Pray Like This Part One

John 15:1-8 NKJ
“I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in
Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that
bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit. You are already
clean because of the word which I have spoken to you. Abide in Me,
and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides
in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me. I am the vine,
you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much
fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in
Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them
and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me,
and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall
be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much
fruit; so you will be My disciples.”
Key Things Jesus Says:

1. Anything you accomplish outside of God has no eternal value.
2. Everything you do with God bears fruit.
3. Your prayer life determines how much God works with you.
   “When we work, we work. When we pray, God works.”

Obstacles to Overcome:

1. Wrong priorities
   “You will never change anything in your life until you change
   something in the routine of your life.”
2. Laziness
   Proverbs 20:13 NLT
   If you love sleep, you will end in poverty. Keep your eyes open, and
   there will be plenty to eat!
   Proverbs 24:33-34 NLT
   A little extra sleep, a little more slumber, a little folding of the hands to
   rest—then poverty will pounce on you like a bandit; scarcity will attack
   you like an armed robber.
3. Not having faith that your prayers work
   James 1:6-8 NLT
   But when you ask him, be sure that your faith is in God alone. Do not
   waver, for a person with divided loyalty is as unsettled as a wave of
   the sea that is blown and tossed by the wind. Such people should not
   expect to receive anything from the Lord. Their loyalty is divided
   between God and the world, and they are unstable in everything they
   do.
4. Not knowing how to pray
   James 4:2-3 NLT
   You want what you don’t have, so you scheme and kill to get it. You
   are jealous of what others have, but you can’t get it, so you fight and
   wage war to take it away from them. YET YOU DON’T HAVE WHAT
   YOU WANT BECAUSE YOU DON’T ASK GOD FOR IT. And even
   when you ask, you don’t get it because YOUR MOTIVES ARE ALL
   WRONG—YOU WANT ONLY WHAT WILL GIVE YOU PLEASURE.

Starting Points of Prayer:

1. The potential of prayer is connected to your faith.
   Faith begins where the will of God is known!
   Mark 11:22-24 NKJ
   So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For
   assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed
   and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but
   believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever
   he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you
   pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
   1 John 5:14-15 NIV
   This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask
   anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he
   hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked
   of him.
2. The power of prayer is rooted in a righteous consciousness.
   1 John 1:8-9 NIV
   If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is
   not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive
   us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.
   James 5:16 NLT
   Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you
   may be healed. The earnest prayer of a RIGHTEOUS PERSON has
   great power and produces wonderful results.
3. The process of prayer is found in the Lord’s prayer.
   Matthew 6:5-8 NKJ
   “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they
   love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the
   streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they
   have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and
   when you have shut your door, pray to the Father who is in the secret
   place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
   And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do.
   For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore
   do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need
   of before you ask Him.
   Matthew 6:9-13 NKJ
   In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be
   Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in
   heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as
   we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver
   us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the
   glory forever. Amen

Seven Themes of Personal Prayer:

1. Establishing His presence – Worship
2. Expanding His kingdom
3. Submitting to His will
4. Praying in His blessing
5. Creating a clean heart
6. Preparing for the battle
7. Establishing His authority