Doubt is often hostile towards faith, but sometimes it is also a normal part of faith. The some of the greatest people in the Bible had moments of doubt. I remember how Abraham laughed at God when he heard that his wife was going to have a child at 90 years of age. Or how John the Baptist asked Jesus if He was really the Messiah. Remember this: Always take your doubts to Jesus. Talk to Him about questions you have. He can handle it.
" Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see." ( Hebrews 11:1)

Some of you grew up where you were taught if you sin and if it’s a really big sin, you have to say a certain number of prayers. That’s not in the Bible. Prayer is not punishment for your sins.
Jesus specifically told us NOT to repeat the same thing over & over.
Matt 6:7 says,” When you pray DO NOT use meaningless repetition thinking you will be heard for your many words.”
What I want to do   is  to demolish misconceptions with the truth. We are going to look at the basics, the foundation of prayer. You’re going to see that prayer is not as a duty but a delight, Not a burden but a blessing .

• Pray is not a fire extinguisher

Where you can run over to the wall and take it and use it in case of an emergency. Only for desperate situation.
I find this often in peoples lives. They seldom pray but when a crisis comes boy do they pray.
Get bad news: Start praying
“God if you will get me out of this mess…!
Use prayer at the last resort.
It is meant to be your first choice. Before you buy that car, pray. Before you go looking for that job, pray. Before you accept a date or get married, pray. Before you eat , pray. Prayer should be your first choice. Is it?

Why pray?
Because God expects it. Jesus said ,”When you pray.”
Because it is the way to communicate with our Heavenly Father.
Because Jesus prayed. It was a priority. It says that Jesus often got away and prayed.
​One of his last sentences on the cross was a prayer.” Father forgive them for they know not what they do.”
Because throughout the history of the church, it has been a priority, a necessity.
When the church fails to pray the church suffers, society suffers, families suffer, individuals suffer.
Mother Teresa said this,” The more you pray, the easier it becomes. The easier it becomes,, the more you pray.

Contemplation or reflection is vitally important. Psalm 1 teaches us to not only read the Bible, but to meditate on it day and night. We need to reflect in a focused way on the things God tells us in the Bible. We must move the other things to the background, and put His will in the foreground of our thoughts. To meditate on His Word, is to radically change the entire course of your life.
"  I remember the days of old; I meditate on all that you have done; I ponder the work of your hands."-Psalm 143:5 (ESV)