Prayer

I've been doing a study on prayer lately, just looking for and studying passages in the Word about it. For my own benefit in re-capping what He's taught me, you're gonna get a blog summary of it ;)

Prayer is...

• humility, recognizing I have nothing to offer Him but sin (Luke 18:9-17)
• absolute dependence on Him (Ps 3-5)
• an expression of my complete trust in Him
• RESURRECTION POWER!!! (Rom 8, Jude 20-21)
• bringing everything to Him--the good, the bad, and the ugly (1 Sam 1:1-2:11)
• begins with praise and worship (1 Chron 16-17)
• coming before Him with great expectations because He is not just a piece of wood or a statue but the God of the universe!! (Isa 44-45)
• sometimes selfish, but God turns it to result in His glory (Jonah)
• a powerful weapon of offense that can break into the enemy's territory and defeat him (Eph 6:19, Matt 5:43-6:15)
• a gift that God has given His bride to participate in accomplishing His purpose of gathering people from every nation, tribe, and language around His throne in worship (Matt 5:43-6:15)
• the pursuit of God alone (Matt 6:16-24)
• surrender of self to Him (Matt 6:16-24)
• an active stand against the enemy, one in which the Lord brings victory (Eph 6:10-18)
• trust in Him to meet all physical and spiritual needs, especially in battle (Matt 6:25-34, Eph 6:10-18)
• rest in our Father (Matt 14:22-23, Mark 11:22-26)
• an act of faith that He can do BIG things, whatever we ask, in fact! (Mark 11:12-25)
• not just laying my sorrow at His feet but acknowledging His power and submitting to His plan (Mark 14:32-42, Luke 22:39-46)
• seeking His kingdom first and setting my eyes on things above (Matt 6:33, Col 3:2)
• a preventative measure against the enemy's schemes (Luke 22:46)
• persistent (Luke 11:5-13)
• includes faith that He WILL answer (Luke 11:5-13)
• victory (Luke 22:31-32, Rom 8)
• a uniter of His church (Acts 1, 14)
• involves rejoicing and thanksgiving always (1 Thess 5:16-28)
• hard work (1 Thess 5:17) but it's so worth it because it's so powerful!
• directly connected to obedience (2 Chron 7)
• heard and answered (Ps 6:9-10, 55:1-3)
• makes the enemy ashamed to the point of turning away from me (Ps 6:9-10, James 4:8)
• communion with my Father, submission to His will, abiding in Him, a sign of absolute dependence on Him (Luke 6)
• home, a place of security, a place to unwind, a place of renewal and refreshment (Luke 6)

And that's what I've learned in a nutshell. There's so much more, but these are the bullet points :) Thanks for reading! Hope He taught you something too!