Our Father Who Art in Heaven

  Our Father Who Art in Heaven

                     

                        Hello and welcome to My Little House of Prayer. I am so glad that you could join me today. Today’s subject is the outline Jesus gave the disciples to pray. The prayer of The Our Father. I want to apologize for being so very late. This is how bad the enemy does not want you to know these truths. I thought I had posted this already. But when I double checked, I saw that I had not. I am so sorry. Please pray for me. I like to be punctual. So, without further adieu.

                          Let's look at Matthew 6:5-13  5 And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.6 But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.8 Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.10 Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.11 Give us this day our daily bread.12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

                  Let’s look at verses 5-8. Why is this important? The disciples asked Jesus how to pray. Most of us would skim over this and get to the meat of the matter. But, according to the Lord, this is the meat of the matter. He is telling the disciples that prayer requires the right atmosphere. He is telling them to check their hearts. To get their hearts right before they begin to communicate with the LORD. 

               The very first thing He says to guard against, is pride. The Lord shares His glory with no one. The very first commandment in the 10 commandments is, Exodus 20:2-6  2 I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. 3 Thou shalt have no other gods before me. 4 Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. 5 Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them: for I the Lord thy God am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me; 6 And shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments.

                        Then, He says not to pray repetitive prayers In verses 7 & 8. You don’t have to beg and plead. You just have to ask Him 1 time and know that He answers your every prayer. So, ask once. Then, just be thankful He answers you. As you thank Him, the prayer will come forth. Everything that happens happens in the spirit realm first. Then, it manifests in the natural. This is why Jesus said in Matthew 18:18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. So, here he says not to beg, but to be thankful. Then, He says that after you create the atmosphere of prayer, you can pray.

                                In verse 9, He says to acknowledge the Father and who He is. Who He is to and for you. Who He is in your life. Remember, He shares His glory with no one. And, throughout the Word of God, everytime a great man or woman prayed, they magnified the name of the Lord. They only used a few words to present the fight of the enemy. Then, they would go back to magnifying His great and wonderful Name. This is just my personal opinion. I think the reason the Lord wants us to glorify His Name is not mainly for Him. His pride is righteous. If it were only for Him, we would call it giving Him the big head. I think it is because we constantly need to be reminded of just 

Who He is and how great He is to us in our lives. That this is more for us, than for Him. Let’s take a moment to drink Him in. To glorify His wonderful Name. You know, where two or more are gathered in His name. He is there in the midst of them.

                       In verse 10, He says to acknowledge His authority and His perfect will for us. What does He mean by acknowledging His authority? Give Him the glory due His wonderful Name. Remember that He is King of kings and Lord of Lords. Remember who He is in your life. He is our Lord and Savior. When we do this, we are magnifying who He is to us. We welcome in His wonderful Love, Light, and Life. The Lord lets us experience this in so many different ways. I had a personal experience concerning this. 

                     I had a brief season where it seemed that I could do nothing right. My sin was ever before me. The harder I tried to not commit a sin, the more sin in me I would see. I remember visiting with a wonderful Catholic friend, when all of the sudden, I became despondent. Through tears I began to tell her of my situation. She began to smile at me. Then, with a caring giggle she said something to me that was so profound. Now, I hug that saying close to my heart. It helps heal me. It allows me to accept His great unwarranted forgiveness for me. No matter how many times I fail Him. Her words are what gives me strength to keep repenting and continuing in the faith. “Oh, sweetheart. You are in such a beautiful place. You are getting to experience His great love for you. Don’t you know just how close you are to Him? The closer you are to Him, the more light there is. Sin is in darkness. He is light. Therefore, the more sin you see, the closer you are in Him.” James 1:17 Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning. How great is this? He knew just how discouraged I was getting. And, He provided a wonderful Christian to speak into my life at the right time. Not to give me a big head. But, to show me just how wonderful He is. Just how great is His mercy and compassion.

                           What is His perfect will for us? Well let’s look to His Word to find that out. 2 Peter 3:9-10  9 The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.10 But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.

2 Corinthians 1:20 For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Then, remember what James 1:17 says. 

                     I absolutely can’t stand it when someone prays, “If it be your will, oh Lord.” No where in the bible does anyone pray that way. When you pray, pray without doubting. Matthew 21:21-22  21 Jesus answered and said unto them, Verily I say unto you, If ye have faith, and doubt not, ye shall not only do this which is done to the fig tree, but also if ye shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; it shall be done.22 And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.

1 Timothy 2:8 I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting.

James 1:6-9  6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

                    So, you see. Jesus never prayed “If it be your will” when it came to a miracle. The only time He prayed “If it be your will” was in the garden of Gethsemani. He was praying to fulfill the promise of the LORD. For the strength to redeem all mankind. When you are in a trial requiring a decision. That is when you ask for His perfect will to be done. Because, that is when you need to listen. To be able to hear that still small voice. The voice of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit is the only one who knows the perfect will of the Father. That is when you are to pray, “If it be your will.”

                   He also mentions His will be done on earth as it is in heaven. This is because in Matthew 18:18 He says 18 Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.

                    Remember all authority was given Him in the heavens and the earth.  Then, He gave us His authority. So now, I hope you are encouraged to have a new found faith in the Lord. And, like the pastor says, keep a prayer journal. I also encourage you to do this. Because when you write down the many miracles you ask for in His authority full of faith in Him who is faithful who promised it, you will be encouraged. And with each encouragement, your faith will grow stronger and stronger. And the fire you once had at the beginning of your salvation will begin to spark and grow. You will be screaming His great salvation from the rooftops. Preaching the gospel to anyone and anything that stands still long enough to listen.  And it won’t matter if they receive it right then and there. Your faith believes no matter what, it will come forth.

                      Next, He says in verse 11, to ask and thank Him for His great provision of our daily bread. I have seen it not only as our natural bread, but also our spiritual bread. Matthew 4:4 But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. This is why I tell you that you must read your bible. It is a life and death issue. First to your spiritual self. Then, to your natural self. How can I say this about our natural self? Because, when you die spiritually, you die naturally. When you die spiritually your natural man which is cursed begins to rule you. And, in the natural flesh there is only death. Even science proclaims this. They have proven that from the time of birth, you are terminally ill. You are dying daily. So, in my daily prayer time, I pray to my provider. I ask and thank Him for His provision of my bread today. Naturally and physically. Because in Him is Life. Life eternal.

                                 Then He says in verse 12, He says to forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors. This is not an option. Your prayers cannot be heard nor answered if you do not forgive! You give up your salvation, also! Is unforgiveness really worth it?! Yes, when someone truly hurts you to the core of your very being, they have taken something from you. Let me tell you this. That I and the Lord are not making the injury a light matter. If it is important to you, it is just as important to Him! 

                        Growing up, my parents didn’t let me have a childhood for the most part. There were things that hurt me so deeply that I thought that I could not forgive. If you’ve been tuning in to my bible studies, or know me personally, you’ve heard my testimony. But, I had what I like to call an epiphany. It began with Him walking into my living room and saying to me, “That is way too much power to give someone! Yes they took this and that from you.! Why would you give them your salvation, too?” At that point I grew righteously indignant. The thought that I would hand over my salvation also made me angry. That is when I forgave them. Whenever you make a choice for Christ, the enemy will always come to test you.

                  Well, I will never forget what happened next. It was Easter weekend. My mother decided to come visit me. It was the worst visit I ever had with her. Before or after. The Lord allowed it to create something very precious out of it. When she left, I was so heart broken. I went to church that morning. I ran to the altar. I was desperate for His divine healing and peace. I told the Lord, “Lord, I want to forgive like you forgive. I want to bury their sin as far from the East is to the West. In the Sea of Forgetfulness. I am leaving all of it here on the altar. In your hands, Lord. I never want to pick it back up again. So, I go home. I get a phone call about another broken promise. I grew very quiet. Then, I looked up at the Lord and smiled. “Lord, I see what is really happening and I said as far from the east is to the west. I forgive.” I can’t tell you how many miracles have evolved from this choice.

                  Unforgiveness binds you up in shackles and chains. Your prayers are no longer heard. Much less, answered. Because, now the Lord will only hear a prayer of broken repentance. Forgiveness. Forgiveness decides where you will spend eternity. Matthew 6:14-15 14 For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: 15 But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.

                   In Verse 13, He then says to remember who your redeemer is. That He is and always will create a way of escape. He is our deliverer. Redeemer. Psalm 91, I believe, breaks this verse down for us. Then, He finishes by reminding us to remember who He is. We need to know who we are in Christ, and that we belong to Him.

                     So, we have broken down the Lord’s prayer as an outline. I hope this helps you in your own prayer time. It sure has helped mine. Thank you, Jesus. Glory to His wonderful name.

                        If you have attended this bible study today, and it is speaking to your heart. If it has encouraged you to have a relationship with the one true son of the living God, Jesus Christ. A real relationship with the LORD. I want to encourage you today, to get real with Him. Realize that you are a sinner in desperate need of a savior. A Savior who will radically change your life. Who will restore you back to right fellowship with Him. Who will deliver you from the bondages of sin. First, you must realize that you are a sinner in need of a savior. Then, you must truly be broken before Him over your sin. And, confess to Him your sins. All of them. Don’t try to grade your sins, or hide them. He already knows about all of them, and wants to heal you from them. But, He can’t if you try to hide them. And, as far as trying to decide which are the worst ones, they all are the worst ones. Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. You see, they all have the same wage.James 1:15 Then when lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth death. So, just bring all of your sins before Him. Repent, change your choice making concerning your sins. When you do this, ask for His divine help, or assistance, in your choice making. Make Him Lord over your life. Remember to be thankful concerning His saving your soul from a life of eternal damnation. I want to pray with you right now. But, this is just the beginning. The real work begins after you leave this bible study. 

                  Lord Jesus, I confess my sins and ask for your forgiveness. Please come into my heart as my Lord and Savior. Take complete control of my life and help me to walk in Your footsteps daily by the power of the Holy Spirit. Thank you Lord for saving me and for answering my prayer. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

            All of heaven is rejoicing over your decision to pick up your cross and follow Him. My advice to you is this. Get a bible translation you will read. My preference is the King James Translation. After I began to read my bible through and through, I went through 3 bibles in 1 month. Hahahahahahaha. The pages would literally fall out because of my use of them. So, I would need a new one. That is how I went through 3 in 1 month. The Word of God is your spiritual food. It is a life and death issue.  Then, find a church that preaches the uncompromising truth of God’s Word. Sit under that pastor for at least a year. This is how you get equipped to walk this walk. These are steps that will help you to grow in your Christian walk. Welcome to the family of God.

                I want to thank everyone for listening in, liking, following, and sharing my page. You will never know just how encouraging this is for me. Feel free to comment. Your comments help me keep bringing messages to you. And, they are greatly appreciated. A bible study is a discussion. I bring the message the Lord gives me. Then, you and I discuss it and grow. You can contact me at my1littleafmp@aol.com You can also tune in to My Little House of Prayer on iheart radio or fm player. I hope today’s message was encouraging for you. Remember I love you with the love of the Lord. But Jesus loves you more. Have a blessed week.