PRAISE

Opens us to God's Presence

1. Psalm 100:4 - "Enter His gates with thanksgiving, and His courts with praise. Give thanks to Him; bless His name."
2. Hebrews 13:15 - "Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name."

This is a verbal recognition of who God is and what He has done. We praise Him for who He is:

His goodness, patience, love, wisdom, knowledge, holiness, glory
(The Psalms give a great example of how God can be praised.)

We thank Him for what He has done or is doing or even what He will do:
Material blessings - jobs, home, family
Physical blessings - health, strength
Spiritual blessings - church, Christian friends

PURITY

1. 1 John 1:9 - "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness."
2. Confession is more than "forgive me for all my sins;" it is "forgive me for lying" or "forgive me for impure thoughts" - it is not a general confession, but specific confession.
3. When we confess, we have the promise of cleansing. Thank God for the cleansing He alone can give.
4. David's Psalm of forgiveness - Psalm 51 - is a great example of confession.

POWER

1. Acts 1:8 - "...but you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and even to the remotest part of the earth."
2. Ephesians 5:18 - "And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit."

God's Spirit indwells every Christian.
Every Christian needs God's Spirit to infill them.

"Lord, fill me with your Spirit so that your thoughts will be my thoughts, your decisions will be my decisions, your feelings will be my feelings."

PROTECTION

1. Ephesians 6:10-17 - "Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the full armor of God, that you may be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the full armor of God, that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done everything, to stand firm. Stand firm therefore, having girded your loins with truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace; in addition to all, taking up the shield of faith with which you will be able to extinguish all the flaming missiles of the evil one. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God."
2. Armor - "Lord, by faith, I now put on the:

Belt of Truth - protection from Satan's deception
Breastplate of Righteousness - protection from desires that are not pleasing to God in our hearts
Shoes - protection for the direction God wants us to go
Shield of Faith - protects from all of Satan's distractive darts
Helmet of Salvation - protects our minds from temptation so that we can make right decisions
Sword of the Spirit - Hebrews 4:12 - "For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart."
- protects and provides discernment for dealing with all that we face in life"

(Note: by taking the sword of the Spirit, we are studying God's Word.)

PLEASURE

We are created to please God.

1. We please Him by faith. - Hebrews 11:6 - "And without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who seek Him."
2. We please Him by bearing fruit. - John 15:16 - "You did not choose Me, but I chose you, and appointed you, that you should go and bear fruit, and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask of the father in My name, He may give to you."

"Lord, let me please you in all things - by living in faith and by bearing fruit for Your glory."

PEACE

1. John 14:27 - "Peace I leave with you; My peace I give to you; not as the world gives, do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be fearful."
2. John 16:33 - "These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you have tribulation, but take courage; I have overcome the world."

"Lord, let me have the peace that only you can give, so that regardless of what happens today, I will be at peace."

PETITIONS

1. My family's needs
2. The needs of others:

(intercession -1 Timothy 2:1-4) - "First of all, then, I urge that entreaties and prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority, in order that you may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and dignity. This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth."
Church
Country
Missionaries

3. My needs

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