Hey there, trailblazers! 🏞️ Kent's sermon is up, and we've got a question to ponder: How can we align our prayers with God's will for a more impactful connection? Tune in and let's explore this together as we orient towards God! 🙏 #Trailhead6  IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Trail Head 6 - Orienteering 

Learning to orient yourself to God

Trail 9: How do I pray in a way that makes a difference?

Trail 10: How do I make God a Habit?

ILLUSTRATION:  

Last year I went with my daughter on an overnight field trip to Pine Mountain where they taught kids Orienteering, how to read a map and compass.  The idea was if these kids learned this skill, they’d be able to save themselves if they were ever lost in the woods.  Let me just tell you, after helping these kids, I don’t have much help that any of them are getting out alive if they are lost in the woods.  

Lol, learning to use a compass and a map is a skill. Learning to navigate takes some dedication and desire -it’s not hard, but it takes focus.

We are calling 

Trailhead 6 - Orienteering - learning to orient yourself to God

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For most of us, our natural bent is not to orient ourselves towards God but towards ourselves

That’s why today, we are going to look at two trails 

Trail 9: How do I pray in a way that makes a difference?

Trail 10: How do I make God a Habit?

ILLUSTRATION:

Do any of you struggle with prayer?  I know there are a handful of people that this just comes naturally for, but for others of us, it’s a HUGE challenge.  I used to always feel guilty when I’d hear other pastors say things like, “The growth of your church will be directly reflected in your prayer life.”  Because if I’m honest, I used to hardly ever really pray - even as a pastor.  

I can take you to the exact moment it happened.  I was taking a shower in college and I thinking about prayer and why we do it and I thought, “why am I praying if God knows everything I am going to ask Him anyway.  This feels stupid”.  And in that moment, I stopped asking God for things.  I stopped bringing issues before God.  I stopped engaging Him.

If you read the book this week, you know that I addressed some issues with this way of thinking. So, I’m not going to cover those, but what I am going to do is tell you what has changed everything for me when it comes to prayer.

Now, I do engage with God

Now, I do bring things before Him

Now, I do believe God wants to act based on our conversations

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2 Key concepts about Prayer:

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1.  Key Concept: I believe God incarnates (comes in the flesh) Himself to us in order to have a relationship with us.

ILLUSTRATION:

I know that’s a confusing idea, but let me explain with an illustration.  Imagine, you walk into a candy store with your kids.  Before you even enter the candy store, you know the first thing your kid is going to ask you is, ‘Mom, Dad, can I have some candy’.  You know the request is coming - it’s not a surprise, you probably even have your answer ready for them.  But you don’t stop your child when they ask.  You actually have a conversation with them.  You listen to their request - and they might actually even convince you to do something you weren’t planning on doing, like letting them get a few different candies.

The child isn’t forcing the parent to do what they want (well, not always) but they are moving the heart of the parent towards a decision the parent was already predisposed towards.

The word incarnate means “in the flesh”.  Jesus is God incarnate.  

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When He came into the world, Jesus necessarily limited himself in order to deal with limited beings - humans.

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I believe God continues to incarnate Himself with us - knowing what our requests will be, but interacting in a way that allows for a relationship - for you to ask and move His heart.

I think God has always been like this.  You can see it pretty early in Genesis 18 Abe has a conversation with God and negotiates from 50 down to 10 people who are righteous in Sodom and God will not destroy it.  Moses does this with God for the Israelites, God is ready to wipe everyone out, and Moses negotiates with God.  Jesus prays, “if there’s any way, but not my will, yours”

God comes to you ready for relationship with you in prayer - what is it that’s keeping you from entering into that relationship?

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2.  Key Concept:  Prayer is the means to align yourself with God’s work in the world.

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There is a way to get 100% of your prayers answered

->Pray in the will of the Father.

1 John 5:14

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

This is why Jesus, after negotiating with God says, “Not my will, but yours be done.”  

I personally ask bold things of God, but always with the caveat, “It’s your will I’m after…”

So, what is the Father's will then?  

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

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God longs for all to come to repentance - if you want prayers that are answered, pray in accordance with the desire of God

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Literally pray, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Trail 10: How do I make God a Habit?

ILLUSTRATION:

When I use the restroom, I don’t even think about putting up the toilet seat anymore, some of you women are like, “Kent’s the perfect man,” sorry ladies, I’m taken!  I don’t think about it, I just do it.  Why because when I put the seat up, I get a reward - a happy wife.  Using the bathroom is the cue, the routine is putting up the seat, the reward is happyness :)

All habits are Cues, Routines, and Rewards

-an action that cues (when I see this, or “this” happens) I go into the routine that leads me to some reward, either major or minor.

What would it take for you to set up some keystone habits in your life that would feed into your relationship with God?

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A Keystone habit is a  habit that sets the foundation for other parts of your life

For instance, in our church - servant leadership is one of those - it affects everything else.  If our leaders live out this habit, it will get rid of arguing, fighting, egos and so much more - it’s key to everything else.  

I want to give you a list of time-honored, Christian Keystone habits that if you cultivate them, will affect everything else in your life:

• Spending time with Jesus in the word
• Spending time with Jesus in prayer

Other Key Habits

• Solitude
• Memorize scripture
• journaling
• fasting
• Generosity
• meditating on God’s word

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I hope you know how much you matter in the Kingdom of God!  I was telling my kids the other day how God loves to do things in Community - He even exists in community - 3 in 1 - Trinity, ever heard of it?  God has chosen to use you and I to enact His will in this world through us submitting our will to Him.  The only way for you to do that regularly is through cultivating a life of habit towards God.  What I was telling my kids the other day though is because they have submitted themselves to Jesus, He’s using them.  When my daughters hear a kid getting made fun of and they reach out and tell that kid how much they care about them.  When my sons, stick up for someone or share Jesus with them.  I don’t expect my kids to be perfect, but I love seeing how God uses them.  Just like He wants to use you and me.  I promise if you will really turn everything over to Him.  He will use you in profound ways you can’t even imagine right now.