Day 1

Identify

 

Matthew 6:9-13 (NIRV)

“This is how you should pray. ’Our Father in heaven, may your name be honored.  May your kingdom come. May what you want to happen be done on earth as it is done in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us. Keep us from falling into sin when we are tempted. Save us from the evil one.’”

 

This is the model prayer that Jesus recited when he was teaching the world how to pray. There are some extremely important things that we can note from this historic prayer. The very first thing that Jesus does is identify who he is praying to. He says, “Our father in heaven…” He is not just calling to a higher being or just a form of God. Jesus is praying to the one true God in heaven. This is vital for you to grasp if you are going to accelerate in your walk with God. You must pray to God, the God of the Bible, our Lord Jesus Christ. Some of the people you know may believe that you must pray to a god but they have no idea who that god is that they are praying to. The first step to an effective prayer is identifying God as the One you are praying to.

 

Accelerate today

Read- Matthew 21:18-22

Think- What are some things or areas in my life I need to start believing God for in prayer?

Act-

            1. Write those things down.

            2. Begin to believe God for those things           daily.

3. Memorize verse 22.

Day 2

Thanks

 

Matthew 6:9 (NIRV)

Pray like this… may your name be honored.

 

In dealing with the model prayer the second thing that is said is, “…may your name be honored.” This is an act of praise or thanks. It’s important to note because after you have identified God as the One you are praying to, then we should begin to praise him. Begin to tell Him how great He is and how honored you are to know Him. Think about it, if someone came to you all the time and all they ever said was what they want from you, it would get a little annoying. God has set up this model of prayer to show us how to approach Him. So, instead of just going into prayer instantly spouting off your needs, you must begin to share your heart with Him and express your love to Him. Prayer is more about God then it is about you, and it’s important that you pray with this understanding.

 

Accelerate today

Read- Psalm 8:1-9

Day 3

God’s Will

 

Matthew 6:10 (NIRV)

Pray like this… May your Kingdom come. May what you want to happen be done on earth as it is done in heaven.

 

God is the creator of the entire universe and He created you as well. Don’t you think He knows what is best for your life? One of our natural tendencies in prayer is for us to tell God what and how we want things done. God wants us to be more concerned with His will and what He wants to do in our lives. When we are going to God in prayer over something in our lives that we need help on (which is every day), we must seek what He wants and not come with our own agendas. Listen to the heart behind these words, “May your kingdom come soon. May your will be done…” This is the cry of a loyal soldier who desires nothing more then to please his commander. This is how our prayers must sound, “God I want your way over mine. Whatever you want is what I want.”

 

Accelerate today

Read- Matthew 26:36-39 (Jesus’ prayer before the cross)

Think- What can you learn about Jesus in this passage that you can apply to your life?

Act- Commit to pray what God wants not what you want. Commit to His will even if it is the tough thing to do.

Day 4

Ask

 

Matthew 6:11 (NIRV)

 Pray like this… Give us today our daily bread.

 

Going into my 10^th grade year I prepared for football like no one else on my team. I remember working out 2 hours a day. I would work on heavy weights and intense sprints. The season finally came, and the coach decided to start a different person in the spot that I had earned. Heart broken, I went to the coach after practice and told him how hard I had worked and asked him to give me a chance in the game. He saw the passion in my eyes and decided to give me that chance. From the next game on I earned my position and ended up being the captain of the football team my Senior year. It all started with a question. Listen, you are talking to God. He can do absolutely anything! The Bible says in James, “You have not because you ask not.” Here is how you have success in prayer: When you ask God according to His will, it will be done. For example, you cannot ask Him if you can rob a bank because you would like some money. Stealing is a sin and sinning is not his will. It is when we ask God and it does not go against His nature that He will answer our prayers.

 

Accelerate today

Read- James 4:1-3

Think- Why do you think that people ask for what they want instead of what God wants? What is wrong with this?

Act- Things to ask for: God’s will to be done, For you to grow in your relationship with God, for people you know to come to Christ, that you will make right choices that will honor God today, that you will grow in wisdom, etc.

Day 5

Forgive

 

Matthew 6:12 (NIRV)

Pray like this… forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

 

            If we are going to accelerate our lives for God, then we have got to come to grips with the concept of forgiveness. Forgiveness is a two-step process. Number one God wants us to ask forgiveness of the things that we have done wrong. Not just a little, “I’m sorry” but a true and total repentance. You must turn completely away from those sins, never to go there again. Number two: God wants us to forgive other people for what they have done wrong to us. This is one of the devils greatest attacks on humanity. He wants you to hold on to a great deal of bitterness and hard feelings toward people. This will weigh you down and consume your mind if you don’t let go of the hurtful things of the past. It is more painful and damaging for you to hold on to the hurt caused by another person than the actual act. Don’t let the devil make your past more painful than it already is… let go! If we are going to live victorious lives then we must ask God for forgiveness and deal with our sins and let go of our painful past by forgiving those who have hurt us.

 

Accelerate today

Read- Matthew 6:14-15

Think- What are some things you need to ask God to forgive you for? Who are some people that you need to forgive?

Act- Do the right thing by forgiving and asking for forgiveness. Don’t wait any longer. Remember you will be forgiven when you forgive.

Day 6

Relationships

 

Matthew 6:12 (NIRV)

Pray like this… forgive us our sins, just as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

 

This is the same verse as yesterday, but we are going to take a different angle on it today. Being forgiven and forgiving others is a big part of what? … Relationships. Relationships are what we deal with almost 24/7. People have the most enjoyable and most troubled times with people or relationships. This is another area we must continuously pray about. We can pray that we find friends who love and honor God. We can pray that God will impact our family. We can pray that God will bring the right spouse into our life at the right time. We can pray for those who don’t like us. We can pray that we would respond better to those in our life. We can simply pray for all those we love and know. These are just a few of the thousands of types of prayers we can pray for those we have relationships with.

 

 

Accelerate today

Read- Romans 12:9-12

Think- Who are some people in your life who you would like to pray for?

Act- Pray for the people who are in your world everyday.

Day 7

Priorities

 

Matthew 6:13(a- NLT) (b- NKJV)

 (a)  And don’t let us yield to temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. (b) For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

 

In part (b) of this verse there is a list given (kingdom, power, glory) that indicates priorities. We must have right priorities in our lives. There is a huge difference between a teenager who “believes in God” and a teen that makes God their #1 priority. God never said, “It’s ok, you can put me on the back shelf. I don’t need to be a priority in your life.” God says, “Love the Lord with all your heart, soul, mind and strength.”(Mark 12:30) This again indicates priority. If you are going to accelerate in God you must put Him first. Everything else in your life must be second to your daily relationship with Him. Pray that God will help you put Him first in your life.               

 

Accelerate today

Read- Mark 8:34-38

Think- How does this speak to you concerning your priorities?

Act- Put God first in your life and exercise this priority daily.