Answered Prayer

Memory verse: 1 John 5:14,15 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us, and if we know that he hears us whatever we ask – we know we have what we asked of him.

1.      What is prayer to you? [Prayer is communication with god. prayer comes from a sense of need and dependency on god.  it is not a one way conversation but god also participates. it is a conversation where you speak to god either verbally or  mentally in which god replies through the Spirit. God may answer in many different ways. He may answer audibly, mentally through comfort or various other ways. It is important to grasp how god responds to you. God is a communicator his sheep will hear his voice and follow him (john 10:27). The reason god speaks to you is so that you will follow him where he guides you]. 

2.      What does the  following  verse tell you about prayer Jeremiah 33:3 [call to me and I will answer you. God wants you to call on his name. As Christians we are dependent on God for everything. God says if we call upon him he will answer us and show us great and mighty things. God not only answers our prayers but the answers are often more than we expected.

3.      From Matthew 7:9-11, what do you discover about how god answers prayers? [He gives good gifts. god is a good father. He always gives his best to those that love him. He proved this by the giving of his greatest gift in his son Christ Jesus. He knows how to give much better than any human father ever could. Since god is good it is a part of his nature to give good gifts].

4.      God answers all prayers what do the following tell you about Gods answers.

a.  1 John 5:14,15[yes]

b. Galatians 4:4, Ecclesiastes 3:1[yes, but wait it is not the proper time]

c. Mark 10:38-40 [no, this is not what I have planned for you].

5.      What do the following verses say about possible hindrances to prayer?

1. Psalms 66:18[sin in your heart]
2. Proverbs 28:9[not listening to the law, plotting sin]
3. 1 Peter 3:7[the way you treat others]

6.      Several components of prayer are contained in the acronym FACTS what do the following verses say.

F – James 1:6, Matthew 21:27 [faith, we have to believe god will do what we pray for.]

A – Daniel 4:34,35 [adornment of god, praise is a vital component. we should always praise god]

C – 1 John 1:9 [confession, to confess means to agree with god has said about sin. We are not telling god anything he doesn’t already know we are agreeing with what he says]

T – Philippians 4:6, Colossians 4:2 [thanksgiving. We are to show our appreciation for what he has done. We thank people all the time when they give us something we want or are nice to us. How much more does god deserve thanks]

A.    S – 1 Timothy 2:1-3 [Supplication is a prayer for God to supply needs. It is a combination of petition and intercession. Petition is to request on your own behalf or asking for yourself. Intercession is to stand in the gap or to ask for on the behalf of another].

7.      It is important to spend quiet time alone with God. What does Matthew 6:6 say about prayer? [pray to your father privately and he will reward you openly]

 It is the desire of our father, that we become people of prayer. This is also the desire of this ministry. We challenge you from this day forward to make prayer more than just another task or assignment, but rather an indispensable part of your life. It is the conviction of this ministry that we are only going to be the people God wants us to be, by spending time with him in prayer- for our families, our church, our leaders, our communities, and our nation.