West Salem Baptist Church

“Matt. 6:13) “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.” The above verse is the ending words of Jesus’s example on of how to pray. In the Lord’s prayer we are first taught to honor and glorify the Father and His Holy Name or (His Person). Then we are commanded to seek His will or (His Purpose) in life. After which, Jesus taught us to (Petition) him for our needs or “ daily bread,”   as well as “forgiveness” and “deliverance from evil” when tested, but there is also another aspect of this prayer that most people miss; and that is (His Praise). You see the temptation to do sin or “evil” is as much a part of our daily life as breathing. We are tempted daily to lust, lie, steal, gossip, cheat, become jealous, hate, etc., so we need not just the forgiveness of God, but also His power in faith. Brethren, we have som...

(Matt. 6:12,14-15) “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.””... For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you: But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” Prayer without forgiveness is dead.   The prayers of an unforgiving Christian cannot be honored by God. Why? Because God commanded that those who seek forgiveness must not harbor unforgiveness in their hearts. Being offended is just a part of life, therefore how we handle those that offend us determines not just our fellowship with God but answered prayers.  (Eph. 4:32) “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”  We therefore must forgive others with just as much forgiveness as God has given to us!  So, what happens to a Christian that does not practice forgiveness . 1) He Loses his fellowship with Go...

(Matt 6:11) “Give us this day our daily bread.” God desires that we communicate with Him about everything on a regular basis. Why, because He wants us to know that He is listening and that He has the power to answer our prayers at any time. In the Lord’s teachings on prayer in (Matt. 7), Jesus instructed his disciples to simply ask, and then to keep asking. “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” In other words, ask God, and if you see nothing keep knocking on heaven’s door until He responds or shows you differently. Therefore, prayer is simply thanking God for the needs that he has promised to provide, but also asking Him for things that we cannot change. The above part of the Lord’s prayer is an expectation of thanksgiving for doing so. Jesus told us in (Matt. 6:33) not to worry about all our basic needs such as food, clothing, housing, and the like, for if we will just simply seek t...