How to Pray Throughout Your Day - Rick Warren

this weekend we are in part 5 of 40 days of prayer and I want us to look at how do you pray throughout your day when you look at Paul it's real obvious that Paul prayed all the time and in every book he starts with the prayer as he writes most of the New Testament and he says I'm always praying I'm continually praying I'm constantly praying I'm praying without ceasing I never stopped praying for you he's always always praying how do you do that how do you pray without ceasing how do you continually pray without stopping in Ephesians there at the top of your outline Ephesians chapter 6 verse 18 it says this pray in the spirit at all times with all kinds of prayers asking for everything you need now to do this you must always be ready and never give up and always pray for all of God's people which means we're supposed to pray for everybody I can't do that if I only pray two minutes a day I got to pray throughout the day how do I do this so I don't want us to look at this weekend how do I pray throughout my day well there's two different ways I want you to write these down two different ways that you can pray throughout your day the first is just to keep a running conversation with God and you just talk to God like I'm talking to you like you talk to anybody else and it's conversational praying now to pray conversationally what do you do you just talk to God about whatever you're interested in at that particular moment the Bible says in Ephesians 5:6 xviii pray on every cajon as the spirit leads on every occasion means as I said you can talk to God anywhere anytime about anything all the time as the spirit leads when you get an impression you pray about it now here's what I've noticed I just wrote this down this week I don't think I'd ever thought about it if I don't feel like praying it means I'm praying I'm not praying what I feel let me say that again if I'm not if I don't feel like praying I'm not praying what I feel it's the only time you pray is when you pray stuff you think God wants to hear well that's boring but if you pray about what you're feeling right now nervousness or anxiety or your stomach's upset or you're frustrated you're tired and you just talk to God about when you talk to God about what you feel then you're gonna feel like praying when you don't feel like praying it means you're praying about the wrong thing that isn't interested in what you're not interested in God already knows everything in your life he just wants you to talk just like a father or a mother longs to have their children talk to them you long for your children to grow up to the day that they can talk to you have an intelligent conversation and frankly it doesn't matter what to talk about you just like having their attention and listening to them and so you keep a running conversation with God and if you you don't feel like praying it means you're not praying what you feel 1st Thessalonians 5:17 says never stop praying in other words pray all the time well one of the ways of people running conversation the other way write this down is to schedule prayer times throughout my day and I'm gonna teach you a very very simple way to do this this weekend schedule prayer times throughout my day now this is not some new idea from the beginning of time people have scheduled their prayer times the Jews in the Old Testament scheduled their prayer times they set times there were fixed hours the Bible tells us and Daniel remember when we studied that great character he said it's that he kneeled in prayer three times a day morning noon night now in psalm 119 verse 164 there in your outline david says seven times a day I pray to you and over the centuries these daily times of prayer throughout the day began to be known as I said the the Liturgy of the hours or divine office it got very very complicated and I would not recommend in fact I have the the volumes that are literally thousands of pages for the Liturgy of the hours it's about that thick it's four volumes about that tall and it's very very complicated I want to teach you something far simpler far far simpler that you could memorize and you can use it's something I created based on the seven phrases of the Lord's Prayer the Lord's Prayer is not simply a prayer to be prayed it is a model for life in fact when Jesus gave the Lord's Prayer he said you should pray like this notice he didn't say you should pray this he said you should pray like this nowhere in the Bible are you commanded to recite the Lord's Prayer in fact God says multiple times in Scripture don't say something over and over and over that becomes a vain repetition you don't even think about it but we typically take a model and make it a recipe but God in the Bible never says the Lord's prayers something you should pray over and over and over never says it he says this is a model this is the pattern this is how you should pray not what you should pray and so I want us to take a typical day in your life and I want to show you how starting in the morning when you get up and then breakfast and then midday and then at noon and in an afternoon and then in the evening and before you go to bed you could use the seven phrases of the Lord's Prayer just to remember oh I should talk to God right now whether it's 30 seconds or a minute or five minutes or however much time you put into it it's a simple pattern that you can use alright get right into it number one we're gonna start your day with the first phrase of Lord's Prayer and the first thing you do when you wake up here's what you do write it down first thing when you wake up get up with gratitude get up with gratitude when you get out of bed in the morning before you eat breakfast do anything else you should get up starting to be grateful to God and telling God all the things you're grateful for now you've got a choice on what attitude you're gonna have when you get up one guy said you wake up grumpy in the morning he said no I usually let her sleep you can get up with grumbling you can get up with griping you can get up with groaning you can get up with grousing you can get up with grumbling you can get up with growling you can get up with grunting or you can get up with gratitude it's your choice did you know that doctors have discovered that the single healthiest emotion known to man is gratitude but the attitude of gratitude actually makes you healthier mentally emotionally and physically it's actually good for your health and so why not start every morning with gratitude to God and you thank God for all the things that he has done for you and what I would recommend you do is that you keep a gratitude list by your bedside and I've put one I gave it to you months ago put another one in your program you could take it home with you you finished filling this out stuff you're grateful for and put it by your nightstand and when you but you don't have anything memorized I've got mine memorized a-to-z and stuff I'm grateful for but you could get up in the morning and before you get out of bed you stop then say let me just be grateful God for some things and even read some stuff off on D you designed my life for your great plan and purpose thanks God e you empower me with your spirit if you forgive me and you forget my sins you freed me from shame and you fill my life with meaning boom you can just read through this list it will change your attitude doctors and and actually psychologists have proven that the attitude that you have for the day is set in the first eight minutes so you want to grumble grouse groan grunt or do you want to be grateful so you start your day with gratitude to God for the goodness of God and one of the ways is just to use this little you know tool to make a list of stuff you're grateful for in other ways it's just to make a playlist a songs of gratitude thanks Thank You songs to God you can go on Spotify or iTunes or something and make a list of songs that say thank you to God and you can play those and so you you get up with gratitude and you wake up with worship that'll set your attitude for the whole day very very simple you start with that now why do we do this look up here on the screen the Bible says this what do you have that God didn't give you everything you have is a gift from God and if it was given to you how can you brag about it so really what gratitude does is it gets me to focus on the loving father that we talked about last week the Abba the daddy the Poppa who gives me all that I need who meets all my needs so you start your day focusing on the goodness of God and that's the first phrase of the Lord's Prayer look at this Matthew 6 verse 8 and 9 Jesus said your father knows what you need before you ask him so then this is how you should pray our Father in heaven he says start with thinking about God and His goodness he's a good good father yes you are yes you are he's a good good father he's caring he's close he's consistent he's competent God you're a good good father and let me give you a list of the ways that you're good to me and so they start your day not with confession not with your request you start it with gratitude god you're a good good father let me just tell you all the things I'm grateful you know what I'm grateful for running water I'm grateful for indoor plumbing I'm grateful for ice I'm grateful for bed and sheets and a blanket I'm grateful for shoes to put on I'm grateful for a warm house when it's cold and a cold house when it's hot outside and you just just tell God all the stuff you're grateful for and you take for granted he says you start with our Father James 1:17 every good gift and every perfect gift present present pre comes from the father your father of light in heaven so the first thing out of bed here's what did you fill this in I thank my father in heaven for as consistent love I recall all of the ways that is good to me I thank my father in heaven for his consistent love and I recall all of the ways that he's good to me that's you start your day if we're gonna have seven little snippets through the day the very first thing you do you get up you get up with gratitude the second thing I do is I bless God's name at breakfast I bless God's name at breakfast doesn't mean to bless it means to honor it means to give respect it means to praise the word theological word is adoration we adore God we bless them we praise Him and that's the second phrase of the Lord's Prayer our Father in Heaven you're a good God thank you for all you've done you're a good father and he says number two hallowed be your name that means holy I'm gonna respect your name I'm gonna honor your name I'm going to praise your name I'm gonna adore your name that's the second thing you do and you do it breakfast I bless God's name at breakfast Psalm 145 verse 2 every day I will bless your name circle the everyday part not just every Sunday not every weekend every I will bless your name and praise it forever and ever now what is the big deal about God's name if you read through the Book of Psalms it's mentioned about 80 times bless the name of the lord praise the name of the Lord give thanks to the name of the Lord exalt the name of the Lord what's the big deal about God's name well your name really is your character your name is really who you are if if you go and you make get a loan it's based on your good name if you have a bad name nobody's gonna loan you any money you have bad credit you got a bad name you got a bad reputation and so what God says is when I make a promise to you and there over 7,000 in the Bible it's based on my name I'm consistent I'm gonna be depended on and I have integrity and in Psalms God's name is praised over and over and over because your name is your character now one of the things that happen in the Bible is that your name was more than just something cute that sounded nice today we picked names because we like the way they sound maybe all the kids have the same letter or something like that but in the Bible the name was given because they thought that's what your character is and it could be good or bad for instance Jacob means swindler and jay-bez means painful so evidently his mom bore him in a lot of pain she had a difficult labor and and your name often got attached to you and then you start living up to your name well we hallow God's name bless you in the Bible did you know that God has about a hundred names in Hebrew and Greek why didn't anybody need a hundred names because each name it's actually like a title represents a character quality of God I put a couple of them there on your outline just to show you for instance God says I am ABBA we talked about that last week it means I'm your loving father I'm your daddy I'm your Papa so God says my name is ABBA I'm your I mean you can call me ABBA it's not a Swedish rock group okay but that also says I am el dia which means I'm the God who knows you and I know everything that's good thing God I don't have to know everything if you know everything and you know me and you know what's best for me I'm el dia I'm the God who knows you and knows everything the Bible says God says my name is Jehovah Rapha which means I'm the God who heals you that's good one because we all need healing mental emotional spiritual financial physical I'm the God who heals you el shaddai means I'm the mighty God Almighty God which means I got all the power you need you don't have to pass have all the power cuz I do and I'm helping you I'm supporting you all through scriptures there's Jehovah Jireh which says I am your provider there's Jehovah Shalom I am your peace there's Jehovah SID canoe I am your righteousness you don't have to earn your way to heaven look at this verse Psalm 9 verse 10 those who know your name trust in you for you Lord and have never abandoned those who truly seek you so I review the names of God and then I think about the promises they imply if God says I'm Jehovah Jireh I'm your provider means do I have to worry about where the next meal is coming from if he is my provider you have to worry about where the forgiveness is coming from if he says I'm your forgiver the more you know names of God the more you're gonna know what God is like the more you're gonna relax now you got up with gratitude and you went to breakfast blessing God's name and this isn't long it's just you're just thinking about God now then you get to work and about mid-morning now you can take a brief prayer break nobody's gonna ring a bell at nine o'clock or ten o'clock but you could still take a little prayer break and why do you want to do that let me ask you a question do you ever find it easy to get distracted from your real work yeah you ever feel like I'm not getting done what I need to get done yeah you ever feel like you're wasting your time sometimes you ever feel like your priorities just got shot out from underneath your feet yeah you ever feel like okay it's halfway through the day or halfway through the morning and I've lost my focus I've lost the big perspective that's when you need to pray doesn't have to be long you just sit down at your desk or go out to your truck or go in a restroom or go sit in your car take a minute take five minutes and then at mid morning write this down remember what matters most if you will do this every day if you'll begin a habit of sometime in the middle of the morning you just pause take a deep breath I'm gonna take a long time say okay let me stop right here what matters most okay let me get the big picture because I've gotten down in the weeds and I've lost count of my direction and I need to pause and pray and that's when we come to the third phrase which is this Matthew 6:10 may your kingdom come may your will be done on earth as it is in heaven now friends that's called a redundant statement because when Jesus says let your kingdom come let your will be done it's saying the same thing we're God's kingdom comes God will is done we're God's will is done God's kingdom has come he just saying God we want your agenda not our own write this down i align myself with God's purpose and plans for my life i align myself with God's purpose and plans for my life what does that mean it means I just pause and so at midmorning you just pause go let me just take a deep breath here and go okay I know I got all this stuff to do but really what I want more than anything else God I want your plan in my life I want your purpose for me and I'm praying for your will be done in the world and then our nation I'm praying for your kingdom come and your will to be done and I align myself I recommit myself to God's purpose in my life now why would you do that well one of the reasons listen is that God promises when you do that he'll help you get your work done God says if you line up with my plan and purpose I will help you get your work done one of the great promises in the Bible the next verse Matthew 6:33 if you seek first God's kingdom and his righteousness that's his plan his his purpose his agenda you see God's kingdom and his agenda all the other things will be given to you as well so I don't have enough time put God's agenda first I don't have enough money put God's agenda first I don't have enough energy put God's agendas first I don't know which way to turn at work I've got a major decision to make put God's agenda first I don't know how I'm gonna finish this assignment of school put God's agenda first and if in the mid day that sixth hour say the nine or 10 o'clock you just go I just want to remind myself God I'm more interested in what you want me to do then what I want to do when you do that it's gonna open up all kinds of power he says I will make everything else take care of yourself if you put me first how do you do that how do you poke effort how about everyday midday in the morning just go God I just wanna remind yourself I want your plan and your purpose your will be done in my life alright now about this time a little bit later you're starting to get hungry coming up on lunchtime what I do at lunch alright number four list my needs at lunch I list my needs at lunch and at lunch times a good time for you to talk to God about all the things you need you started the day with gratitude and then you blessed his name at breakfast and now you've committed yourself again to his plan and purpose for your life now you come to lunch God said what do you need seek first king of God now everything else be given to you what do you need now it's lunchtime so you may be eating a sandwich and that can remind you of the fourth phrase give us this day our daily bread and that's the fourth phrase of the lord's prayer and you can pray it at noon give us this day our daily bread now what is bread bread represents everything you need it represents money in fact people have a gold my bread money bread you get any bread on you it could represent money it could represent resources it can represent contacts it can represent a contract it can represent a husband or a girlfriend or a wife it can represent anything you want or need it's the stuff that fulfills you it's the stuff that sustains you and so breads not just talking about bread it's talking about anything you need in your life and the Bible says that God says to you I want you to pray this every day give us this day our monthly bread no our weekly bread no give us this day our daily bread God give me what I need for today God isn't really interested in giving you what you need next year cuz you wouldn't have to trust him you wouldn't have to have any faith you wouldn't have to depend on him when God fed the children of Israel's they were coming out of Egypt and they were all in the Promised Land he gave him manna it only lasted a day it would rot they couldn't store it up it literally was daily bread and so they had to depend on God God I you gave me enough strength for yesterday but I'm gonna need strength today and tomorrow I'm gonna come back I'm gonna say I need strength I got this afternoon I got a major contract I got a major project I've got a conflict I've got to deal with I've got a meeting that have to be at that it's not gonna be very fun I have to do some bills I have to organize some papers God I've got stuff coming up in my life give me this day my daily bread I need more intelligence and this afternoon I'm gonna ask you to help me to have that so it represents everything you need to live what do I do when I list my needs at lunch cute things write these down I asked for anything I need you don't need to be embarrassed god I need a new car I want to suggest that before you go buy something you ask God to give it to you first just give a chance he may not but you may miss a blessing because the Bible says you have not because you ask not john 14 jesus said you can ask for anything in my name Circle that word anything you have not because you ask not but at lunchtime I don't only list all my needs the next thing is I asked ask for what other people need - you got a friend who need something you got a family member who need something why don't you ask for it at lunch tomorrow when you pray for somebody else when you ask on somebody else's behalf that's called intercession that's the technical term for it when you pray for yourself it's called petition when you pray for somebody else it's called intercession you're interceding on their behalf and at lunch time that's a good time to do both the Bible says in 1st Samuel Samuel say chapter 12 verse 23 I'd be sinning against the Lord if I failed to pray for you do you ever sin yeah sometimes you sin because you don't pray for people you love and you should be Samuel said God forbid that I should sin against God by feeling to pray for you if I as your pastor didn't pray for you I would be sinning that's why I pray for you I love you but I also don't want sin because I not I don't just ask for me I asked for we I asked for us in fact it doesn't say give me my daily bread it says give what us means you're in a family so when you're asking God don't just ask yourself ask for other being give us not just give me it's give us our daily bread look at this verse 2nd Peter chapter 1 verse 3 Jesus has the power of God by which he gives us notice this everything we need to live and to serve God and we have these things because we know him and you know sometimes when you're at work by noon you're already stressed out because the day has not gone the way you wanted to you your boss brought in an extra load of stuff or something didn't come in the mail or nothing that's working out the right way or the copy machines on the fritz or could be anything people are out sick and you got to double up and and sometimes by noontime you're pretty stressed out look at this first on the screen it's a good verse right this Philippians 4 6 and 7 you know this verse do not get anxious about anything but in everything by prayer and petition see that petition that's what we're talking about in this one here petitions I'm asking God I'm making my list don't get anxious about anything but instead and everything by prayer and petition with Thanksgiving present your requests to God and the peace of God which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus if you'll do this fourth kind of praying at lunchtime your afternoon is gonna go a whole lot better and you'll have the peace that passes understanding because you stopped for just a minute in the middle of the day and you prayed doesn't have to be long but you just stop for a minute you pray and if you list all your needs at lunch you're gonna go back to work after lunch just a little bit more peaceful you need to not just feed your body at lunchtime you need to feed your soul all right now now you come you just go back to work mid-afternoon that's when you want to take a nap and and you just you start and get a little sluggish there you're not real bright but by mid-afternoon I don't know about you you know I'm I'm in the people business and so I'm dealing with people all the time and I don't know if you notice this some of them kind of goofy some of them are frustrating some people don't look at them some people are disappointing some people hurt you intentionally and some unintentionally and I don't know about you by the time I get to mid-afternoon I've got a stack of bad attitudes because of the people that I've had to listen to you or deal with and and so in the afternoon I got some attitudes and some actions and I've got some sins that have piled up by mid-afternoon and so the fifth thing I do right write this down I ask for forgiveness in the afternoon and in that point in the afternoon I just say Lord is there anything in my life I need to clean out is there any sin search me O God and know my heart try me and know my thoughts see if there be any wicked way in me and lead me in the way everlasting God is there something here that I need to just admit to you I need to confess I I don't want to carry the garbage into the rest of the day now it doesn't take a long time it's just like taking out the garbage taking out the garbage doesn't take a long time but it keeps your house from stink and if you don't take out the garbage in your soul everyday your soul starts stinking don't let sin stockpile in your life first place you can start carrying guilt and that's dumb but now we come to the fifth statement in the Lord's Prayer Matthew 6 verse 12 forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us this is the kind of prayer I told you two different kinds of Prayer we've had Thanksgiving or adoration and we've had petition okay and we've had dedication now we've got confession and confession what I do I just own up to my own wrong reactions I admit my sins and while I'm at it I forgive everybody else who's send against me because I certainly don't want to hold on to grudges they hurt you more than they hurt anybody else you know want to be carried around by resentment now listen read your pastor's lips right now there is never any reason for you to walk around feeling guilty if you know the Lord some people actually think they're more spiritual by feeling guilty I remember one time years ago there's lady huge she come to Saddleback and after every service I'd be out on the patio and she said you know pastor Rick today God just spoke to me and it was always something bad like you're doing this wrong you're doing that wrong you're doing this wrong you're doing that wrong and she did this for like months and finally one there's a mem does God ever say anything nice to you because my God isn't always you know causing me to be focused on that stuff he knows I'm gonna see it but if you do this on a regular basis and the afternoon you just kind of take out the garbage that's forgive us our sins as we forgive those sins against us doctors say most people could leave the hospital today except for guilt and resentment guilt over things I've done to hurt others resentment over what other people have done to hurt me and as a result we regret the past we're about the future and we waste today and we killed crucify ourselves on the cross of guilt and resentment that's dumb you're not more spiritual feeling guilty Jesus died on the cross so you don't have to carry guilt and so everyday you need to take out the garbage it might be a good idea to do it in the afternoon forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us here's what did you write this down I admit my sins and I forgive others who frustrated me there is no rational reason for carrying around guilt just confess it should ever feel guilty yeah for about three seconds that's about how long it takes to admit it and ask forgiveness and then it's cleaned up psalm 32 verse five a great great person I confess my sins to you and I didn't try to hide him then you forgave me and now all my guilt is gone I remember driving down the street one day and I saw a sign in a service station gas station and it was talking about the certain kind of oil and it said a clean engine has more power that's true of people too when you let sin stockpile in your life and you have stuff there that you you haven't confessed to God it just clogs up the system you're not running on all your cylinders a clean engine has more power a clean soul has more resilience and you need resilience in today's world so you in the afternoon time that breaker it's three o'clock or whatever it is in the afternoon just take a little time and say let's do some housecleaning God is there any sin any attitude any action I just need to admit I'll admit it to you now you're closing up your work and you're heading home and you get in your car and start to hit him by the way did you know studies have shown this 90% of all arguments in the world happened one hour before dinner to work three words low-blood-sugar cranky cranky cranky and you're tired and you're hungry and you got a little blood sugar and you come home and everybody takes it out on each other husband yells at the wife and the wife yells at the kids and the kid kicks the dog the dog chases the cat the cat bites the head off the Barbie doll and there's a Chane taking plate chain-reaction going on you need to just be aware that at the end of the day when you go home that's a prime time for you to get an argument and knowing it is wise to ask for help so now we come to the sixth prayer time and that's when you get home and you just take a minute you know and I'll tell you what I used to do when my kids were growing up you know I listen to people's problems all day I'm going to talk to people and I carry them and when I come home I would pause at the door to our house and I was gonna go I'm not taking these problems in the house and dumping them on my wife and kids I'm just not gonna do it and so what I did is I found an old milk can at some antique store and I painted it blue and I stuck it out there in front of the front door and I called it my worry and problem Ken and every day when I'd come home I would walk up and I go the Lord you know all those problems half a mark solved yet but I'm not taking them inside I'm gonna dump them in this can right here and tomorrow morning when I walk out they'll still be there but I'm not gonna load them on my wife and I'm not gonna load them on my kids because I don't want to do that the sixth thing you pray in this time of day late afternoon is you ask God to help me make wise decisions whether you've got kids at home or not anymore are you living with some friends you need to ask God to help you make wise decisions and by the way to protect you from making dumb decisions - and this is the sixth phrase of the Lord's Prayer and it goes like this and lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one now I don't know about you you're probably different but I don't know about you my worst Mt she's actually come in the evening and they come from two very demonic sources the television and the refrigerator there are the Dibble you know I can stay on a diet till at least 6:00 p.m. but between 6:00 p.m. and midnight oh brother when you're tired your resources are low you're gonna get an arguments you're gonna say things you're gonna hurt people unintentionally and it's a good thing to pray before you go walk back in the home Lord lead me not into temptation but deliver me from evil some of you the television is a big temptation and I'm talking about you're watching stuff you shouldn't be watching or maybe it's your computer and you're watching some stuff on the computer you shouldn't be watching before you get home Lord lead me not into temptation God has given us great promise look up here on the screen first Corinthians 10:13 remember that the temptations that come into your life are no different from what other people experienced no this is a good thing it says we all go through the same common temptations okay you think you're special you're not when it comes to temptation you have the exact same temptations everybody else does you have the same temptations they've had for thousands of years and Jesus had them in the same way the same root temptation now the good news is if there are common temptations that means they're common solutions and it says this remember the temptations come into your life they're no different from what others experienced we're all in the same boat so don't act so higher and mighty and holy holy we are the same temptations and God is faithful he will keep the temptation from becoming so strong that you can't stand up against it and when you're tempted it's a great promise you might memorize this when you're tempted he'll show you a way out so that you will not give in to it anybody who says I can't help myself was lying because God's promised I'll always make a way out but you got to choose it you got to choose it but say I it was overpowering I couldn't help myself yes you could God says I always make a way out for you now you need to understand two very important things about temptation it's not a sin to be tempted Jesus was tempted it's a sin to give in to temptation in fact a lot of people when they get tempted they go ooh I shouldn't even be tempted like where did that thought come from I'll tell you I came from came from the evil one came from the devil you can't Martin Luther said you can't keep the birds from flying over your head but you can't keep them from building a nest in your hair so you can't control every idea that's put into your mind some of it comes from stuff you saw at a movie theater 20 years ago and Satan pulls it back out that's why you want to watch what you put in your mind everybody's worried about air pollution and water pollution are you worried about mind pollution some people are so open-minded their brains fall out and I just allow anything a tractor pull through their brain with all kinds of garbage you should worry about mind pollution more than you worry about water pollution because your brain affects your character but I'm saying God says I'll give you a way out by the way if you're watching stuff that's no good for you on the internet you might want to memorize this first up here on the screen psalm 101:3 I will refuse to look at anything vile and vulgar nowadays that might mean the news so you have to worry worried about that so I asked God tell me wake wise decision finally we come to the end of the day now you're getting ready for beddy-bye you putting on your PJs and here's the last thing you pray you prayed when you get up there's the last phrase in the Lord's Prayer I end my day with an encouraging truth write that down I end my day this is called a benediction a good word you end your day with a good word it's good to read scripture promises read some promises from God I end my day with an encouraging truth and the Lord prayer ends with one of the most encouraging truths around and it goes like this Matthew 6:13 for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen now let me tell you what that means if you'll think of that verse and you'll remember what it means you can sleep a whole lot better because what that verse says is three incredibly encouraging truths number one God is in control God is in control the politicians aren't other nations aren't your boss isn't God is ultimately in control in the Bible kit the Bible says the heart of the key is in the heart hand of the Lord hang and turn it with her so ever he wishes just enough people pray that's why the world changes when God's people pray he's waiting on us sometimes we say God we're waiting on you to do something God said I'm waiting on you to pray this is a partnership but when I pray yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever amen good night Lord I'm saying God number one you're in control second this is not the end of the story and third God and his family went in the end I've read the last chapter of the book Godwin's Godwin's and so that's when you're looking if you go to bed the last thing you watch is either news or late night TV talking about the news you're gonna go to depressed Corrie ten Boom said it if you look at the world you'll be distressed if you look within you'll be depressed if you look at Christ you'll be at rest it all all depends on who you're looking at yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever god you're in control this is not the end of the story and we win in the end good night Lord I'll see you in the morning and when I wake up it's gonna be get up with gratitude and then bless your name at breakfast so I'm in than positive and I'm gonna start positive you'll sleep a whole lot better now I want to encourage you to not just listen to this but to actually try this format of using the Lord's Prayer to mark out six seven times during the day I'm not talking about 20 minutes a day I'm just talking about a minute here a minute here five minutes here whatever what you've got time for God just wants to he just wants to hear from you proverbs 10 27 on the screen I love it in the Living Bible the Living Bible says reverence for God adds hours to each day hello do you need more time reverence for God that's our set it's kind of like tithing God can make 90 percent of my money go further than a hundred percent and God can make my time go further when I give part of it to him in prayer reverence for God adds hours to each day proverbs 1027 Living Bible the Lord's Prayer is not a ritual that people pray it is a pattern for living it is a model for how to manage your day and if you do this you'll have more energy you'll have more peace you'll be closer to God you'll have more power in your life you'll have more confidence if you'll do it Jesus says this is the way you ought to pray pray throughout your day 150 years ago a young Boston woman married a printer and they got married and had three kids but the civil war ended their happiness because Mary's husband got conscripted in the Civil War in the northern army and he died in the Battle of Antietam Antietam and then after her husband died her 12 year old son drowned and then her only daughter died it was one calamity after another and in her grief Marianne Kidder began to turn to writing hymns and if you've been in a traditional church you've sunk Mary and Kitter hemp's because she wrote hundreds and hundreds of them it would be very well-known help millions of people in fact she wrote I think a hundred and eighty-one hymns there's one that she wrote that I remember as a little kid hearing my parents sing and it's called and did you think to pray and we'll end with this when you left your room this morning did you think to pray in the name of Christ our Savior did you ask for loving favor as a shield today when you met with great temptation did you think to pray by his dying love and merit did you claim the Holy Spirit as your guidance stay when your heart was filled with anger did you think to pray did you plead for grace my brother that you might forgive another who'd crossed your way when strong trials came upon you did you think to pray as your heart was filled with sorrow did the love of Christ you borrow at the gates today when the refrain goes like this oh how praying rests the weary prayer will change your night today so when life seems dark and dreary don't forget to pray let's bow our heads say our Father in Heaven just say it in your mind say God you're a good good God and I want to be grateful I want to start each day with gratitude the healthiest emotion I don't start it with news I don't start it with bad news I'm gonna start it with the goodness of God and then say Lord I want to bless your name at breakfast I want to learn these names of God so that I can know what you've promised to do in my life you're my healer you're always present you will give me power you're my forgiver all of the things that you've promised by your names and I'm going to bless your name your kingdom come Lord your will be done on earth as it is in heaven I want to seek first your kingdom God I want your plans and purposes for the world and for my life to be number one I don't want to be in cross purposes with you I want to seek first your purpose believing that everything else I need you're gonna take care of and Lord every day I want to say give me this day our daily bread it's just enough to get me through today give me strength for today give me wisdom for today give me the finances I need for today want to make a list at lunchtime as I eat my sandwich that you would give me more than that but inner food soul food and Lord I want to ask you to forgive me of all my sins as I forgive those who've sinned against me remove guilt and shame and resentment and bitterness from my life I can't waste energy on those energy drainers then Lord there's some things in my life that you know I'm tempted by and I'm not very good at handling on my own and I'm asking you to lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil and I want to ask you to help me make wise decisions and not impulsive ones and not dumb decisions deliver us from evil for yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever Lord when I'm down when I'm depressed when I feel overwhelmed when I feel discouraged help remember that you're in charge you're in control you're still on the throne but this is not the end of the story there was more to life to here and now and that ultimately we win when the world outsides looks darker and darker and dimmer and dimmer helped me to realize that you hold the keys to the future and then because I'm on your side and I'm in your family ultimately it'll all work out if you've never opened your life to Jesus Christ say Jesus Christ come into my life right now change me save me I want to get to know you and I humbly ask this in your name amen

Channel: Saddleback Church Hong Kong

Views: 7,719

Rating: 4.6258993 out of 5

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Id: q2SaA5D7xGc

Length: 53min 15sec (3195 seconds)

Published: Sun Nov 26 2017