Sunday Mornings

Ask, and you will receive. Search, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened for you. Everyone who asks will receive. Everyone who searches will find. And the door will be opened for everyone who knocks.  Would any of you give your hungry child a stone, if the child asked for some bread? Would you give your child a snake if the child asked for a fish? As bad as you are, you still know how to give good gifts to your children. But your heavenly Father is even more ready to give good things to people who ask.  Matthew 7:7‭-‬11 CEV. By God's grace we will conclude the series today with this profound infinite and magnificent display of  love and benevolence by God in the words of Jesus in Matthew 7:7-11. In these 5 verses we can find perhaps the most assuring invitation from God to pray. May God grant us insight as we dive in and take a brief study. Amen. Action and Reaction: 3 times Our LORD invites us to pray in this bible text (Ask, Seek/Search, Knock). This is...

So this is how you should pray: ‘Our Father in heaven, we pray that your name will always be kept holy.  We pray that your kingdom will come— that what you want will be done here on earth, the same as in heaven. Give us the food we need for today. Forgive our sins, just as we have forgiven those who did wrong to us. Don’t let us be tempted, but save us from the Evil One.’ Matthew 6:9‭-‬13 ERV As Jesus continues teaching us about prayers, he gives us a blue print, a model that our prayers should look like. May God grant us insight as we study briefly the different sections of the prayer in order to guide us in the other times we pray. So this is how you should pray: Our Father in Heaven: Relationship and communication enhance each other. Communication enhances a better relationship and you communicate better with someone whom you have a [closer] relationship with. This beginning phrase in the model prayer creates that environment. It soothes and brings to cognisance the relationshi...

“When you pray, don’t babble on and on as the Gentiles do. They think their prayers are answered merely by repeating their words again and again.  Don’t be like them, for your Father knows exactly what you need even before you ask him! ( Matthew 6:7‭-‬8 NLT) Thank God for the success so far in this study. As we look into the text for today, building on what God has already began with us, may these building blocks lead to a turn around in our prayer life. Amen. The prayer of a believer in many ways differ from what the idol worshipers (or as today's text calls them - Gentiles) call prayer to their deity. Very quickly we will look into the various strokes of the paint brush that Jesus uses to paint this guideline for us when we pray : 1. Why should I pray?: We will start from the ending of verse 8 for our discussion today. Why should I pray in the first place when God already knows what I need before I even ask? I have struggled with this question for a lo...

“Whenever you pray, be sincere and not like the pretenders who love the attention they receive while praying before others in the meetings and on street corners. Believe me, they’ve already received in full their reward.  But whenever you pray, go into your innermost chamber and be alone with Father God, praying to him in secret. And your Father, who sees all you do, will reward you openly."  Matthew 6:5‭-‬6 TPT Last week we left off with Jesus knowing for sure that we would pray (because we are like Christ) and He is here to guide us further in this kingdom lifestyle. When you pray (because we will), a fundamental question must be answered: are you praying to God or to man? The obvious answer to this question is that prayer is communication to God and not man. And it is in this light that Jesus admonishes us today; if you are praying to God, then get alone with God, be alone with Him. He says this in two points: 1. Men do not need to see you: ...

“When you pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who love to pray publicly on street corners and in the synagogues where everyone can see them. I tell you the truth, that is all the reward they will ever get.  Matthew 6:5 NLT Prayer is the key. We sang this as we grew up in the church. However there is so much about prayer that we take for granted or probably don't know of while engaging in it as growing adults. Being a spiritual exercise, there are spiritual guiding principles and understanding that a believer needs to know to pray . By God's grace, we will be taking a study on prayer in a series. Our focus will be on the teachings of Jesus as scribed by Matthew (6&7). Our focus today is the first 3 words of our scripture text: " when you pray... ". The very words of our LORD and saviour. We know he lived a life of prayer and talking to us today about prayer, He begins with these three words: " when you pray... ". May these words take ro...

Let my prayer be as the evening sacrifice that burns like fragrant incense, rising as my offering to you as I lift up my hands in surrendered worship! Psalms 141:2 In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, we have seen a new normal in place. We look back to the days when Sunday mornings were times we looked forward to because we would be meeting with the brethren in God's holy temple. But to mitigate the spread of the virus, churches have been closed. This in itself is a pointer to what really matters. The psalmist in today's text was in the same condition as we are in. This psalm was written by David in one of his exiles away from civilization and from the Jewish normal; hiding from Saul who so desperately sought to kill him. He could not join the congregation in the morning and evening sacrifice. He could not even afford to be making sacrifices and burnt offerings too as it may attract the attention of Saul's vigilantes. He made a simple request to God. He...

Those who live in the shelter of the Most High will find rest in the shadow of the Almighty. (Psalms 91:1 NLT) In these past days, while obeying the compulsory lockdown order by the Federal Government in compliance with the health expert's advice, there is a picture that keeps playing out in my mind: that "outside" is dangerous; there is an evil outside; and the safest place is "inside". On this premise, the word of God for today finds relevance. Both in these days of the covid 19 pandemic and beyond if God grants us long life to see the end of the pandemic. There is a fortress in God's presence. In the day of trouble you can run into it and be saved (Proverbs 18:10). But God's ultimate plan is not for us to run to this fortress only in the day of trouble because though we are in the world, we are not of the world (John 17:6-26). So we have to shield ourselves from the evil in the world habitually. God...