Prayer allows us to experience a relationship with the living God.
Talking Points:
- We need time and energy to build into any relationship, and it’s no different in our relationship with God. We must discipline ourselves to engage in spiritual practices like prayer, fasting, worship, and Bible study. There are no shortcuts to this. Only heartfelt commitment, time, and energy will do. Revelation 3:20
- The Lord’s Prayer gives us a template for how to pray: Matthew 6:9-13
- Praise – Tell God “Thank you” for his blessings
- Yield – Tell God you want his will not yours
- Asking – Present requests and trust the answers
- Seek Forgiveness – Confess your sins to God
- Forgive others – Have a heart to make peace in your relationships
- Ask for Protection – Ask God to protect you, your family, and others
Discussion:
- Initial reactions to this topic? What jumped out at you?
- Read Revelation 3:20. Why is it important to not merely know, but to truly believe, that God desires relationship with us? How would things be different if we knew God didn’t want to be in relationship with us?
- “Commitment + Time + Energy = Relationship.” What would your most important relationships look like if you subtracted “commitment” from this equation? What about “time?” What about “energy?”
- What does your relationship with God look like when you subtract commitment, time, or energy from the equation?
- What does your prayer life look like right now? What are some ways it has improved? What are some ways it could improve more?
- Pastor Tom talked about the difference between “positional” forgiveness and “relational” forgiveness. Explain the difference between these two types of forgiveness and why they are important for the Christian life.
- Read Matthew 6:9-13. Which of the six “steps” of the pattern from the Lord’s Prayer are most important to you? Which steps do you struggle with? Why?
- Take a quick inventory of you spend your time, energy, and material resources. Does this inventory reflect a true desire to grow closer to God? Why or why not? What can or should you do differently to better pursue your relationship with God?
- Is there a step you need to take based on today’s topic?
