Prayer: problem or power

transforming the world in which God has placed us, pt 6
Matthew 6 v 5-8
Introduction recap, God wants to give, not domain of super Christian!
New gorilla, sooner or later we get found out. It would seem that prayer would be the Christian’s great source of power, it is! But it can be a place of real problems. We must be careful in prayer, because our sinful nature can follow us right into the throne room; nothing is safe from our sinfulness.
I The problem of prayer
A Prayer can express selfishness
We tend to focus on the one who is praying
a. It draws attention to ourselves
b. It also reminds us that we are praying (look at me!)
We tend to focus n personal wants/needs.
It’s amazing how selfish most of our praying actually is
The Christian’s focus on others should show in prayer
We tend to define spirituality outwardly
By length /amount of prayer- but prayer should flow from a grateful heart, you pray because God is in you, not to get God in you
Spirituality is always inward
B. Prayer can focus on form
1. We get too concerned with the actual wording of prayer (Groans)
2. We tend to stress time
a. We concentrate on the length of time spent
b. We concentrate on regularity of time spent.
II. The power of prayer
A It is simply the individual approaching God
1. There is nothing mystical about prayer
2. It is communication between two persons
B. Powerful prayer involves
Exclusion
Other people- mentally not physically
Yourself
Real issue is sincerity more than secrecy
Realization
a. Who and what God really is
b. The Fatherhood of God and all the relationships, which that suggests
The ability of God to accomplish anything
Confidence
The confidence of a child with its father.
The realization that God wants to bless more than I want to be blessed (prayer involves a basket not a battering ram)
The realization that he already knows what I need
Conclusion
Tomato frog Prayer can be a problem, but the real problem lies with our sinful nature, our lack of faith. Prayer can be a source of power when we pray with reverence and confidence.