July 28, 2021
Wednesday
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.
The picture is that they would have no prayer life if they were not in public. If the only time you pray is in public, you are in trouble. The most important thing is to establish a private prayer life, and then it will show up in your public prayer life. To have powerful prayer in public, you must have a private prayer life. Jesus called them hypocrites! In verse 6 when a reward is mentioned, it is referring to His presence! Any time God grants you His presence it will give you victory in any part of your life. Prayer is the most important thing you can do. Consistence is key! God will use any one if they will pay the price. The price is prayer! That’s how you get God in your life. Prayer is where you Spirit ascends above your flesh. If you are just existing and surviving through life, that is not the Gospel! Jesus said, “I have come that they might have life, and life more abundantly!” Nothing is more important than your time with God. You have time to do the things you want to do! You have to take up your cross daily! How sad it would be to live and die without knowing the power of God.
Matthew 6:7-13 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. 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.
If God knows the things we need before we ask, why do we ask Him? He is telling us here how to get answers to prayer! Meaning, God has a way to do this, a procedure! Then in the next two scriptures, He talks about forgiving! It is vitally important because unforgiveness will hinder. Your prayer life.
1 Peter 3:7 Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered.
You have to keep your heart clear with other people and it starts in your marriage. No one wants their prayers hindered. God says to keep your heart clear of any animosity. This applies to everyone! Not just your spouse.
To get the results that Jesus got, we have to get to know God for ourselves. The only way to do that is to spend time with Him. Your perception of your Father has to change. We know a lot about God, but we do not know Him. There is a difference. Reading about someone or learning about them from another person’s experience is not the same as spending time with them for yourself. Make a decision to know Him for yourself. Love is gauged by what we do, not what we say. It does something to the heart of God when He sees a person that wants Him for who He is, not just what He can do for them. There is nothing more important than going to Him and getting your daily bread. God is open to anyone, anywhere, under any circumstances, if they will just want Him.
Deuteronomy 8:2-3 And you shall remember that the Lord your God led you all the way these forty years in the wilderness, to humble you and test you, to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep His commandments or not. 3 So He humbled you, allowed you to hunger, and fed you with manna which you did not know nor did your fathers know, that He might make you know that man shall not live by bread alone; but man lives by every word that proceeds from the mouth of the Lord.
Man does not live by natural bread alone. Just like you have to have natural bread, you have to have spiritual bread!
Proverbs 30:7-9 Two things I request of You
(Deprive me not before I die):
8 Remove falsehood and lies far from me;
Give me neither poverty nor riches—
Feed me with the food allotted to me;
9 Lest I be full and deny You,
And say, “Who is the Lord?”
Or lest I be poor and steal,
And profane the name of my God.
Verse 8 is saying, give me only my daily bread. He was saying, “Lord don’t give me more than I need today. If you give me more than I need for today, I’ll get independent of you.” What an attitude to have! Our world system teaches us to get all that we can, God is not like that. He is your Father! He does not want you to worry about any of that. He only wants you concerned with serving Him, and He will take care of your daily bread. HE will meet your needs! The economy, the government, nor circumstances are a problem for Him. His kingdom is a higher kingdom! That’s the way your Father is. You have to get to know Him like that. Get to the place that you cannot live without Him, every single day! When you have a dependency on God, you won’t be self-dependent. Self-dependency is pride.
Psalm 68:19
Blessed be the Lord,
Who daily loads us with benefits,
The God of our salvation! Selah
He gives you everything you need for that day. Because He knows exactly what is going to happen that day. You do not! When trouble arises, you’ve got what you need to deal with it! He is God! You are the lesser! When you bow to Him, He loads you down with exactly what you need. God will never create a life for you that makes Him unnecessary. He is your greatest need! He has plans for you that are so far beyond anything you can imagine. You have no ability to do them on your own. The Christian life is impossible to you! The only way you can live it is with His help.
God will do anything and everything for His family. Before anything, He is a Father. He loves you! If you have a heart for your family too, you’ll pursue God because you know you need His help in your family! We need fathers in the home! Get to know God as your Father! You have never had anyone love you like God does.