How to Pray
The Epistle to the Colossians 7.0
Colossians 4:2-6
by Eric Stillman
March 2nd, 2008

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² Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.  ³ And pray for us, too, that God may open a door for our message, so that we may proclaim the mystery of Christ, for which I am in chains.  ⁴ Pray that I may proclaim it clearly, as I should.  ⁵ Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity.  ⁶ Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

The word translated as “devote yourselves to” is proskartere,w which can mean “devote oneself to”, or “continue in earnestly or steadfastly.”  Out of all the possible things they can do, Paul admonishes them to devote themselves, give themselves, to prayer.  This morning I want to give you a crash course in prayer by giving you seven reasons why you should pray, seven “how-to’s” regarding prayer, and six things that the Bible says can hinder the effectiveness of your prayers.  This sermon will be very heavy on Biblical passages on prayer, and is influenced heavily by R.A. Torrey’s book, “How to Pray.”