First Things First: How To Pray Like Jesus

I'm glad we're together today in this space. My name is Mark Cummins. I'm the pastor at Church of Hope. And if you're a regular attender, welcome. So glad that week after week, we join together in this space. And if by chance, this is your first time, I'm really glad that we're beginning our friendship today. Understand that this broadcast literally goes around the world for free. See, we believe that life's at its best when people discover hope in Christ. There are people who give generously so this broadcast can be reached across every continent. If you've never given, I would invite you today to give. You can go to our webpage, hopeinOcala.com and drop down on the giving bar and give a one-time gift. Or you can give generously beyond just today. And if God's blessed you, help us as we give hope around the world. But for now, I want you to open up your heart and your mind. Let Jesus speak to you. Because what I believe is that when we open up our minds and let Jesus speak to us, life doesn't become perfect and all the problems don't go away, but you experience his presence in you, with you, and for you. Open up your heart. Let Jesus speak to you today. Peace.

Well, good morning. Great to see you. Echo what Emily said. Hope you're ready for your best year ever. I know I am ready. And I think together we have an incredible opportunity to experience life better and brighter in 2026. So to get us started, I want you to do something what normally we don't do on a Sundays. Would you take out your phone? All right, so, and this only works if everybody does it. So just at home, take out your phone, right? And go ahead and go to your camera, go to your camera app, whatever that is. And then I want you to click on that camera app. All right, and then I want you to turn around so that it's facing you. Look at you right there in that camera. Don't look at me, look at you. Look at you, right? All right, now right now I want you to give your best smile and I want you to take a picture of you. Just you, not both of you, you. It's all about you, right? Just take a picture. You get your picture? Now open up that picture. I just want you to look at that person that's looking back at you. Don't look at me, look at the hero.

Looking back at you. Now, what would happen? Look at that person. What would happen if the person that's looking at you would become more like Jesus in 2026? Yes. More like Jesus. What would happen to the anxiety inside this person? The stress. What dreams and goals that you've hoped for and wondered if it was ever possible? What would it really be? What's the possibility as you look into your eyes for 2026? And then ask this question. What's at stake if I don't become more like Jesus? My relationships, my career. You're looking at me, look at you. This is your life. I'm encouraging you to save this photo. In your journal guide, write some of the questions. In 2026, I become more like Jesus in my marriage, and you fill it in. My career, my kids, my health. The reverse is also true. If I choose not to become more like Jesus, if that person looking at me just keeps on doing the same old thing that he'd been doing for the last several years, the last several decades, why would I ever be surprised that the discouragement, the depression, the dysfunction continues?

See, as you look at you, there's a decision to be made. This is a truth if you want to write it down. God's love for you. for you is unconditional. And we're very grateful for God's unconditional love. But his vision for you is transformational. God loves you too much to leave you right where you are. But there is the tension. God wants to develop us. He wants to grow us. And notice 1 John 2 and 6. It's at the beginning of your journal. It's here on the big screen. Whoever claims to live in Jesus. So I don't know where you might be. On the dusty trail called life. But if you're claiming to live in Jesus, scripture also says that you must live as Jesus. It's not a suggestion. It's a declaration. Yes, God's love for you is unconditional. But his vision for you today and in every day is transformational. Romans chapter 8, verse 29. God is conforming you into the image of his son, Jesus Christ. As you take your phone and go ahead and just open it back up, look at that picture again. And ask the question, who is he trying to be like? Is it an athlete? An influencer?

Am I trying to be like my parents? Am I trying not to be like my parents? Here's what I know. All of us are trying to be like someone. We're following someone or something. God's got a plan for you. And God's plan is to conform you into the image of his son. And you can see the tension. If I'm trying to be like some influencer, if I'm trying to be like some actor, some athlete, some actress, some politician, I could actually be in opposition to what God is up to in my life. You know, a new year doesn't automatically create a new life. And a new calendar doesn't create a brand new character. What changes one year from the previous years is your priorities. And too often, we focus on the outcomes and we ignore the systems, the steps, that will take us to whatever particular outcomes we desire. You know, gym memberships are going to peak. They're going to spike in the month of January. But come February, attendance is going to fade. You see, desire has never been the issue. Consistency is the issue. Taking the step, realizing in this moment, it stands all by itself. It has no history. It has no future. I have not won.

I have not lost. This is a moment. I will step up in this moment. And I will trust God along the way. And I'll enjoy the success God gives me in this moment. Then there's another moment. And that next moment, it has no history of itself. It has no victory. It has no loss. It is a brand new, separate moment. And I will step up into that moment and have the success that God has given to me in this moment. And then the very next moment, it has no history. It has no victory. It has no losses. It's a separate moment all in itself. And I will step up into the success. And what happens is, we in 2026, what you're going to do in 2026 is you're going to stack these successful moments on top of one another. And when we gather together at the end of 26, what you're going to experience and who you're going to become is at a whole nother level. But we've got a problem we've got to deal with. And that problem is drift. We all have a tendency to start something strong. But we have drift. We have good intentions, but our actions and our attitudes, the stress that begins to define us, the expectations that are put on us, they exhaust us.

And all of these intentions that we might have today, when everyday life gets around us, we begin to drift. So that's why today, we're going to lean in and see what Jesus, how Jesus will guide us towards the preferred future that every single one of us in this room has. With that said, grab your Bible and open to Mark chapter 1. And then you can also open your journal to the very first page where it says, first things first, starting with what's most important. There can only be one first most important in your life. You had that first kiss with your bride. You had that first day on a job. You had that first experience when you did a 5K, and then a 10K, and then a half marathon. And for some of you, next weekend in Houston, you're going to run the Houston Marathon. There is always a. First moment and so this morning we get to have a first moment with Jesus now. I want you to notice Mark chapter 1 if you look at verse 1 we're not gonna spend time there if you look at verse 2 We're not gonna spend time there, but look at verse 3. We're not gonna spend time there, but interesting fun fact Mark doesn't have time For Christmas There's no mention about Christmas. He's just getting it on His his temperament his energy is I gotta get to the main story I want people to know all about Jesus who he is and what he did and how he lived right? Maybe that's the reason my mom named me mark I ain't got much time for the details And I just want to get in and get after it and we find in chapter 1 Jesus already I mean he is doing miracles. He is in people's lives I mean the pressure the activity the energy everything that's happening and on the right in the middle of all of this early success

What we find is it is a paradox It's because he pauses in his upward trajectory of spiritual success He pauses and does something that sets him up for everything That's gonna happen in the rest of his life, and dare. I say this morning if you and I will lean in And let Jesus guide us Pause for just a moment Discover what a real priority is set us up For a best life now, so you're in your Bible We're gonna jump all the way down to verse number 35 right in the middle and we see this pause very early in the morning While it was still dark Jesus got up, and he left the house And he went off to a solitary place where he prayed now a Couple things here before you start stressing out. I know some of you're like mark I am NOT a morning person at all great You're gonna tell me I need to start getting up at 4 o'clock in the morning, and I gotta be praying I remember I was in in college and a professor talked about you know you got to get up early You got to pray and so I had really good intentions And so I would get up early, and I would kind of pray on the neck You know in my bed, and I would start off really strong It's four o'clock in the morning, and I'm believing and I want God to do the best and around 645 or so I woke up So I get so this is not about getting up earlier I also understand it's not lost on me that for a lot of us a real tension in our Spiritual life is is our prayer life Even Billy Graham when they asked him when he was on his deathbed is do you have any regrets? This is Billy Graham talk to more people about Jesus I mean he was kind of like the hero of all heroes in the spiritual world and Billy Graham says this I wish I would

Have prayed more right so so this is not gonna be a beat-up talk This is not gonna be something that kind of puts guilt on us that are your morning person a night person But it is gonna set us up It's gonna set you up to experience life at its best because that's what you want Every single one of you you have a dream and goal for your family You have a dream and a goal for your business you have a dream and a goal for your own life personally the question is How do you experience that how do you get there? You've got voices every place online social media influencers You've got your parents are influencing you you got all kinds The question is who are you gonna listen to and who you're gonna believe to guide you to your best self? So you go back Look at verse 36 Simon and his companions the other disciples went to look for him and when they found him they exclaimed Everyone's looking for you moms you understand this right you want a few minutes of peace in your house We can't find mom. She's not in the kitchen She's not in the family room, and we start showing where's mom, and you know you're hiding in the bathroom somewhere You're like you just can you just give me a few minutes Can I just rest for just a second and so Jesus he steps out? He's having some prayer time the disciples are wiggin out They start looking for him, and they finally find him and say Jesus then everybody Is looking for you everybody wants a little bit of you a little piece of you and we get that today I know as a second as a second a minute is a minute and hours an hour a day is a day a week is A week and a month is a month in two years a year, but it certainly feels like It's on hyper warp speed right now like you just it just slips through your your your fingers So let's look and let's lean in and let's let Jesus guide us Let's see some of the things that he does and let's bring them into our life into the story of our life, that person that's looking back at you, when you're going to dream and believe who you can become. If I become more like Jesus, my marriage, my career, my health, my finances, whatever that is, be more like Jesus. To those who would say I'm in Jesus, the declaration is you are becoming like Jesus. God's plan for you is he is conforming you,

not into an American. He's conforming you into a Christ follower. He's not conforming you into an athlete. He's conforming you into a Christ follower. He's not conforming you into a business. He's conforming you. He wants you to experience life at its best and life at its best is when you and I become more like Jesus. So in your journal, write down a couple of big ideas. Number one is this, is Jesus made one-on-one time with God a priority. You got to have a priority. What makes this year different than last year is that at some point you're going to establish a priority. This is going to be a priority. No judgment zone. It's your life. You get to decide what your priority is. Your priority can be whatever you want it to be, but you have to decide what is going to be the big rock, the big thing, where am I going to spend my time, the priority of my time, where I got to spend my cash, my energy. I get to choose in making a priority. Jesus makes his number one priority one-on-one time with the father very early in the morning while it was still dark. Prayer is a decision. It's not convenience. It never has been. It's not convenient. The reason it's hard is because it's you pausing your life where you're convinced I've got to do more stuff. I got to experience this. You're pausing and you're having a conversation with the creator of the universe. That can feel really awkward because sometimes you're like, I don't know if he's hearing me or is he even responding to me. He got up early. He went to a solitary place. You got to have a place. Find that place before the voices, before your outlook calendar, before your kids, your spouse, the task of your day, before the gym opens up, having this place. Many of us want control of our life. We say and do a lot of things to get control. Here's an opportunity for you and I to have control, control of your calendar, what gets done first. You're like, Mark, I'm not a morning person. You don't have to be a morning person to create a priority. What I do know is we all get up at some time. If you get up at four, if you get up at nine, you get up at 11, hey, if you're sleeping in and you're getting on your jammies at 1 p.m. in the afternoon, that's the beginning point for you. The question is, what's the priority? When you get up and start that day, however you define your day, who is, what is the priority? Notice these verses, 1 Thessalonians 5 and 17. He says, pray without ceasing. He says in Romans 12 and 12, be constant in prayer. In Ephesians 6, 18, pray in the spirit at all times, continually, steadfastly in prayer. There's this principle that we are always putting prayer as the priority. I'm doing life with some guys and they're going to come help me get this illustration in place because maybe it'll help you understand

and see. Put your hands together. We got Louis, we got Julius, we got Ryan, and they're going to set this up for me. You guys get it down there. I don't know if you've ever heard or seen, but in business school, there was a professor and he was trying to help the students understand as they obtained their MBA, what the process was for success. Here's how he began to teach them. He stood before the class, something like this, and he started with some really, really, really, big rocks. He started taking the big rocks and he's putting them in the bowl. Eventually, he gets this bowl, what would look like, full with rocks. He says to the students, is the bowl filled with rocks? The students said, absolutely. At which time, the professor reached down and he got some smaller rocks. He started putting those smaller rocks. Those smaller rocks got into the bowl. He said, okay, is the bowl now filled? The students said, yes, it's filled. Then the professor, he reached down and he got some sand. He started pouring the sand into the bowl and it got filled in more. more and more and more and more and so finally he looks to the students and he says is the bowl now filled and the students shouted yes it's filled to which he grabbed a pitcher of water and he began to pour the pitcher of water all over the sand the smaller rocks and the bigger rocks the entire pitcher and he said to the students is the pitcher now full and they were just exasperated they're saying yeah sure and then he stepped out behind the bowl and he asked the students so what can we learn and one young student shouted you can always put more stuff in your life you can always do more you can get up earlier you can work harder to which he said to them you're wrong the principle of the story is that if you don't put the big rocks in first you'll never get the smaller rocks in you won't get the sand in and you won't get the water in there's nothing wrong with the smaller rocks there's nothing wrong with the sand nothing wrong with the water they're all important

the principle is putting in the big rocks first nothing wrong with family nothing wrong with sports nothing wrong with your career we want all that in our life well what Jesus is modeling for us is that we have to put the big rock in first the success that you want will always start in prioritizing a one-on-one time with God you don't drift into becoming more like Jesus you decide to write that in your journal you don't drift your way into becoming more like Jesus you decide to you decide to or you decide not to it is your choice you have freedom of choice but you do not have freedom of consequence you have freedom of choosing to make one-on-one time with God a priority or not a priority but what you don't have is the freedom then to live your life void of the consequences of not making God your priority here's a second big idea to put down is this is Jesus spent time with God before the pressure arrived Jesus spent time with God before the pressure the anxiety the voices work your kids your spouse news social media the gym all of the noise in life that wants your attention Jesus spent time with God before the pressure arrived back to mark before the crowds before the pressure very early in the morning while was still dark Jesus got up and he left the house and went off into a solitary place where he prayed Jesus didn't drift into clarity he withdrew to commune with the father it was a deliberate decision remember in verse 36 Simon and all the other disciples they went out looking for him the pressure's coming the to-do list it's coming it's coming your way and when they found him they exclaimed everyone's looking for you you need to do this you got to do this this is a priority we've got to get the

tire pressure checked because we're going on a vacation we've got to take care of that we got it we got to get it Jesus understood and he models for us in all of your goals spending time with God before the pressure arrives has to be a priority Philippians 4 and 6 says do not be anxious about anything it's easy to read that it's so hard to live it don't be anxious about anything what about my kids what about the country what about my bills don't be anxious about anything but in every situation but in every situation by prayer and petition big rocks with thanksgiving present your request to God now the promise and the peace of God which transcends all understandings will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus see peace is alignment it's not escape many of us want a relationship with Jesus that leads to an escape from the pressure of life and there is no pressure from life when you make one-on-one time with God a priority when you make spending time with God before the pressure arrives that puts you in alignment with God who's the creator of the universe who's got good plans for you it sets you up for the best next steps are in the pressure, in the anxiety, in the to-do lists of life. You've heard it said, if it's worth worrying about, it's worth praying about. Matthew 6 and 6, but when you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your father who is unseen. Then your father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. It's this priority. And when we get settled and we have an alignment before we step out into the day, when all the pressure, Jesus, they're looking for you, you need to heal this person, you need to square with it, you need to fix this, we need this happening right now, you need to teach us some more, tell us more about God.

He aligned himself. So what would happen to that person who you took a photo of, if the next 52 weeks you chose to align yourself in one-on-one time with God in prayer before the pressure of that day begins? Here's the last thing I'll kind of just put into your ears this morning as you step out into a great new year is this, is that more like Jesus, becoming more like Jesus, praying like Jesus requires an intentional plan. You gotta have a plan. We have plans for just about everything in life. We have retirement plans, we have vacation plans, we have plans for getting our job done, we have workout plans. What I have found, the two areas of life which most of us would say are the two most important areas of our life are the two areas where we don't have plans. We have retirement plans, we have vacation plans, we have financial plans, we have health plans, and I get all that and all those are good, but the two areas that we would say are most important are spiritual life and our children. There are no plans. We just wing it. I'd appreciate partnering with you. If you would partner with me, I'm on Thursday, this Thursday at 1130, I'm gonna be in Orlando. I don't know what the registration is, a couple thousand children's pastors from across America, and I'm gonna be teaching through Iron Parents, training your kids to go the distance and helping them to understand and how to take this back into their churches and to train parents to have an intentional plan in developing their sons and their daughters. Your son and your daughter last year is gone, and it will go quicker than you think, and having a purposeful plan, being more like Jesus in prayer requires an intentional plan, priority. Prayer was intentional, it was not convenient, and the plan is putting the big rocks in first. Hear me on this, because I think sometimes when it comes to our spiritual life, we're concerned that if we have a plan, it won't be authentic.

Somebody taught you somewhere that following Jesus should be this authentic plan, and it just kind of bubbles up, which is just absolutely nonsense. We don't live that way anywhere else in our life. A spiritual discipline of prayer doesn't kill authenticity, it creates availability. I'd write that in my journal. Spiritual disciplines, prayer, spiritual disciplines of reading your Bible, spiritual discipline of sharing your faith, spiritual discipline of trusting God with your money, it doesn't kill authenticity, it creates availability, and that's what we want. That's what you want, the availability of letting your God, who you say you are in, you are in Christ Jesus, so anybody who is in Christ Jesus, we must live as Jesus lived. Psalms 5 and 3, the Bible says, in the morning, Lord, you hear my voice. In the morning, I lay my request before you and wait expectantly for you. So here's my call to action, if you want to write some big ideas down. First call to action is consistency. Good news, it's a brand new year, you've got an opportunity, and in just a moment I'll show you how, with the next 21 days, an opportunity to be consistent over those 21 days. Prayer is not optional, prayer is assumed. There is an assumption, a biblical assumption that you want to have. You and I say that we're in Christ Jesus, we say that we have trusted him with our life. There is an assumption that you're going to have conversations with him, being consistent. Distant prayer is not about informing God. It's about God forming us Your prayer time is not about you informing God. I got this boo-boo Yes, your boo-boo is important. And yes, God says bring your petitions to him But that prayer time let's change the mindset that that we're working for God That prayer is me kind of checking in with God and then me going and living on my own But prayer time is this moment where I am aligning with God I am a co-laborer with God and I am going to step out not reporting back to God I'm gonna step out align with God and following God throughout this day. He's my guide This is where the success it's having a conversation prayer

Clarify it clarifies my calling this is who I am. I'm a I'm a follower. I'm a believer. I'm rooted in Christ Jesus It's communion. It's that privacy Jesus He left early in the morning. He went out into a solitary place where he communed he got settled he was able to push back those voices that tell him inside his own brain that he's less than or what he's heard from the Outside world and he's able to be centered on the calling and then ultimately it is about change It changes who we are. It doesn't leave us where we were it sets us up for who God has created us to be There's also there also is there's a risk here this morning You can make this decision that I'm leading you to to take this action to make him Consistent and have conversations and communion and change, but there is a risk for choosing Not to How will your life unpack How will that marriage? How will your career if you and I choose to Ignore what God has to say not trust him at his word not experience life at its best You can begin this year and have really good intentions in your mind, but if we don't make some real Deliberate decisions those good intentions will not guide you into the direction that you Want I have on my finger. I have an aura ring this this this ring is absolutely like Sick when it comes to data it tells me basically everything about my life in my sleep It tells me how long I slept how long I was in bed It tells me my light sleep my deep sleep my REM sleep It tells me what my heart rate is all day long It tells me what my HRV rate is which is actually the heart beating in between the heart rate It tells me how many steps I take it tells me how long my step is it tells me how high? My foot was off the ground when I took a step it rates my stress all day long It tells me when I'm in a stressed state. I'm in an engaged state. I'm in a relaxed state it measures I take it this thing is absolutely crazy at the data that it produces

But every four days It runs out of power, and I've got to put it on its charger to recharge If I choose not to take this Or a ring and put it on the charger, and it loses its charge all those great characteristics heart rate Sleep all those health metrics those biometrics that are helping me to be healthy and love my family and live my life Best life now they all go dormant, and if that's true for an aura ring how much more true is it for? you The unbelievable potential that God has birthed in you creating you for good works changing the world good works Mentoring men and women who perhaps think they don't have anything left in life And you speak a word of encouragement that brings them up How you in a job at a workplace in the neighborhood where you live all the potential all the dreams all the goals? the potential for you having the next big company that you become a billionaire and you're able to Translate Bibles and and help us rescue women and men who are caught in sex trafficking all the potential That's in you But I promise you If an aura ring needs recharged you and I need recharged Jesus modeled for us what it meant to be recharged, and he did that in prayer, so thank you Being together in this space today is really good If you've never begun a relationship with Jesus, I'd like to invite you today to start following Jesus It's not a It's not about your behavior. It's not about your church attendance. It's about the reality that Jesus is for you. God's not mad at you. He's madly in love with you. Would you right now pray this prayer with me?

Hey God, it's me. I've sinned and I know it. And I can't fix me. But today I receive you, Jesus, as my savior. I believe that you died on that cross for me and that you were buried for three days. And then you became alive again. And I invite you into my life to guide me and direct me all the rest of the days of my life. And with that prayer, my friend, welcome to God's family. I'd like to continue our friendship. If you would email me, pastor at hopeinocala.com, I'll follow up with you and together we'll celebrate Jesus in your life. Peace.