Oct 19 2023 From Thought to Action: Chapter 6
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Before we begin, remember…making disciples can be as easy as reading a chapter of The Four Priorities and discussing it with someone else. This blog series is designed to supplement your journey. Feel free to take what you need and leave the rest! And remember, please share this post with your disciple so they can subscribe, too!
KEY QUOTES from Chapter 6: Relating with the Almighty
“Prayer is your opportunity to share every moment with the Lord and to bring every detail of your life into His available presence.”
“Through prayer, Jesus triumphed over temptation and responded obediently to His Father’s plan. In the atmosphere of prayer, we also learn to breathe the air of obedience. Prayer is a critical component for all those who want the life ofChrist reproduced in them.
“As Oswald Chambers powerfully stated, ‘We look upon prayer as a means of getting things for ourselves; the Bible’s idea of prayer is that we may get to know God Himself.’ He continues, ‘Prayer is not simply getting things from God, that is an initial form of prayer; prayer is getting into perfect communion with God.’”
“It’s in worship that your doubting, anxious heart finds confidence and hope to face the uncertainties that await you during the week.”
“Remember– no occasion is inappropriate for talking to the Lord. The only restrictions Jesus placed on prayer had to do with words spoken without thinking or with wrong motives.”
REFLECT:
Have you tried using using A.C.T.S. as a model for prayer?
- Adoration (Matthew 6:9)
- Confession (Matthew 6:12)
- Thanksgiving (Psalm 118:1)
- Supplication (Philippians 4:6-7)
Jesus’ model to teach the disciples to pray is in Matthew 6:9-13. Write out this prayer and place it somewhere you can see it –on your mirror, by the kitchen sink, on your car dashboard. Pray it every day this week!
Brother Lawrence’s unorthodox definition of prayer is “practicing the presence of Christ.” In his own words,
“God is everywhere, in all places, and there is no spot where we cannot draw near to Him, and hear Him speaking in our heart; with a little love, just a very little, we shall not find it hard.”
Pray this week that God will open your eyes to the way that He is everywhere around you. “Lord, give me eyes to see You and ears to hear You.”
PRAY: We have a tendency to overcomplicate things – especially our prayers! One way to simplify your prayer life is to pick two phrases or truths from scripture and attach them to your breath pattern. As you inhale, internally say the 1st phrase. As you exhale, say the 2nd phrase.
INHALE: Lord, Give me eyes to see You
EXHALE: and ears to hear You
MEMORIZE: Take this week to memorize Matthew 6:9-13 with your household. Write it on a sticky note to place on your car dashboard, your bathroom mirror, or wherever you will view it often.
Matthew 6:9-13, “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven. Give us today the food we need, and forgive us our sins, as we have forgiven those who sin against us. And don’t let us yield to temptation but rescue us from the evil one.”
WORSHIP: Listen to this song called The Lord’s Prayer (It’s Yours) by The Worship Initiative
TABLE TALK:
- Go around and discuss what worship song is each family member’s favorite! And then take turns listening to that song in the mornings and worshipping together before everyone leaves for the day.
- ACTS prayer – go around the table and pick 1-2 words for each letter of the ACTS prayer. For example, Adoration – Mom says faithfulness, Dad says forgiving, Kid says loves me! Then Confession, mom says frustration, dad says pride, kid says talking back…. And on it goes!
- Adoration– worship, proclaiming who God is and the attributes of His character
- Confession– personal repentance of sins
- Thanksgiving– gratitude, praising Him and remembering the works of the Lord
- Supplication– asking for your needs and the needs of others
TEACH: Memorize the Lord’s prayer together – Matthew 6:9-13
- Worship comes from the Old Saxon word “worthship,” meaning something we would assign worth or value to. To worship God is to assign the proper worth to God. Another way to define worship is to say it is giving glory and honor to God.
PLAY:
Some ideas to teach kids to pray:
- To give kids a tangible way to talk with God, relate topics of prayer to different parts of their bodies. Have them point to their:
- Toes: Pray they would always walk in God’s paths and follow Him. Confess ways they might have strayed from God’s path.
- Knees: Confess when they haven’t knelt in prayer to God but have tried to do things on their own. Honor God with words they might use for a King as you are knelt down before Him.
- Tummy: Thank God for all He provides for us, including our food!
- Hands: Pray for the ways they could serve people, asking God to give them opportunities to serve neighbors and friends.
- Ears: Pray they would hear God’s voice above all others, and that they would listen to the needs of people around them.
- Mouth: Pray they would courageously speak God’s Word to those who need to hear it.
- Eyes: Pray they would seek God, and that God would give them eyes to see other people who may need to know they are known and loved by God.
- Head: Pray they would have the “mind of Christ” (1 Corinthians 2:16) and always consider others, think pure thoughts, and not be anxious or afraid. Children can also confess ways they may have not had the mind of Christ.
- Prayer jar: write prayer requests for the jar, each week take the notes out to read them. Move them to a separate jar when the prayer gets answered
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- Prayer helps us stay in constant communication with God. When we pray, we enter the very presence of God. You have an audience with the Creator of the Universe when you enter into prayer with Him.
- When we pray, we give our worries to God. Philippians 4:6-7 shows us how to leave our worries with Him, trusting Him with our concerns.
- In our prayers, we should be honest with God. He can take it!
- When we pray, we should be specific with our requests, concerns, and thoughts for others.
- Application: How would you describe your prayer life? Your fasting? How about worship? Write down your thoughts and then consider which areas you should make adjustments in order to grow in greater intimacy with Jesus.
That’s it for Chapter 6!
Now…go! And make disciples!