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A HEART SET ON GOD

Session Topic

A believer whose heart is set on God will cultivate a constant attitude of prayer throughout each day.

Community Builder (Choose One)

1. Today’s society presents us with many options for how to spend our free time. Name one activity you like to do for leisure. Do you think this ever consumes too much of your time?

2. Are you a morning or an evening person? Or does time of day not affect your alertness? How does your answer influence when you spend extended time in prayer?

Group Discovery Questions

1. Is breathing a good illustration of what prayer ought to be like? Why or why not?

2. Why would any Christian want to behave like a practical humanist? Name and discuss several things (programs, methods, resources) that you think could lead to such action.

3. How did the miraculous events on the day of Pentecost affect the prayer practices of the early church (Acts 1—2; 6:4)?

4. What did you envision when you first heard the statement “Pray without ceasing”? Was this different from your current understanding of 1 Thessalonians 5:17? If so, how?

5. How does the wording at the beginning of Ephesians 6:18 help explain the all-encompassing nature of prayer?

6. What two important but contrasting lessons can we learn from the prayer time in the garden of Gethsemane (Matt. 26:36–46; Luke 22:40–46)?

7. How are the parables in Luke 11:5–10 and 18:1–8 different from the other ones Jesus told?

8. What is so significant about praying “in the Spirit”? (See Rom. 8:26–27.)

Prayer Focus

• Pray that, as you start this study, God would help you and each member of your group to become more aware of the need for daily prayer.

• Resolve to set aside enough time at the end of each meeting to pray as a group and follow up on previous weeks’ prayer requests.

Optional Activities

1. Reread the long quotation from Charles Spurgeon in the section titled “A Way of Life.” Try rewriting it in more contemporary language. Use at least one modern illustration that would exemplify the truth of how prayer ought to be a way of life.

2. Keep a prayer journal over the next month. Record lists of things and people you need to pray for. Also leave room for writing down answers to prayer. Share with a Christian friend at least one of the answers the Lord gives.

Assignment

1. Memorize Ephesians 6:18.

2. Read chapter 2 of Alone with God.