1. Experiencing ListeningExperiencing Listening
PrayerPrayer

2. Purpose: Cleansing the heart in
preparation to hear God
This session we will explore two major areas
that make our hearts unclean:
 Denying our sins
 Giving in to fear
We will learn how to cleanse our heart by
confessing our sin and trusting God rather than
giving in to fear.

3. Create in me a clean heart O GodCreate in me a clean heart O God

4. How do I know your still small voiceHow do I know your still small voice
in the midst of all that isin the midst of all that is
going on within me?going on within me?

5. How God’s words in listening prayer
can become polluted in our spirit:
 13
Who is wise and understanding among you?
Let him show it by his good life, by deeds
done in the humility that comes from wisdom.
14
But if you harbor bitter envy and selfish
ambition in your hearts, do not boast about it
or deny the truth. 15
Such "wisdom" does not
come down from heaven but is earthly,
unspiritual, of the devil. - James 3:13-15

6. How God’s words in listening prayer
can become polluted in our spirit:
 16
For where you have envy and selfish
ambition, there you find disorder and every
evil practice. 17
But the wisdom that comes
from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-
loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy
and good fruit, impartial and sincere.
James 3:16-17

7. Have you ever found yourselfHave you ever found yourself
hiding from God?hiding from God?

8. Why are we so resistant to telling GodWhy are we so resistant to telling God
that we are wrong?that we are wrong?

9. I am truly sorry Lord:
1
Have mercy on me, O God,
according to your unfailing love;
according to your great compassion
blot out my transgressions.
2
Wash away all my iniquity
and cleanse me from my sin.
Psalm 51:1-2

10. I Am Truly Sorry Lord:
3
For I know my transgressions,
and my sin is always before me.
4
Against you, you only, have I sinned
and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are proved right when you
speak and justified when you judge.
Psalm 51:3-4

11. You are the only one Lord that can
get me clean again:
10
Create in me a pure heart, O God,
and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
11
Do not cast me from your presence
or take your Holy Spirit from me.
12
Restore to me the joy of your salvation
and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain
me.
Psalm 51:10-12

12. Is it possible that we fill our lives toIs it possible that we fill our lives to
overflowing with worldly stuff sooverflowing with worldly stuff so
that we can avoid beingthat we can avoid being
alone with God?alone with God?

13. Why are we so prone to move away fromWhy are we so prone to move away from
God rather than to move toward God?God rather than to move toward God?

14. Prone to wander Lord I feel It,
prone to leave the Lord I love
1
What causes fights and quarrels among you?
Don't they come from your desires that battle
within you? 2
You want something but don't
get it. You kill and covet, but you cannot have
what you want. You quarrel and fight. You
do not have, because you do not ask God.
3
When you ask, you do not receive, because
you ask with wrong motives, that you may
spend what you get on your pleasures. –
James 4:1-3

15. Prone to wander Lord I feel it, prone
to leave the Lord I love
4
You adulterous people, don't you know that
friendship with the world is hatred toward
God? Anyone who chooses to be a friend of
the world becomes an enemy of God. 5
Or do
you think Scripture says without reason that
the spirit he caused to live in us envies
intensely?
James 4:4-5

16. Heart barrier to listening prayer
that this session addresses:
 We hide from God because we are embarrassed
about our sin. We think that we have to clean
up our act ourselves for a few days before we
can approach God in prayer. So the net result is
that we are constantly putting off a relationship
with God until we get ourselves straightened
out.

17. Prayer time:
 Confess that you sometimes try to hide from the
Lord because you are ashamed of your sin.
 Ask for the Lord’s forgiveness, and ask the
Lord to give you a clean heart.

18. Experiencing ListeningExperiencing Listening
PrayerPrayer

19. How do I move toward GodHow do I move toward God
rather than awayrather than away
from God?from God?

20. Come near to God, and He willCome near to God, and He will
come near to you.come near to you.
James 4:7-10James 4:7-10

21. I long to be in a close personal
relationship with you O Lord:
Dear Lord,
It is my desire to seek you with all of my heart.
I pray that you would help me overcome all
the resistance of my heart to drawing close to
you through your mighty power. In Jesus’
name I pray. Amen

22. Submit yourselves then to GodSubmit yourselves then to God

23. Prayer of surrender to God:
Dear Lord,
I surrender the leadership of my life into your care. I
ask you to take control of my life, and to give me
your guidance, wisdom, and direction that I so
desperately need. I confess my stubbornness of heart
and my desire to do things my way rather than your
way. Help me Lord to learn how to follow your
guidance and to hear your voice so that I may follow
you. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

24. Resist the devil,Resist the devil,
And he will flee from you.And he will flee from you.

25. In prayer, declare victory over
Satan’s ability to lie to you:
Thank you God for the victory that
Jesus won for us through his death and
resurrection. I receive what you have
done for me, and I resist all of Satan’s
schemes and plans in the name of Jesus.

26. In prayer, declare victory over Satan’s
ability to lie to you:
I plead the blood of Jesus over this time of
prayer and command that only your Holy
Spirit shall come close and prosper.
Thank you Lord that through Jesus I can
have victory over all of Satan’s lies. In
Jesus’ name I pray. Amen

27. Wash your hands you sinners,Wash your hands you sinners,
and purify your heartsand purify your hearts
you double-minded.you double-minded.

28. Search me O God and know
my heart:
I ask you to search my heart O God
and to reveal to me anything that I have
done by thought, word, or deed that has
been displeasing in your sight.

29. Search me O God and know
my heart:
I repent of my sin, and confess that it is against
you, and you only that I have sinned. Thank
you for the forgiveness that Jesus won for
me on the cross. I receive his forgiveness
and my desire is to serve you with all of my
heart. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen

30. Grieve, mourn, and wail.Grieve, mourn, and wail.
Change your laughter to mourning andChange your laughter to mourning and
your joy to gloom.your joy to gloom.

31. I am sorry that I have grieved You
O Lord:
Dear Lord,
I am truly sorry for my sin, and I am
grieved for the way that my sin grieves the
Holy Spirit O Lord.
I apologize to you O Lord from the bottom
of my heart. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen

32. Humble yourselves before the LordHumble yourselves before the Lord
and He will lift you up.and He will lift you up.

33. To God be the glory:
Dear Lord,
It is my desire to live for your glory O
Lord rather than to live for my own. I pray
that Jesus would increase in my life, and that I
would decrease. In Jesus’ name I pray.
Amen

34. Experiencing ListeningExperiencing Listening
PrayerPrayer

35. Will you show me Lord which wayWill you show me Lord which way
You want me to go?You want me to go?

36. I don’t want to take this wrong
path Lord:
Behold, the man who would not make God
his refuge,
But trusted in the abundance of his riches,
and was strong in his evil desire.
Psalm 52:7

37. Our lack of trust hinders our ability to
receive the Lord’s discernment in prayer
5
Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and
lean not unto thine own understanding. 6
In all
thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall
direct thy paths.
Proverbs 3:5-6

38. How do you trust God in the midstHow do you trust God in the midst
of an uncertain future?of an uncertain future?

39. The Lord is my shepherdThe Lord is my shepherd

40. I shall not wantI shall not want

41. He maketh me to lieHe maketh me to lie
down in green pasturesdown in green pastures

42. He leadeth me beside the still watersHe leadeth me beside the still waters

43. He restoreth my soulHe restoreth my soul

44. He leadeth me in the paths ofHe leadeth me in the paths of
righteousness for his name sakerighteousness for his name sake

45. Yea though I walk through theYea though I walk through the
valley of the shadow of deathvalley of the shadow of death

46. I will fear no evilI will fear no evil

47. For thou art with meFor thou art with me

48. Thy rod and thy staff they comfort meThy rod and thy staff they comfort me

49. Thou preparest a table before meThou preparest a table before me
in the presence of mine enemiesin the presence of mine enemies

50. Thou anoinest my head with oilThou anoinest my head with oil

51. My cup runneth overMy cup runneth over

52. Surely goodness and mercy shall followSurely goodness and mercy shall follow
me all the days of my lifeme all the days of my life

53. And I will dwell in the houseAnd I will dwell in the house
of the Lord forever.of the Lord forever.

54. Heart barrier to approaching God
in listening prayer:
 We are afraid of what will happen to us if we
really trust God. We are afraid that we will lose
our financial security if we radically trust God.
We become crippled with fear and are afraid of
seeking God’s direction for our lives for fear of
what the consequences might be if we truly
yield to the Lord’s leadership.

55. Prayer Time:
 Dear Lord,
I know that you have not given us a spirit of fear,
but instead you give us your power, your love,
and a sound mind. I lay my fears down at the
foot of the cross and come what may, I trust
you.
In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen