Text: Luke 11:1-13

Four keys to effective prayer:

1. Pray in PRIVATE

Luke 11:1 (NLT) - 1 Once Jesus was in a certain place praying. As he finished, one of his disciples came to him and said, "Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples."

• Jesus modeled private prayer: "Would often go into lonely places to pray" Luke 5:16
• Privacy shows pure motives.
• Matthew 6:6 (NLT) - 6 But when you pray, go away by yourself, shut the door behind you, and pray to your Father in private. Then your Father, who sees everything, will reward you.
• Shut the door behind you.
  • Symbolic of closing off the world.
  • Go on a walk.
  • Go on a drive.
  • Go into a private room.
  • Turn off ALL distractions.

2. Pray with a PATTERN

Luke 11:2-4 (NLT) - 2 Jesus said, "This is how you should pray: "Father, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. 3 Give us each day the food we need, 4 and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to temptation."

Four pillars of this prayer:

• Worship - Father, may your name be kept holy.
• Will - Your Kingdom is priority.
• Worry - Give us bread, give us forgiveness.
• Warfare - Deliver us from the evil one.

Other models of prayer:

• Tabernacle prayer
• Ripple prayer
• Paul's prayer

3. Pray with PERSISTENCE

• Jesus uses a story of a friend at midnight. Although the friend will not be nice because of the time, he will give you what you want because of your persistence.
• He also uses a story of an unjust judge who grants justice because of persistence.
• How much more will a good Father give us what we desire when we ask with persistence?
• "Ask, Seek, Knock" and you will have what you ask for, find what you seek for, and have access through the door.

4. Pray with POWER

• To conclude this teaching on prayer, Jesus ends with the ultimate key to powerful prayer, the Holy Spirit.
• Luke 11:13 (NLT) - 13 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him.
• The Holy Spirit prays for us - Romans 8:26 (NLT) - 26 And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. For example, we don't know what God wants us to pray for, but the Holy Spirit prays for us with groanings that cannot be expressed in words.
• The Holy Spirit gives us faith to believe - "Gift of faith."