
“For THINE is the Kingdom”
Once again, the Kingdom is His and we are His
ambassadors---living to bring it into fruition on earth because His
Kingdom is within us. We want to bring His Kingdom to others
as well as bring others to His Kingdom. We do not want to build our
own kingdom. There is one Kingdom and one King: God.
1
Chr 29:11 (NIV) "Yours, O Lord, is the greatness and the power and
the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven
and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted
as head over all."
“And the POWER”
His
power is the power that will overrule every other authority on Earth
and, at the Name of Jesus, every knee will bow to bring God praise.
1
Cor 4:20 (NIV) For the kingdom of God is not a matter of talk but of
power.
His power causes us to
be promoted, to succeed, to work, and to prosper. He gives us the
power to live each day to the fullest; He gives us the power to gain
wealth (that’s what His Word says) and He gives us the power to live
a Holy life full of good works. As we use His power to be lights in
this world it will bring Glory to our Father, which leads us to the
last points…
Eph
6:10 (NIV) Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.
“And the GLORY”
Everything is for His glory. Everything we pray and do should be for
and lead to His Glory. That’s why we were created and that’s the
goal of our prayers.
Ps
145:10-13 (NIV) All you have made will praise you, O Lord; your
saints will extol you. They will tell of the glory of your kingdom
and speak of your might, so that all men may know of your mighty
acts and the glorious splendor of your kingdom. Your kingdom is an
everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all
generations...
Isa 42:8 (NAS) I am the Lord, that is My name! I
will not give My glory to another...
“Forever”
He will never change and His Word will never change. His intentions
and purpose will never change and neither will His love for us. He
is forever—past, present and future. He is not “I was” or “I will
be”; He is “I Am”.
Psalm 45:6 Your throne, O God,
is forever and ever; A scepter of uprightness is the scepter of Your
kingdom
Isaiah 40:8 The grass withers,
the flower fades, But the word of our God stands forever.
Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is
the same yesterday and today and forever.
“Amen”
And that settles it!
Father God, Your people here
on Hopeontheinside.org are joining their hearts and spirits in
complete unity and you said that, when we do this, You are in our
midst and what we ask will be granted. Increase our unity,
Father, and unite my heart to worship you. Give me a heart to
praise You.
Help us to remember today how
Holy You are and to realize the power and Glory in Your Name.
We praise You, Lord God and
ask that You hear us from Heaven. We ask that Your Spirit inside
of us will guide our prayer today to bring Your will to pass and
build Your kingdom right here in and through our Internet
Community, around the world. Help us to reach out to others who are
sick, and also those who are not. Help us to reach out to the
prisoners and the homeless through our prayers.
We ask that you will give us
revelation from Your Word today. Speak to us and help us to
listen and heed Your voice. Provide our needs—natural and
Spiritual—that we would lack nothing. Heal us and make us
prosper, Lord, even as our souls prosper. And, help us to
appreciate and thank You for all You give us.
Forgive us for our sins, Lord---for doing our own will instead of Yours.
Forgive us for things we’ve done to hurt others, for ways we’ve been
a bad example, and for all disobedience—whether knowing or
unknowing. Help us to forgive others. Bring to our attention
any unforgiveness we are holding onto or covering up. Bring to our
attention things we need to ask others to forgive us of. And,
Lord, help us to forgive ourselves and accept Your forgiveness.
Dear Lord, lead us in a path
that does not expose us to danger and temptation.
Protect us from every scheme of the enemy and every trap set for us.
Help us to be strong and not yield to temptation or to lead others
astray. In fact, help us to see and expose the works of darkness.
Lord, we know that all power
is in Your hands and comes from You. Promotion comes from You.
Authority comes from You. Help us to understand this. Your Kingdom is
what we are working and praying for. Your Glory is what we seek.
Help us to do all things in Your Name and Your Power. May
everything that we, Your people, do today bring Glory to Your Name.
Increase our capacity to pray, praise, and worship You each day
