Prayer

There’s nothing about being a Christian that is simple or easy.  We live in a time where being a Christian doesn't just make you different, it makes you look in the wrong, hurtful, and even hateful because of the world's compass of morality.  If you're a Christian, and you call yourself a follower of Jesus, what’s the point of standing for such an unpopular opinion? If you are not a Christian
and you're new to this whole church thing, what's the point of being here?  In this series, we're looking at the point of all of this...  A life-changing relationship with Jesus!

Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper:
“We cannot know what prayer is for
until we know that life is war.”

Prayer is not flippant or passive, prayer is powerful! Prayer doesn't just change your heart to be thankful, it actually changes your circumstances and it changes the world around you.  Prayer is a direct connection to the God of the universe.

1 Peter 3:12a
For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous
    and his ears are attentive to their prayer

2 Corinthians 5:21
God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

At it's core, prayer is warring for people's souls.

Ephesians 6:12
12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

The greatest thing that the enemy can do to you is to cut you off at the knees by getting you to think you are in a struggle for comfort not a war for the souls of the people around you!

Let the Nations Be Glad by John Piper:
"Prayer is primarily a wartime walkie-talkie for the mission of the church as it advances against the powers of darkness and unbelief. It is not surprising that prayer malfunctions when we try to make it a domestic intercom to call upstairs for more comforts in the den."

Oswald Chambers:
“Prayer is not a preparation for work, it IS work. Prayer is not a preparation for the battle, it IS the battle. Prayer is two-fold: definite asking and definite waiting to receive.”