BECOMING A MAN OF PRAYER

1. BECOMING A MAN OF PRAYER Based on “Becoming A Man of Prayer: A Seven-Week Strategy Based on the Instructions of Jesus” – By Bob Beltz MBC First Light Summer Session

2. GIVE US THIS DAY OUR DAILY BREADBecoming a Man of Prayer – Chapter 7 – Praying For Provision – (Pages 70-78) Bob Sibert – June 26, 2019

3. A Working Model & Seven-Week Strategy

7. Why Does The Lord’s Prayer Make Reference To Daily Bread Rather Than Weekly Bread?

8. Weekly Bread Is What We Receive At Second Light

9. Daily Bread • “Daily” teaches us to train our hearts to depend consistently on God, rather than just in times of need • We have a daily need for the Lord Jesus. • God designed our physical needs to point to our deeper spiritual needs (daily need for sustenance) • “Daily” alludes back to God’s provision of the Israelites during 40 years in the desert

10. How Does This Relate to Other Parts of the Prayer?

11. Relation Of Daily Bread Petition To Other Parts Of The Prayer • This fourth of the seven petitions in the Lord’s prayer is a pivot point shifting from focus on God in the first three petitions to a focus on our needs and concerns in the last four petitions

12. Relation Of Daily Bread Petition To Other Parts Of The Prayer • How Does The ‘Give Us This Day Our Daily Bread” Petition Relate To The First Three Petitions? • Our Father Who Art In Heaven (Position/Presence) • Hallowed Be Thy Name (Praise) • Thy Kingdom Come, Thy Will Be Done On Earth As It Is In Heaven (Purpose)

13. Relation Of Petitions To Previous Parts Of The Prayer • Father’s care for needs of children (Our Father) • “Or which one of you, if his son asks him for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!” – Matt. 7:9-11

14. Relation Of Petitions To Previous Parts Of The Prayer • The Names of God (Hallowed be Thy name) • YHWH-rohi – “The Lord my shepherd” (Ps. 23:1) • YHWH-jireh – “The Lord will provide” (Gen. 22:14) • YHWH-rophe – “The Lord who heals” (Ex. 15:26) • WYHH-nissi – “The Lord is my banner (victory)” (Ex. 17:15) • WYHH-shalom – “The Lord is peace” (Judges 6:24) • We should make petitions in accordance with God’s will (Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven)

15. Sweet Hour Of Prayer William B. Bradbury - 1845 Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!Thy wings shall my petition bearTo Him whose truth and faithfulnessEngage the waiting soul to bless.And since He bids me seek His face,Believe His Word and trust His grace,I’ll cast on Him my every care,And wait for thee, sweet hour of prayer! Sweet hour of prayer! sweet hour of prayer!That calls me from a world of care,And bids me at my Father’s throneMake all my wants and wishes known.In seasons of distress and grief,My soul has often found relief,And oft escaped the tempter’s snare,By thy return, sweet hour of prayer!

16. Priorities In Our Prayers • Jesus taught His disciples that the Father knows our needs already, and that preoccupation with our needs reveals a lack of trust in God as provider • “Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all.” - Matt. 6:31-32

17. Priorities In Our Prayers • Our priority in prayer should be on God’s kingdom and His righteousness • “But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.” - Matt. 6:33

18. What Does This Encompass?

19. Daily Bread Encompasses • Come with faith and expectation setting before God my needs, desires, and concerns • Needs • Real needs of day (specific physical or financial needs) • Other needs of my day (spiritual, emotional or relational) • Urgent need of the minute/hour • “And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus.” – Phil. 4:19

20. Daily Bread Encompasses • God’s perception of what we need may be different from our own. • Prayer does not say, “Give us all our daily wants” • Our wants are not necessarily our needs • Remember: The goal of advertising is to transform our wants into perceived needs • Sometimes we don’t want what we need

21. Daily Bread Encompasses • At times God may not provide for us in the way that we think is best. But we will always find that He provides for us according to His infinite love and care.

22. Daily Bread Encompasses • Desires (personal and intercession on behalf of others) • Praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end, keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints (believers)” – Eph. 6:18 • Prayer should be much more than a shopping list of requests to present to God. In prayer, I should shift my point of view away from my own natural selfishness

23. Praying For The Needs Of Others (Intercessory Prayer) • Richard Halverson Quote

24. Daily Bread Encompasses • Anxieties (Prayer is the Biblical antidote) • “Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on... (birds, lilies …)” – Matt. 6:25-34 • “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” - Phil. 4:6-7 (Should verbalize, not just think it)

25. Daily Bread Encompasses • Anxieties (Prayer is the Biblical antidote) • “Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you.” – 1 Pet. 5:6-7

26. Daily Bread Petitions Father, give me insight into Your Word and will so that I might be used by You. Teach me Your ways and grant me Your peace. Give me wisdom about how to daily walk in intimacy with You in every area of my life, including my circumstances, finances, schedule, emotions, physical body and health, relationships, plans, fears, and addictions, etc. Let me know the secrets of Your heart and give me Your perspective about my life, family, church, city, nation, and the world. Help me to love You more and extend Your love to others. Help me to display the fruit of the Spirit to all with whom I come into contact this day.

27. Daily Bread

28. The Lesson From Provision - Bread From Heaven • Manna (What is it?) in the morning & quail in the evening • God provided manna from heaven six days a week - Ex. 16:4 • Manna was to be collected only for daily use (as much as one needed for the day and a double portion on sixth day), otherwise it rotted - Ex. 16:16 • No “Best if used by …….” label attached • In the evening, quail “covered the camp” – Ex. 16:13

29. The Lesson From Provision - Bread From Heaven • The Lord intended for the Israelites to gather a day’s portion to “test them” – Ex. 16:4 • Even as the Israelites grumbled against God’s provision of manna, He continued to graciously provide for them. • God faithfully provided manna for 40 years in the desert • “The Lord’s lovingkindnesses indeed never cease, For His compassions never fail. They are new every morning; Great is Your faithfulness.” – Lam. 3:22-23 (NASB)

30. The Lesson From Provision - Bread From Heaven • Whoever gathered much had nothing left over, and whoever gathered little had no lack • God’s provision for each family was according to its need – perfectly sufficient in each and every case • “Your clothing did not wear out on you and your foot did not swell these forty years.” – Deut. 8:4 • These passages point to God’s loving and gracious provision for his people – even for a people characterized by sin and grumbling

31. The Lesson From Provision - Bread From Heaven • “He humbled you, causing you to hunger and then feeding you with manna ….. to teach you that man does not live on bread alone but on every word that comes from the mouth of the Lord” – Deut. 8:2-3 • God delights in our dependence on Him as the source of our provision – James 4:2 • God’s provision is conditional upon our meeting certain conditions

32. What Might Cause God To Withhold Provision Of Our Daily Bread Requests?

33. God Withholding His Provision • Disobedience (wrong motives, unrepentant sin, unforgiveness, unbelief, etc.) or misplaced priorities in any of our relational or stewardship areas can lead to God withholding his provision • “You have planted much, but harvested little. You eat, but never have enough. You drink, but never have your fill. You put on clothes, but are not warm. You earn wages, only to put them in a purse with holes in it.” – Haggai 1:6 • “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions.” – James 4:3

34. God Withholding His Provision • If we rob God, we rob ourselves. However, if we demonstrate our dependence and trust in God, He will be faithful • “Will man rob God? Yet you are robbing Me. But you say, ‘How have we robbed You?’ In your tithes and contributions. You are cursed with a curse, for you are robbing Me, the whole nation of you. Bring the full tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house. And thereby put Me to the test, says the Lord of Hosts, if I will not open the windows of heaven for you and pour down for you a blessing until there is no more need.” – Mal. 3:8-10

35. God’s Provision Promises • “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives, and the one who seeks finds, and to the one who knocks it will be opened.” - Matt. 7:7-8 • “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith.” - Matt. 21:22 • “Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask me[a] anything in my name, I will do it.” - John 14:13-14 • Blessings for Obedience - Deut. 28:1-14

36. Great Prayers Of The Bible (Of Approx. 650 Prayers In The Bible) • Gen. 18 – Abraham’s plea for Sodom • Ex. 15 – Moses’ song to the Lord • Ex. 33 – Moses meets with God • 2 Sam. 7 – David’s response to God’s promises • 1 Kings 8 – Solomon’s dedication of the temple • 2 Chron. 20 – Jehoshaphat prays for victory • Ezra 9 – Ezra prays about the people’s sins • Psalm 22 – A cry to God for help

37. Great Prayers Of The Bible (Of Approx. 650 Prayers In The Bible) • Psalm 104 – A prayer of praise • Dan. 9 – Daniel prays for forgiveness and Jerusalem’s restoration • Hab. 3 – A prophet’s prayer of acceptance • Matt. 6 – The Lord’s prayer • John 17 – Jesus prays for Himself, His Disciples, and all believers • Col. 1 – Paul’s prayer of thanksgiving

38. Prayer Is Powerful • “I tell you the truth, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, `Move from here to there' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.” - Matthew 17:20 • “Jesus looked at them and said, ‘With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.’“- Mark 10:27 • “Prayer is not overcoming God's reluctance. It is laying hold of His willingness.” - Martin Luther

39. Praying Continually • “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” - 1 Thess. 5:16-18

41. Assignment (Pages 77-78 in book) • Develop the “Praying for Provision” section in your notebook listing needs, desires and anxieties. • Review the passages of Scripture referred to in this chapter. • Ask the Holy Spirit to help you pray for 25 minutes, five days this week. • Pray through the first four components of prayer using your notebook. • Read the book of Philippians this week, one chapter per day. Notice Paul’s references to God’s provision, especially in chapter 4.