11th January 2009 - Lifestyle of Prayer

Speaker: Pastor Mike Wilhelm

Topic: Lifestyle of Prayer

Text: Philippians 4:6

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

We are instructed not to worry about anything but instead to pray about everything. God doesn’t want us to be anxious or stressed out with worry because He has an answer to every request. He wants us to develop a lifestyle of prayer which goes beyond ‘saying prayers’

Benefits of Prayer

·     It creates a ‘spiritual bank account’; we receive God’s mercy, and we find grace to help us when we need it (Hebrews 4: 16)

·     It produces power in our lives in moments when we feel helpless.

·     It produces spiritual understanding

·     It is the door for intimate fellowship with the Holy Spirit.

·     It is the key to maintaining our physical health.

Conditions for Prayer

·     We should ask believing even though the circumstances around us may be contrary (Matthew 21:22)

·     Maintain a relationship with Christ (John 15:7)

·     Right motives ( James 4: 1-4)

·     Ask according to God’s will. His will is revealed to us in the bible, therefore we should be conversant with the bible.

Key Scriptures

·     Joel 2; God wants us to return to Him this year and allow Him to be Lord over our affairs.

·     Isaiah 58, 61; God wants us to administer justice and help those in need.

·     Habbakuk 1,2 ; The righteous shall live by faith

Some Quotes on Prayer

·     To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.

·     There is a vast difference between ‘saying prayers’ and prayer

·     Prayer is the key of the morning and the bolt of the evening.

This is a year of growth in every area of our lives. The Holy Spirit will instruct you on things to do to bring about this growth.