Number 16									  

"Prove yourselves doers of the Word, and not merely hearers."   James 1:22

				SPREAD  THE  WORD     

   We hope you desire to know God through prayer and His Word. Bible study and 
prayer are inseparable. We need this daily communion with God. Would you travel
in a foreign country without a guide book and advice from Someone Who's already 
been there? Don't leave home without Him, seek the Lord today.

If you are interested in information on a subject or want to talk to us about
what's on your mind, please call or write us. God has blessed us with a treasure
we want to share. We can send you books, tapes, or information on how to get
them for yourself.

              Could You Not Watch (PRAY) With Me One Hour?	Matt 26:40

All of us have failed in our prayer life. "The spirit is willing, but the flesh 
is weak." Matt 26:41  First, examine where you are in your walk with God. Then,
if you truly desire to pray, our Father has promised in His Word to help us.

TIME:  Could a marriage survive if the partners saw each other only 15 minutes a 
day? We may joke about it, but seriously a relationship requres being together.
Can a person really be called a Christian if they don't even average 15 minutes a day in prayer and in God's Word? Jesus calls us to an intimate relationship as to a spouse. God doesn't specify a set period of time (duty), but we ought to desire to be with Him. If the ability or desire to pray is missing, ask God forit.

PRIORITY:  If Jesus found it necessary to spend much time in prayer, how much
more do we need to? Mark 1:35, 6:46, Luke 5:16, 6:12, 22:41 show Christ in
prayer. Corrie ten Boom asked people "Is prayer your spare tire or your steering
wheel?"  If the U.S. President, the Pope, or another high dignitary was waiting
to meet with you, would you delay them? Wouldn't you be quick to meet them? Why
do we so often put off the Creator of the universe and the Maker of our souls?
God has said we are to "pray always" in Luke 18:1 and 1 Thes 5:17.

THE LORD'S PRAYER:  Matt 6:9-13 & Luke 11:2 is a prayer outline or pattern.
The Lord's Prayer ought to take time. We are to fill in between the lines with
specifics. It is important to begin and end with praise. we need to remember that God is bigger than any problem. We must get things in proper (His) perspective.

"Our Father Who art in heaven		Meditate on His greatness	Praise!
Holy is Your Name			 revere Him, He is Holy
Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done	Submit to Him, is He King?	Priorities
On earth as it is in heaven		 of our entire life  Matt 6:33
Give us this day our daily bread	Ask daily for all our needs	Petitions
Forgive us our trespasses as we		We need to be cleansed daily
Forgive those who trespass against us	 love others as He loves us	Profess
Lead us not into temptation		Help us, armour us   Eph 6:10-18
But deliver us from evil		 protect us from evil ones	Protection
For thine is the kingdom, the power, and the glory, forever."   (more)  Praise ! 

FATHER:  Matt 6:6 says to pray to your Father in secret while other verses like
Matt18:19 refer to several gathering in His Name. God expects us to pray alone
and with others. God is always present and ready to speak. God never changes. We
are changed as we pray. We tune into His station or frequency. "God rewards those that earnestly seek Him." Heb 11:6 He will draw you unto His Son, Jesus.
SON:  We can come boldly before the Throne of Grace because of Jesus, our Savior
and Lord. Heb 10:19 IF Jesus isn't your Lord then you don't have access to the
Father. There is one Mediator between God and man, Christ Jesus. 1 Tim 2:5
SPIRIT:  The Holy Spirit helps God's children to pray. The Spirit in us cries "Abba Father" Gal 4:6  The Spirit enables us to pray in the spirit when we don't know how we ought to pray. Rom 8:26-27 
We know this is true from personal experience.

We've only started on the subject of prayer. Will you begin to answer the Lord's
plea "Could you not watch with Me one hour?" Meditate on the Lord's Prayer and
a devotion like the following may be of some help. God bless you!

				The Morning Devotion Habit

The people of the 1st church prayed daily:  Acts 1:14 , 2:1 & 42 , 3:1
4:23-24 & 31 , 5:12 , 6:4 , 7:59 , 8:14 , 9:10 , and more

David prayed each morning:  "Give heed to the voice of my cry, My King and my God, for to You I will pray. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord; in the morning I will direct it to You, and I will look up."

Since being alone with God is the highest priority of the day, the morning
devotion habit is a discipline not to be neglected. The daily devotion habit
should include:

Presenting yourself in Thanksgiving and Praise
	For Who He is and what He's done		Psalm 100:4
	Present your body				Romans 12:1
	Sing a new song					Psalm 96:1-2
	Employ a spiritual language			Ephesians 5:18-19

Presenting your heart in confession and cleansing	
	Invite a search					Psalm 139:23-24
	Keep undeceived					1 John 1:7-10
	Set a monitor					Psalm 19:14
	Keep a goal in view				Philipians 3:13-14

Presenting your day to the Lord
	Surrender your day to God			Psalm 37:4-5
	Indicate childlike dependence			Proverbs 3:4-5
	Ask for specific guidance			Psalm 25:4-5
	Obey instructions				Matthew 6:11

Presenting the circle of your touch
	Name immediate family every day			Job 1:5
	Open to your larger family			Isaiah 58:7
	Remeber the Father's family			Ephesians 3:14-19
	Include the solitary				Psalm 68:5-6