Teach Us To Pray Guide | 2015

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ONE. ONE. ONE

Pray for one person

During these 40 days, “talk to God about people before you talk to people about God.” Think about the people in your sphere of influence who are apart from Christ. This person may be part of where you live, work, and/or play each day. Whether it is a family member, co-worker, classmate, or neighbor, ask God to reveal to you the specific person for whom you are to pray.

Pray for one minute

Pray for at least one minute, and consider extending that prayer time for as long as possible. Pray specifically for your person to come to saving faith in Christ. Pray for God to give you opportunities to “POUR” into a relationship with this person. Pray your relationship with this person will eventually lead to the opportunity to “PROCLAIM” the truth of the gospel through your own personal testimony.

Pray at one o’clock

Set aside time at one o’clock every day to pray for your person. Be flexible and if you have scheduling conflict, simply pray before or after one o’clock. Ask God to give you specific passages of Scripture to pray for this person. Ask Him to reveal specific needs the person may have so that you can pray over them.

“Brothers, my heart’s desire and my prayer to God for them is for their salvation.”

Romans 10:1

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Dear Taylors Family

At the start of 2014, we entered together into a 40 day season of prayer that was very meaningful for many. It was the start of our study of Nehemiah where we watched God move among His people to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. It was also the start of our 150th year as a church. We celebrated how God built Taylors through the years and we asked Him to continue to use us to build the kingdom in the years ahead.

Now a few weeks into 2015, we are ready to enter into a new 40 day season of prayer. We are doing so, not because we did it last year, but because we want to be like Jesus Who regularly humbled Himself before the Father in prayer throughout His ministry on earth.

Like Him, we want the body of Christ at Taylors to be surrendered, dependent upon, and ready to fulfill the mission of the Father.

Luke tells the story of when one disciple waited until Jesus was finished praying and then approached Him and asked, “Lord, teach us to pray.” What Jesus taught His disciples is what we will learn together. As you use this guide and participate with other believers, we will reach a deeper level of unity and dependence on Him. Then, during “One. One. One.” we will have an opportunity to seek the Lord in a unique way for the lost around us.

These 40 days are going to be an exciting time in the life of Taylors.

Let’s join the disciples in following the practice and heart of Jesus in prayer and allow the Father to transform us and use us mightily. I can’t wait to see what He’s going to do through you.

Paul Jimenez Pastor

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Reflect on Matthew 6:7-15 “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

Pray then like this:

Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.

Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.

For if you forgive others their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you, but if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.�

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Positioning Yourself to Hear

• Set aside a time to seek God each day through personal spiritual disciplines such as prayer, fasting, Bible study and journaling. Ask God to give you a desire for more of Him as well as the discipline you need to seek Him with all of your heart. You may begin personal prayer with five or ten minutes a day and increase your time as you begin to experience God’s presence. A.C.T.S. is an acronym that points us to the Lord’s Prayer and other basic elements of prayer throughout Scripture. You may find this method helpful as you grow in your understanding of how to pray, but remember no formula can completely capture the heart of effective prayer -— the key is the heart condition of the one praying. See page seven for details on A.C.T.S. Reflect on the Scripture and review your notes from Pastor Paul’s sermon each week. Ask God to speak and show you how to apply to your own life.

• Choose the type of fast you will incorporate into these 40 days and ask God for the discipline and focus you need. See page nine.

• Share on the prayer walls either in the corridor between the Worship Center and the Apex or online at www.taylorsfbc.org/prayer.

• Pray for one person who needs to know Christ for one minute at one o’clock each day. See page three for details.

• Pray with a friend once a week, in person or by phone. Pray together for your “one person,” for personal concerns, and for our church.

Acts 2:42, “And they devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers.”

Partnering to pray with another person is a great way to strengthen your relationship with God, make prayer a priority, and to open your heart to the needs of others. Also pray for the Holy Spirit to move in power through our church during these 40 days.

“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” Jeremiah 29: 12

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Personal Prayer

Establish a habit of regular prayer every day. Remember, the condition

A C T S

of your heart as you seek God is far more important than special words or a method of prayer!

Adoration

“Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise - the fruit of lips that confess his name.” Hebrews 13:15

Begin your prayer time by praising God for who He is. Call to mind specific characteristics – He is slow to anger and abounding in loving kindness, He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords! Praise and worship HIM. This is a time for telling God what He means to you and how much you love Him. Read the Psalms for great examples of adoration: “O LORD, our Lord, how majestic is your name in all the earth!” Psalm 8:1

Confession

“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9

Unconfessed sin creates a barrier between you and God and can hinder your prayers. Pray Psalm 139:23: “Search me O God and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” Wait and listen to see if God brings specific sin to mind, and then confess that sin to Him with a repentant heart (to repent is to stop and turn 180 degrees). Often the feeling of a weight lifting or great relief will follow this step.

Thanksgiving

“Be joyful always; pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Thank God for His all-consuming love for you, for the glory of His handiwork, for His promises to you. If you don’t know them, search Bible resources for them.

When life is especially hard and you are not feeling thankful, thank Him for simple things such as family, friends, food, shelter, safety, jobs, health – counting your blessings, thanking and praising God for all He has given you and done in your life, can turn a negative spirit into a positive one.

Supplication

“Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” Philippians 4:6

Supplication, also known as intercession or petition, is where we come to the Father asking Him to supply needs for ourselves and others. Be specific in your prayers. For example, instead of asking God to bless your family, ask Him to draw your child’s heart to Him, to give him or her a hunger and thirst for God. If you feel led to pray for a certain person but don’t know exactly what that person needs, ask God to lead you in prayer. He will.

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Practicing Spiritual Disciplines Developing a Daily Quiet Time

Begin the practice of a daily quiet time to position yourself to hear from God.

Developing Your Prayer Life Grow in your understanding and practice of effective prayer.

Cleansing Your Heart Through Confession Pray through Psalm 51 for the continual confession of sin in order to prepare your heart to hear from God.

Using the Inductive Bible Study Method Develop an approach to Bible study that will help you go deeper in your understanding of Scripture.

Journaling Incorporate the discipline of journaling to enhance your Bible study time and prayer life.

Praying the Scripture The Bible is our prayer book full of riches. It holds the key to finding God’s will when we pray, providing balance and meaning. Great themes abound — God’s holiness, wisdom, faithfulness, sovereignty, love and mercy — all of which beautify our praises, adorn our intercessions, embroider our petitions, and give weight and significance to every supplication. Most of all, using the Word of God in prayer is about as close as we can get to the Living Word, the Lord Jesus. “If we’re going to pray in His name, it makes sense to speak in His language.” Joni Eareckson Tada Following are examples of praying the Scriptures:

Adoration: Use God’s Word to Praise Him for His Attributes

“I praise you Lord, for you are my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in you, and I am helped.” Psalm 28:7

Confession: Confess your Sins to God

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.” Psalm 51:1-6

Thanksgiving

During this painful time in my life, I thank you for being my “Abba” Father, and for gathering me in your arms like the shepherd does his lambs. (Isaiah 40:11)

Supplication or Petition

Please help me learn the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. Thank you that I can do everything through you who give me strength! (Philippians 4:12–13) Adapted from biblegateway.com

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Fasting Learn to fast regularly in order to develop a more intimate relationship with the Lord and to position yourself to hear His voice.

Why:

• Fasting was frequently practiced in both the Old and New Testament eras. Moses fasted at least two recorded forty-day periods. Jesus fasted 40 days and reminded His followers to fast – He spoke of “when” you fast, not “if” you fast.

• Fasting and prayer can restore the loss of the “first love” for your Lord and result in a more intimate relationship with Christ.

• Fasting is a biblical way to truly humble yourself in the sight of God (Psalm 35:13; Ezra 8:21). King David said, “I humble myself through fasting.”

• Fasting puts you in a position for the Holy Spirit to reveal your true spiritual condition, resulting in brokenness, repentance, and a transformed life.

• When you fast, the Holy Spirit will often quicken the Word of God in your heart and His truth will become more meaningful to you.

• Fasting and prayer are disciplines that help position us to receive God’s promise in II Chronicles 7:14. “…if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land.”

Basic Guidelines:

• Check your motive for fasting. Why are you fasting? Is it to seek something personally from God’s hand or to seek His face in worship, praise and thanksgiving?

• Follow the leading of the Holy Spirit. He will guide your heart and mind as to what type of fast is best for you.

• Be sure you do not have physical conditions which would limit your ability to fast.

If you have any questions about a specific physical condition, check with your physician before embarking on a fast.

• Start slowly. Consider fasting for one meal a day or one day a week.

• Consider starting with a “partial” fast as described in the book of Daniel - for a three-week period Daniel abstained from “delicacies,” meat, and wine (Daniel 10:3).

• Drink plenty of liquids. Consider water and juice as permissible if you are going to fast for any extended period of time.

Learn more: www.cru.org/training-and-growth/devotional-life/7-steps-to-fasting and pick up the “Fasting” prayer guide at the Taylors Prayer Counter.

“And rising very early in the morning, while it was still dark, he departed and went out to a desolate place, and there he prayed.”

Mark 1:35 “For the word of God is living and active, sharper than any double-edged sword.” Hebrews 4:12 9

February 15

Theme: The Name of the Father Scripture: Luke 11:1-2 / Matthew 6:9

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February 22

Theme: The Kingdom Scripture: Matthew 6:10

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March 1

Theme: Daily Bread Scripture: Matthew 6:11

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March 8

Theme: Forgiveness Scripture: Matthew 6:12-13

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March 15

Theme: Temptation Scripture: Matthew 6:13

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