Pastor Seth Troutt opens our new series, “How to Pray,” by looking at Jesus’ teaching in Matthew 6 on how *not* to pray.

Many of us know prayer is important but feel distant from God or disappointed with our prayer lives. In this message, Pastor Seth contrasts performative, manipulative, and “magical” views of prayer with the simple, honest, and secure approach Jesus invites us into—talking to God as our Father.

You’ll learn:
- The assumption Jesus makes: Christians *will* pray  
- Two common distortions of prayer (hypocritical religion and pagan “many words”)  
- Why God already knowing your needs changes how you pray  
- The importance of secrecy and a private prayer life  
- Practical ideas for what to do in daily prayer

This is Part 1 of our “How to Pray” series through the Lord’s Prayer in Matthew 6. Join us as we learn to move from going through the motions to enjoying real communion with our Father in heaven.

00:00 - Introduction
07:19 - The Assumption: when you pray
14:14 - The Antithesis: manipulative religion
28:27 - The Answer: security & secrecy

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