WEBVTT 00:00:00.239 --> 00:00:03.439 Bibles open them up with me to Matthew chapter six. 00:00:03.680 --> 00:00:06.959 Matthew chapter six is where we're gonna spend a little bit of time. 00:00:07.040 --> 00:00:12.880 Hey, I got just a few quick logistical announcements that I need to make before we get going and diving into the text today. 00:00:13.439 --> 00:00:19.600 Men, want to make sure you have on your calendars two weeks from today on Sunday night at 5 p.m. 00:00:19.839 --> 00:00:22.079 is when we're gonna launch it, men's night. 00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:22.960 It's gonna be here. 00:00:23.039 --> 00:00:31.440 We're encouraging you to bring your own meat, and we're gonna have a bunch of pits out in uh over here on our new turf area, and we're gonna be grilling out our own meat. 00:00:31.519 --> 00:00:33.119 We're gonna be hanging out, doing some stuff. 00:00:33.359 --> 00:00:44.880 And then uh Josh Smith, who is a pastor in Georgia, who has written an amazing resource and book called Titus 10, is gonna be sharing with us some messages from uh that book, Titus 10. 00:00:45.119 --> 00:00:54.560 Uh, that is going to help launch us into a 10-week Bible study on Thursday mornings in this room at 6:30 a.m. 00:00:54.880 --> 00:00:56.399 We'll have breakfast each week. 00:00:56.479 --> 00:00:58.479 Uh, we're encouraging you to sign up for that. 00:00:58.640 --> 00:01:07.120 Uh, these two things are not mutually exclusive, meaning this you can go to men's night if you can't make it to the Bible study, and you can also go to the Bible study if you can't make it to men's night. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:09.439 But can I tell you what would be awesome is if you did both. 00:01:09.519 --> 00:01:09.840 All right. 00:01:10.000 --> 00:01:10.719 That's gonna be great. 00:01:10.799 --> 00:01:19.760 Just so you know, there's no NFL playoff games going on that night, because I'm not an idiot, so therefore I planned it uh in such a way where there's no, it's the Pro Bowl and no one cares about the Pro Bowl. 00:01:19.920 --> 00:01:20.640 So you're good. 00:01:20.719 --> 00:01:25.040 Uh so just want to make sure that you're here and a part of that, it will be an incredible night. 00:01:25.120 --> 00:01:26.239 You can register online. 00:01:26.400 --> 00:01:27.519 Please be there for that. 00:01:27.680 --> 00:01:31.760 Everybody, do me a favor and take out the card that should have been in your seat that looks like this. 00:01:31.920 --> 00:01:34.480 This is not one per family, this is one per person. 00:01:34.640 --> 00:01:36.319 I'm gonna ask you to go ahead and take this out. 00:01:36.400 --> 00:01:38.719 We've been advertising this for the last few weeks. 00:01:38.879 --> 00:01:41.200 Uh, this is a physical card that you can fill out. 00:01:41.280 --> 00:01:48.480 There should be a pen that's there in the seat back in front of you, or you can also take a picture of the QR code there at the bottom and you can register. 00:01:48.640 --> 00:01:56.560 But we are beginning and entering into a week of prayer and fasting, and we're calling the entire church to be all in and participate on this. 00:01:56.799 --> 00:02:00.799 Uh, there's a bunch of different ways that you can participate on in this. 00:02:00.879 --> 00:02:12.240 Some of you, if this fasting is an entirely new concept, we've got a website that's there on the little card here that can you can look up and it can give you some resources and some ideas uh to do this, but there's a number of different ways that you can do it. 00:02:12.400 --> 00:02:14.000 Let me just kind of start from the bottom, all right? 00:02:14.080 --> 00:02:17.439 One, you can do a media fast, which I actually encourage all of you to do. 00:02:17.599 --> 00:02:21.599 All right, all and I know some of you are like, I'm gonna I'm gonna fast from TikTok. 00:02:21.840 --> 00:02:22.879 That doesn't count. 00:02:23.199 --> 00:02:24.479 That doesn't count. 00:02:25.039 --> 00:02:27.759 Yeah, you're fasting from TikTok from going forward, all right? 00:02:27.840 --> 00:02:28.560 It's gone. 00:02:28.800 --> 00:02:34.479 Uh you instead uh need to fast from just all different types of distractions, all right? 00:02:34.560 --> 00:02:35.919 So think through what that looks like. 00:02:36.080 --> 00:02:38.159 Take that app off your phone, begin to do that. 00:02:38.319 --> 00:02:41.360 I would encourage everybody at a minimum, this is what you should do. 00:02:41.520 --> 00:02:46.159 But I also would please plead with you to not let this be all that you do. 00:02:46.479 --> 00:02:48.400 Consider one of the other things as well. 00:02:48.560 --> 00:02:51.520 Another one might be you do a one-day fast or a Daniel fast. 00:02:51.759 --> 00:02:56.400 Daniel fast, you can look that up, but a one-day fast, maybe you pick one day where you're not gonna eat. 00:02:56.560 --> 00:02:57.919 Maybe you also pick one meal. 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.719 Now, don't pick breakfast if you never eat breakfast. 00:03:00.960 --> 00:03:02.800 That's not really the point, all right? 00:03:03.039 --> 00:03:06.479 The point is it'd be something that's gonna cause you to be uncomfortable. 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:09.680 It's gonna cause you to maybe not, ah, I'm not sure I want to do that. 00:03:09.840 --> 00:03:12.000 Or maybe you can consider the liquid fast. 00:03:12.240 --> 00:03:13.599 Some of you like, there's no way. 00:03:13.840 --> 00:03:14.639 Let me just tell you. 00:03:14.800 --> 00:03:18.159 I promise you, I've I've done it for a long period of time. 00:03:18.319 --> 00:03:18.960 You will be fine. 00:03:19.039 --> 00:03:20.800 I worked out on it, and you you can do it. 00:03:20.879 --> 00:03:23.919 You drink lots of water and don't quit on Tuesday. 00:03:24.000 --> 00:03:25.199 That's my advice to you. 00:03:25.439 --> 00:03:28.080 Because I'm just telling you right now, you're gonna want to quit on Tuesday. 00:03:28.240 --> 00:03:36.319 And so let me just go ahead and tell you, for all of you, the flesh is screaming at you to take the path of least resistance as you fill out this card. 00:03:36.479 --> 00:03:37.199 Don't do it. 00:03:37.439 --> 00:03:38.000 Don't do it. 00:03:38.080 --> 00:03:48.319 Because at the end of the day, God wants to meet you, and he says one of the ways that he does that is by taking something as normal and as natural as eating so that we can experience something supernatural. 00:03:48.400 --> 00:03:50.800 Does anybody want anything supernatural in their lives? 00:03:50.960 --> 00:03:52.159 I mean, I know I do. 00:03:52.319 --> 00:03:54.719 I want to see God do supernatural stuff. 00:03:54.960 --> 00:03:57.919 And and this is one of the ways that he says that we can do that. 00:03:58.000 --> 00:04:05.120 This isn't trying to be a lifestyle, but it certainly is something that is trying to push you beyond what you may be most natural and comfortable with. 00:04:05.360 --> 00:04:11.360 Fill this out, and we're gonna give you some instructions on what to do with this card at the end of our time together today. 00:04:11.520 --> 00:04:17.600 Uh, we're in a sermon series called uh Draw Near, where we're looking at the different models of prayer. 00:04:17.680 --> 00:04:22.959 Uh, we're using an app that I want to encourage you to download onto your phone that you can use. 00:04:23.120 --> 00:04:24.319 You can actually use it this week. 00:04:24.399 --> 00:04:25.199 It's fine, no problem. 00:04:25.279 --> 00:04:41.040 Even if you do the Media Fest, it's fine for you to use this app because it's a great resource called Pray First, put out by a church that is located in Birmingham, Alabama, that has a number of different models of prayer, including the one we did last week, the one we're doing this week, and the one we're gonna do next week. 00:04:41.120 --> 00:04:43.920 And so I just want to encourage you to use this as a resource. 00:04:44.000 --> 00:04:52.879 This is gonna be very informative today, very practical, but the idea is that you use it, that you actually allow it to be something that you pray. 00:04:53.040 --> 00:05:01.680 And as we look at the topic of prayer, I'm convinced one of the biggest issues we have with prayer is not the fact that we don't know what to pray. 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:04.240 It's not even the fact that we don't know what prayer is. 00:05:04.399 --> 00:05:08.560 I think the biggest issue most of us have when it comes to prayer is we don't know how. 00:05:08.879 --> 00:05:22.639 We feel like we just say the same things over and over again, we kind of get in a rut, or we basically put modern language to what we heard somebody else who seems to pray pretty impressively, uh, and we just stole their words and just kind of made it our words, and that's kind of what we do. 00:05:22.959 --> 00:05:45.600 And instead, what I want us to do today is to learn from a situation where the disciples they prayed, but then they watch Jesus pray and they're like, Whoa! Like you do it different, like the way that you say things is different, or the way that you are after you pray is different than the way that I am after I pray. 00:05:45.680 --> 00:05:50.720 And so there's a moment when the disciples go to Jesus and they're like, How do you do that? 00:05:51.120 --> 00:05:54.160 Like, can you teach us how to do what you did? 00:05:54.480 --> 00:05:57.519 And in Matthew chapter 6, that's exactly what he does. 00:05:57.839 --> 00:06:00.639 Let's begin reading in verse 9. 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:04.319 He says, Pray then like this. 00:06:05.279 --> 00:06:09.519 Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. 00:06:09.839 --> 00:06:14.959 Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:06:15.360 --> 00:06:25.120 Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts as we also have forgiven our debtors, and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. 00:06:25.360 --> 00:06:29.920 For yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. 00:06:30.240 --> 00:06:30.879 Amen. 00:06:31.360 --> 00:06:34.000 Let's go back to verse 6, and I want you to see what it says. 00:06:34.160 --> 00:06:36.959 It says, Pray then like this. 00:06:37.759 --> 00:06:47.439 Jesus is not saying, Hey, here is the formula, here is the chant, here is what you're supposed to say over and over again, and this is how you pray. 00:06:47.680 --> 00:06:50.639 It is not bad for you to pray the Lord's Prayer. 00:06:50.800 --> 00:06:56.879 What I've actually found is that the Lord's Prayer is one of those things that, like, everybody seems to know it, even if they aren't religious. 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:04.639 I go and do funerals all the time, and at the end of a funeral, or maybe sometimes at the at the end of a burial service, I will say, Hey, let's pray the Lord's Prayer together. 00:07:04.720 --> 00:07:11.120 And there are people there that I know have no relationship with the church and no relationship with a God, and they're quoting every word. 00:07:11.360 --> 00:07:14.079 I feel like the Lord's Prayer is kind of like the Pledge of Allegiance. 00:07:14.160 --> 00:07:16.319 You don't know when you learned it, you just kind of know it. 00:07:16.560 --> 00:07:25.040 And so, therefore, whenever, and even as I was saying it just now, you might have kind of found yourself kind of, oh Father in heaven, hell, you kind of you kind of know the words of the prayer. 00:07:25.120 --> 00:07:28.639 But it was never meant to be something that you just repeat. 00:07:28.800 --> 00:07:29.920 Let me say this up front, though. 00:07:30.079 --> 00:07:33.120 It's not bad for you to pray the words of the Lord's Prayer. 00:07:33.360 --> 00:07:46.319 Literally every single day, the first thing I do when I roll out of bed, put my feet on the ground, and walk towards the bathroom in order to start getting ready, is I pray the Lord's Prayer every day. 00:07:46.560 --> 00:07:49.279 It's just kind of my routine, it's what I do. 00:07:49.360 --> 00:07:52.079 It's not bad for you to do that if you pray the Lord's Prayer. 00:07:52.319 --> 00:08:02.319 But what I want you to see today is that this was meant to be a model or a guide or an outline, not a formula or a chant. 00:08:02.800 --> 00:08:28.879 And for me, whenever my prayer life began to move from praying the same thing over and over again to begin to praying scripture, did you hear me earlier quote Luke 2, 52, to the folks at baby dedication, and then pray those things, like using scripture as a guide for my prayers, or the prayer models found in the Bible, using those as an outline to guide me with my prayer, it has radically changed my relationship with God through prayer. 00:08:29.040 --> 00:08:31.279 And I hope that it could be the same thing for you. 00:08:31.439 --> 00:08:39.519 So, what we're gonna do is we're gonna walk through teaching you how to pray the Lord's Prayer, the prayer of Jesus, as a model or an outline. 00:08:39.759 --> 00:08:40.559 Hear me up front. 00:08:40.720 --> 00:08:43.759 You can do all of these things, you can do one or two of these things. 00:08:43.919 --> 00:08:47.039 It's not meant to be like, well, if I don't have time to do all seven, then I can't do it. 00:08:47.120 --> 00:08:48.399 That's not what we're trying to say. 00:08:48.559 --> 00:08:52.480 But instead, it's meant to guide you in your relationship with God. 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:53.759 Let's begin the first one. 00:08:54.000 --> 00:08:56.320 Our Father in heaven. 00:08:56.559 --> 00:09:03.919 The idea being presented here, whenever you have this part of the prayer, is that I am to connect with God relationally. 00:09:04.720 --> 00:09:12.799 Let's just stop and talk about how amazing it is that the beginning of the Lord's prayer starts with dad. 00:09:13.679 --> 00:09:19.919 The word father actually is translated Abba, which means our English word daddy. 00:09:20.879 --> 00:09:25.440 God desires to have a relationship with us. 00:09:26.320 --> 00:09:38.480 Romans chapter 8, verse 15, here's what it says: for you did not receive the spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received the spirit of adoption as sons by whom we cry, Abba, Father. 00:09:39.360 --> 00:09:43.440 You see, the way that you relate to God will determine your relationship with Him. 00:09:44.080 --> 00:09:59.679 If you coming in hot with all of your list, and you basically treat prayer as I gotta get through my stuff for you to know so that you can do it when I ask you to do it, you are relating to God like you are having a transaction, not a relationship. 00:10:00.399 --> 00:10:07.840 So he's wanting to start the process off by just saying, Hey dad, I want to relate to you. 00:10:08.240 --> 00:10:11.440 I want to have a relationship with you. 00:10:12.960 --> 00:10:25.759 He wants to, it's a difference between a young child who wants to get into their parents' lap and just spend time with them, or a busy teenager who just needs to let them know what time they're leaving and what time they're gonna be home and all that kind of stuff. 00:10:26.639 --> 00:10:31.039 We many times treat God like a checklist. 00:10:31.519 --> 00:10:34.720 God, do this, this, this, this, and this, bu this, this, this, this, this, and this. 00:10:34.879 --> 00:10:38.080 And it's you can really care less how he's doing, how you're doing. 00:10:38.240 --> 00:10:39.919 There's no relationship whatsoever. 00:10:40.080 --> 00:10:47.919 And it's amazing to consider the fact that the God of the universe, the one who put the stars in the sky, wants to hang out with us. 00:10:48.399 --> 00:10:49.600 He's not annoyed. 00:10:49.919 --> 00:10:51.600 Hey God, just checking in again. 00:10:51.759 --> 00:10:53.120 He's not annoyed by that. 00:10:53.440 --> 00:10:56.159 He loves to hear from his children. 00:10:56.320 --> 00:11:06.080 I'm a huge sports guy, love sports of all kinds, but particularly love uh college football, and uh have a just an admiration and appreciation for the greatness of Nick Saban. 00:11:06.159 --> 00:11:08.559 Uh, Nick Saban has just been an incredible coach. 00:11:08.720 --> 00:11:10.720 His success is just really unparalleled. 00:11:10.799 --> 00:11:16.799 Uh but I've really loved watching Nick Saban as he has been a game day host this past year. 00:11:16.960 --> 00:11:20.000 College game day, the big uh show on Saturday mornings. 00:11:20.159 --> 00:11:22.320 His insights are just phenomenal. 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:27.519 I mean, it's just incredible to get somebody that close to the game to be able to speak into it. 00:11:27.679 --> 00:11:33.039 And he had a leadership nugget earlier this year that I thought was absolutely incredible. 00:11:33.200 --> 00:11:44.399 If you're a leader in this room, which all of you are to some level, I want you to hear this and see this, but I want to also show you how this leadership nugget can also be something that helps us in our relationship with God through prayer. 00:11:44.559 --> 00:11:45.440 Take a look. 00:11:46.799 --> 00:11:54.960 Well, you know, I think you have a greater chance to lose the team when you're transactional as a leader, which is the way I was until 1998. 00:11:55.120 --> 00:11:58.240 In other words, everything was about winning or losing. 00:11:58.399 --> 00:12:00.879 And when we won, I petted people on the back. 00:12:01.039 --> 00:12:10.080 But when we didn't win, I was probably too harsh, didn't use it as a teaching moment, and negative experiences without teaching kills morale. 00:12:10.320 --> 00:12:14.240 In 1998, we were going to play Ohio State, they were number one in the country. 00:12:14.320 --> 00:12:19.679 We were 4-5 at Michigan State, they were getting ready to fire me at Michigan State, and I don't think we can win the game. 00:12:19.759 --> 00:12:21.679 So I said, What's my approach going to be? 00:12:21.840 --> 00:12:25.039 So I had to change into being a transformational leader. 00:12:25.120 --> 00:12:42.639 You know, somebody who was somebody that players could emulate, you know, cared about the players for their benefit, not my benefit, you know, had had a vision for what we would accomplish and how we were going to do it, and had value-based principles that were going to help them be successful in life. 00:12:43.679 --> 00:12:46.240 First of all, if you're a leader, that's gold right there. 00:12:46.320 --> 00:12:47.600 That is absolute gold. 00:12:47.759 --> 00:12:51.679 Because it's so easy to default into transactional leadership. 00:12:52.000 --> 00:12:53.360 What have you done for me lately? 00:12:53.600 --> 00:12:54.960 Here's what you need to do. 00:12:55.279 --> 00:12:55.600 Go. 00:12:56.320 --> 00:12:58.639 Transformational leadership has this. 00:12:58.799 --> 00:13:00.399 Now I want a relationship with you. 00:13:00.559 --> 00:13:06.799 Yes, I want to see you do certain things, but at the end of the day, I want to be able to know you and I want to develop you and I want to pour into you. 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:10.240 Folks, can I tell you that God desires a transformational relationship with you? 00:13:10.320 --> 00:13:13.519 He doesn't desire a trans uh a transactional one. 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:17.279 And if you treat him like a transaction, it's not gonna go well. 00:13:17.600 --> 00:13:20.799 Maybe some of you have given up on prayer because he hadn't answered your list. 00:13:21.120 --> 00:13:25.120 And all along, God's saying, Hey, would you just would you just hang out? 00:13:25.679 --> 00:13:27.279 Would you come and let me get to know you? 00:13:27.440 --> 00:13:29.519 Would you have an opportunity to come and get to know me? 00:13:29.600 --> 00:13:32.559 Let me tell you practically what this looks like in my own time with the Lord. 00:13:32.720 --> 00:13:35.919 Very often I will start off my prayers by saying, Lord, I'm here. 00:13:36.559 --> 00:13:45.679 Nervous about today, or I'm excited about today, or I'm anxious about today, or um I'm frustrated about this, and I just kind of get a little pulse check. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:47.519 This is kind of where I'm at. 00:13:47.679 --> 00:13:53.200 This is what I'm walking through, this is what I'm dealing with, this is what's going on, and I'm just really glad to be able to be with you today. 00:13:53.679 --> 00:13:56.080 Just treat them like a like a friend. 00:13:56.399 --> 00:13:57.440 Treat them like a dad. 00:13:57.759 --> 00:14:00.639 I'm not just walking up to my dad and being like, Dad, I need you to do this, this, this, this, and this. 00:14:00.720 --> 00:14:01.679 Like, hey dad, how's it going? 00:14:01.840 --> 00:14:02.639 How are things going? 00:14:02.720 --> 00:14:04.799 I mean, there's a relationship that is there. 00:14:06.000 --> 00:14:09.759 A lot of times I'll write out my prayers, not because I'm spiritual, but because I'm distracted. 00:14:10.320 --> 00:14:16.879 And so I write out my prayers because it helps me stay focused, and I will just write out, Lord, I'm really glad to glad to get to be here with you today. 00:14:16.960 --> 00:14:20.960 I'm really grateful that you care that that I can meet with you. 00:14:21.039 --> 00:14:23.679 And I'm so thankful for the opportunity to do so. 00:14:24.240 --> 00:14:30.639 It kind of leads you into the next part of the model prayer, which is hallowed be your name. 00:14:30.879 --> 00:14:31.759 What does this mean? 00:14:31.919 --> 00:14:36.240 This ultimately is talking about how you worship his name. 00:14:36.559 --> 00:14:38.240 Let me walk you through what this looks like. 00:14:38.320 --> 00:14:43.120 I I go by a lot of different names, and all of you do the same thing as well. 00:14:43.279 --> 00:14:47.519 Uh, my my official legal name is Christopher Barton Kuba. 00:14:47.919 --> 00:14:53.440 Barton is my middle name, it's the name of my grandfather, it is the name of my dad has as his middle name as well. 00:14:53.519 --> 00:14:58.000 It's a family name that that goes along, and most people though call me Chris. 00:14:58.480 --> 00:15:08.960 I've coached my kids as long as I can possibly remember in every sport that they have ever done, and so therefore, it's not uncommon for me to be out here and I'll see someone and they'll say, Hey, Coach Cuba. 00:15:09.120 --> 00:15:11.039 They know me as Coach Cuba. 00:15:11.120 --> 00:15:13.120 That's a name that I have gone by. 00:15:13.279 --> 00:15:16.000 Uh I also at home I go by the name Dad. 00:15:16.080 --> 00:15:18.720 That's pretty much what my name gets called the majority of the time. 00:15:18.799 --> 00:15:22.000 When I'm in certain family settings, I'll get called Uncle Chris. 00:15:22.320 --> 00:15:26.480 But I also am a son, I also am a husband, I also am a brother. 00:15:26.639 --> 00:15:28.159 I do all of those things. 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:35.600 I also have times here at work, the majority of the time, the people here at work, they will call me PC, stands for Pastor Chris. 00:15:36.080 --> 00:15:47.200 I other times though, will when I teach at Southern Seminary, I'm I'm a doctoral professor there at Southern Seminary, or maybe I do a wedding, or maybe I do a funeral, then I will have a more formal title, which they call me Dr. 00:15:47.519 --> 00:15:48.000 Cuba. 00:15:48.559 --> 00:15:50.000 Now, here's the thing. 00:15:50.320 --> 00:15:55.840 Most of the people, though, that know me for my whole life, or maybe have known me in college, they call me Cuba. 00:15:56.000 --> 00:15:56.879 That's what they call me. 00:15:57.039 --> 00:16:00.720 Now, I am all of those things at the same time. 00:16:00.879 --> 00:16:15.600 It's not like I'm one of those things, and if I'm one of those things and I'm not the other things, in the same way, you also have many different names, and all of those various names represent a different aspect of how people relate to you and various things that you do in your life. 00:16:15.759 --> 00:16:18.559 Folks, the same thing is true with God. 00:16:19.120 --> 00:16:25.919 There's only one God, but it's like holding up a diamond, and then that diamond, if you look at it from this angle, you see beauty here. 00:16:26.000 --> 00:16:31.039 And if you look at it from a different angle, there's an entirely different beauty that you didn't see on the other side. 00:16:31.360 --> 00:16:32.399 God is that way. 00:16:32.480 --> 00:16:44.720 And in the scripture, he has multiple different names by which he goes by that helps us relate to him and be able to identify with him and to be able to have that relationship with him. 00:16:45.039 --> 00:16:49.600 I want you to take out your phones and I want you to take a picture of this QR code of the names of God. 00:16:49.679 --> 00:16:51.600 It's gonna be here on the screen as well as on the sides. 00:16:51.759 --> 00:16:57.440 This is put together by Tara Lee Koble, who leads something called the Bible recap. 00:16:57.600 --> 00:17:01.360 My personal opinion is I think it's the best Bible reading plan that is out there. 00:17:01.440 --> 00:17:03.279 Uh the Bible recap is awesome. 00:17:03.440 --> 00:17:05.519 Highly encourage you to look into that. 00:17:05.680 --> 00:17:08.960 But she puts out this resource of the names of God. 00:17:09.200 --> 00:17:14.640 And I literally have printed this off and I have it in the very front of my Bible. 00:17:14.880 --> 00:17:26.160 So when I open up God's word and I begin to read it through a Bible reading plan or something, and I begin to move towards a time of prayer, it is not uncommon for me to grab this list and just start reading over it. 00:17:26.400 --> 00:17:29.119 Just start looking at the various names of God. 00:17:29.359 --> 00:17:34.720 What I encourage you to do is you can read multiple names, or you can just stop and get fixated on one. 00:17:34.880 --> 00:17:35.440 It doesn't matter. 00:17:35.599 --> 00:17:39.839 The idea is that you're trying to relate to God through the ways of his various names. 00:17:39.920 --> 00:17:42.400 Let me just mention a couple of these names that I almost always relate to. 00:17:42.799 --> 00:17:45.759 Jehovah Jirah, the Lord provides. 00:17:46.079 --> 00:17:47.680 I just kind of live there. 00:17:47.920 --> 00:17:52.799 And I just begin to pray and I begin to thank God for all the ways that He's provided for me. 00:17:53.119 --> 00:17:55.519 Jehovah Rapha, the Lord heals. 00:17:55.680 --> 00:18:10.000 I will begin to begin to not only thank him for the way that he's brought healing in my life physically or healing in my life relationally, or those types of things, but I'll also begin to just pray through the people that I know in my life right now who need healing, that the Lord would be their healer. 00:18:10.400 --> 00:18:12.480 The wonderful counselor. 00:18:12.880 --> 00:18:14.640 I can't tell you how much I love that. 00:18:14.880 --> 00:18:19.440 Because I also look back and I see so many times where if I'd have done what I wanted to do, it'd have messed up. 00:18:19.599 --> 00:18:22.480 But I did what God wanted to do and it was exactly what I should have done. 00:18:22.720 --> 00:18:28.559 And he just, I just thank him for the fact that God, thank you so much for your counsel. 00:18:28.880 --> 00:18:30.400 The good shepherd. 00:18:30.720 --> 00:18:32.240 Gosh, I love that name. 00:18:32.400 --> 00:18:36.079 Because at the end of the day, I'm a dumb sheep who wants to go off and do whatever I want to do. 00:18:36.240 --> 00:18:46.480 And so often what I need is a good shepherd who will bring me back into the fold, who will correct me when I need to be corrected, but ultimately will lead me to where I need to go. 00:18:46.640 --> 00:18:49.279 Folks, there's so many different names that you can choose from. 00:18:49.359 --> 00:18:57.759 But what I've often found is that as you begin to go over the names of God that are found in Scripture, here's what it always leads to: is worship. 00:18:58.079 --> 00:19:09.119 Like you just can't help but just start thanking him and praising him and being filled with realizing just how unbelievably good and beautiful that diamond is. 00:19:09.279 --> 00:19:16.559 What I've often found is that it leads me into a worship service like this, and we begin to sing those same praises, and my heart is full because you know what? 00:19:16.640 --> 00:19:18.400 I've been rehearsing it all week. 00:19:18.720 --> 00:19:22.160 I've been looking and thinking about how good God is. 00:19:22.559 --> 00:19:24.160 Look at the next part of the model prayer. 00:19:24.240 --> 00:19:28.640 It begins to say, Your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. 00:19:28.799 --> 00:19:31.920 This is the idea of praying his agenda first. 00:19:32.160 --> 00:19:34.640 Heads up, this is the hardest part. 00:19:35.359 --> 00:19:36.960 You just need to have a heads up. 00:19:37.279 --> 00:19:40.720 This is the hardest part of the prayer. 00:19:41.039 --> 00:19:49.440 Because what you're gonna see is that I have found that I asked God for certain things, and maybe he answers far beyond what I could have ever imagined, and I love that. 00:19:49.599 --> 00:19:56.960 But a lot of times I pray and ask God for certain things, he answers the prayer, but it took longer, it was totally different than I wanted him to. 00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:05.119 And when I was thinking about something being major, he made it minor, and something that I thought was gonna be minor, he made it major, and I'm disappointed. 00:20:05.519 --> 00:20:13.359 Which, if I was honest, what that means is that my prayer was really this God, I need you to do this this way. 00:20:13.599 --> 00:20:15.440 Can you please check it off? 00:20:16.559 --> 00:20:28.559 And this prayer is inviting me to actually say, God, instead of me giving you my list, I'm actually asking you to give me your list. 00:20:30.319 --> 00:20:31.759 Your agenda. 00:20:33.039 --> 00:20:34.960 Your schedule. 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:37.759 Your priority. 00:20:38.880 --> 00:20:40.880 That's a vulnerable place to be. 00:20:41.440 --> 00:20:47.599 Because at the end of the day, that almost kind of means that this prayer is inviting me to let go. 00:20:49.119 --> 00:20:52.640 Here's the thing: like, we're fine as long as we like the plans. 00:20:53.039 --> 00:20:56.079 Jeremiah chapter 29, verse 11, famous verse. 00:20:56.240 --> 00:20:58.480 Many of you may know it, many of you have probably quoted it before. 00:20:58.559 --> 00:20:59.759 It's an awesome, awesome verse. 00:20:59.839 --> 00:21:03.119 Here's what it says For I know the plans that I have for you, declares the Lord. 00:21:03.279 --> 00:21:07.279 Plans for welfare and not for evil, to give you a future and a hope. 00:21:07.359 --> 00:21:08.319 We love this. 00:21:08.720 --> 00:21:12.160 Like, put this up on a picture frame in the house. 00:21:12.319 --> 00:21:13.599 This goes there. 00:21:14.160 --> 00:21:20.240 We love the idea that God has good plans for us, but too often we stop at verse 11. 00:21:20.400 --> 00:21:24.079 You want to know how you know the good plans that God has for you? 00:21:24.240 --> 00:21:26.319 Look at what it says in verse 12 and 13. 00:21:26.559 --> 00:21:30.559 Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will hear you. 00:21:30.799 --> 00:21:35.279 You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. 00:21:35.440 --> 00:21:38.240 You want to know how you can know the good plans that God has for you? 00:21:38.400 --> 00:21:42.079 It's not by you going earnestly to God with your agenda. 00:21:42.799 --> 00:21:47.920 It's instead by you going earnestly to God asking for his agenda. 00:21:48.720 --> 00:21:51.680 And here's what you need to see you can trust it. 00:21:52.160 --> 00:21:56.559 It's not something that you have to question, it's not something that you have to tweak, it's not something that you have to approve. 00:21:56.720 --> 00:21:59.599 It's just something that you have to receive and you have to accept, knowing. 00:22:00.079 --> 00:22:00.960 It is for your good. 00:22:01.119 --> 00:22:02.720 Matthew chapter 6, verse 33. 00:22:02.880 --> 00:22:10.880 But seek first the kingdom of God and this righteousness, and all these things will be added to you. 00:22:12.160 --> 00:22:16.640 When I treat prayer like I'm giving God my list and it doesn't work, I'm gonna be out on prayer. 00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:23.839 But when I view prayer like getting God's list where I know that list is good, that's a whole different approach. 00:22:24.079 --> 00:22:27.839 Let me walk you through one of the practical ways that I typically do this. 00:22:28.079 --> 00:22:33.839 I'll get my calendar out and I will begin to pray and release the day to God. 00:22:34.079 --> 00:22:39.839 So literally right out, God, I got I got some study time this morning, and I just pray, God, this is kind of what I need to get done. 00:22:40.079 --> 00:22:44.480 But Lord, I just pray that you would let me hear from you in the midst of that time. 00:22:44.799 --> 00:22:46.880 God, I got a meeting at 11 o'clock. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:49.119 This is really what I need to happen in that meeting. 00:22:49.200 --> 00:22:51.440 This is really what I'm hoping that can be accomplished. 00:22:51.599 --> 00:22:57.279 But God, I just pray that you would kind of have control of the meeting and that you would let me see beyond maybe what I need to see. 00:22:57.599 --> 00:22:59.359 God, I have a lunch appointment today. 00:22:59.519 --> 00:23:01.359 I pray, God, that you would be with that lunch appointment. 00:23:01.440 --> 00:23:02.880 I'm really hoping to get to know them better. 00:23:02.960 --> 00:23:07.200 I'm really kind of hoping to have a relationship with God, but I just pray you'd just let me see past the surface. 00:23:07.359 --> 00:23:09.519 What do you want me to do in the midst of that lunch? 00:23:09.839 --> 00:23:11.359 God, I got this meeting this afternoon. 00:23:11.440 --> 00:23:14.319 We got some plans we gotta put together and we're kind of talking through some things. 00:23:14.480 --> 00:23:16.079 Would you would you kind of guide that meeting? 00:23:16.240 --> 00:23:21.680 But Lord, I pray that you would also just help me to be wise in the way that I speak and the way that I handle that. 00:23:21.920 --> 00:23:24.480 Lord, I my daughter's got a basketball game tonight. 00:23:24.559 --> 00:23:25.599 I always pray this, by the way. 00:23:25.759 --> 00:23:27.039 Lord, would you help her win? 00:23:27.359 --> 00:23:28.000 All right? 00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:30.720 I think God wants us to win, so I pray that. 00:23:30.880 --> 00:23:31.920 Lord, would you help her win? 00:23:32.000 --> 00:23:44.960 But Lord, I pray that in the prep for the game, I pray God during the game, I pray God after the game, whatever adversity that she's got, Lord, you'd kind of do something with that that shapes her and who her character is that is beyond just the outcome of that basketball game. 00:23:45.119 --> 00:23:46.079 Would you just be with her, Lord? 00:23:46.160 --> 00:23:47.359 Would you protect her? 00:23:47.839 --> 00:23:52.640 I almost just feel like I'm just kind of saying, God, it's yours. 00:23:53.440 --> 00:23:58.079 It's just a tangible way for me to kind of just turn it over to Him. 00:23:58.400 --> 00:24:01.759 I'm essentially inviting, hey, you can kind of control the day. 00:24:01.839 --> 00:24:03.200 And here's what the beauty of that. 00:24:03.359 --> 00:24:09.440 I can then walk with a day with all the things that I want to accomplish and do, and unless God changes it, I'm good. 00:24:09.839 --> 00:24:13.599 Like I, but but on the other hand, I've given him freedom to wreck the whole thing. 00:24:13.759 --> 00:24:15.359 Because here's otherwise what I do. 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:25.680 If something comes up in the middle of my day and it interrupts my flow and my schedule and all the things, then I'm derailed and I'm thrown off and it's difficult and I don't know how many gives, and I just feel stressed and anxious. 00:24:25.759 --> 00:24:29.920 And instead, if I gave God my day at the beginning and he decides to interrupt it, that's okay. 00:24:30.000 --> 00:24:31.119 God, it's your agenda. 00:24:31.440 --> 00:24:32.480 Your deal. 00:24:32.880 --> 00:24:35.759 I'm living out what you desire for me. 00:24:36.319 --> 00:24:38.000 Look at the next part of the prayer. 00:24:38.240 --> 00:24:40.400 Give us this day our daily bread. 00:24:40.640 --> 00:24:44.240 This is the idea of depending on him for everything. 00:24:44.400 --> 00:24:46.160 Depending on him for everything. 00:24:46.319 --> 00:24:49.599 This is both the things that you need and the things that you already have. 00:24:49.759 --> 00:24:57.039 We're really good about praying for like needs that we have, but I don't know how often we typically pray for things that we already have. 00:24:57.119 --> 00:25:01.200 And I don't do this because I need to remind God like He's forgotten what I need. 00:25:01.440 --> 00:25:04.960 I do this to remind me of what God already has given to me. 00:25:05.200 --> 00:25:06.240 That's important. 00:25:06.720 --> 00:25:14.240 And when we do this, what it's doing is that you're praying, asking God to speak into your life. 00:25:14.480 --> 00:25:15.440 Let me give you an example. 00:25:15.519 --> 00:25:23.440 If I was to go to Hillary and I would say, hey, I just want to let you know, I bought this for the house, I bought this for the car, and I bought this for whatever, and I just wanted to let you know. 00:25:23.599 --> 00:25:26.400 I'm not really asking her her opinion on that. 00:25:26.480 --> 00:25:29.119 I'm just telling her what I've already decided I'm gonna do. 00:25:29.359 --> 00:25:33.440 It's different though, if I go to Hillary and say, hey, I just, I'm kind of thinking about buying this. 00:25:33.599 --> 00:25:34.640 What do you think? 00:25:34.880 --> 00:25:37.359 I'm inviting her to speak into it. 00:25:37.440 --> 00:25:42.960 And the beauty of that is that if we both decide it's what we need, then our enjoyment of it is even greater. 00:25:43.119 --> 00:25:51.039 But if it's also something that I don't need, that I thought that I needed, I'm protected from being going down a road that I shouldn't have gone. 00:25:51.200 --> 00:26:00.640 In the same way, this prayer is saying, God, I know you're the one who provides everything to me, but I'm just gonna ask, what do you want me to do with all the things you've provided? 00:26:01.039 --> 00:26:02.160 What do you just like? 00:26:02.240 --> 00:26:03.759 Do you want me to buy this? 00:26:04.079 --> 00:26:05.680 Do you want us to purchase this house? 00:26:05.920 --> 00:26:07.279 Do you want us to get this car? 00:26:07.440 --> 00:26:18.559 Do you want and you're inviting God to speak in to not just the 10% you pay him off, and then you get to do whatever you want with the 90%, but saying, no, no, no, no, God, I want you to have say in all of it. 00:26:18.960 --> 00:26:20.079 I trust you. 00:26:20.240 --> 00:26:22.480 You're the provider, you're good. 00:26:22.720 --> 00:26:24.559 And so therefore, God, I'm asking you. 00:26:24.640 --> 00:26:26.319 So let me tell you what this looks like for me. 00:26:26.400 --> 00:26:28.559 I try to get really super specific. 00:26:28.720 --> 00:26:32.480 I don't want to pray generic provision prayers, I want to pray specific prayers. 00:26:32.559 --> 00:26:37.279 So for me, I start to get laser focused on, like, for instance, what have my kids got going on that day? 00:26:37.519 --> 00:26:40.319 I want to pray specifically for that test they have in third period. 00:26:40.400 --> 00:26:44.559 I want to pray specifically that God would help walk with them and be with them in this time. 00:26:44.799 --> 00:26:46.720 I just get really, God, would you give them this? 00:26:46.799 --> 00:26:47.599 Would you give them this? 00:26:47.680 --> 00:26:49.440 I begin to pray these things over our staff. 00:26:49.519 --> 00:26:51.279 I begin to pray these things over my life. 00:26:51.440 --> 00:26:53.039 God, would you please provide for me this? 00:26:53.200 --> 00:26:55.200 Would you walk, give me wisdom in this meeting? 00:26:55.359 --> 00:27:04.960 And I just begin to try to let the Lord begin to invite into all parts of my day to give me what I need, knowing this, that all that I have is His. 00:27:05.519 --> 00:27:07.119 And He can be trusted. 00:27:07.359 --> 00:27:08.960 Let's go to the next one. 00:27:09.200 --> 00:27:12.559 Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. 00:27:13.119 --> 00:27:18.799 The idea here is to forgive and to be forgiven. 00:27:19.359 --> 00:27:24.799 This is literally an invitation to get your heart right with people and your heart right with God. 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:26.240 Let's kind of take it out of order. 00:27:26.400 --> 00:27:28.400 Let's look, first of all, at the idea of being forgiven. 00:27:28.559 --> 00:27:28.880 Okay. 00:27:29.359 --> 00:27:39.839 So for me, what this looks like is many times I'll start in my prayer time, I'll be, Lord, would you search me and see if there's any grievous way in me that needs to be revealed? 00:27:40.160 --> 00:27:43.119 Like I don't want to just assume that I crushed it yesterday. 00:27:43.279 --> 00:27:44.960 I don't want to assume that I was perfect. 00:27:45.039 --> 00:27:46.880 Instead, I just want to basically know this. 00:27:47.039 --> 00:27:48.480 I'm sure I did some things, Lord. 00:27:48.559 --> 00:27:50.240 Would you kind of reveal those things to me? 00:27:50.400 --> 00:27:58.400 You know just as well as I do, there's some obvious things that you guys do and that I do that are grievous to the Lord that I need to confess. 00:27:58.640 --> 00:28:02.079 And even though you may act like nobody else sees them, God sees them. 00:28:02.319 --> 00:28:03.759 And so those are clear things. 00:28:03.920 --> 00:28:11.440 But what I've also discovered is this in my time of reading God's word, he will also begin to reveal things in me that I didn't necessarily think that was going to be the case. 00:28:11.680 --> 00:28:12.799 Happened yesterday morning. 00:28:12.880 --> 00:28:23.920 I'm reading in my time with the Lord, John chapter 6, and it has this whole story about the crowds and how the crowds come up to Jesus and they start whining and they start begging and they start wanting bread and they start wanting something to eat. 00:28:24.000 --> 00:28:25.920 And Jesus is like, you guys don't get it. 00:28:26.079 --> 00:28:32.480 You're trying to ask me for something to eat when what you really need is not just bread, what you need is the bread of life. 00:28:32.720 --> 00:28:42.799 And the Lord hit me in my time with him, and he basically made it very clear to me, Chris, you are whining and complaining about all things that yes, I could do. 00:28:42.880 --> 00:28:44.160 You're giving me your list. 00:28:44.319 --> 00:28:46.319 Give this, give this, give this. 00:28:46.480 --> 00:28:52.079 And all along, what I am desiring from you is that you would seek something way more than those things. 00:28:52.799 --> 00:28:54.559 And I just had to confess. 00:28:55.039 --> 00:28:57.920 God, I don't want to be temporary, I want to be eternal. 00:28:58.240 --> 00:29:01.920 God, would you help me stop focusing on the immediate next things? 00:29:02.000 --> 00:29:07.440