The Bible is very clear, we should Pray without ceasing 1 Thessalonians 5: 17.We know that PRAYER is communicating with God. Billy Graham answered the question about prayer this way: “Prayer is spiritual communication between man and God, a two-way relationship in which man should not only talk to God but also listen to Him. It is like a child’s conversation with his father. It is natural for a child to ask his father for the things he needs.” As believers we talk to God and we should wait for God to talk to us. When we pray God answers us in three ways, yes ,no and wait. The question is, why do we pray and how do we then pray to get expected result? God desires to have fellowship with us as His children, just the same as an earthly father enjoys conversations with his children. Remember in Genesis when God came down in the cool of the day in the Garden of Eden to talk to Adam and Eve.
Prayer is also fellowship and communion with God. Prayer and studying God's word are the two greatest tools for accessing God's purpose for man, in fact you can neither hear or talk to God without prayer and His Word. Prayer is part of taking God's words back to Him about His promises over our lives, it is divine communion between man and God. The essence of prayer is to seek God's divine intervention in our problems, situations, issues and lives as a whole thereby getting answers to our needs; it shows our dependence on God for solutions to our problems.Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons God has given us, I believe it has never been more important for God’s people to be on our knees than the season we are in. But knowing how to pray is not always easy. Jesus’ disciples felt the same confusion. They were familiar with the religious repeated prayers of the Torah. But Jesus prayed with a kind of authority and power they had never seen before — as though God was listening, because Jesus knew His Father was working! So when they came to Jesus, as told in Matthew 6, they didn’t say, “Teach us another prayer.” They said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
The sad truth is, most Christian don't like praying, some don't know how to pray, others don't know when to pray, and often pray amiss leading to many unanswered prayers. The manner in we approach the throne of grace determines the results we get. These are not the exhaustive steps but they are simple steps to guide you to pray effectively and get results.
1. Start all prayer with thanksgiving and end with thanksgiving.
Psalm.100:4 says Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name , and in Matthew 6:10 When Jesus was teaching the disciple how to pray, He taught them to start their prayer with thanksgiving. You don't start prayer with petition as if God is your mate, He is The Almighty God, the Creator of the universe, our Father, therefore you approach Him with reverence. Jesus and the Apostles demonstrate this in the bible by acknowledging God first before making any request. In Acts 4:24.When they heard this, they raised their voices together in prayer to God. “Sovereign Lord,” they said, “You made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them.
In Jesus Christ's ministry on earth, the Lord always thanked Jehovah for everything, He thanked God before He broke the bread during the feeding of the five thousand in Matthew 14:19, He thanked God before He said any word and when He raised Lazarus His friend from death in John 11:41-42 just to name a few examples.
2. Have Faith in God.
Matthew 21: 22 says "and all things whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing ye shall receive" and Jesus always said, "your faith has made you whole". Before you pray have faith that the Lord is able to answer you. Your faith should not be shaken by your situation. If you read the scriptures, everything about the bible is about Faith, so if you must get anything from God you must have faith in Him. The Scriptures state that now without faith it is impossible to please God, since the one who draws near to Him must believe that He exists and that He rewards those who seek Him.Hebrews 11:6 Be the kind of believer who believes that God is going to do it for you before you see it. Remember you can have faith as small as a mustard seed, Matthew 17:20 He replied, "Because you have so little faith. Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, 'Move from here to there,' and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you.May the Holy Spirit of God give you revelation concerning this in Jesus' name. Amen.
3. Remind the situation of how great Your God is.
Your prayer life should acknowledge the Lord in His rightful place in your life. Believe that there is nothing too hard for Him to do. He said son of man is there anything too hard for God do,,,,,, Genesis 18:4, Jeremiah 32:27. For with God nothing shall be impossible, Luke 1:37, John 14:12-13.So when you go into prayer, especially warfare prayer, let that situation know that Your God will come through and believe that He will. Do what it takes for following Christ, and to maintain your reverence for God. Know that He is mighty, He is the creator of the Universe and deserves glory, praise and honour. Don't doubt your prayer whenever you pray because by doing so, you are doubting God's power.
4. Pray God's Word.
Remind God of His word on your situation, for example for healing quote Jeremiah. 30:17, I will restore health unto you and heal you. If your prayer is for a blessing read, 2 Corinthians 2:8-9, Deuteronomy 7:13, read Deuteronomy 28:1-14. Remember, you can only know the right word to apply if study your bible. You will always pray amiss without proper knowledge of the bible, because you can only know God's will for your life through bible study. Have you ever had a one-sided conversation with someone who talked continuously without listening to you or giving you a chance to speak? That conversation didn’t go very far did it? You were probably irritated and annoyed after a short period of time. We do the same thing to God when we pray without reading the Bible, His eternal letter of love and wisdom to each one of us on earth. Reading the Scriptures help us to know God. It brings life to our prayers. If you want to have a more effective conversation with God, read His Word. You talk to God through prayer, and He talks to you through His Word and reveals Himself to you by His Spirit.
5. Confess your sins.
John 9:31 clearly says "Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him." The word of God is clear in 1 John 1:9 "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." Prayer is a time to talk to God about everything and that includes the wrong things we have done. Some people will say, "but God already knows everything so why should we tell Him when we have sinned? "We have to obey the Word of God and confess our sins. We are imperfect people who make mistakes and we do offend God. The problem with most Christians is that we fail to understand that once we live in sin, the devil will accuse us before God, thereby reducing your faith when your prayers are not answered which automatically renders your prayer powerless.
6. Seek the direction of the Holy Spirit.
It is the Holy Spirit that teaches us the will of the Father and how to pray. Romans 8:26-27, the Holy Spirit searches our heart and help us to pray in harmony with God's will. So tell the Holy Spirit to help you to pray. Jesus knew the importance of the Holy Spirit that's why He promised to send Him for us. The Holy Spirit will help us to pray in harmony with God's will.
7.Open up to God.
God obviously knows every aspect of your life (lying won't help), and He knows your struggles and sins. He knows how you feel. He loves and cares for you without limit. Since, He is love and mercy, He seeks to heal and save all of us if we have faith and follow in His will. Just be real, be honest with Him and tell Him how you feel ,the good, the bad and the ugly. If its easier for you, write it down in a journal and read it back to Him. I found my prayer journals from 2012 just the other day, and I would put a red tick against my prayer requests when answered. It made me realise how good God is all the time, is and that prayer works.
8. Pray all prayer in the name of Jesus.
Pray through faith in the name of Jesus Act. 3:16, John 14:13-14, anything You ask in my name, I will do. Remember, Philippians. 2:9-11 says the name of Jesus has been lifted above every other name in both heaven and earth. Challenge your issue with the powerful name of Jesus' name.
9.Pray According to the will of God.
The way to better understand the will of God in your life is choosing to live your life as He commands in His Word. There are God-honouring ways to do your job, to love your spouse, to talk to others, and to take care of your body etc. Submitting ourselves to God is worship to Him and it renews our minds to be able to understand God’s will. When you know God's will, you will know how to pray according to His will. I have learnt that the prayer requests that I have had answered where those that are according to His will. I had to take time for personal bible study according to the topic that I was praying about. For example if I am praying about getting married, I would look for bible verses that show that God wants me to get married, then I would know that it is His will for me. The next stage would be to pray the Word and await His answer. On the flip side, If I am single and a married man approaches me ,what does the word of God say about coming in-between a couple that He has put together? Is this the will of of God? Did Jesus Christ die on the cross for you to be a side chick and destroy a family? The examples care many. The bottom line is open the Bible and read it to find out God's will for your life and pray accordingly.
10. Pray for others.
With the times that we are living in ,the evidence is right outside our doorsteps that we need to pray for our world. Nations need to go back to prayer and putting God first. We need to pray for unsaved souls, those in the hospitals, those in the prisons, pray for the church, the sick, the unfortunate, the homeless, the church, the leaders among others. Learn how to pray for others by so doing you are praying for yourself. Most of the times Women of Prayer Prayer Warriors don't even pray for most things but by praying and interceding for others ,God opens doors for us that no-one can shut without even trying. When you pray for others God respond to your problems because you have fulfilled the law by His grace, Roman 13:8. Pray until something happens, don't backpedal on your prayer, your prayer it is the only key that will open the doors you want. The Bible says the earnest desire of the righteous shall not be cut short.
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Last Word.
After praying in faith, wait patiently on God to respond and to answer, God is never late, He has a good plan and purpose for you. So stop panicking or worrying, it won't solve anything, rather start praising Him for the answer you believe will manifest. If the devil tries to remind you of your unanswered prayer, resist him and he will flee away James 4:7. Remember your answer is on the way, it may be delayed but it can't be denied. Prayer is not magic,and God is not a magician, just believe and you will see your answer it in due season. Remember even a NO is an answer.Trust God and remember thus says the Lord in His Word.Jeremiah 29:11 “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”
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