What is prayer?

1. Prayer is dialogue with God.
2. Prayer is honest dialogue with God.
3. Prayer is honest dialogue with God in response to who God is, what God has said, or what God is doing.
4. Prayer is honest dialogue with God in response to who God is, what God has said, or what God is doing as it relates to anything and everything that touches my heart and life.

1. Prayer is dialogue with God.
Dialogue is conversation around a given topic.
Dialogue involves both listening and speaking.
Proverbs 8:34
Proverbs 19:20
Proverbs 15:29
Dialogue always has a point; it has a goal in mind.
1 Thessalonians 5:12-24
We are to pray to be fruitful people whose faith is durable and whose lives are nourishing for others. We want to be eternally significant, living out the righteousness of Jesus and accomplishing the will of God on earth.

2. Prayer is honest dialogue with God.
Honesty requires faith…
That God hears us and cares about our thoughts.
1 Peter 5:6-7
That we cannot offend God with transparency.
Job 16:11-13
That God will answer, we are not just “barking in the wind.”
Psalm 34:4
Psalm 118:5
That God’s answer will always lead to greater fruitfulness in our life.
Philippians 1:6
Hebrews 11:6
We are to pray in faith, believing that God rewards those who earnestly seek him.

3.Prayer is honest dialogue with God in response to who God is, what God has said, or what God is doing.
We are to pray in alignment with what God has already revealed in His Word.
Psalm 1:1-2
We are to pray “in concert” with the Holy Spirit, depending upon His intercession, wisdom, and power.
Romans 8:26
Ephesians 5:17-21

4. Prayer is honest dialogue with God in response to who God is, what God has said, or what God is doing as it relates to anything and everything that touches my heart and life.
Philippians 4:4-7
We are to pray “as a way of life.”
-Immediately
-Repeatedly
-Without giving up

How are we to Pray?
1. We are to pray to be fruitful, durable, and nourishing to others; living out the righteousness of Jesus and accomplishing the will of God on earth.
2. We are to pray in faith, believing that God rewards those who earnestly seek him.
3. We are to pray in alignment with God’s Word and “in concert” with the Holy Spirit.
4. We are to pray “as a way of life.”