3 Decisions That Will Change Your Year Part II

Be Prayerful Always 1 Thes 5.17

I was at the driving range one day when I guy comes out of the Pro Shop looking good! He had the right clothes, the best clubs and a driver that was as big as my first apartment. I stopped to watch thinking he was going to be able to smack the ball. He gets up to the tree. Takes a couple practice swings then lets it rip. He hit the ball on the edge of the face and it went straight to the left. Not a "pull" mind you but 90 degrees to the left it bounced off the side fence.

It reminded me of the old golf saying, "You drive for show and you put for dough"

We can look good but it is not how we look it is how we Play.
In church we can look good but it is not how we look but how we Pray

Jesus spoke of prayer in Mat 6.5-8

Mat 6:5 "And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full.
Mat 6:6 But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Mat 6:7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.
Mat 6:8 Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.

1. We Can Have the Wrong Motive - Praying to be Heard by Men

2. We Must Have the Right Motive - Praying to be Heard by God
Enter your prayer closet
Unobserved
Undisturbed
Unheard

Randy Hurst shares a great thought in the book Help from the Lord
"Invite God to search your heart and move by His Holy Spirit in your secret life. He has a divine purpose to carry out in your personal and public life in this world. We are to be His witnesses-His messengers. But the character of what we are is formed by our secret life with Him. "