SESSION ONE: RETHINKING PRAYER LISTS
WHAT IS PRAYER?
from: @StrategicRenewl, @DanielHenderson
Prayer Not the only thing we do but the first thing we do.
John Piper “God aims to exalt himself by working for those who wait for him. Prayer is the essential activity of waiting for God: acknowledging our helplessness and His power, calling upon Him for help, seeking His counsel… Prayer is the antidote for the disease of self-confidence that opposes God’s goal of getting glory by working for those who wait for Him.”
Church weaknesses
Encountering His face Psalm 27:8
The rediscovery of Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based prayer…
What worship-based prayer is not…
Barriers to breakthrough
from: @StrategicRenewl, @DanielHenderson
Prayer Not the only thing we do but the first thing we do.
- Intimacy with God that leads to the fulfillment of His purposes. - Alvin Reed
- 3 things necessary for successful crusade, prayer, prayer and prayer. - Billy Graham
- man studies because his brain is hungry for knowledge, but he prays because his soul is hungry for God
- You can do more than pray AFTER you prayed, but you cannot do more than pray UNTIL you have prayed...Prayer is striking the winning blow.. service is gathering up the results - Dutch Sheets
- To desire revival...and at the same time neglect prayer and devotion is to wish one way and walk another - A.W. Tozer
John Piper “God aims to exalt himself by working for those who wait for him. Prayer is the essential activity of waiting for God: acknowledging our helplessness and His power, calling upon Him for help, seeking His counsel… Prayer is the antidote for the disease of self-confidence that opposes God’s goal of getting glory by working for those who wait for Him.”
Church weaknesses
Encountering His face Psalm 27:8
- Face is the way we identify people, so you could say the Bible is the original Facebook (30 in video)
- Request based prayer is like talking to a persons hand
- Worship based prayer seeks God's face
The rediscovery of Scripture-fed, Spirit-led, worship-based prayer…
What worship-based prayer is not…
- a new method of prayer
- worship only prayer
- doesn't eliminate our prayer requests
- complicated
Barriers to breakthrough
- Our culture - crisis (9/11) or grocery list prayers...
- Spiritual warfare - if you are close to God in prayer
- you picked a fight with the devil at a whole new level
- Be a praying menace
- Fear of Intimacy with God
- You have to confront things in your life and change
- You have to get real with God
- Counterproductive Tradition, doing what we've always done
- "the way it's always been done" cut off the ends of the ham (because grandma's pan was too short)
- Boredom (distraction)
- Lack of positive models
