I was praying and meditating the other day concerning prayer and the Christmas season

and the Holy Spirit gave me a thought to share. We are all familiar with the 12 days of
Christmas song, how about the 12 days of Christmas prayer! Here is a break down of the
Lord's “model” prayer into 12 Principles. I would also like to expound on them as well!

Matthew 6:9 ¶ After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven,
Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom,
and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.

Principle 1) Our Father which art in heaven

Principle 2) Hallowed be thy name
Principle 3) Thy kingdom come
Principle 4) Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven
Principle 5) Give us this day our daily bread
Principle 6) And forgive us our debts
Principle 7) as we forgive our debtors
Principle 8) And lead us not into temptation
Principle 9) but deliver us from evil
Principle 10) For thine is the kingdom
Principle 11) and the power
Principle 12) and the glory, for ever. Amen

I. He is a Personal God and wants us to have an intimate relationship with Him!

Romans 8:14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God. 15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.
16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of
God:
II. He is the only True and Holy God and desires for us to be like Him!
1Peter 1:15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;
16 for it is written: "Be holy, because I am holy."
III. It should always be the desire of those who follow Christ to see His Kingdom
come and to strive to build that Kingdom now!
Matthew 28:18 Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on
earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20
and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age."
 IV. Jesus prayed that His believers would be one as He and His Father is one. Jesus
also submitted Himself to the Fathers Will. Therefore we should always seek the
same. John 17:20 "My prayer is not for them alone. I pray also for those who will
believe in me through their message, 21 that all of them may be one, Father, just
as you are in me and I am in you. May they also be in us so that the world may
believe that you have sent me. 22 I have given them the glory that you gave me,
that they may be one as we are one: 23 I in them and you in me. May they be
brought to complete unity to let the world know that you sent me and have loved
them even as you have loved me. 24 "Father, I want those you have given me to
be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because
you loved me before the creation of the world.
V. God is so Personal that He wants us to always depend upon Him to supply our
daily provisions. Physical food and Spiritual food. Proverb 30:8 Keep falsehood
and lies far from me; give me neither poverty nor riches, but give me only my
daily bread. 9 Otherwise, I may have too much and disown you and say, 'Who is
the LORD?' Or I may become poor and steal, and so dishonor the name of my
God.” John 6:32 Jesus said to them, "I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has
given you the bread from heaven, but it is my Father who gives you the true bread
from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who comes down from heaven and
gives life to the world." 34 "Sir," they said, "from now on give us this bread."
35 Then Jesus declared, "I am the bread of life. He who comes to me will never go
hungry, and he who believes in me will never be thirsty.” Matthew 4:4 Jesus
answered, "It is written: 'Man does not live on bread alone, but on every word that
comes from the mouth of God.”
VI. All of us are debtors (sinful) and God sent His Son to pay our debts! All
who are believers in Jesus Christ should remember His Words while hanging on
the Cross; “Father forgive them, they not what they are doing.” When we pray we
should always confess our sins and ask Him to forgive us! 1John 1:7 But if we
walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and
the blood of Jesus, his Son, purifies us from all sin. 8 If we claim to be without
sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. 9 If we confess our sins, he is
faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all
unrighteousness. 10 If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar
and his word has no place in our lives.” Hebrews 1:3 “The Son is the radiance of
God's glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his
powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the
right hand of the Majesty In heaven.”
VII. Because Christ has forgive our debts we should also forgive others their debt.
Our Father is so forgiving and patient with us, so why are we so slow to forgive?
Our relationship with Our Father is quintessential and so should our forgiveness
and relationship with fellow believers. Matthew 6:14 “For if you forgive men
when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.
 15 But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your
sins.” James 2:12 “Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law
that gives freedom,13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone
who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment!” Ephesians 4:32 Be
kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God
forgave you.”
VIII. Temptation is not a sin! Falling into and acting upon that temptation turns into sin.
Because of God's Holiness and His Omniscience, He will never lead us into sin.
He will and does test us because He is our Father and He wants us to grow
towards His Likeness. We are to always Reflect His Holiness in our lives! James
1:13 When tempted, no one should say, "God is tempting me." For God cannot be
tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; 14 but each one is tempted when, by
his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has
conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is fully grown, gives birth to
death.” 1Corinthians 10:13 “No temptation has seized you except what is
common to man. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what
you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that
you can stand up under it.” 2Corinthians 3:18 “And we, who with unveiled faces
all reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-
increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.”
IX. God our Father Loves us and never wants us to fall prey to evil or the Evil one!
This Principle should remind us to always flee from evil! We are to come to our
Father for protection from the Evil one. God always wants us to have Victory
over sin, death and the Devil. He does this to demonstrate His Love and Power!
Romans 5:6 “You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ
died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for
a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own
love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since we have
now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God's
wrath through him!” James 4:6 “But he gives us more grace. That is why
Scripture says: "God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."
7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners,
and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change
your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before
the Lord, and he will lift you up.” 1Corinthians 15:54 “When the perishable has
been clothed with the imperishable, and the mortal with immortality, then the
saying that is written will come true: "Death has been swallowed up in victory."
55 "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death, is your sting?"
56 The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.
57 But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.”
X. The Kingdom that is to come is the believers Eternal home. It is Christ Kingdom
 for which we are striving to build! God our Father, Son and Holy Spirit are that
Kingdom! This Principle of prayer should focus all believers to His Kingdom on
Earth. We believers are the Temple of God! Luke 1:31 “You will be with child
and give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. 32 He will be
great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the
throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever;
his kingdom will never end." Psalm 45:6 “Your throne, O God, will last for ever
and ever; a scepter of justice will be the scepter of your kingdom.
7 You love righteousness and hate wickedness; therefore God, your God, has set
you above your companions by anointing you with the oil of joy.” 1Corinthians
6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in
you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own;
20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your body.” Revelation
1:5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead,
and the ruler of the kings of the earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from
our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his
God and Father-- to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.” Hebrews
11:16 Instead, they were longing for a better country-- a heavenly one. Therefore
God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he has prepared a city for them.”
Revelation 11:15 The seventh angel sounded his trumpet, and there were loud
voices in heaven, which said: "The kingdom of the world has become the
kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever."
XI. We must learn from this Principle that all Power belongs to Christ! He is
Supreme! When we pray it is an awesome Truth to know Him who hols all
Power. Matthew 28:18 “Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in
heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Psalm 2:6 "I have installed my King
on Zion, my holy hill." 7 I will proclaim the decree of the LORD: He said to me,
"You are my Son; today I have become your Father. 8 Ask of me, and I will make
the nations your inheritance, the ends of the earth your possession.
9 You will rule them with an iron scepter; you will dash them to pieces like
pottery." 10 Therefore, you kings, be wise; be warned, you rulers of the earth.
11 Serve the LORD with fear and rejoice with trembling.
12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry and you be destroyed in your way, for his wrath
can flare up in a moment. Blessed are all who take refuge in him.” Hebrews 1:3
The Son is the radiance of God's glory and the exact representation of his being,
sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for
sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.
4 So he became as much superior to the angels as the name he has inherited is
superior to theirs. 5 For to which of the angels did God ever say, "You are my
Son; today I have become your Father"? Or again, "I will be his Father, and he
will be my Son"? 6 And again, when God brings his firstborn into the world, he
says, "Let all God's angels worship him." Colossians 1:15 “He is the image of the
 invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For by him all things were
created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or
powers or rulers or authorities; all things were created by him and for him.
17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
18 And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn
from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy.
19 For God was pleased to have all his fullness dwell in him,
20 and through him to reconcile to himself all things, whether things on earth or
things in heaven, by making peace through his blood, shed on the cross.”
XII. The Glory of Jesus Christ is the focus of this Principle. When we pray we need to
understand we were Created to reflect Christ Glory! We were Created to worship,
serve and enjoy our Creator. Now that Christ has been Sacrificed for us we can
reflect that Glory! 2Corinthians 3:17 “Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the
Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom. 18 And we, who with unveiled faces all
reflect the Lord's glory, are being transformed into his likeness with ever-
increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit.” 2Corinthians 4:6
“For God, who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," made his light shine in our
hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of
Christ.” Ephesians 4:22 “You were taught, with regard to your former way of life,
to put off your old self, which is being corrupted by its deceitful desires;
23 to be made new in the attitude of your minds; 24 and to put on the new self,
created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” Revelation 5:10 “You
have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign
on the earth." 11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering
thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled
the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they sang:
"Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom
and strength and honor and glory and praise!" 13 Then I heard every creature in
heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them,
singing: "To him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be praise and honor and
glory and power, for ever and ever!" 14 The four living creatures said, "Amen,"
and the elders fell down and worshiped.”

Now that the 12 Principles have been illuminated from God's Holy Word, what shall we
do with this Knowledge? It is my prayer that God our Father will produce Spiritual fruit
in every heart that considers what has been written! Truly the Lord's (model prayer) is
more than just Words to be repeated. They are to be practiced!