LISTENING TO GOD IN PRAYER (6 OF 8)

LISTENING TO GOD IN PRAYER (6 of 8)
LISTENING TO GOD
REVELATION 13:9 "HE WHO HAS AN EAR, LET HIM HEAR."
Dr. Rick E. Ferguson
EPHESIANS 6:17-18, JUDE 1:20

1) Question: How is your prayer life today?
* Is it exciting?
* Is it consistent?
* Is it exhilarating?
* Is it fulfilling?
(Some of you are thinking, "Yeah, praying is about as
exciting as watching paint dry!)

Or is your prayer life a little:
* Flat
* Dull
* Ineffective
* Monotonous
* Drudging
* Rote
* Routine
* DEAD?!

2) Question: When was the last time you had a prayer
answered and it absolutely thrilled you to see God at
work and really experience God in your life?

3) Question: I wonder how many of you, if you were
honest, would have to admit you have kind of gotten
into a "rut" praying? You find yourself almost
mindlessly praying for the same things, even using the
same phrase over and over.

Note: Praying can easily come to be like hymn singing.
We have sung some of our hymns so much they are simply
routine or rote to us and we can sing them without
even thinking about them--Our praying can easily fall
into the same trap!

You can tell what most of us really feel about
praying, by the way we respond to opportunities to
participate in corporate prayer meetings.

I mean honestly, whenever I announce, "We are going to
have a special all-night prayer meeting this coming
Friday," how many of you say:
* WOW--that's great
* I can't wait
* Can I bring a friend
* Hey honey--cancel that weekend trip to the
mountains--we're going to have a prayer meeting!?

I find it amazing that we can have just about any
event and get a crowd:
* concerts
* softball tournaments
* volleyball games
* dinner fellowships
but schedule a prayer meeting--and you may be the only
person who shows up!

Would you agree with me--that there is truly a great
"Prayer Deficit" in most of our lives and churches
today? A ...

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