Saturday, September 15, 2012

THE LORD'S PRAYER

JESUS TEACHES HOW TO PRAY

Read Luke 11:1–13; John 14:13–14



     "So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you."   Luke 11:9 NKJV
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      Most of us are familiar with the "Lord's Prayer" in this passage. This is a model prayer for us to follow and Jesus goes on to teach more about how to pray. Following His example, we should pray to the Father in His name for our daily needs, for forgiveness, for protection from temptation and deliverance from the evil one.
      Jesus also said that we should ask with persistence, because, "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him!" (Luke 11:13 NKJV) If we have the guidance of the Holy Spirit we can continue to ask without doubting God's ability to answer according to His perfect will for us.
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      Lord, I cannot help but notice in this passage that asking for our daily needs results in the priceless gift of the Holy Spirit. The apostle Paul said, “He who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will.” (Romans 8:27 NIV) So I need not worry about asking for the wrong thing. If the Holy Spirit is praying for me, the result will be according to God's perfect plan. Thank You, Jesus!
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     …We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express.   Romans 8:26 NIV

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