Praying Like Jesus Prayed

“And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains” (Colossians 4:2-3, NIV).  PRAYER OPENS DOORS–the NLT uses the word “opportunities.” Some doors are opportunities that we will only be able to capitalize on if we pray.

“Devote yourselves to prayer with an alert mind and a thankful heart.  Pray for us, too, that God will give us many opportunities to speak about his mysterious plan concerning Christ. That is why I am here in chains.”

A door is a means of entry or access—it allows us to move from one environment to another. We understand that in a physical sense–from front doors to garage doors, office doors to back doors, we are continually moving from one place to another. We go through doors every single day.  When it comes to life, there are also doors–we choose to open them or close them—or not go thru them at all—some doors have incredible rewards–other doors can have serious repercussions—it all depends on what we do with them.  We want to unlock the principles of prayer that enable us to walk thru the right doors and close the wrong ones. It all comes down to a single question: What are we going to do with the door of prayer?

Jesus understood there are certain doors that only prayer can open—look at Luke 11:1 One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” Luke 11:1 There was something about the prayer life of Jesus that caused one of his disciples to ask…always interesting to me that only one…

If you will read verses 2-4 of Luke’s Gospel you will find his account of what we call “The Lord’s Prayer”—It was a model prayer that Jesus gave on two separate occasions, under different circumstances. Luke’s account says it took place at an unnamed ‘certain place.’  Matthew’s account of this model prayer is longer more familiar—it took place in the Sermon on the Mount—part of the Beatitudes of Jesus. After this manner therefore pray ye (Jesus said): Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen Matt. 6:9-13 KJV

SEEK GOD’S PRESENCE WITH A WORSHIPFUL HEART.
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name…”   Matthew 6:9.  Hallowed: hagiazo (hag-ee-a’-zo); to make holy, purify or consecrate. In other words as we seek God in prayer He will make us holy, He will purify us—he will consecrate us—set us apart for His use.  If we do nothing but seek God’s presence—that is the greatest thing you could ever seek after. His presence is our provision—His presence is our protection—His presence is our reward—His presence is what Jesus taught us first of to seek after in prayer—His presence is what open doors for us.

SEEK GOD’S PRIORITIES OVER YOUR OWN.
…your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Matt. 6:10
But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Matt 6:33

Three basic priorities that every Christ follower should have in life:

• WORSHIP: Worship is to be a priority in our lives. He deserves our attendance and attention. He deserves our best worship in church and with our lives.
• WORK: Some people just don’t know how to work. “Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord. Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord.” Rom. 16:12
• WITNESS should be another priority in our lives. More than ever before we need to witness for Jesus. We need to give away our faith to others. We need to talk, invite, encourage—do everything we can in order to lead people to Jesus.

SEEK GOD’S PROVISION FOR YOUR DAILY NEEDS.
Give us today our daily bread…Matt. 6:11
And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Phil 4:19

The Bible teaches that God allows needs in our lives to drive us to Him. If you are in a time of great need right now and you are a follower of Christ—God has not abandoned you—He is at work in your circumstance—this is an opportunity for you to really seek Him—to really get to know Him—to pursue Him in prayer so you can do His will for your life. God allows needs in our lives for the development of our character.  He did not say we are to pray “Give ME my daily bread” but He said we are to pray “Give US our daily bread.” Certainly there is the element of asking for our own needs in prayer– but it also must consist of praying for the needs of others. “Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.” Phil 2:4

SEEK GOD’S PARDON FOR YOUR SINS.
Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. Matt 6:12  The sin of an unforgiving heart and a bitter spirit will forfeit the blessing of God in your life—it will literally bring His judgment.

SEEK GOD’S POWER TO OVERCOME TEMPTATION. The last thing the Lord taught us to pray was…

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ Matt.6: 13
And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. Matt 6:13 NLT

The word “deliver” is very strong.  It means to rescue or to snatch.  Jesus knew what it was to be tempted by the devil so he is teaching us to pray: “Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us, snatch us, save us, from Satan and his evil schemes against us.”

By this prayer you ought to write down “Be self-controlled and alert.  Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.” 1 Peter 5:8   No matter where you go there are always temptations and testing’s in life.  But there are those who believe the exact opposite. When they encounter problems or obstacles, they wonder why God is putting us through stuff. But, it is not God who leads us into temptation or trials; it is the evil one. Jesus is not suggesting that we pray for no temptations or trials in this life; He is praying that God would keep us from anything that would destroy our faith. God does allow trials in our lives but Jesus said we are to pray,  “Save us in the time of trial.”

There is nothing that God allows to happen to you that you and God together cannot handle. You may need the support of others, but God has provided others for you as well. The promise is–you will not be pushed beyond your capacity to endure or escape. You can be sure of that. If you feel that you are in over your head, look for the way out that God has given you.

God is a good God–and His promise is to save us from the temptations and trials of this world. When we pray–God’s power is released — Jesus has given us a model for prayer—things we can pray for–this is the type of praying that OPENS DOORS.