When You Pray--Lesson 9--How and How Not to Pray

Discussion Questions:

1. What struggles do you have with what to pray; how to pray; and why to pray?

2. What audience do you pray to? Why is it such a tempting thing to be more concerned

about what people think than what God thinks?

3. What kinds of masks do you wear in your prayer life? Describe what kinds of struggles you

have with being completely honest and vulnerable before God.

4. What is your picture of God? Is He kind and generous, or harsh and a grudging giver?

How does this affect the way you approach Him in prayer?

5. Why should worship of God precede expressing our needs? Why is worship of God

incomplete if we do not express our needs?

When You Pray--Lesson 8--What Did Paul Pray For?

Discussion Questions:

1. What does it mean that we must see prayer as transformational and not just utilitarian?

What types of things do you pray that seek transformation?

2. What does the change in the apostle’s prayer concerns from the Gospel to Acts teach you

about your own prayer life? How have you seen maturity produced by the things you pray

about?

3. If we kept track of the percentages of what we pray about, what areas need more

emphasis in our corporate prayer life? How does avoiding praying about these things

hinder opportunities and bring stagnation?

4. Why does Paul place such a strong emphasis on knowledge of God’s will? How should

this play out into our actions? What helps you to be filled with the knowledge of God?

5. What areas of character development could use more prayer in your life? Why are prayer

and patience important ingredients for our maturation in the LORD?

When You Pray--Lesson 7--Reasons for Confidence

Discussion Questions:

1. What are the dangers of not having confidence in prayer? What kind of prayer crosses the

line from confident to arrogant or presumptuous?

2. How did Peter know the lame man would be healed or Dorcas would raise from the dead?

What is the difference for us today?

3. How does knowing you have eternal life help you to have more confidence in your prayer

life? What kinds of things make you doubt your eternal situation? How does this lack of

confidence turn you to introspection?

4. How have you seen God answer your prayers in the 4 different ways mentioned in the

sermon (Yes, No, Delay, Offer something different)? How can John assert with confidence

that God hears us and we have what we request when His answers can be no, wait, or

offer us something different?

5. How often do you pray using Scripture to guide you or to set your agenda? What makes

this a powerful way to guide you?