Many times people act first and then want God to bail them out of that situation, but prayer should be our first response, not our last resort.

GROW & GO: CREATING A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. Mark 1:35

Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a lifestyle we cultivate. To understand how to have a lifestyle of prayer, we can look at the example Jesus gave during His life on earth.

HAVE A CERTAIN TIME - Anytime is a good time and works, but it’s also good to have a daily appointment with God — whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening — and faithfully keep it.

HAVE A CERTAIN PLACE - Anywhere is a great place to pray but having a designated place helps us remove distractions and frees us to worship and pray out loud.

HAVE A CERTAIN PLAN - When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them a prayer outline. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer.”

This, then, is how you should pray: “‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ Matthew 6:9-13

Jesus provided this model as an outline to teach us how to pray in a way that connects us to God, aligns our priorities with His, and helps us live dependently on Him.

CONNECT WITH GOD RELATIONALLY - “Our Father in Heaven”

God isn’t interested in us practicing religion; instead, He desires a relationship with us. God has adopted us as His children and loves for us to call Him our Father. Starting our prayer time acknowledging our relationship with God is powerful for us and delights Him as well.

You have not received a spirit that makes you fearful slaves. Instead, you received God’s Spirit when He adopted you as His own children. Now we call Him, “Abba, Father.” Romans 8:15 NLT

Proclaim your intimate relationship with God, addressing Him lovingly as your Father and thanking Him that you’re His child.

WORSHIP HIS NAME - “Hallowed Be Your Name”

God loves when we worship Him, and there is power in His Name. Here is a list of some of His Names to help us worship Him specifically and personally:

God is Righteousness – He makes us clean

God is Sanctifier – He has called us and set us apart

God is Healer – He heals all our diseases

God is Banner of Victory – He defeated our enemies

God is Shepherd – He speaks to us and leads us

God is Peace – He is our peace in every storm

God is Provider – He supplies all of our needs

The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous man runs into it and is safe. Proverbs 18:10 ESV

Speak God’s Names out loud. When we proclaim who He is, we not only worship Him, but we also remind ourselves how powerful and great our God is.

PRAY HIS AGENDA FIRST -

“Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”

Part of being a child of God is caring about what He cares about and loving who He loves. We know His will is perfect, and we acknowledge His wisdom and sovereignty when we pray His agenda first.

But seek his kingdom, and these things will be given to you as well. Luke 12:31

Spend time focusing on what God is focused on. His priorities include:

● Saving the lost

● Wisdom and guidance for those in authority— parental, spiritual, governmental,

work-related

● Caring for the poor and marginalized

● Unity and love, justice

● Freedom for those in bondage

● Accomplishing His purpose in our lives

DEPEND ON HIM FOR EVERYTHING - “Give us this day our daily bread”

God promises to supply all our needs, and He wants us to come to Him with our problems, needs, and desires and to trust Him to provide.

I look up to the mountains—does my help come from there? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth! Psalm 121:1-2 NLT

Ask God for what you need today. It may help to write down the concerns weighing on your mind or the desires of your heart. Bring them to God, and trust Him enough to hand them over to Him fully. It may help to open your hands before God to physically show your surrender to Him. Problems can either be ours or God’s; they can’t be both.

FORGIVE AND BE FORGIVEN - “Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”

God has offered us complete forgiveness, and we can receive it at any time. When we turn away from our sins and receive His forgiveness, our hearts are more prepared to forgive others as well.

If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. 1 John 1:9

Ask God to check your heart and life and show you areas where you might need to ask for forgiveness from Him. Then, it is your turn to forgive those who have offended you. We can even choose to forgive people in advance. Ask God to forgive you and to help you forgive others.

ENGAGE IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE

“And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Spiritual warfare can seem difficult to understand, but the Bible makes it very clear that we have an enemy who is trying to steal from us, kill us, and destroy us. As we pray, we take our stand against the enemy and fight from a place of victory through Jesus as we’re empowered by His Holy Spirit. There is power in God’s Word, and every lie the enemy has told us can be replaced with God’s truth.

For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Ephesians 6:12

Ask God to show you any lies you’re believing or areas of warfare happening in your life. Ask Him to expose the enemy and to help you understand and receive His truth. The Bible tells us in James 4:7 that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Through prayer, we can resist him and walk forward in freedom. The fact that Jesus closes His prayer this way feels like a reminder about how natural and tempting humans find it to stray from God’s protection.

What Will Happen When You Pray?

Here are six things to expect as you develop a conversation with God:

1. You will recognize that you are not God.

Every time you pray, you are saying, “In my own strength, I cannot do all that I want to do. I need something more, someone else.”

2. You will realize the world doesn’t begin and end with you.

When babies cry, someone usually comes and meets their needs, but this kind of attention does not last forever. Growing up is a painful process of slowly coming to terms with the reality that the world doesn’t revolve around you. Whether you are praying for yourself or others, you’re acknowledging someone else is the center of the universe.

3. You will gain strength from outside of yourself.

Prayer is a way of inviting a higher power to enter into your life’s struggles. Prayer can be a source of strength, wisdom and inner peace.

4. You will surrender control to somebody else.

Everyone is a control freak to one degree or another. Prayer allows you to admit to God that you need Him in the driver’s seat of your life.

5. You will communicate your real feelings.

Do you feel ready to give God control of your life? Talk to God honestly about how that question makes you feel. He knows everything about you. Prayer is a safe way to process your thoughts and feelings.

6. You will trust that God is with you.

Unless you’re happy to admit that you talk to floors or ceilings, when you pray, you’re believing that someone or something is listening — and might even do something about the things you’re talking about.

What do I pray for?

This is by no means an exhaustive list, but a good list to get you started.

● Praise God for Who He Is

● Thank God for What He Has Done

● To Remember God’s Love & Grace for You

● That You Would Love Your Neighbors

● For Someone in Need

● For Someone Who Does Not Yet Know Jesus

● That You Would Love Your Enemies

● That You Would Give Your Time, Money & Energy

● For Your Church or Christian Community

● For your Church, City, Nation & Civic Leaders

● For Kindness

● For Teachability

● For The Ability to Forgive

● For Obedience

● For Your Mind to Be Renewed

● For Purity

● Read passages from the Bible as a prayer

● For Hope and Courage

● For Christians in other nations being persecuted

● For Wisdom

● To see opportunities to serve others

● To see opportunities to share my story & the gospel with others

What position should I be in to pray?

You can bow, kneel, sit, stand or walk around when you pray. God will hear you whatever you do, so choose a position that helps you focus.

Kneeling, or bowing your head, is a great way to focus your body and your mind on God. It’s also a way to show how much you respect His authority.

Jesus’ closest relationships on earth were built as He walked with people day after day. So why not schedule some time to connect with God the way you would with anyone else you value?

Should I pray out loud?

Depending on how comfortable you feel or what kind of situation you are in, you will choose whether to pray out loud or silently. Over time, you will likely grow in your confidence praying out loud.

If you are praying for someone who is physically present with you, it might encourage them to hear your faith expressed through your prayers.

What is a prayer journal?

“Thoughts disentangle themselves when they pass through lips and fingertips.” Dawson Trotman’s words beautifully capture why journaling is a vital part of so many people’s spiritual journeys.

Some of us are verbal processors and praying out loud enables us to clearly communicate with God. Others of us find that as we write out our prayers, our thoughts become clearer. You could begin with a Bible verse that stands out to you, even if you don’t know why it stands out to you.

Try asking yourself these simple questions as you read a Bible passage:

● What does this passage tell me about God?

● What feelings does this passage evoke in me and why? ● What thoughts or memories occur to me as I reflect on these verses? ● What could God want me to hear since this is what He gave me to read?

So don’t rush yourself, but trust the Holy Spirit, who lives inside you and helps you learn to recognize God’s voice.

Should I pray with others?

Short answer YES! Listening to someone else talk with God can help you focus on Him.

Think of someone you know who talks about God’s tangible presence in their life. Ask if you can pray together. While time alone with God is vital to our spiritual growth, God Himself tells us that when two or more gather to focus on Him, something special happens (Matthew 18:20).

If you are praying in public or with another person, remember to talk to God and not them. It’s easy to fall into the trap of saying what you think another Christian wants to hear rather than what you need to communicate to God.

NEXT STEPS

Now that you know the basics about how to pray, all that remains is to begin. The aim is not to become an expert on prayer but simply to move deeper into a relationship with your Father in heaven.

As with most other relationships, the things you talk to God about will develop as your trust in Him grows. Remember to listen to God as you talk with Him. Strong relationships are not built on one-way conversations.

So what will you talk about with God today?

southpointccc.com