WEBVTT 00:00:00.650 --> 00:00:03.910 Good morning, everybody. Good morning. It's so 00:00:03.910 --> 00:00:07.169 great to be here with you all and enjoy this 00:00:07.169 --> 00:00:09.029 beautiful day together. You guys can be doing 00:00:09.029 --> 00:00:10.949 anything else this morning, but we all chose 00:00:10.949 --> 00:00:14.089 to be here together, right? And I'm always thankful 00:00:14.089 --> 00:00:17.769 for worship before we start and the concept of 00:00:17.769 --> 00:00:19.929 family and being here in one place together. 00:00:20.149 --> 00:00:24.629 So if you guys don't know me, my name is Marissa 00:00:24.629 --> 00:00:26.809 Cantu, born and raised here in the Quad Cities. 00:00:27.870 --> 00:00:31.690 parents of Mexican descent and pastors too. So 00:00:31.690 --> 00:00:35.329 I was a PK growing up. And one of those questions 00:00:35.329 --> 00:00:37.909 that came about this morning was, did you grow 00:00:37.909 --> 00:00:40.689 up with any prayers or traditional prayers that 00:00:40.689 --> 00:00:43.770 you guys said growing up or something that you've 00:00:43.770 --> 00:00:47.509 kind of started with your children or before 00:00:47.509 --> 00:00:52.490 meals? Does anybody want to share one? Shout 00:00:52.490 --> 00:00:57.070 it out. Go ahead. Sing your grace. Come up, sing 00:00:57.070 --> 00:01:09.010 it real quick. Sing it from there. Okay. For 00:01:09.010 --> 00:01:15.530 the Lord is good to me. And so I thank the Lord 00:01:15.530 --> 00:01:18.329 for giving me the things I need. The sun and 00:01:18.329 --> 00:01:20.950 the rain and the apple seeds. The Lord is good 00:01:20.950 --> 00:01:27.489 to me. Instead of Johnny Appleseed. Okay, I know 00:01:27.489 --> 00:01:29.069 my daughter knows one. Let's go over here real 00:01:29.069 --> 00:01:32.870 quick. Which one did you grow up with? You could 00:01:32.870 --> 00:01:37.469 say all three. It was a nighttime prayer. Dear 00:01:37.469 --> 00:01:39.650 God, we pray for our dreams from the north to 00:01:39.650 --> 00:01:42.090 the south and the east to the west. May our angels 00:01:42.090 --> 00:01:44.530 be with us to guide us, protect us in our dreams. 00:01:44.629 --> 00:01:47.549 In Jesus' name I pray, amen. Amen. Just nighttime 00:01:47.549 --> 00:01:50.430 ritual routine prayers, right? Before meals. 00:01:51.099 --> 00:01:54.260 And so all these prayers, they stay with us in 00:01:54.260 --> 00:01:56.980 our heart. And I know that they're always with 00:01:56.980 --> 00:01:59.939 us. Sometimes we say them repetitively without 00:01:59.939 --> 00:02:03.939 even thinking about it. Sometimes we say these 00:02:03.939 --> 00:02:07.260 things to share along and pass down to our families. 00:02:08.960 --> 00:02:12.639 They're traditional. They're beautiful. Some 00:02:12.639 --> 00:02:18.379 see prayers as just reciting, right? We don't 00:02:18.379 --> 00:02:20.659 even think about it. It's memory. It comes out. 00:02:21.560 --> 00:02:24.539 The Word of God says to be thankful always and 00:02:24.539 --> 00:02:28.259 to be praying always, right? And so some of us 00:02:28.259 --> 00:02:30.719 see these things as rituals, something you recite. 00:02:32.020 --> 00:02:35.199 Some use prayer in a moment of desperation. We've 00:02:35.199 --> 00:02:39.680 all been there, right? But Jesus teaches us that 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:45.310 prayer should be a way of life, right? Last week 00:02:45.310 --> 00:02:47.789 we talked about prayer and the Sermon on the 00:02:47.789 --> 00:02:51.569 Mount and how important prayer is to us. This 00:02:51.569 --> 00:02:55.530 week I want to share a little bit about when 00:02:55.530 --> 00:02:58.530 the disciples were with Jesus. They asked him 00:02:58.530 --> 00:03:01.370 plainly, hey, Jesus, can you teach us how to 00:03:01.370 --> 00:03:04.389 pray? And so in the next couple of weeks we're 00:03:04.389 --> 00:03:06.349 going to be going through a couple of how -tos. 00:03:06.750 --> 00:03:10.370 And as basic as this may sound, how to pray. 00:03:11.960 --> 00:03:15.740 What Jesus put forth to his disciples was the 00:03:15.740 --> 00:03:18.860 Lord's Prayer, right? And how many of us can 00:03:18.860 --> 00:03:22.300 say the Lord's Prayer by memorization? I think 00:03:22.300 --> 00:03:24.800 a lot of us, right? We use it as one of our prayers 00:03:24.800 --> 00:03:28.919 on Sundays at least once a month. It's something 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:31.719 that we hold close to our heart. But how many 00:03:31.719 --> 00:03:34.699 of us have really brought it down to layman's 00:03:34.699 --> 00:03:37.460 terms and tried to really understand, like, Why 00:03:37.460 --> 00:03:40.139 did he ask us to pray the Lord's Prayer? And 00:03:40.139 --> 00:03:42.400 so this morning, I just want to share with you 00:03:42.400 --> 00:03:46.800 some tidbits on how to pray and how Jesus taught 00:03:46.800 --> 00:03:50.319 us to pray. And I'm going to be reading out of 00:03:50.319 --> 00:03:56.639 Matthew 6. And I'll be reading from verse 5 to 00:03:56.639 --> 00:03:59.580 verse 12. And then later I'll read a couple more 00:03:59.580 --> 00:04:01.719 verses. But if you guys want to stand with me, 00:04:01.719 --> 00:04:07.479 if you can, pull out your Bibles. your apps, 00:04:07.539 --> 00:04:10.560 on your phones, however you feel like you want 00:04:10.560 --> 00:04:12.620 to do this. But we're going to be reading Matthew, 00:04:12.780 --> 00:04:19.079 chapter 6, starting with verse 5. And this comes 00:04:19.079 --> 00:04:23.860 from an answer. We have this same kind of rendition 00:04:23.860 --> 00:04:28.120 in Luke and Matthew, different versions of it. 00:04:28.180 --> 00:04:30.839 But when they said, can you teach us how to pray, 00:04:31.000 --> 00:04:33.819 this is from Matthew. And it says, and when you 00:04:33.819 --> 00:04:36.310 pray, Do not be like the hypocrites, for they 00:04:36.310 --> 00:04:39.089 love to pray standing in the synagogues and on 00:04:39.089 --> 00:04:42.050 the street corners to be seen by others. Truly, 00:04:42.069 --> 00:04:44.470 I tell you, they have received their reward in 00:04:44.470 --> 00:04:47.850 full. But when you pray, go into your room, close 00:04:47.850 --> 00:04:50.069 the door, and pray to your Father who is unseen. 00:04:50.910 --> 00:04:53.350 Then your Father who sees what is done in secret 00:04:53.350 --> 00:04:56.129 will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep 00:04:56.129 --> 00:04:58.790 on babbling like pagans, for they think they 00:04:58.790 --> 00:05:01.649 will be heard because of their many words. Do 00:05:01.649 --> 00:05:03.889 not be like them, for the Father knows what you 00:05:03.889 --> 00:05:07.449 need before you ask him. This, then, is how you 00:05:07.449 --> 00:05:09.250 should pray. And this is a New International 00:05:09.250 --> 00:05:12.610 Version in Matthew. Our Father in heaven, hallowed 00:05:12.610 --> 00:05:15.449 be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be 00:05:15.449 --> 00:05:18.519 done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today 00:05:18.519 --> 00:05:20.839 our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as 00:05:20.839 --> 00:05:23.600 we also forgive our debtors. And lead us not 00:05:23.600 --> 00:05:27.180 into temptation, but deliver us from evil. You 00:05:27.180 --> 00:05:31.540 may be seated this morning. Thank you. So the 00:05:31.540 --> 00:05:35.819 first part of this section is a prayer in how 00:05:35.819 --> 00:05:39.279 we see it as a relationship with God. It says, 00:05:39.300 --> 00:05:43.639 Our Father, who art in heaven. And a part of 00:05:43.639 --> 00:05:47.899 this is showing us that We go to God as a father, 00:05:48.019 --> 00:05:52.480 just as a child would go to their father or whoever 00:05:52.480 --> 00:05:56.680 is taking care of them as a caregiver, as a provider, 00:05:56.899 --> 00:06:01.379 a loving and giving father. So when your child 00:06:01.379 --> 00:06:04.779 asks you for help, as a parent, do most of us 00:06:04.779 --> 00:06:09.220 help them out? We do, right? And so this first 00:06:09.220 --> 00:06:13.660 part of this prayer that we all know by our Father 00:06:13.660 --> 00:06:17.139 who art in heaven. is establishing a sense of 00:06:17.139 --> 00:06:21.300 relationship, a sense of, hey, this is somebody 00:06:21.300 --> 00:06:26.100 that I can go to because they care for me. He 00:06:26.100 --> 00:06:29.740 didn't say you have to say anything fancy or 00:06:29.740 --> 00:06:34.819 call him anything but father. He wanted you to 00:06:34.819 --> 00:06:39.939 come to him with what's in your heart, with a 00:06:39.939 --> 00:06:44.120 conversation. When you talk to your father, there's 00:06:44.120 --> 00:06:45.959 a little bit of reverence. There's some respect. 00:06:46.500 --> 00:06:48.740 But when you talk to your parent or your father, 00:06:48.980 --> 00:06:53.819 it's a sincere and genuine conversation. It's 00:06:53.819 --> 00:06:57.240 knowing that you can come in any way, shape, 00:06:57.240 --> 00:07:00.279 or form that you are and have that conversation 00:07:00.279 --> 00:07:05.319 with God as your father. And, you know, the scripture 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:07.259 says we don't have to babble. It doesn't have 00:07:07.259 --> 00:07:10.339 to be long -winded. It has to just come from 00:07:10.339 --> 00:07:13.600 your heart, right? How many of us wish that those 00:07:13.600 --> 00:07:16.980 prayers before the meals were shorter sometimes? 00:07:18.279 --> 00:07:20.180 You don't have to babble. They don't have to 00:07:20.180 --> 00:07:22.720 be long. They have to come from your heart. They 00:07:22.720 --> 00:07:27.519 have to be genuine. And so when he says to start 00:07:27.519 --> 00:07:30.579 with our Father who art in heaven, it's establishing 00:07:30.579 --> 00:07:34.420 a relationship. And how do you establish a relationship 00:07:34.420 --> 00:07:42.110 with someone? You feed it every single day. Right? 00:07:42.970 --> 00:07:48.329 You pour into it every single day. I don't know 00:07:48.329 --> 00:07:50.949 if there's any of you here that have gone away 00:07:50.949 --> 00:07:53.129 and have not had a relationship with their parent. 00:07:53.709 --> 00:07:56.949 But what if you had to be rekindled and that 00:07:56.949 --> 00:08:00.110 relationship had to get built again? Just like 00:08:00.110 --> 00:08:02.410 some of us walk away from our father in heaven. 00:08:03.149 --> 00:08:06.990 How do you reestablish prayer and relationship 00:08:06.990 --> 00:08:11.740 with God? It's on a daily basis. It's giving 00:08:11.740 --> 00:08:14.839 your all. It's speaking from the heart. It's 00:08:14.839 --> 00:08:17.860 coming to God with your needs and the desires 00:08:17.860 --> 00:08:21.519 of your heart. So beginning that prayer, Our 00:08:21.519 --> 00:08:23.819 Father Who Art in Heaven, is showing us that 00:08:23.819 --> 00:08:29.000 one way to pray is to come from sincere, deeply 00:08:29.000 --> 00:08:31.560 within your heart and establish that relationship 00:08:31.560 --> 00:08:36.679 with God. He then goes on to say, Hallowed be 00:08:36.679 --> 00:08:41.779 your name, your kingdom come. Yes, he's our father, 00:08:41.840 --> 00:08:45.340 just like we would go to our father with respect, 00:08:45.399 --> 00:08:47.879 we go to our father in heaven with holiness, 00:08:48.279 --> 00:08:52.639 honoring his name because our father in heaven 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:57.580 is divine, right? I don't know if any of you 00:08:57.580 --> 00:09:01.340 have come to prayer with just petition in your 00:09:01.340 --> 00:09:03.399 heart, just something that you need, something 00:09:03.399 --> 00:09:07.039 that you want to ask for. There's absolutely 00:09:07.039 --> 00:09:09.419 nothing wrong with that. And there's nothing 00:09:09.419 --> 00:09:11.519 wrong with the beautiful traditions and the prayers 00:09:11.519 --> 00:09:15.440 that we have, that we have been learning from 00:09:15.440 --> 00:09:18.419 childhood. There's nothing wrong with that. But 00:09:18.419 --> 00:09:21.559 today I challenge you to begin your prayers with 00:09:21.559 --> 00:09:26.779 a sense of reverence and holiness. Honoring his 00:09:26.779 --> 00:09:31.279 name with worship and adoration. Praise before 00:09:31.279 --> 00:09:34.899 petitions with pure and sincere heart and genuine 00:09:34.899 --> 00:09:38.279 intentions. There's a word in the Bible that 00:09:38.279 --> 00:09:42.039 says clamor. Does anybody know what clamor comes 00:09:42.039 --> 00:09:44.960 from? It comes from like a deep within, a deep 00:09:44.960 --> 00:09:49.879 desire. And it almost comes out as a shout. And 00:09:49.879 --> 00:09:53.440 sometimes when we're in those dark, quiet places 00:09:53.440 --> 00:09:58.899 in our home, nobody's around. And I don't know 00:09:58.899 --> 00:10:01.279 about you, but I've had a lot of clamor in my 00:10:01.279 --> 00:10:04.240 heart, in my prayer, in my desire for God to 00:10:04.240 --> 00:10:09.340 hear my heart. where it's coming from. And when 00:10:09.340 --> 00:10:12.820 I do that, it's with a whole sense of holiness 00:10:12.820 --> 00:10:15.019 and reverence, knowing that he's divine and that 00:10:15.019 --> 00:10:17.159 he's hearing me and that there's an intervention 00:10:17.159 --> 00:10:21.539 in that holy moment, that I come before God with 00:10:21.539 --> 00:10:25.340 true, true faith, knowing that he can hear us. 00:10:27.740 --> 00:10:31.299 Hebrews 10, 19, and 22 says, Therefore, brothers 00:10:31.299 --> 00:10:33.600 and sisters, since we have confidence to enter 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:37.789 the most holy place, by the blood of Jesus, by 00:10:37.789 --> 00:10:40.950 a new living way opened for us through the curtain 00:10:40.950 --> 00:10:45.309 that is his body. When I was preparing this, 00:10:45.370 --> 00:10:50.809 I was reminded of a sermon that my father once 00:10:50.809 --> 00:10:53.450 shared. And if you guys want to talk a little 00:10:53.450 --> 00:10:56.350 bit deeper on this conversation, I would be more 00:10:56.350 --> 00:10:59.309 than happy to because it's so close and near 00:10:59.309 --> 00:11:02.490 to my heart. But there's this beautiful thing 00:11:02.490 --> 00:11:05.809 that happened. when Jesus died as a sacrifice. 00:11:07.929 --> 00:11:10.690 It was the end to an old covenant which relied 00:11:10.690 --> 00:11:14.230 on rituals and high priests because back in the 00:11:14.230 --> 00:11:17.049 days, priests would wear bells on their ankles 00:11:17.049 --> 00:11:21.710 before going into the holy temple. And if those 00:11:21.710 --> 00:11:25.230 bells stopped and they didn't hear the bells 00:11:25.230 --> 00:11:27.610 anymore, it meant that they were not holy enough 00:11:27.610 --> 00:11:30.570 to be in the holy of holy and the priests would 00:11:30.570 --> 00:11:32.269 be pulled out with the rope. He'd have to have 00:11:32.269 --> 00:11:36.110 a rope. tied around his belt, bells on his ankles, 00:11:36.289 --> 00:11:39.690 and he would be walking around praying for the 00:11:39.690 --> 00:11:44.049 people outside of the tent. And if they didn't 00:11:44.049 --> 00:11:45.870 hear the bells anymore, it meant that he wasn't 00:11:45.870 --> 00:11:48.190 holy enough. And he would fall to the ground 00:11:48.190 --> 00:11:51.110 and they would have to pull him out. But when 00:11:51.110 --> 00:11:54.190 Jesus died, the scripture says that that veil 00:11:54.190 --> 00:12:01.730 was torn and that we, as ordinary people, had 00:12:01.730 --> 00:12:06.639 access. to god when that veil is torn it says 00:12:06.639 --> 00:12:09.179 the old covenant which relied on rituals and 00:12:09.179 --> 00:12:11.360 high priests and ushered in a new covenant were 00:12:11.360 --> 00:12:16.379 the way to god it was then open to everyone we 00:12:16.379 --> 00:12:20.720 now had direct access to god and humanity was 00:12:20.720 --> 00:12:23.159 allowed believers were allowed to approach god 00:12:23.159 --> 00:12:28.759 directly we didn't need that priest anymore and 00:12:28.759 --> 00:12:31.759 i don't know if you know that That kind of holiness 00:12:31.759 --> 00:12:35.840 is within all of us. If we believe in Jesus Christ 00:12:35.840 --> 00:12:38.159 as our Savior and believe that he died on the 00:12:38.159 --> 00:12:42.019 cross, that veil in the temple was torn and we 00:12:42.019 --> 00:12:45.899 have direct access to God. And that's a beautiful 00:12:45.899 --> 00:12:49.919 thing that happens as Christians. We have that 00:12:49.919 --> 00:12:53.460 power to have direct access to God. I know that 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:55.320 it's a beautiful thing when your brother, your 00:12:55.320 --> 00:12:59.019 sister, your pastor prays for you, but let me 00:12:59.019 --> 00:13:02.899 tell you, you having that direct access to God 00:13:02.899 --> 00:13:08.519 is power. In your tongue, power in your prayers, 00:13:08.759 --> 00:13:13.019 wherever you are, in your car, at home, at work, 00:13:13.080 --> 00:13:16.059 in that moment, you have that direct access to 00:13:16.059 --> 00:13:18.899 God. And God says that he will listen to you. 00:13:20.159 --> 00:13:23.419 So then the verse goes on to say, your will be 00:13:23.419 --> 00:13:31.840 done on earth as it is in heaven. A lot of our 00:13:31.840 --> 00:13:40.220 prayers come from our desires, our hopes. And 00:13:40.220 --> 00:13:42.980 sometimes those prayers and hopes don't align 00:13:42.980 --> 00:13:47.500 with God's prayers and hopes for us. His purpose 00:13:47.500 --> 00:13:50.779 in our life doesn't always align with the direction 00:13:50.779 --> 00:13:54.240 that we want to go in. I remember preaching on 00:13:54.240 --> 00:13:58.360 Desire Pass a while ago and saying that... Sometimes 00:13:58.360 --> 00:14:01.220 a road is carved out, but we go a different way. 00:14:02.059 --> 00:14:04.299 And sometimes that different way isn't God's 00:14:04.299 --> 00:14:07.980 way. It's our own desire, right? But when the 00:14:07.980 --> 00:14:11.559 scripture says, your will be done on earth as 00:14:11.559 --> 00:14:15.679 it is in heaven, it's telling us that, yes, we 00:14:15.679 --> 00:14:20.440 have our will to pray, but allow that moment 00:14:20.440 --> 00:14:24.059 to be aligned with what God wants for us as well. 00:14:25.460 --> 00:14:28.610 Sometimes... An unanswered prayer is God's protection. 00:14:31.610 --> 00:14:34.730 I'm going to say that one more time. Sometimes 00:14:34.730 --> 00:14:38.169 an unanswered prayer is God's protection in our 00:14:38.169 --> 00:14:43.450 life. Sometimes our desire doesn't align with 00:14:43.450 --> 00:14:48.990 what he has for us. And then sometimes unanswered 00:14:48.990 --> 00:14:51.250 prayers are things that we don't understand. 00:14:52.350 --> 00:14:56.269 Maybe we prayed for someone's health. Maybe we 00:14:56.269 --> 00:14:59.009 prayed for someone to stay on this earth longer. 00:15:00.389 --> 00:15:03.669 But we have to remember that our prayers have 00:15:03.669 --> 00:15:08.250 to align with God's will and his purpose in our 00:15:08.250 --> 00:15:15.330 life. God isn't a part of if this, then that 00:15:15.330 --> 00:15:18.149 logic. I studied a little bit of psychology, 00:15:18.250 --> 00:15:20.929 and there's this thing called conditional reasoning. 00:15:23.309 --> 00:15:26.690 All of these things that have to do, if this, 00:15:27.009 --> 00:15:31.710 then that. How many times have you guys prayed 00:15:31.710 --> 00:15:37.450 and said, God, if you answer this prayer, then 00:15:37.450 --> 00:15:40.690 I'm going to be a better Christian. If you answer 00:15:40.690 --> 00:15:43.250 this prayer, I promise I'm going to go to church 00:15:43.250 --> 00:15:46.710 every single Sunday. If you answer this prayer, 00:15:46.990 --> 00:15:52.899 whatever you promise to God, right? Or the opposite 00:15:52.899 --> 00:15:58.940 way, if God, you are holy, if God, you are all 00:15:58.940 --> 00:16:04.840 power, then you will answer this prayer. God 00:16:04.840 --> 00:16:08.120 doesn't work that way. He doesn't work in us 00:16:08.120 --> 00:16:12.679 trying to twist his arm. God works in this thing 00:16:12.679 --> 00:16:17.480 that he said, if you believe in me, and if you 00:16:17.480 --> 00:16:21.179 have faith. And if you have forgiveness in your 00:16:21.179 --> 00:16:25.340 heart, and if you pray with all of your heart, 00:16:25.480 --> 00:16:28.360 then he is God. He shows you who he is, right? 00:16:28.700 --> 00:16:31.240 There's not all of these if -then -that fallacies 00:16:31.240 --> 00:16:34.419 or conditions or statements that we have to create. 00:16:34.840 --> 00:16:38.080 But sometimes we do it anyway. And guess what? 00:16:38.379 --> 00:16:41.299 God still hears us. He still hears our hearts. 00:16:42.659 --> 00:16:45.820 And then it goes on to say, God, give us this 00:16:45.820 --> 00:16:49.679 day our daily bread. So how do we pray with dependence 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:55.620 on God's provision? God cares about all of our 00:16:55.620 --> 00:16:59.080 needs. He cares about our physical needs. He 00:16:59.080 --> 00:17:01.639 cares about our emotional needs and our spiritual 00:17:01.639 --> 00:17:04.799 needs. How many of us have really been in a bind 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:08.660 financially and you've asked God to make a way 00:17:08.660 --> 00:17:11.480 where there was no way? I know I've been there. 00:17:12.380 --> 00:17:14.819 How many of you have been spiritually broken 00:17:14.819 --> 00:17:21.069 and on your knees? crying asking god for spiritual 00:17:21.069 --> 00:17:26.069 wellness how many of you been sick and have asked 00:17:26.069 --> 00:17:30.950 god to heal your body or heal someone else's 00:17:30.950 --> 00:17:36.289 body god says give us this day our daily bread 00:17:36.289 --> 00:17:41.950 and that bread is bread of life that bread of 00:17:41.950 --> 00:17:44.730 life comes on a daily basis renewal how many 00:17:44.730 --> 00:17:49.160 of us have ever gone through a situation where 00:17:49.160 --> 00:17:53.220 we have eaten the same meal for three or four 00:17:53.220 --> 00:17:59.480 or five days. Anybody? Was it fun? Maybe not. 00:17:59.660 --> 00:18:01.819 Maybe it was done for different purposes. Maybe 00:18:01.819 --> 00:18:04.519 it was a fast. Maybe it was weight loss. Maybe 00:18:04.519 --> 00:18:07.980 it was you were trying to save money or you were 00:18:07.980 --> 00:18:10.720 just trying something new or you made too much 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:16.009 chili. or a whole pan of lasagna, but it was 00:18:16.009 --> 00:18:19.769 only you in the house. Whatever reason it was, 00:18:20.069 --> 00:18:24.190 that meal was given to you daily, or you provided 00:18:24.190 --> 00:18:27.990 it for yourself daily. When God says that he 00:18:27.990 --> 00:18:31.390 provides us with daily bread, and he cares for 00:18:31.390 --> 00:18:33.690 all of our needs, and we have to depend on him 00:18:33.690 --> 00:18:37.529 for all of our provisions, what he's saying to 00:18:37.529 --> 00:18:42.710 us is, this is daily. It's not just prayer when 00:18:42.710 --> 00:18:45.549 you need it. It's not just prayer when you're 00:18:45.549 --> 00:18:49.210 sick. It's not just prayer when you need something. 00:18:50.329 --> 00:18:54.230 It's daily. Again, it's establishing a relationship 00:18:54.230 --> 00:19:01.289 with him. It's establishing a prayer. One time 00:19:01.289 --> 00:19:04.349 I was going to, well, I did preach on how we 00:19:04.349 --> 00:19:07.730 needed to take God out of the medicine cabinet 00:19:07.730 --> 00:19:12.420 and put him. Into our refrigerator. Whatever 00:19:12.420 --> 00:19:14.599 we're going to pull out to eat, right? On the 00:19:14.599 --> 00:19:18.980 table. Whatever we use daily. That's where we 00:19:18.980 --> 00:19:23.700 need to put God. Not just praying for our own 00:19:23.700 --> 00:19:26.759 provisions. Thinking that money solves everything. 00:19:26.960 --> 00:19:30.519 Or wait until something happens to our health. 00:19:30.700 --> 00:19:33.920 And then we go to the medicine cabinet to take 00:19:33.920 --> 00:19:38.180 out God and use the prayer bottle. Mine is ibuprofen. 00:19:40.559 --> 00:19:44.559 But the point is that establishing a daily ritual 00:19:44.559 --> 00:19:47.319 with God, a daily relationship with God so that 00:19:47.319 --> 00:19:49.980 his provisions can be for us on a daily basis 00:19:49.980 --> 00:19:53.759 is a better practice than just taking him out 00:19:53.759 --> 00:19:56.619 when we need him. Waking up, the first thing 00:19:56.619 --> 00:19:58.740 I tell myself, I'm not a morning person. I'm 00:19:58.740 --> 00:20:01.160 going to admit to that. But the first thing that 00:20:01.160 --> 00:20:03.740 I do when I wake up is thank you, God, for waking 00:20:03.740 --> 00:20:08.460 me up today. Beginning our day with a conversation 00:20:08.460 --> 00:20:16.640 with God. can guarantee that we start a daily 00:20:16.640 --> 00:20:21.440 relationship with him. The next part of the scripture 00:20:21.440 --> 00:20:26.240 says that forgive our debts as we forgive our 00:20:26.240 --> 00:20:31.799 debtors. The rest of the scripture I want to 00:20:31.799 --> 00:20:36.140 say at the end of Matthew, verses 14 and 15. 00:20:36.920 --> 00:20:39.740 Say, for if you forgive other people when they 00:20:39.740 --> 00:20:42.799 sin against you, your heavenly Father will also 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:46.019 forgive you. But if you do not forgive others 00:20:46.019 --> 00:20:49.660 their sins, your Father will not forgive yours. 00:20:50.519 --> 00:20:54.359 And in Matthew, it also says, Peter asked Jesus 00:20:54.359 --> 00:20:57.319 how many times he should forgive someone who 00:20:57.319 --> 00:21:00.200 sins against him. Does anybody know the answer? 00:21:03.160 --> 00:21:07.819 Peter says, is seven enough? And Jesus said, 00:21:07.940 --> 00:21:13.500 no. Seven times 70. How many is that? Who's a 00:21:13.500 --> 00:21:19.920 good mathematician here? 490 times. Other scripture 00:21:19.920 --> 00:21:23.700 says 77. But whatever it is, it's not just one 00:21:23.700 --> 00:21:28.400 time. Right? Forgiving your brother 70 times 00:21:28.400 --> 00:21:31.720 seven. Some of us can't even forgive one time. 00:21:35.589 --> 00:21:38.849 Prayer keeps our heart clean on a daily basis. 00:21:40.569 --> 00:21:43.509 I'm sorry to tell you, but forgiveness is not 00:21:43.509 --> 00:21:48.690 an option. And I'm going to say that again. Forgiveness 00:21:48.690 --> 00:21:55.089 is not an option. We have to go into prayer with 00:21:55.089 --> 00:22:00.289 forgiveness in our heart. We can't expect from 00:22:00.289 --> 00:22:04.680 God what we refuse to other people. And so when 00:22:04.680 --> 00:22:09.180 we enter, we pray with repentance and forgiveness 00:22:09.180 --> 00:22:11.779 in our hearts, forgiving our debts as we forgive 00:22:11.779 --> 00:22:15.880 our debtors, forgiving 70 times 7 on a daily 00:22:15.880 --> 00:22:19.380 basis, knowing that forgiveness is not optional. 00:22:20.420 --> 00:22:24.839 So what is this to say to ourselves? That on 00:22:24.839 --> 00:22:29.599 a daily basis, we should be forgiving those who 00:22:29.599 --> 00:22:33.019 trespass against us, those who sin against us. 00:22:33.630 --> 00:22:38.089 those who hurt us, those who mock us, those who 00:22:38.089 --> 00:22:41.869 have made fun of us, those who don't believe 00:22:41.869 --> 00:22:49.609 like us, we are to forgive 70 times 7. That's 00:22:49.609 --> 00:22:52.650 not easy. And so I challenge you this morning 00:22:52.650 --> 00:22:56.490 to search your heart, and God, search my heart 00:22:56.490 --> 00:23:02.970 for bitterness, resentment, or anger. I'm going 00:23:02.970 --> 00:23:05.029 to say that one more time. I challenge us this 00:23:05.029 --> 00:23:08.950 morning to search our hearts for bitterness, 00:23:09.150 --> 00:23:15.609 resentment, and anger. We're also called to pray 00:23:15.609 --> 00:23:18.150 with protection and deliverance because he says, 00:23:18.269 --> 00:23:22.210 lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from 00:23:22.210 --> 00:23:27.529 evil. So most prayer, it's a spiritual warfare. 00:23:28.779 --> 00:23:32.440 It's a desire to want the opposite or the opposing 00:23:32.440 --> 00:23:37.339 of what is currently happening in or around us. 00:23:40.900 --> 00:23:43.660 A lot of us can pray for a beautiful day and 00:23:43.660 --> 00:23:46.359 have a positive spirit, but sometimes we are 00:23:46.359 --> 00:23:51.720 praying against spiritual warfare. We're praying 00:23:51.720 --> 00:23:55.599 against the opposing. And the scripture also 00:23:55.599 --> 00:23:59.039 says that our battles are not against flesh and 00:23:59.039 --> 00:24:03.720 blood, but they are a spiritual warfare. And 00:24:03.720 --> 00:24:05.960 so when we have things happening in our lives 00:24:05.960 --> 00:24:08.019 that we just don't understand why we're being 00:24:08.019 --> 00:24:10.640 attacked, why all of these things are happening, 00:24:10.839 --> 00:24:14.180 remember that God gives his battles to strong 00:24:14.180 --> 00:24:22.140 people that have his armor and that we are in 00:24:22.140 --> 00:24:26.539 a spiritual warfare. If you don't understand, 00:24:26.700 --> 00:24:28.700 it's okay because we don't have to understand 00:24:28.700 --> 00:24:32.519 everything in the holy realm of who God is. But 00:24:32.519 --> 00:24:34.759 just understand that there is spiritual warfare 00:24:34.759 --> 00:24:37.259 that goes on in your life, especially if you 00:24:37.259 --> 00:24:40.380 have committed to prayer every day. And if you 00:24:40.380 --> 00:24:43.400 have committed to say, I'm going to build a relationship 00:24:43.400 --> 00:24:45.819 with God every day. And if you have committed 00:24:45.819 --> 00:24:48.400 to being kind to others and loving others and 00:24:48.400 --> 00:24:51.240 showing God's love to others, there's going to 00:24:51.240 --> 00:24:55.119 be spiritual warfare in your life. And so I ask 00:24:55.119 --> 00:24:59.000 you to be prepared when he says, lead us not 00:24:59.000 --> 00:25:01.140 into temptation, but deliver us from evil. We're 00:25:01.140 --> 00:25:05.539 asking for God's strength. We're asking for God's 00:25:05.539 --> 00:25:08.200 protection from the enemy. Without prayer, we're 00:25:08.200 --> 00:25:10.500 fighting battles in our own strength, and believe 00:25:10.500 --> 00:25:14.759 me, I'm not that strong. With prayer, we fight 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:18.579 with God's covering. When we are weak, he is 00:25:18.579 --> 00:25:28.069 made strong in us. And where there are no words 00:25:28.069 --> 00:25:38.450 when you're too weak, he hears your heart. We're 00:25:38.450 --> 00:25:43.329 also to pray with faith and persistence. God 00:25:43.329 --> 00:25:48.809 is still a God of miracles. Amen? Can you guys 00:25:48.809 --> 00:25:52.079 say amen to that? God is still a God of miracles. 00:25:52.400 --> 00:25:55.460 Luke 11 9 says, tell us to ask and it will be 00:25:55.460 --> 00:25:58.119 given. Seek and you will find. Knock and the 00:25:58.119 --> 00:26:03.079 door will be open. Mark 11 verses 22 to 25 say, 00:26:03.200 --> 00:26:06.279 have faith in God, Jesus answered. Truly I tell 00:26:06.279 --> 00:26:09.099 you, if anyone says to this mountain, go throw 00:26:09.099 --> 00:26:11.920 yourself into the sea and does not doubt in their 00:26:11.920 --> 00:26:14.480 heart but believes that what they say will happen, 00:26:14.640 --> 00:26:17.579 it will be done for them. Therefore I tell you, 00:26:17.599 --> 00:26:19.740 whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you 00:26:19.740 --> 00:26:22.740 have received it, and it will be yours. And when 00:26:22.740 --> 00:26:25.019 you stand praying, if you hold anything against 00:26:25.019 --> 00:26:28.759 anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in 00:26:28.759 --> 00:26:35.980 heaven may forgive your sins. God is still a 00:26:35.980 --> 00:26:39.640 God of miracles. I don't know if you've prayed 00:26:39.640 --> 00:26:42.099 and God hasn't answered your prayers before, 00:26:42.299 --> 00:26:46.170 or you've just kind of been left wondering. how 00:26:46.170 --> 00:26:49.529 he could allow some things to happen. But when 00:26:49.529 --> 00:26:53.250 he gave us this how to pray, and he gave us our 00:26:53.250 --> 00:26:59.230 father prayer, he really opened up some really 00:26:59.230 --> 00:27:02.710 clear things to approach God as our father, to 00:27:02.710 --> 00:27:06.630 worship his name as holy, to submit to his will, 00:27:06.809 --> 00:27:09.650 to trust in him daily, to build that relationship 00:27:09.650 --> 00:27:12.730 for daily provisions, to seek for forgiveness. 00:27:13.630 --> 00:27:16.809 and extend for forgive extend forgiveness to 00:27:16.809 --> 00:27:20.210 ask for protection and guidance and pray with 00:27:20.210 --> 00:27:25.250 faith and persistence it's not about changing 00:27:25.250 --> 00:27:31.549 god's mind it's about deepening a daily relationship 00:27:31.549 --> 00:27:37.430 in him it's about our faith as we wait on him 00:27:37.430 --> 00:27:45.009 and i will tell you as I stand here. I have seen 00:27:45.009 --> 00:27:50.549 miracles. I have lived miracles. I think most 00:27:50.549 --> 00:27:53.990 of you know my story. Stage four metastatic ovarian 00:27:53.990 --> 00:27:56.710 cancer spread to six organs. You guys remember 00:27:56.710 --> 00:28:00.329 that? Here I am a year and nine months later 00:28:00.329 --> 00:28:10.960 cancer free. And I know it was prayer. And I 00:28:10.960 --> 00:28:16.039 know it was faith. Prayer isn't complicated. 00:28:18.480 --> 00:28:23.980 It's truly a conversation. It's God listening 00:28:23.980 --> 00:28:27.599 to our heart. And when there are no words, he 00:28:27.599 --> 00:28:31.240 still hears you. It's communication with our 00:28:31.240 --> 00:28:36.079 Heavenly Father. He gave us a model, not just 00:28:36.079 --> 00:28:39.619 for repetition. Not just to say a prayer, to 00:28:39.619 --> 00:28:42.759 be saying a prayer. But he gave us this model 00:28:42.759 --> 00:28:47.259 to build relationship. And I always say that 00:28:47.259 --> 00:28:50.359 my life as a Christian is not about religion. 00:28:52.440 --> 00:28:56.539 It's about building a true, intimate relationship 00:28:56.539 --> 00:29:01.339 with Christ. It's about following his will in 00:29:01.339 --> 00:29:03.660 our life and seeking your purpose on a daily 00:29:03.660 --> 00:29:08.430 basis. So when you pray, remember the Our Father. 00:29:12.569 --> 00:29:17.690 And close your eyes as we pray together. Father 00:29:17.690 --> 00:29:21.369 God, teach us and remind us every single day 00:29:21.369 --> 00:29:29.450 to establish a relationship with you. To forgive 00:29:29.450 --> 00:29:33.190 others. To come with you with sincerity, with 00:29:33.190 --> 00:29:37.980 a pure heart. with genuine intention father god 00:29:37.980 --> 00:29:42.119 may our prayers always be directed to you not 00:29:42.119 --> 00:29:48.000 just by asking for what we need but by giving 00:29:48.000 --> 00:29:56.740 you worship and lifting you up as well draw us 00:29:56.740 --> 00:29:59.119 into a deeper fellowship with you and align our 00:29:59.119 --> 00:30:03.160 hearts with your will Give us faith to continue 00:30:03.160 --> 00:30:09.079 and persist as we see your hand move. For your 00:30:09.079 --> 00:30:12.220 will be done in our lives. Amen.