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Introduction:
Matthew 6:7-13
 The disciples hear Jesus preach yet they never asked him to teach them how to preach.
 The disciples hear Jesus teach yet they never ask him how to teach.
 They heard Jesus pray and they DID asked him to teach them how to pray.
 What is the purpose of prayer? It is to get something from God.
 Most Christians don’t really believe in prayer. Mark 11:24
 They believe in talking to God, but don’t really believe in prayer.
 If we really believed we could actually get things from God, “we would pray”.
 Most Christians spend virtually no time in real prayer.
I . Four things that are involved in Prayer.
A. Confession:
1. Have a particular place where you go to confess your sin. I John 1:9
I John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all
unrighteousness.
2. Take a piece of paper and write down your sins.
3. Spend one-fourth of your confessing time making this list.
4. Spend the other three-quarters of the time confessing you sin.
B. Thanksgiving: I Thessalonians 5:18
1. Take a piece of paper and write down the things you’re thankful for.
2. Spend one-fourth of the time making your list.
3. The other three-quarters of the time is spent thanking God for what he has done.
C. Worship: John 4:23
John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit
and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
1. When we worship the Lord we are thanking God for what he is.
2. Spend one-fourth of worship time writing down the things you ought to worship God for;

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 God’s Mercy
 God’s forgiveness
 God’s grace
 God’s long-suffering
 God’s goodness
 God’s protection
3. Spend the other three-fourths of your worship time going over that list with God.
D. Prayer Luke 18:1
Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
1. Sadly for most Christians, prayer is the least exercised of these four.
2. Most of us do the first three, confession, thanksgiving and worship, and call them prayer, but they are not really what prayer is.
3. Every Christian should spend at least 5 minutes a day for each of the first three mentioned here, and at least 15 minutes a day in prayer.
Prayer
A. Have a place where you can go to pray.
B. Use about one-fourth of your prayer time making a list of the things that you want to pray for.
C. Spend a fourth of your prayer time preparing your case or argument for God.
D. Prayer is not the way a theologian would ask for something, but rather how a child would ask
for something.
E. Here is the way to ask things from God.
1. Write down what you are going to ask.
2. Write down others that God has done the same thing for. When you pray, remind God of the fact that He has done what you want for other people
3. Write down the promise from His Word you are going to show Him.
 Claim God’s word; remind Him of what He promised.
 That is why He gave you His promises.
 He wants to give you things.
 That is why He made promises, so we ought to claim them.
4. Write down the reason it should be good for Him if He answered your prayer. (People to be saved etc.)
5. Write down what you will do if He gives you that for which you are going to ask. a. Make a list of the things you will do for God if He answers your prayer. b. Promise God you will do more for Him if He answers your prayer. (More praise and glory to Him)
6. Write down things about which to brag on Him. God loves it when we brag on Him!

Page 3 of 3 a. He is our Heavenly Father, and as an earthly father we like it when our children butter us up. b. It works for them, so why would it not work for me with my Father?
7. Remind Him that you are not asking for this for yourself. a. Most of us want God to be our Santa Claus, but God will be more likely to answer our prayers if we will pray unselfishly. b. God wants us to live our lives for others and that pleases Him.
8. Remind God of how hard you have worked.
9. Write down reasons it is best if He gives you that which you are asking. a. Although the list may not impress God, the fact that you took the time to prepare to come into His presence will please Him.
b. This list will enhance your prayer life because it will prepare you to ask God diligently for those things for which you need to ask.
F. There are several other things for which we ought to faithfully pray for.
 Wisdom
 Love
 Power is at the top of the list.
1. Pray For Power a. When the bible talks about the fullness of the Holy Spirit, it refers only to people who are in the lay position. b. The power of God is given for all Christians, and no more for the preacher than for the layman. c. There are 3 things that will help get the power of God in a Christians life more than any other thing.
 Pray 15 minutes a day for nothing but God’s power
 Have reminders to pray for God’s power.
 Pray for power one hour a week after midnight.
CONCLUSION
 If you take these formulas and apply them to you prayer life it could revolutionize your prayer life.
 If you apply these you will not fail in doing that which is important to being all that God wants you to be.
 We do not pray because we are great Christians, but we are better Christians because we have made a science out of prayer.