Series Resources

sermon-based study guide

This guide is designed to guide a group discussion around the weekend sermon. You can also use this as an individual, but we highly recommend finding a friend and inviting them to discuss with you. Menlo Church has Life Groups meeting in-person and online using these guides. We’d love to help you find a group.

What you will find in this guide: A discussion guide for groups and individuals. If you are using this as an individual be sure to engage with each question in a journal or simply in your mind as you prayerfully consider what you heard in the sermon and seek to discover what God is inviting you to know and do.

Study Guide: Avoiding the Poison of Prayer

Connect

How would you describe your father in three words?
Recall the last time you secretly blessed someone. What did you do, and what was your motive for anonymity?

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Engage

Read Matthew 6:5-8

What does Jesus tell us to avoid when we pray? Why?
What should our posture be like when we pray?
Why do you think we should pray with right motives when the Father already knows what we need?
What does this passage reveal about our triune God?

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Apply

Share about a time you earnestly prayed, and the outcome was different than you expected. How did you respond?
Where and when have you felt compelled to perform, strive, or lead out of a desire for validation?
How do you prevent your prayers from becoming formulaic?
What would it look like for you to form a habit of secret prayer?

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Prayer

Pray the Lord’s Prayer together out loud. Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done,

on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts,

as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from the evil one.

Matthew 6:9-13 NRSV

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If you need a jump start forming regular rhythms of prayer, start by praying the Lord’s Prayer every morning or night for a week.

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Going Deeper

Teach Us to Pray Resources:

Go to this website to see all the resources for this series including a prayer guide. https://menlo.church/teachushowtopray

Menlo Midweek Podcast:

Tune in every Wednesday for a conversation with the previous week’s speaker. It’s a deeper dive into the message and an engaging time to learn, reflect, grow—and have fun.

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/menlo-church-sermon-podcast/id129950807