I have been striving to grow in my prayer life. One thing that I realized is that no one actually teaches us to pray for anything except our dinner.
Luke 11:1- And it came to pass, that, as he was praying in a certain place, when he ceased, one of his disciples said unto him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.
The disciples asked Christ to teach them how to pray. They reference John the Baptist teaching his disciples how to pray. Yet, I cannot remember a time where any of my teachers ever taught me how to pray.
When I decided to make prayer an individual part of my daily life, I went about researching what prayer was and how to pray. I read books, listened to sermons, studied the word "pray" in the Bible, and this is what I came up with.
Begin with thanking him.
Psalm 100:4- Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.
David had a very close relationship with God. He was known as the man after God's own heart. He advised that you enter His gates with thanksgiving. And I believe that's a very wise way to begin any prayer!
Philippians 4:6- Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Even the Apostle Paul says that your requests should contain thanksgiving. You can't go wrong beginning your prayers by remembering the blessings God has given you and being grateful for them.
Ask for forgiveness for your sins.
I John 1:9- If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
Our position as a child of God never changes once we are saved. However, our relationship can be hindered by sins we commit. To fix that relationship, we need to ask God to forgive us for those sins. Our motive shouldn't be "I've broken God's law", but rather as His child "I've broken God's heart".
We should ask God to forgive us both for specific sins that we know we have committed and also for sins that we unknowingly committed. Grievous sins should be named, renounced, and put under the blood specifically- adultery, abortion, murder, theft, and others. If you are convicted about the sin, then name it when asking for forgiveness.
Note this is for the Church Age. Once the Rapture happens and the Tribulation period begins, a person can lose their salvation. They must ask God to again save their souls every time they sin.
Seek His will.
Hebrews 4:16- Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need.
God says that we can come before His throne anytime we have a need. Paul says we can come "boldly", meaning without fear of Him ignoring us or getting angry with us. But, we should not come with the idea that it's God's duty to give us our heart's desires.
Luke 22:42- Saying, Father, if thou be willing, remove this cup from me: nevertheless not my will, but thine, be done.
The purpose of asking our requests is not to tell God what it is we want. We, of course, do tell Him how we would like the thing handled, but we should always preface it or follow the request with seeking His will just as Christ did in the Garden.
Refract the psychic influences of others.
This one may sound strange. I was uncertain when I first read Watchman Nee's book The Latent Power Of The Soul. However, after much research and prayer, I understand now what he was saying.
People today say, "send out into the universe what you desire". I found that this corresponded a lot with Watchman's book.
There is a power within our soul. In eastern religions, they learn to tap into and use that power. But as a Christian we shouldn't rely on anything of ourselves.
John 8:28- Then said Jesus unto them, When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things.
Jesus knew that the Spirit was not only alive but also life giving, but though the soul is alive, it cannot give life. He did nothing of Himself- meaning every work He ever did was through the Spirit, not the power of the soul.
Many people today are using the power of the soul without even realizing it. And this can have an effect on those around them.
As Watchman Nee advised, and I have found true in my prayer life, asking God to take away the "psychic" influences of others that may be affecting you can truly help when it seems nothing is working.
Bind and silence demonic powers.
A Christian who is walking with Christ and reading their Bible on a daily basis really has no need to fear any hex or curse that others may throw at them. There is more power in the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ than any witch could summon from multiple demonic forces.
However, you may find that demons will try to influence your life. In this case, it could be because of an unconfessed sin or something in your past that opened a door to allow them in. This can happen with both you and your loved ones.
In an interview with Bill Schnoebelen, an ex-masonic warlock (among other things), he tells that if you have a family member who is dabbling in witchcraft or appears to be "cursed" that you may need to pray and ask the Lord to bind and silence the demonic forces that are at work in a person's life.
Satanism is very alluring. And, in today's Hollywood era of romanticized wickedness, our loved ones need the Lord the intervene on their behalf in more ways than we could ever imagine!
Plead His promises.
There are many promises in the Bible. And God doesn't get upset with us when we remind Him, and ourselves, of them.
II Peter 1:4- Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust.
There are some precious promises that we can cling to in the Bible to help us through our trials. Pleading God to fulfill His promises to us will help us through our troubles.
Acknowledge His attributes.
I found that with my brothers or my husband, when I admit my shortcomings and point out their ability to help fulfill my needs they are more readily available to assist.
The same goes with God. When we humble ourselves and point out His ability to help us through His greatness, we get His attention.
James 4:6, 10- But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
Following that, I remind him of my frailty.
Sometimes we get a bit overwhelmed. Even Elijah who took on 400 prophets of Baal got discouraged and wanted to die. Yet, I don't see God get angry with Him.
When we remind God of our frailty and put our dependence on Him, we will see Him move in mighty ways!
Psalm 34:18- The LORD is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart; and saveth such as be of a contrite spirit.
Be urgent for His help.
There will be times when you need an immediate answer from God. It may seem like He's taking His sweet time about it, but He may be waiting to see how important it is to you. Will you be fervent and continue in your prayer for this?
Psalm 39:12a- Hear my prayer, O LORD, and give ear unto my cry; hold not thy peace at my tears:
James 5:16b- The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
Finally, listen for His guidance.
You may not hear an audible voice from heaven, but a Scripture verse may come to mind or part of a sermon or perhaps a song. There are many different ways that God speaks with us, if only we will listen.
John 16:13- Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.
The Holy Spirit has a way of answering us. Many times it is through the Bible; that's why Bible reading and prayer go hand-in-hand. When we fill our minds with Scripture reading, Bible study, and good preaching, we train ourselves to think the way God wants us to think and we "hear" God clearer.
Romans 12:12- Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer;
I Timothy 2:1- I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men;
Whether we are rejoicing or going through troubles, we should always be constant in prayer. Not only for our wants, but also interceding on the behalf of others. You cannot go wrong fighting battles on your knees.
