MEMORY VERSE SELECTIONS

   

Ps. 27:4 “One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in Th. house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in his temple.”

Jn. 12:24 “Very truly I tell you, unless a kernel of wheat falls to the ground and dies, it remains only a single see.  but if it dies, it produces many seeds.”

Mt. 26:39 “...If it be possible, let this cup pass from me, nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt.”

Jn. 12:27 “No my soul is troubled, and what shall I say? ‘Father, save me from this hour’? No, it was this very reason I came to this hour.”

Gal. 5:15 “But if ye bite and devour one another, take heed that ye be not consumed one of another.”

1. 1. List two Bible characters who were led by their wandering appetites instead appetites for God.
   

2. 2.What should we do when our minds wander during our prayer times? 
   

1. a)Wait until you can concentrate 
   

2. b)force your thoughts toward the Lord
   

3. c)share your wandering thoughts with the Lord 
   

4. d)get professional help
   

3. 3. Jesus presented His disciples with a cup of wine at the Last Supper as a symbol of His life’s blood.  The Father presented Jesus with a cup while He was praying at Gethsemane.  With what was this spiritual cup filled?
   

4. 4. Although Jesus did not get an answer right away when He prayed in the Garden and asked the Father to take this cup away, Jesus did receive an answer right after He cried out from the cross “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”   What was the answer?
   

1. a) Jesus got to die for our sins.
   

2. b)He finally got to be buried in a tomb.
   

3. c)We don’t know the answer.
   

4. d)The veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom making the way open into the Holy of Holies for all people.
   

5. 5. Why did Father God not answer His Son Jesus’ prayer immediately while in the Garden of Gethsemane?
   

1. a)Jesus would have missed the very reason for His life
   

2. b)The Father was to busy managing the world
   

3. c)The disciples fell asleep and there were not enough prayers going up to the Father.  I hate when that happens.
   

4. d)Jesus was weak in faith at that moment and needed to believe a little harder.
   

6. 6. Does God answer our prayers as soon as He can, or does He get distracted by more important issues of world peace, pandemics and politics?
   

1. a) He answers our prayers as soon as His love and wisdom permit.
   

2. b) He has a hectic schedule and takes request in order of spiritual priority.
   

7. 7.Through Christ’s garden prayer, we discover how very human Jesus was, and that He experienced every nuance of our human experiences.   T     F
   

8. 8. Jesus and Job had a similar prayer.  Which of these words best expresses their common cry to the Lord?
   

        a) What    b) How    c) Why   d) Who

9. 9.  Explain why you want the perfect attitude contained in these words of Jesus in Mt. 26:29: “...not as I will, but as thou wilt.”
   

10. 10.  Is God trying to kill you?  No, He’s making a way for you to  ___________________________________.
    

11. 11. Who killed Jesus?
    

1. a)The Romans  
   

2. b)The Jews  
   

3. c)Both a and b
   

4. d) Nobody - He gave life for us.
   

12. 12.  Sometimes prayers are not answered immediately because the drama of Earth’s actors has not yet come to the final act.  T    F
    

13. 13.  Job’s trial turned into a blessing when Job realized that God had made a mistake in allowing such suffering in his life when he was such an upright man.   T     F
    

14. 14.  The Apostle Paul and Shakespeare agreed on at least one thing.  What is it?
    

15. 15.  Read Ps. 66:18 and Ezekiel 14:3-8.  How does God respond to His people who hold onto sin and idols in their hearts?
    

16. 16. Who had the gift of prophesy while he also held idols in his heart? 
    

17. 17.  There is a direct link between giving to the poor and receiving answers to prayer.   T     F
    

18. 18. Giving money to the poor has more to do with our hearts than our bank accounts.   T    F
    

19. 19. Maintaining God’s order in our relationships is a key to having our prayers answered.   T     F
    

20. 20. Ahithophel’s unforgiving heart lead to his suicide. 
    

         T     F

21. 21. Why did Peter instruct husbands to honor their wives in 1 Pet. 3:7?
    

22. 22. Why did God bless Abraham?
    

23. 23. When we fail to forgive others we are likewise not forgiven by the Lord.   T     F  
    

24. 24. Can you go to Heaven if you are not forgiving of others?  Think about this.
    

25. 25. Who said, “Lord lay not this sin to their charge?”
    

26. 26. Did Joseph, Stephen and Jesus see themselves as victims or victorious in the face of unjust persecution? 
    

27. 27. Resentment
    

1. a)is the natural feeling when others are jerks toward us
   

2. b)stains our character like coffee stains an old mug
   

3. c)makes us feel good about feeling bad
   

4. d)none of the above
   

28. 28. Which is the more carnal perspective of suffering?
    

1. a)I’m suffering because of other people.
   

2. b)I’m suffering for the sake of others.
   

29. 29. How did persecution help the early church mature? 
    

30. 30. Are you living in the truth God has revealed to you?  Why is this an essential question when it comes to having our prayers answered?
    

31. 31. God doesn’t answer prayers because you articulate poetically.  He answers prayers based on how you ________________________________________.  
    

32. 32. Define what a sin of ignorance is.
    

33. 33. What is wrong about the Pharisaical approach to living uprightly? 
    

34. 34. The Lord must first rule in us, and then He’ll rule ____________________________________.
    

35. 35. Jesus emptied Himself of His divine power when He left heaven and became a human being.  While on this earth as a man, He emptied Himself of His human power so that He could function as a channel of the Father’s power while in a human form.   T     F
    

RESOURCES

    Conditions for answers to prayer

http://www.slideshare.net/tinytim/conditions-of-an-answered-prayer

    27 conditions for answered prayer

http://www.returningking.com/?p=60

    Conditions of successful praying

CHALLENGES

Read the introspective journal questions below.  Select 2 of them to answer.  Prayerfully contemplate your answers and journal your way through them. 

JOURNAL:

1. 1. Is my hunger for a relationship with the Lord my greatest appetite?
   

2. 2.  Am I aware of the Lord’s influence in the details of my daily life? 
   

3. 3. Do I comply with the leading of the Holy Spirit?
   

4. 4. Do I offer life to the Lord?  Do I allow others and circumstances to bring a spiritual death to my fallen nature?  In other words, do I pray like Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemane?  “Not my will but thy will be done.”
   

5. 5. How willing am I to give of my time and resources to the underprivileged people?
   

6. 6. Against whom do I hold a grudge and un-forgiveness?
   

7. 7. Am I living up to the truth and grace that the Lord is providing for me every day?
   

8. 8. Am I actively defeating the spiritual enemies of my soul? How am I gaining victories?  What is contributing to my failures?
   

9. 9. Why is prayer so important?