August 1, 2021
Sunday
Matthew 6:5-6 “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.
He is telling us that a private prayer life is more important than a public prayer life. It is possible to come out of your private prayer time and have enough of Him that you can help other people. It brings the Father great delight to have a son or daughter that He can flow through to other people. He can’t do that if you don’t pray! Prayer is a privilege. It is life to your spirit.
Matthew 6: 7-8 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. 8 “Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.
You’re never going to know your heavenly Father outside of prayer and time with Him. He wants you to know Him! We have to move from the old to the new. We are a new creation. Old things have passed away and all things have become new. When you were born again, your spirit was made new, but not your mind. You still have the same body, thinking, feelings. The part that changed was your spirit. We have to move from seeing Him as an untouchable almighty God and start seeing Him as a Father! He is an Almighty God, but now He is your Father! In the Old Testament, they couldn’t know Him as Father because they were not born again. God is God and He will always be God. We worship Him and bow down to Him as God. But when you come to know Him as your Father, it becomes more intimate! It is hard to trust someone that you do not know. People know a lot about God. The things He has promised and provided. Yet they have problems receiving them because they do not know Him as their Father. A Father who loves them beyond anything they can know in their carnal, immature, childlike condition. He is a Father who yearns to lift, raise you up above, these lower realms of just existing and surviving the world you live in. And into a life of peace and well-being. God has put His very nature in us. This is something the Old Testament people never experienced. You can know God for yourself, not just how another person has portrayed Him to you.
Matthew 6:9-13 9 In this manner, therefore, pray:
Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
10 Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On 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 do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
He is God and will always be God, but He is also your Father! The motivation behind everything He does, is His love for His family! Fathers have a very particular interest in family. It’s what makes them a Father. Just because you have children, does not make you a father. Most of your life should be spent, giving up your will for God’s will. His will is always the best way.
Fear is based on self-preservation. You’re fearful over what will happen to you. You have to get to the place to where you trust God to take care of you no matter what! When you get to know your Father, you will see how much He loves you. It is different from human love. It is never selfish! God wants you just for you. There is nothing you can give Him that He doesn’t already have. He just wants to spend time with you!
Psalm 91:1-2 He who dwells in the secret place of the Most High
Shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty.
2 I will say of the Lord, “He is my refuge and my fortress;
My God, in Him I will trust.”
Who is your fortress? Who is your refuge? When you build up walls to protect yourself, it’s not giving God room to be your refuge and fortress. Everyone has these walls built up. You think it is keeping people and pain out of your life, but it is also keeping God out. He wants to be your protection. If you have fears and anxieties it is because you don’t know Him as your Father yet. Until you know Him as your father, you can’t receive what He has promised you.
Ephesians 5:4-6 one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all.
See the distinction between God and Father? We should never get to the place that we don’t recognize that we need Him every single day. The prayer says, “give me this day my daily bread.” It is seen through actions! When you get up every morning and spend time with him first, you are showing Him that you want and need Him!