1. IS PRAYER IMPORTANT and/or HELPFUL?
John 10:30 Jesus: “I can do nothing on My own initiative. As I hear, I judge; and My judgement is just, because I do not seek My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me. (vs “this is what I want to do, pls help me)
John 17 – Jesus prays for the glory of the Father, for Himself doing the Fathers will, for His apostles and the believers that will come.
Why pray if not heard, important and answered????

2. DOES GOD HEAR and RESPOND?
I Peter 3:12 quotes an Old Testament passage: “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, and His ears attend to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. (promises good and bad)
Lk 11:2 the apostles ask Jesus to teach them to pray. (His prayer life and power)
Mt 26:41 Gethsemane: Keep watching & praying that you may not enter into temptation; the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak.(Scripture teaches that Jesus thought prayer worked and God pays attention to His)(handout)

3. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?
Eph 6:18a With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit …
Rom 8:26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groaning too deep for words.
Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him (college student/test answers) (late to work)

4. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?
Mk 11:24,25 Therefore I say to you, all things for which you pray and ask, believe that you have received them, and they will be granted you. Whenever you stand praying, forgive if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions.
Mtt 18:19,20 Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven. For where two or three have gathered together in My Name, I am there in their midst.

5. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?
I Jhn 5:14,15 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
I Jhn 3:21,22 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

6. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?
Jhn 14:13,14 Whatever you ask in My Name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in my Name, I will do it.
Jhn 15:7 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. V. 16b … so that whatever you ask of the Father in My Name He may give it to you (is your request coming from a situation that is glorifying the Lord and within His expectations/desires?)

7. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?
Col 3:1-3 Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is seated at the right hand of God. Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth. For you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God.
Gal 2:20 I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but Christ lives in me; and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself up for me.

8. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?
Mtt 6: Do not worry then, saying, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear for clothing?’ For the Gentiles eagerly seek all these things; for your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of it’s own.

9. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?
Col 1:9,10 For this reason also, since the day we hear of it, we have not ceased to pray for you and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so that you will wallk in a manner worthy of the Lord, to please Him in all respects, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God.

10. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?

11. Heb 11:6 And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him.
I Jhn 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. … we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
I Jhn 3:21,22 Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence before God; and whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do the things that are pleasing in His sight.

12. Jhn 14:13,14 Whatever you ask in My Name, that will I do, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask Me anything in my Name, I will do it.
Jhn 15:7, 16 If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you. V. 16b … so that whatever you ask of the Father in My Name He may give it to you.

13. Is there a connection between the lives we lead and our prayer life?
Yes – our lives are centered on doing God’s will and our prayers reflect those concerns and desires!!!

14. DOES GOD HEAR and RESPOND?
Yes.
And the answer can be YES, NO and Yes, but wait!

15. DOES GOD HEAR and RESPOND?
Yes, but why are we told “NO” sometimes?
Stay tuned until next week.