1. 2 Ways to Improve Part 2 3 4 Pray More 1 Thess. 5:17-18 “ pray without ceasing; [18] in...

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Ways to Improve

Part 2

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Pray More

•1 Thess. 5:17-18“pray without ceasing; [18] in

everything give thanks; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.”

•Luke 18:1“Now He was telling them a

parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose

heart,”

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Pray More

•Need to establish good prayer habits.

•Need to pray at all times & patiently wait on the Lord–Psalm 27:14

“Wait for the Lord; Be strong and let your heart take courage; Yes,

wait for the Lord.”

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Isaiah 40:28-31

“Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of

the earth Does not become weary or tired. His

understanding is inscrutable. [29] He gives strength to the weary, And to him who lacks

might He increases power. …”

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Isaiah 40:28-31

“…[30] Though youths grow weary and tired, And vigorous young

men stumble badly, [31] Yet those who wait for the Lord Will gain

new strength; They will mount up with wings like eagles, They will run and not get tired, They will walk and not become weary.”

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Pray More

•Through prayer we can continually resort to a place of strong refuge–Psalm 71:3“Be to me a rock of habitation to

which I may continually come; You have given commandment to

save me, For You are my rock and my fortress.”

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Pray More

•Knowing how to pray can be more difficult than it might seem.–Luke 11:1-4

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Luke 11:1-4

“It happened that while Jesus was praying in a certain place, after

He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, "Lord, teach us to pray just as John also taught his disciples." [2] And He said to

them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be Your name.

Your kingdom come. …”

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Luke 11:1-4

“…[3] 'Give us each day our daily bread. [4] 'And forgive us our sins, For we ourselves also

forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And lead us not

into temptation.' "”

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Luke 11:5-8

“Then He said to them, "Suppose one of you has a friend, and goes

to him at midnight and says to him, 'Friend, lend me three

loaves; [6] for a friend of mine has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before

him';…”

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Luke 11:5-8

“… [7] and from inside he answers and says, 'Do not bother me; the

door has already been shut and my children and I are in bed; I cannot get up and give you anything.' [8] "I tell you, even though he will not get up and give him anything because he is

his friend, yet because of his persistence he will get up and give

him as much as he needs.”

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Luke 11:9-13

“"So I say to you, ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find;

knock, and it will be opened to you. [10] "For everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and to him who knocks, it will be opened. [11] "Now

suppose one of you fathers is asked by his son for a fish; he will not give him a

snake instead of a fish, will he? …”

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Luke 11:9-13

“…[12] "Or if he is asked for an egg, he will not give him a

scorpion, will he? [13] "If you then, being evil, know how to

give good gifts to your children, how much more will your

heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?"”

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Pray More

•"Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one's heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. ...”

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Pray More

•“Tell Him …•… your troubles, that He may

comfort you; •… your joys, that He may sober

them; •… your longings, that He may

purify them; •… your dislikes, that He may help

you to conquer them; …”

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Pray More

•...”talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them;

•show Him the wounds of your heart, that He may heal them;

•lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. …”

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Pray More

•“Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself and to others. If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, troubles, there will never be any lack of what to say."

(Francois Fenelon – 17th century)

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Avoid the works of the Flesh

•The works of the flesh manifest themselves in many ways–Galatians 5:19-21

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Galatians 5:19-21

“Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality,

impurity, sensuality, [20] idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy,

outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, [21] envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that those who practice such things will

not inherit the kingdom of God.”

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•The works of the flesh manifest themselves in many ways–Peter said that fleshly lusts war against the soul•1 Peter 2:11

“Beloved, I urge you as aliens and strangers to abstain from fleshly lusts which wage war against the

soul.”

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•The carnal mind is enmity against God and brings forth death–Romans 8:6-7,13

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Romans 8:6-7,13

“For the mind set on the flesh is death, but the mind set on the

Spirit is life and peace, [7] because the mind set on the

flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to

do so,”

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Romans 8:6-7,13

v. 13 “for if you are living according to the flesh, you

must die; but if by the Spirit you are putting to death the deeds of the body, you will

live.”

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•The Christian keeps the works of the flesh under control by walking according to the Spirit–Romans 8:1

“Therefore there is now no condemnation for those who

are in Christ Jesus.”

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•The Christian keeps the works of the flesh under control by walking according to the Spirit–Galatians 5:16

“But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the

desire of the flesh.”

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•The Christian keeps the works of the flesh under control by walking according to the Spirit–The Christian crucifies the flesh with its affections and lusts•Galatians 5:24

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Galatians 5:24

“Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the

flesh with its passions and desires.”

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1 Corinthians 9:27

“but I discipline my body and make it my slave, so that, after

I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified.”

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•What areas do we need to improve in?–Are we spending too much time on pleasure, having fun?

–Are we guilty of gluttony, slaves to smoking, or social drinking?

–Are we guilty of sinful language?

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Rejoicing in the Lord every day

•The Christian finds happiness "in the Lord.“–Philippians 4:4

“Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice!”

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Colossians 2:6-7

“Therefore as you have received Christ Jesus the Lord, so walk in

Him, [7] having been firmly rooted and now being built up in

Him and established in your faith, just as you were

instructed, and overflowing with gratitude.”

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•The Christian finds happiness "in the Lord.“–Ephesians 1:3

“Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places

in Christ,”

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•The Christian finds happiness "in the Lord.“–Ephesians 1:3–According to Webster's, the word "worry" comes from an old English word which means literally "to choke or strangle.“

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•"If it's bad enough to worry about, it's bad enough to pray about.“–Philippians 4:6-7

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Philippians 4:6-7

“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and

supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. [7] And the peace of God,

which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your

minds in Christ Jesus.”

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"Every day of your life is a gift from God. Don't waste it by being angry with anyone. Don't let it slip away by feeling sorry for yourself. Be grateful for this precious gift of

life, and spend it by being as happy and as thankful as you

possibly can. …”

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"… Let your mind dwell on the good things which have happened

to you. Let gratitude be your attitude. Think of your assets, and

don't let anyone else spoil your day for you. Enjoy every day of

your life to the fullest. Realize that you can add to the joy of each day by making someone else happy.“

(Author unknown)

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Lead a soul to Christ

•We all have a responsibility in this matter–2 Timothy 2:2

“The things which you have heard from me in the presence of many

witnesses, entrust these to faithful men who will be able to

teach others also.”

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•We all have a responsibility in this matter–1 Peter 3:15

“but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that

is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence;”

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•We all have a responsibility in this matter–We are the "servants" who are to go

•Luke 14:23

“And the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the highways and along the hedges, and compel them to come in, so that my

house may be filled.”

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•We all have a responsibility in this matter–John 4:35“Do you not say, 'There are yet

four months, and then comes the harvest'? Behold, I say to you, lift up your eyes and look

on the fields, that they are white for harvest.”

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•We all have a responsibility in this matter–Let us do our best in leading people to Christ…

–And let us pray for more laborers in this great work•Matthew 9:37-38

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Matthew 9:37-38

“Then He said to His disciples, "The harvest is plentiful, but

the workers are few. [38] "Therefore beseech the Lord of

the harvest to send out workers into His harvest."”

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•We all have a responsibility in this matter–Proverbs 11:30

“The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who is wise

wins souls.”

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•We all have a responsibility in this matter–Daniel 12:3

“Those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the

expanse of heaven, and those who lead the many to

righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.”

1. 2 Ways to Improve Part 2 3 4 Pray More 1 Thess. 5:17-18 “ pray without ceasing; [18] in...

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