Lordsprayer

Why do we wait until tragedy to call out to God? Jesus, our beloved Savior, but also our example of how to live a godly life spent hours in prayer. From Luke 11 �One 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 was not praying just for something specific, but he was, by his example, teaching his disciples to pray regularly. Jesus gave the disciples the Lord�s Prayer, perfect in its simplicity because it covers each aspect of prayer. I�m going to try to go through each line of the Lord�s Prayer and discuss the importance of these aspects to our prayer life.
Our Father, who art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name�
A father is a person who creates, protects, disciplines, loves, and provides. READ (Matthew 7 :9-11).
God is so awesome that even His name is holy. The Israelites even had rules against speaking the name of God. Yet, through Jesus Christ, we can even call on God as our Father, better yet, as �Abba� or �Daddy�� We can have a personal, intimate relationship with Him.
Thy Kingdom come, thy will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven�
When you pray, what is your motive? Do you pray to make things better for yourself in this world? Or do you pray for God�s Will? Our relationship with God is an intimate one. We are connected to Him, through Jesus Christ, by the power of the Holy Spirit. When that connection is strong, our prayers will be things that in are in God�s Will, not our own. If that connection is strong, God will say, �Yes�. If that connection is weak, your prayers will not be what is within God�s Will and the answer may be �No�.
What are your motives when you pray? Think about the different crossroads of your life. How did you deal with them, emotionally, physically, intellectually and spiritually.. Consider your prayer life at each major moment. How did God fit in the picture when you made those decisions.
Give us this day our daily bread�
We�ll take this one word at a time�
Give: We cannot provide anything for ourselves. We are dependent on God to give us what we need.
Us: This not only refers to each individual who prays, or those in a group praying corporately. We should mean ALL people when we pray �us�.
This Day: Not yesterday (why worry about what happened already), not tomorrow (why worry about what is yet to happen), but only our immediate needs.
Our: Again, refers to all people. It�s personal. Family. All generations.
Daily: Immediate, every day, constant, renewed.
Bread: Spiritual and physical necessities (not �nice� essities)
Forgive us our debts (trespasses, sins)
How can God forgive us if we are unwilling to ask for it? What are the �requirements for forgiveness? Be humble, pray, seek God, call to God, repent, sacrifice (shed of blood), believe, and confess. God provides promise and blessings. There are three aspects to confession. First, you must agree with God�s judgment that specific attitudes and actions are sins (grievous offenses against God�s love and holiness). Second, we must ask God for forgiveness on the basis of Christ�s death in which He paid the penalty for our sin. Third, REPENT!! This is declaring your desire to turn away from wanting to sin, to wanting to obey God. It is the act of repentance that validates our confession.
As we have also forgiven our debtors�
This is not an admission that we have forgiven our debtors, it is a call for us to do so. READ (Matthew 6:14, 15)
Is there anyone you need to forgive? Think about the parable of the unmerciful servant from Matthew 18:23-35�(READ)
Confession and forgiveness refers not only to our generation, but also to our forefathers. We also need to remember the sacrifice. In the Old Testament, the sacrifice involved animals. We do not need to lay our sins on the head of a goat and send it into the wilderness, because Jesus Christ was our sacrifice. If you have a sin, confess it to the one that you sinned against, or at least confess it to God. Holding on to it will only hurt you.
Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one�
When it comes to temptation, we need to admit the things we are tempted by. God will reveal. When we are aware of our temptations, what we are tempted by and when, then we can deal with them.

For thine is the Kingdom and the Power and the Glory forever, Amen.
This part is about PRAISE!!! In 2 Chronicles 20:1-22, we hear the story of Jehoshaphat. Let�s beginning at verse 15. Jehoshaphat sent in the choir, and God won the war.

We need to stop focusing on the problem and our own solutions, and send in the choir. If we spend more time daily focusing on God, and His power, He�ll fight the battle for us.
It is difficult for us to ask for things, from our friends, family and even God. We are too proud; embarrassed� you fill in the word that fits your situation. But God wants us to ask. Why? God already knows what we need, why bother to ask? From Matthew 6:8b �for your Father knows what you need before you ask Him.� First, God/Jesus told you to. He promised to answer. Second, asking God means being connected to God and Him to us. Finally, asking God means to glorify Him. It makes God feel good when you ask Him!
When you pray:
Talk to God, Be concise, preparation will help, keep a list
ASK! BELIEVE! Remember forgiveness Give Glory to the Father