Jesus, make it clear to me that prayer is a VITAL part of my Christian life; it is my invitation to God, asking Him to do something in my life. Show me that it is a time of fellowship with God where I spend time finding out what He wants for my life. Help me understand that it is also a time where I express praise, thanksgiving, worship, and appreciation for all the wonderful things God has done for me. Make it clear to me that even as a Christian, if I don’t pray and invite God into those areas of my need, He won’t get involved. Even though I am His child, if I don’t spend time asking Him for His guidance, I will wander around in life without His knowledge, foreknowledge of the future, understanding, and wisdom. Help me see that if I don’t take out time to express my appreciation for all the awesome things He has already done for me, He will stop helping me with my present and future.

Jesus, in the world, with my body, and with Satan I was pushed, driven, lured, tempted, required, and made to do certain things, if I wanted to survive. Teach me how my relationship with God works: Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears My voice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with Me (Rev 3:20). As a sinner, the world, my body, and Satan would try to break the door down. If they couldn’t do that, they would bang on it, yell through it, try to tempt me into opening it, and try to make me think they could hurt me if I didn’t open it. NOW, let me learn the gentle, loving, honoring, and gracious attitudes and treatment of God.

Jesus, James 4:1 says: “What causes fights and quarrels among you? Don’t they come from your desires that battle within you?” I am used to having to fight for my rights; I am used to having to claw my way to the top; I am used to having to beat the competition; I am used to having to make sure I am heard; I am used to having to make sure I am respected, appreciated, and wanted; and, I am used to having to make sure I am good enough to be needed by those around me, BUT, teach me that none of that is necessary ANYMORE!

Jesus, James 4:2a says: You want something but don’t get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have what you want. You quarrel and fight. Show me that we all come into Christianity, God’s world, and our new life with our old training, experiences, and rules. Help me see that I learned how to get my way; I learned how to win; I learned how to get ahead; I learned how to treat people; I learned how to get myself ready for life; and I learned how to have SELF-confidence, SELF-esteem, and SELF-centered attitudes. Help me see that these things won’t work in Christianity.

Jesus, James 4:2b says: You do not have, because you do not ask God. Teach me why some Christians don’t grow, mature, succeed, and win at life. Show me that the major reason most Christians live a frustrating, confusing, discouraging, and defeated life is because they don’t know how to pray. You said in Matthew 7:11 (NIV): If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask Him! Make it clear to me that I have a lot to learn and a lot to UNLEARN.

Jesus, my next area of study is in “The Prayer Courses.” But, before I start that study, help me take a look at all I will be studying in all the rest of the courses. Teach me that the first major need I have is to learn how to talk to my heavenly Father. Help it not be true of me that I do not have, because I do not ask God. Jesus, in this series, teach me how to pray about four major issues. Help me take Your Lord’s Prayer and learn how to use it to go on beyond being born again. Teach me how to use it as a new or untrained Christian. Let this help me learn how to use this same prayer from You to keep moving forward in my new life.

Jesus, in “The Power Courses” through the course called: “How To Get The Power Life,” You used “The Lord’s Prayer”, located in Matthew 6:9-13, and helped me pray each part of it so I could be born again into my heavenly Father’s family. And, You helped me pray it so I could become a citizen of His eternal Kingdom. Then You empowered me to obey Romans 10:8-10 and taught me how to confess that You are Lord and believe in my heart that God raised You from the dead. That gave me salvation and justification. Through salvation You forgave me from all my past sins; through justification You forgave me for all my present and future sins.

Jesus, teach me how to pray “The Lord’s Prayer” for each day’s issues; and, teach me how to use it to grow in each stage of my life. You told me to pray Your prayer that is called “The Lord’s Prayer;” help me see that it is a daily prayer that contains the basic aspects that address my needs for each day. However, if I start praying this prayer everyday, some unhelpful things can happen to this time of prayer. So, help me look at Your prayer from four different perspectives. You have already taken me through the first one for being born again. Now, take me into three more.

Jesus, teach me how to use the four courses on “The Lord’s Prayer” with one being found in “The Power Courses.” It is called: “How To Get The Power Life.” It is “The Lord’s Prayer” you used for helping me become a Christian and get Your POWER to live my new life. The next three courses on “The Lord’s Prayer” are found in my next series of studies. This next series is called: “The Prayer Courses.” Teach, train, and empower me through these three courses called: “The Lord’s Prayer For New Christians,” “The Lord’s Prayer For Sinning Christians,” and “The Lord’s Prayer For Mature Christians.” Jesus, we looked at Your prayer in “How To Get The Power Life” from one perspective so I could become a child of God. Now help me look at it from three different perspectives so You can empower me grow and mature into an adult child of God.

Jesus, in “The Prayer Courses,” there is one more course that isn’t based on “The Lord’s Prayer.” In the final course, “Talking With Your Heavenly Father,” use the book of James to help me examine vital spiritual issues. Then use some prayers prayed by David to help me get God’s help. As You use the book of James, help me grow spiritually through these prayers of David. Help me work on prayers I will need to let You help me pray AFTER I have prayed “The Lord’s Prayer” for that day. Use the Scriptures in the book of James to help me with specific issues I will face in life. Use these Scriptures to address issues in my spiritual life that are hurting me and my relationships with others. Then help me pray a prayer from the Psalms of David to get healing from it.

Jesus, the prayers I pray over my dinner, prayers I memorize and pray all the time, and praying “The Lord’s Prayer” can become a habit that is prayed without any real meaning or feeling. Show me that if it is just a ritual that I fulfill each day because I feel I am supposed to, then I will do it just to get it out of the way. Make it clear to me that prayer is too vital for me to just do it as a ritual; show me that it is all about a relationship with my heavenly Father. Reveal to me that He is listening and responding to every word I speak. Ritual prayer is like a person talking to me while thinking about something else. They are distracted, uninterested in me, and just going through the motions. I don’t like talking with people like that. Help me not be that kind of person with You and my heavenly Father.

Jesus work through this study and lead me into a process of praying “The Lord’s Prayer” on a daily basis. Shows me HOW to do what You told me to do; AND, help me do it through the prayer You gave me to pray. Teach me how to use this great prayer You developed Yourself; and, show me how to apply it to my life and spiritual growth as a new or untrained Christian. Let this start my day off with great power and blessings. Let it be a general, foundational prayer that is to precede all the other prayers I pray that day.

Jesus, teach me that EVERY Christian, new or old, makes mistakes, commits misdeeds of their body, and does things that the Holy Spirit is trying to help them address. In this study, help me pray this daily prayer; but, help me learn to approach it differently during those times when I have sinned, failed, fallen short, or made a spiritual or relational mistake. Use this study so You can help me see it as addressing all my sins and failures. Use it to take care of any blockages I have between me and my heavenly Father. Teach me that sometimes God isn’t responding to my other prayers because He is waiting for You and me to take care of this issue FIRST.

Jesus, use this study to serve two purposes in me; use it to help me when I have become a mature Christian. Help me pray this daily prayer so as to continue to grow. Also use it to help me as a new or untrained Christians to grow into a mature, adult Christian. Do this to help me keep praying “The Lord’s Prayer” every day for the rest of my life.

Jesus, in the previous studies, You dealt with my relationship with God. In this study, use it to help me learn how to talk to my heavenly Father and Him talk to me. All of the things You taught me through “The Lord’s Prayer” about my heavenly Father and the way He thinks and feels, let it help me move into this more specific study. As I move into “Talking With Your Heavenly Father,” use those things I learned from the previous studies. Let them help me be able to pray and get the results I need. Help me know my heavenly Father and understand Him, so I can talk with Him and listen to Him with great skill and effectiveness.

Jesus, teach me that prayer is the way for me to not only TALK TO my heavenly Father, it is also a way to LISTEN TO His answers and comments. Show me that even though God doesn’t typically use words and sentences, He does use thoughts and feelings. Help me see that if I could connect to the thoughts and feeling of another person, I wouldn’t need words. I would know what they were thinking and feeling by seeing what they see and feeling what they feel. Teach me that this is a very powerful way of getting to know my heavenly Father. Help me learn how to recognize the GENTLE thoughts and feelings that He puts in my mind and heart. Let me start getting His guidance for my life through this relationship.