PRAYER CHANGES ME

PRAYER CHANGES “ME” I. AS COMFORTING AND POWERFUL AS PRAYER IS, WE SHOULDN’T RESERVE PRAYER FOR ONLY TOUGH TIMES. A. AS FOLLOWERS OF CHRIST WE MUST LEARN TO PRAY FERVENTLY. B. JAMES 5:16b 1 THESSALONIANS 5:17 JAMES 4:2e MATTHEW 7:7-8 II. PRAYER MUST BE A REGULAR, DAILY PART OF OUR LIVES. A. PRAYER IS EXERCISE FOR OUR SOUL AND BRAIN. B. PRAYER CHANGES THE CHEMISTRY OF OUR BRAIN. C. WE WHO PRAY, RECEIVE A BENEFIT AND ARE CHANGED! III. WORRY AND FEAR HAVE A NEGATIVE IMPACT ON OUR BRAIN, BY POLLUTING OUR THINKING. A. MATTHEW 6:31-34 B. IS JESUS SUGGESTING THAT WE NOT WORRY OR COMMANDING US NOT TO WORRY? C. ROMANS 12:2a D. THE WORLD ACTS THE WAY THEY DO BECAUSE OF THE WAY THEY THINK. IV. THROUGH PRAYER, OLD CONFORMING AND ADDICTIVE PATTERNS ARE BROKEN, AND OUR MINDS ARE RENEWED. A. WE MUST REPLACE OLD PATTERNS WITH THE TRUTH OF GOD’S WORD. B. 2 CORINTHIANS 10:6b PHILIPPIANS 4:8 C. THOUGHTS THAT DO NOT PASS THE TEST MUST BE ABANDONED. V. TO MAINTAIN A HEALTHY MIND SET, WE ALL NEED “PEACE.” A. PHILIPPIANS 4:7 B. EVERY THOUGHT CAN AND MUST BE TAKEN CAPTIVE AND MADE OBEDIENT TO CHRIST. C. WHEN TEMPTED WITH A FEARFUL THOUGHT OR DOUBT, SAY OUT LOUD: “LORD JESUS, I AM DECLARING TO FOLLOW YOUR PLAN FOR MY LIFE AND TRUSTING THE AUTHORITY OF YOUR WORD, BY PLACING THIS ANXIETY ON YOU AND BELIEVING YOU WILL PROVIDE, BECAUSE I KNOW YOU CARE FOR ME.” D. LET’S BEGIN PRAYING TOGETHER AND WATCH AS PRAYER CHANGES ME AND YOU.