Not Knowing

My brother and some friends built a three room hut in our back yard. It was nice and we had a lot of fun in that three room little structure. While out one cool winter day we found a steel box and decided to add heat to our little place. We took the steel box and fixed it in the corner up next to the wall on a wooden floor. We made us a little fire in it and we had heat; what more could a boy want? A place to come out of the cold into your very own castle. Not many days after we were at the super table eating when my mom said your hut is on fire. What? Our hut was on fire; what evil person has done this? We were soon outside fighting the fire to save our place; but it was too late, we would have to rebuild. After my Dad had asked us some questions we found out something about metal getting hot and why you shouldn’t attach it to wooden floors and walls! A lesson well learned but a little late. There are many things that we do and think we are doing the right thing at the time. We didn’t that night leave our hut knowing it was going to catch on fire; it happened because we didn’t know. For many years I didn’t understand how to pray; I prayed but not like Jesus taught His disciples. I would start to pray and as soon as I could I would be asking the Lord for this or telling Him about my problems. Then one day something was explained to me that showed me the right way to pray. In the book of Luke we read  Luk 11:1  And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.  The Lord began to do just that and we can learn from His teaching. Watch what He says; Luke 11:2  And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Luke 11:3  Give us day by day our daily bread. Luke 11:4  And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. The very first thing Jesus did was Praise the Father and He used a whole verse in teaching us how to. The next thing He taught His disciples was to ask for their daily needs, the third thing He taught them to do was ask forgiveness and the last thing He taught those disciple was to ask for protection. If you and I begin our prayer with Praise it will help us get our mind off ourselves. I want us to think about our protection. There are temptations that I battle with every day and then what about the evil that battles against us; wouldn’t it be nice for some help in those areas? Sure it would and you and I need to ask our heavenly Father for victories in our life on a daily basis. So when you pray don’t forget to praise God for all He is doing and allowing in your life. Look around you today and praise God for His goodness to you and find someone and give them an encouraging word that may just make their day.