Discipline of Prayer Outline Final PDF

Preview

Summary

Discipline of Prayer Presentation Outline...

Description

Formation for Christian Ministry Dr. Barnette

Richard Foster on the Discipline of Prayer “Of all the Spiritual Disciplines prayer is the most central because it ushers us into perpetual communication with the Father.” “…it is the Discipline of prayer that brings us into the deepest and highest work of the human spirit.”

The Discipline of Prayer  



 



To pray is to change. When we pray, we become closer to the heart of the Father, and He uses that closeness to transform us. When we pray for real we begin to shape our desires after God’s. This is when we get to experience Matthew 7:7 (Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.) We should take after David, Martin Luther, and George Fox, emulating their prayercentered lives. However, instead of being challenged by these “giants of faith,” we are discouraged by them. We have to train ourselves to be able to pray with spiritual authority in order to become like these “giants of faith.” Even though we have been taught that everything in the universe is already set, so things cannot be changed, we must be careful not to become complacent in our prayer life. The great pray-ers of the Bible prayed like they could change anything, and the Apostle Paul stated that we are “collaborators with God” (1 Cor. 3:9) and have a say in what happens. We have freedom in the power of prayer, but also a huge responsibility to use that power and use it correctly.

Learning to Pray 





Neither Jesus nor the apostles nor prophets tacked on “if it be thy will” to the end of their prayers for other people. They were so immersed in the Holy Spirit that they prayed as if they already knew the will of God. They simply exercised spiritual authority and spoke His will into action. This being said, there is an appropriate time to pray, “If it be thy will.” In prayers of searching for answers or letting go of our own will, we should adopt the attitude of Luke 22:42 (Not my will, but Yours be done.) Study the great pray-ers of the Old Testament- like Moses, Elijah, Hannah, and Danieland how they prayed.

   

We should pray for others even when we don’t have everything together ourselves, otherwise we would never pray for others. When we understand that prayer involves learning, we avoid dismissing it as unreal. To pray effectively, we must quiet out fleshly activity and consciously tune into the Spirit so that we know what to pray. When we develop compassion for others so deep that we desire to give them more than we know we can, that is when we are moved to pray for them.

The Foothills of Prayer           

Prayer should never become too complicated, Jesus himself asked us to come to the Father like children do, honest and vulnerable. Just as children don’t, we should never be embarrassed to ask God for the simplest request. Just like how Jesus told us to pray for daily bread. We should pray with imagination, as imagination “opens the door for faith.” This does not mean to make up false things or attempt to trick God into granting our wants, but instead we are asking God to tell us what he wants. When we open our hearts to pray with imagination, the Holy Spirit guides our thoughts just as he intercedes for us when we have “sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). Foster challenges us to ask God if we should take certain situations on as a prayer task. If God says yes, then we should vividly imagine that situation playing out in a way that honors God and let that visualization guide what we pray for. Pray for your pastor, church leaders and congregation, especially in the midst of a service or act of ministry. “Saturate the services of worship with prayer.” Pray for your children because your prayers can and will change your children. Adopt doing “flash prayers”, as you quickly coat people and situations in constant and short prayers. “Units of prayer, like drops of water, makes an ocean which defies resistance.” Pray against evil and don’t underestimate the enemy’s intentions. We must pray in preparation as a defense for evil just as much as we offensively pray. Pray even when you don’t feel like it. Once you are in the midst of talking to God, you will be glad you are in his presence. Don’t worry about prayer taking up too much time, as prayer and action should be one act.

Questions/Discussion 1. Do you think it is ok to pray big prayers to God with expectation that they will happen? Or do you feel like praying such radical ideas that ask for such big things are offensive to God? (Consider Habakkuk 1:5) 2. What are your views on “flash prayers” and how can you implement them effectively in your life? Is meshing everyday activities with constant prayer beneficial?...