Prairie Camp: Prayer

Acts 12: 1-5:

The great gift - seldom used: Prayer.
Can you really say you are satisfied with your prayer life?

Why do we struggle with prayer?
1) We are not convinced that our God is BIG enough to do what He says He will do?

2) We have an over reliance on our own answer (just find the answer in a book).
3) A misunderstanding of spiritual warfare. We are at war every day.
4) We live in a DIY society. 
5) We treat prayer as a backup power source.

It's when the experts fail us that we run to prayer.

Acts 12:1 - "It was about this time..."  Just when you things are going well, that is when the enemy likes to strike.

The most important decisions of our lives were decided outside of our control (height, birth place, gender, etc). We are not in as much control as we think we are.

We don't like helplessness but we need it in order to prayer.

- Maturity in the faith is not self-reliance.  Maturity alerts us to how weak we are. God's power is made real in weakness. (Matthew 8)

- Helpless people regularly take a inventory of their heart.  Prayer is a conversation between our hearts to the heart of God.

Don't let distractions defeat you.

Prairie Camp 2014

Day 1: "The more you depend on what it's your hand, the less your will receive from God's hand"

Day 2:

Matthew 6:5-6 - Where is your place that you go to be alone with God in prayer?

***Some gifts can only be found alone with God in prayer.***
You can hear when you are alone. There are no competing voices. There is no pretending in the closet.  You can't fake out God.

Matthew 11:28-30 - Alone with Him I find rest.  When I'm rested, I remember who's God and who's not. 

***Alone with Him I find my direction.***
His agenda may be different then mine.  Sometimes God changes your plans so He can spend time with you.  Some of the best times with God are unplanned.

One of the things that happens when you are alone with Him, you are yoked to Jesus.

***Alone with Him my character is conformed to His.***
The source of my unrest is my forcefulness and my pride.  The journey to true rest is patience and humility. (Acts 4)
You get filled with the fruits of spirit.

***Alone with Him I'm moved by His heart.***
vs. 30 - When it's His heart, it becomes light.