HOW SHOULD CHRISTIANS PRAY?
"Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.”
[Luke 11:1]
SET ASIDE TIME
Dedicate yourself to the Lord for a specific amount of quality time each day.
Psalm 5:1 -3 - "Give ear to my words, O LORD, consider my meditation. Hearken unto the voice of my cry, my King, and my God for unto thee will I pray. My voice shall thou hear in the morning, O LORD; in the morning will 1 direct my prayer unto thee, and will look up,"
FIND A QUIET PLACE
Find a place where you can pray with minimum distractions (family members, phone, TV, radio, etc.)
Matthew 6:6 - "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which, is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
Matthew 14:23 - "And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was there, atone"
Mark 6:46 - "And when he had sent them away, he departed into a mountain to pray,"
PREPARATION
Ask God to help you to spend your time with Him in a profitable way with an ear to listen to him as well as talk to Him.
Psalm 19:14 - "Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O LORD, my strength, and my redeemer."
Psalm 143:1 - "Hear my prayer, O LORD, give ear to my supplications: in thy faithfulness answer me, and in thy righteousness."
Psalm 4:1 - "Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer."
Psalm 141:2 – “Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.
PRAISE & ADORATION
When you come into God's presence in prayer, come with an attitude of respect and honor. Sing to the Lord and praise Him for all that He is; Savior, Creator, Comforter, Counselor, Provider, Healer,… think of all His names - Mighty God, Redeemer, Savior, Prince of Peace, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Wonderful, Everlasting Father, Alpha & Omega, etc. Worship and praise Him from the Psalms or using songbooks.
Psalm 22:3 - "Rut thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel,"
Psalm 95:6 - "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the LORD our maker,"
1 Chronicles 29:10-13- “Wherefore David blessed the LORD before all the congregation, and David said, Blessed be thou, LORD God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O LORD, is the greatness, and the power and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine; thine is the kingdom, O LORD, and thou art exalted as head above all. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name.”
THANKSGIVING
Thank God for everything: your life, your salvation, food, clothing, shelter, health, family, friends, His provision, mercy, love, etc. Thank Him for what He has done, what He is going to do, and for what He is even now orchestrating in your life and the lives of those around you. Thank Him for unexpected blessings and answers to prayers.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 - "In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."
Ephesians 5:20 - "Giving thanks always for all things unto God and the Father in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ;"
When you finish praying, thank the Lord in advance for answering your prayers because you know that if you pray prayers that are in line with His will, He is faithful to answer your prayers.
1 John 5:14,15 - "And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever, we ask, we know that. We have the petitions that we desired of him,"
CONFESSION
Confess (agree with God about) your sins (where you have fallen short recently). Ask for God's cleansing and forgiveness and then accept it by faith, thanking Him. Praise Him for His mercy and thank Him for His forgiveness.
Psalm 51:10 - "Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me,"
Psalm 66:18 - "If I regard iniquity in my heart the Lord will not hear me."
1 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,"
WAIT ON THE LORD
Ask God to show you His will for your life. Listen to the Lord, be silent before Him and He will point our areas in your life where He wants you to change and He will direct you and He will also answer questions you may have by helping you to recall scriptures that apply to your situation, in particular with respect to decisions you are about to make.
Psalm 143:8,10 - "Cause me to hear thy lovingkindness in the morning; for in thee do I trust: cause me to know the way wherein I should walk; for I lift up my soul unto thee. Teach me to do thy will; for thou art my God: thy spirit is good; lead me into the land of uprightness,"
Isaiah 40:31 - "But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint."
LISTEN TO THE LORD
It is helpful to have your Bible with you when you pray so that when the Lord puts a scripture on your heart, you can look it up and get a better understanding of what God is saying to you by reading the complete verse in context.
Psalm 119:18 - "Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law,"
PETITION
Use prayer lists to keep track of requests for specific, personal needs in your life that you wish to make known to God in prayer. Use this time to talk over your own struggles with the Lord. Discuss your relationships, your concerns. Trust and agree with God for His plan for your life according to His will.
Proverbs 3:5,6 - "Trust in the LORD with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."
Matthew 7:7 - "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:"
INTERCESSION
Use prayer lists and pray for friends, relatives, loved ones, neighbors, coworkers. Talk to God about their lives and needs. Ask God for their salvation and for circumstances that will provide you and others with opportunities to share the gospel and to minister and be a witness by your actions and words.
1 Timothy 2:1 - "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men;"
PRAY IN THE SPIRIT
Allow the Holy Spirit to influence and expand your prayers in each of the above areas by waiting upon Him during the course of your prayer time. The Lord will guide you as to what He wants you to lift up to Him in prayer.
Ephesians 6:18 - "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;"
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