7H H1 Prayer
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Jan 23, 2024
7H H1 Prayer
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Hello there friends, students, and of course fellow learners of God's Word
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I am Joshua, instructor for the day, and I'm so excited to start discussing with you the
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first habit. And we know that in this course, I'm going to share with you the seven habits of highly
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affected Christian. And so we are going now to talk about habit number one, which is the habit of prayer
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Now, prayer is among the most powerful spiritual tools that a Christian can use in his journey
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toward the kingdom of God. Now listen to this, no person can claim that they are a Christian without developing the
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habit of prayer. Now, the first question we are going to ask is, what is prayer? Right
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This is a very important element. If we are going to understand or we are going to develop the habit of prayer, we must first
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define what prayer is. Well, in its simplest term, prayer simply means talking to God
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It is a way for us to communicate to God. To answer our first question, what prayer is, we need to first know the power of prayer
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Prayer is a divine weapon that we can always use to win our spiritual battle
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We can read from the scripture, the different powers of prayer and how it changed the lives
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of many men and women in the Bible. I have here 10 items to show you the power of prayer
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So let's go to the first one. The first one is the power to bring a dead person back to life
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I have just listed the verses here, so I'll give that to you as an assignment to check
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each one of them. So that's the first one, the power to bring a dead person back to life
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The power to heal the sick. The power to experience divine protection
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The power to conceive a child. So those couples who are having difficulty in conceiving a child, they can pray
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And there's also the power to stop the rain. The power to be forgiven of sin
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The power to make the sun stand still. The power to attain blessings
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The power to obtain wisdom. And the power to bring fire down from heaven
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As you can see, these are the powers of prayer. However, we need to realize that the source of its power is not us, right
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Don't think that prayers are powerful just because of us, just because of our ability
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how righteous we are. No, prayers are actually powerful because of God
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When we pray, we are tapping into the power of Yahweh. It is He who grants our prayers and it is through His divine will and purpose that our
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prayers are granted. So the next question we should answer is, how should we pray
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How should we pray? We now know that we all need to pray and not faint
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We read that in Luke 18 verse 1. Now the next question we need to ask is, how
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Thankfully, the same question came into the minds of the apostles. They asked Christ, Lord, teach us to pray
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That's Luke 11 verse 1. Christ responded with what we now know as the model prayer
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In this prayer, Christ gave us an outline of how we ought to pray to God
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Take note, this prayer is not the exact words that we should repetitively utter, right
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For God does not want us to use vain repetitions. This prayer is rather a model and a guide to help us know what to pray for
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So let us take a look at the model prayer of Christ and learn how to pray
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These are some of the high points that we need to take note of. So this guideline is taken from Matthew 6
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We know that the model prayer is found there after the apostles asked Christ how to pray
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The first thing we need to know about the model prayer is this
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How to pray, number one, we don't pray to impress other people
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We don't pray to impress other people. We read in Matthew 6 verse 5
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And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites, For they love to pray standing in synagogues and on the corners of the streets
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That they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward
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So when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, Where they pray so that they could impress other people
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So that's the key number one in how to pray. Number two, do not use vain repetition
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I have mentioned this a while ago that we should not use vain repetition
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We read in Matthew 6 verse 7, And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do
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For they think that they will be heard for their many words
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Now what's so wrong about vain repetition? Vain repetition is like when you pray
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You're repeating the same prayers over and over again Without really thinking about that prayer
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Sometimes it is okay to repeat your prayers. You want to be consistent about it
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You want to really show God that you are really serious about this prayer
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But it only becomes bad, it becomes vain repetition When we simply talk and talk about a certain prayer
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Without really knowing what it means. So that is prayer using vain repetition
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Number next is, our prayer should be addressed to God the Father
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All right, that's Yahweh. We read in Matthew 6 verse 9, In this manner, therefore pray
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Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Did you see that
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Yahshua or Jesus Christ said that we must pray to the Father
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We're not supposed to pray to dead people like those who declare sins
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We don't pray to Saint Joseph, Saint Mary, Saint Francis, Saint John or whoever it is
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Yahshua or Jesus Christ clearly told us that we must pray to the Father
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Next, our prayers should start with praise to God and thanksgiving. Matthew 6 verse 9
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In this manner, therefore pray, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name
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You see, it is a mistake that some people would only pray when they needed something
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Now, it is desirable for us to pray when we need something, okay
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But if we are just simply praying and not remembering the goodness of God
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His grace and favor that He has shown upon us, our prayers would be lacking
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It's not complete. So the first thing that we should do when we pray
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is that we should open it with praise and thanksgiving to God. That's why in Matthew 6 verse 9
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the first thing that Christ said is to hallow God's name. That means to praise Him, to worship Him and to give thanks
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Next is we ought to habitually pray for God's kingdom to be established here on earth
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I think this is one of the many things that most prayers lack. They don't actually pray for God's kingdom to be established here on earth
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And yet, Yahshua said in Matthew 6 verse 10, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven
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You see, this world desperately needs a savior. And only Christ's second coming can bring the utopia we all have been dreaming of
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That's why we must continually pray for God's kingdom to come and save this dying world once and for all
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Next, we need to ask for God's will to be done in our lives
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We just read a while ago, Matthew 6 verse 10, aside from asking for God's kingdom to come here on earth
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we need to ask for His will to be done. God's will is perfect
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And as Christians, we need to constantly strive to know His will
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and to have the heart to obey Him. Next is we pray for God's physical and spiritual blessings
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Matthew 6 verse 11 tells us, Give us this day our daily bread
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We need to realize that God is the only true source of blessings
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And we are all independent on Him. Next, ask for forgiveness of our sins
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Matthew 6 verse 12 says, And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors
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We are sinners and God's mercy is enough for us to be forgiven. However, we need to realize that there are conditions for God's forgiveness
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Before we can earn God's forgiveness, we must first forgive others. Next is we need to pray for God's divine help to overcome sin
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Let us not commit the mistake of believing that we can overcome sin by ourselves
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We need God's help. Matthew 6 verse 13 tells us, Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
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Next, we need to pray for God's protection. Our enemy, the devil, is so powerful
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And there is nothing in his mind but to destroy God's people
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As powerful as he is, he is powerless against God. And through prayer, we can be protected from his evil schemes
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We read in Matthew 6 verse 13, And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
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Finally, how to pray according to Matthew 6, the model prayer. We need to end our prayer with praises again
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Acknowledging God that he alone has the power to grant our requests is vital
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This enables us to develop the right attitude and mindset when praying
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Matthew 6 verse 13 says there, And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one
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For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever
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Amen. So Christ is telling us to open our prayer with praises to God
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And we must also end it with praises. These are some of the important points that we need to remember when praying
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Here's an incredible truth about prayer. When we habitually pray, it changes the way we think
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As we make our prayer a habit, it brings us closer to God
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And we transform both our hearts and mind to become more like Yeshua or Jesus Christ
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As you say your prayer, you will soon discover that it can change everything, including yourself
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Prayer is not just a way to communicate with God. It is also a way to develop a healthy relationship with him
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Now that we know how to pray from the model prayer, Matthew 6
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the next question is how to develop the habit of prayer. There's no doubt that prayer does not come naturally
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It is something that we all need to strive for. If we are not careful, our initial enthusiasm and motivation may eventually die down
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For this reason, I would like to share with you some tips that we can use to develop the habit of prayer
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Number one, pray before everything else. The Bible shows us that most of God's servants are morning people
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They always make it a point to pray in the morning. Psalms 88 verse 13 tells us
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It is very easy to forget to pray to God because of our busy schedules. So instead of saying, I have a lot of things to do that I don't have time to pray
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we must say, I have a lot of things to do that I need to pray
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Praying in the morning shows our priority in life. Before seeking earthly things, we need to seek God's kingdom first
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as what was mentioned in Matthew 6 verse 33. And we can do that through prayer
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Before you get out of bed, we need to bring our hands together and bend our knees to pray
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Pray before anything else and this will set the tone for the rest of the day
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Number two, never eat your meal without praying. We have been taught when we are still young that we need to pray before eating our meal
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However, as we grow older, we tend to forget this fundamental habit
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Make it a point that you don't eat your meal unless you say a prayer. Since eating a meal is already a habit
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we can have a better chance of developing the habit of prayer when we do it together with eating
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Number three, avoid distractions. When we pray, we need to focus on God
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We need to give our 100% attention to Him. Distractions come in different forms
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This may include our smartphones, television, books, and even sleepiness. If you really want to develop the habit of prayer, you need to eliminate all possible distractions
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When you do that, you can concentrate more on God and your prayer
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Number four, seek the support of others. Having the support of your family, spouse, and friends can have a significant impact on your prayer life
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We tend to gain more motivation when we do something together. If you have prayer partners or groups
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then it would be easier for you to establish a more consistent prayer habit
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Number five, keep a prayer journal. Saying a prayer is good, but sometimes it is better to write down your prayers
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This is very useful since you can actually read what you prayed for. Remember the story of King Hezekiah
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When he received the letter of his enemy, he spread it before God and prayed for protection
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Though not a letter of dread, we can still write our prayers to God
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and spread them before His throne of grace. There are times that we tend to be more sincere with our prayers when we actually write them down
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Number six, do a 30-day challenge. There's no doubt that developing a habit of prayer can be challenging
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You can gain motivation by having a method to measure your progress. In this case, starting a 30-day prayer challenge
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can help you develop a short-term goal for long-term changes. Set a new goal for praying
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When you hit that goal, increase the level of difficulty. For example, from 5 minutes of prayer in one week
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you can increase it to 10 minutes until you hit your goal. The important thing is that you gain progress
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Though slowly, at least it is steady and sure. Have a prayerful attitude
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The Bible tells us to pray without ceasing. That's found in 1 Thessalonians 5 verse 16 to 18
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However, this does not mean that we should pray without a pause. It only means that we should have a prayerful attitude
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God is interested in what we have to say. God is interested when even the smallest details in our lives
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The best thing about prayer is that we can always do it anytime, anywhere
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We can pray silently whenever we have the opportunity. When we see someone in need, we can pray in our thoughts
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When we achieve success in life, we can pray and thank God. When we encounter problems, we can simply pray and place them in God's hands
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Pray as often as you can. It does not have to be lengthy
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It can be as sweet as a 3-word sentence. Developing the habit of prayer is crucial when it comes to developing an intimate relationship with God
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It is the highest privilege given to man that he can come before the throne of God
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of this entire universe. It is so powerful that it can entirely change our lives
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You can develop the habit of prayer. In a world full of distractions
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developing a consistent and faithful habit of prayer can be difficult. But it is not impossible
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God grants the ability to talk to him and we don't even have to set an appointment
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With this in mind, it is crucial that we are able to take advantage of this wonderful gift from God
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There is an endless list of things to pray for. We can never run out of things that we can bring up and share with God
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The only problem is, are we willing to put in the time and energy to pray to God
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You can develop the habit of prayer. Don't let Satan, anyone, or even yourself deceive that you can't do it
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Our salvation depends on the type of relationship we have with God
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And it is important that we strengthen that relationship with prayer. There are a lot of benefits that you can reap from praying
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It will ultimately change your life, not just today, but also during the life to come
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Alright, thank you so much for listening. Thank you, thank you, and I hope that you have learned a lot from this first lesson
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the habit of prayer. And if you have any questions, just leave a message below
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And if you have any comments, just write it down and I would be happy to read them all
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So that's it. I hope to see you in the next lesson