Luke 11

"My Beloved, Far too often in your world, children and their fathers have great difficulty communicating. Sometimes this situation is because of..."

"Dear Child of God, James, my half brother, hit the nail on the head when he taught about why My people lack so many of the simplest and yet most..."

"Dear Beloved, Some of you roll your eyes or quickly speed-read past any biblical discussion of demons because you think that this kind of thing..."

How do you pray? Prayer is learned and we need to learn from Jesus how to pray.

"As Jesus was speaking, one of the Pharisees invited him home for a meal. So he went in and took his place at the table. His host was amazed to see..."

""Teacher," said an expert in religious law [after Jesus' accusations against the Pharisees], "you have insulted us, too, in what you just said." ....."

"Then, teaching [his disciples] more about prayer, [Jesus] used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three...."

"[Jesus continued,] "No one lights a lamp and then hides it or puts it under a basket. Instead, a lamp is placed on a stand, where its light can be..."

Inspirational illustration of Luke 11:1-4 -- Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come. Give us our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.

"He said to them, "When you pray, say: 'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also..."

"[Jesus continued,] "When an evil spirit leaves a person, it goes into the desert, searching for rest. But when it finds none, it says, 'I will return...."

"[Continuing his teaching on prayer, Jesus said,] "You fathers — if your children ask for a fish, do you give them a snake instead? Or if they ask for...."

"[Jesus continued his rebuttal to the accusation of casting out a demon by the power of Satan:] "But if I am casting out demons by the power of God,..."

Inspirational illustration of Luke 11:2-4 -- He said to them, "When you pray, say: "'Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. Give us each day our daily bread. Forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not

"Dear Follower, I came into the world as the Light of the World. That means I came to bring true light. So much light around you is dim and full of..."

"One day Jesus cast out a demon from a man who couldn't speak, and when the demon was gone, the man began to speak. The crowds were amazed, but some of..."

"As Jesus was leaving [after his accusations against the religious leaders], the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried....."

"[Jesus continued,] "The queen of Sheba will stand up against this generation on judgment day and condemn it, for she came from a distant land to hear...."

"[Continuing his teaching about persistence in prayer, Jesus said,] "And so I tell you, keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on...."

"Then, teaching [the disciples] more about prayer, [Jesus] used this story: "Suppose you went to a friend's house at midnight, wanting to borrow three...."

"[Jesus continued,] "As a result [of honoring their ancestors who killed the prophets], this generation will be held responsible for the murder of all...."

"As the crowd pressed in on Jesus, he said, "This evil generation keeps asking me to show them a miraculous sign. But the only sign I will give them is..."

"It is fondly imagined by some that it must have involved very special privileges to have been the mother of our Lord, because they supposed that she....."

"As [Jesus] was speaking, a woman in the crowd called out, "God bless your mother — the womb from which you came, and the breasts that nursed you!" ..."

"[When some people accused Jesus of casting out a demon by the power of Satan, Jesus] knew their thoughts, so he said, "Any kingdom divided by civil..."

So how does this all fit with prayer? Rick Brown leads us to see prayer in a fresh way, but also the way of Jesus.

"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..."

"[Jesus said,] "If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to...."

"[Jesus continued his teaching about how to pray:] "Give us each day the food we need, ...""

"[In response to one of the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray,] Jesus said, "This is how you should pray: "Father, may your name be kept..."

"[Jesus continued,] "What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you are careful to tithe even the tiniest income from your herb gardens, but you ignore..."

"For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened."

"If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask....."

"He replied, "Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.""

"[After Jesus cast out a demon, some people attributed his power to Satan.] Others, trying to test Jesus, demanded that he show them a miraculous sign...."

"[Jesus continued his accusations against the Pharisees:] "Yes, what sorrow awaits you! For you are like hidden graves in a field. People walk over..."

"[Jesus continued,] "What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don't enter the Kingdom...."

"What we are taught to seek or shun in prayer, we should equally pursue or avoid in action. Very earnestly, therefore, should we avoid temptation,..."

"[Jesus continued his accusations against the Pharisees:] "What sorrow awaits you Pharisees! For you love to sit in the seats of honor in the..."

"[Jesus continued his teaching about how to pray:] "... and forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us. And don't let us yield to....."

"[After some people accused Jesus of casting out a demon by the power of Satan, Jesus continued,] "And if I am empowered by Satan, what about your own...."

"[Jesus continued,] "Anyone who isn't with me opposes me, and anyone who isn't working with me is actually working against me.""

E-card of Luke 11:13 - If you.. know how to give good gifts to your children, then how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!

Inspirational illustration of Luke 11:28 -- He [Jesus] replied, 'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it.'

Inspirational illustration of Luke 11:10 -- For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Is God really your Father? When we approach God in prayer, it needs to be more than by rote, but instead as if we were speaking to our Father.

Let Him fill you with light. Brothers and sisters, without Christ, we are diamonds in a dark room. We cannot shine and display all the wondrous beauty God made us to have without His light.

The final destination of our journey to faith often depends upon the orientation of our hearts. James Nored and Phil Ware challenge us to look at C.S. Lewis and his journey of faith along with a broken-hearted father and see how we might be able to find faith in our own lives.

What does this last glimpse of Mary teach us about Jesus and discipleship? Phil Ware finishes his series on the Windows to Wonder, on Mary the mother of Jesus, the Messiah, the Lord, and Savior, and reminds us that we can all be part of Jesus' forever family.

Are you keeping your eyes shut to life? So often we die long before our bodies do because we live our lives with our eyes shut.

Is your faith lifting burdens or adding to them? Religion often addes burdens to people's backs, but Jesus came and relieved burdens.

What is your light? Some of us need sunlight all the time, but all of us need God's true light or we lose our way. So let's not settle for our own idols, for what is false and shadow.

Why do we not ask for something God longs to give? Phil Ware begins a four week challenge that coordinates with the SpiritFire daily devotional challenging us to invite the Holy Spirit into our daily lives.

Why do we make things so complex? Prayer should be simple, just like Jesus taught it and not made unnecessarily complex.

I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief! James Nored and Phil Ware look at C.S. Lewis and his struggle to find faith and our own challenges in believing.

When Luke summarized the heart of the early church, he chose to highlight one particular word — Phil Ware continues his series on prayer this week, focused on the early church's devotion to prayer that they learned from Jesus.

There are a lot of excuses, but they usually all boil down to fear! Phil Ware continues his series on Catch and Release as we seek to have the courage and boldness to share Jesus with others.

Growing in prayer, feeling a connection with the Father, and being formed to be a useful vessel for Jesus to use to bless others is a journey. Phil Ware, with the help of Chad Higgins, continues his series on Lord Teach Us to Pray focusing on learning from Jesus.

The Father has given us access to holy power and a way to bless each other through prayer if only we will take advantage of it! Phil Ware completes his four part series on growing to become like Jesus through the transformative work of the Holy Spirit, the transformation that Jesus promises us when we choose to follow him as his disciple.