Do You Find It Difficult To Pray?
If you are a
follower of Christ and praying is a challenge for you, God has the answer…Pray without ceasing. “Unceasing PRAYER is the unbroken
union of the soul with God, so that life from God flows into our life; and from
our life, purity and holiness flow back to God” Steps to Christ, Ch. 11, p. 98. Practice
unceasing prayer for 21 consecutive days and watch your prayer life transforms
through the grace of God and the power of the Holy Spirit. I did that many
years ago and my prayer life has completely changed. I am not perfect, just a
work in progress.
While
going through that regiment, I made prayer my first priority and prayed like crazy. I did not allow my mind wander for a single minute. I remained in
a prayerful state in my home, when I left the house, in my car, on the
street, in the grocery store, post office, banks, school and I prayed for the people I
saw or met along the way. By the way, I still do that today.
There
are prayers in every book of the Bible and we can pattern our prayers from any
one of them that is appropriate for our situation. More and more, I realize the
importance of effective prayer. The
effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much (James 5:16). What
does effective fervent prayer mean? I believe effective prayer involves praying
in sincerity the will of God for one’s life, being persistent, having faith and
trusting in The Almighty God/Abba Father.
Now this is the confidence that
we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, he hears us. And
if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the
petitions that we have asked of Him (I John 5:14).
Your prayers will spring forth out of the
relationship you have with your heavenly Father. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in me,
and I in him, bears much fruit; for without me you can do nothing. (John 15:5) These are His
words to you and to me. Prayer will bring you closer to your creator. And
whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith (Matthew
21:22).
We can
transform our prayer lives when we decide that prayer is the foundation and the
best weapon to use against the enemy who is constantly whispering lies in our
ears, with the intention of stealing, killing and destroying everythingg in our lives. The following suggestions may help you as you work toward transforming
your prayer lives with the help of the Holy Spirit.
I once read an email with these recommended
steps and I still use them when I am not mentally prepared or focused enough to
pray an effective prayer. It goes something like this. Your big finger is
closest to you, pray for your husband and family, the pointer is next- pray for
teachers and others who instructs others, then comes the middle finger which is
the tallest- pray for those in authority; leaders, ministers, presidents, and
so forth, the other finger is considered to be the weakest-pray so for the sick
and afflicted, homeless, orphans and the needy and lastly is your pinky or
little finger yourself.
Now you know you have been blessed by praying for others before praying for yourself.
This is intercessory Prayer. First of all, then, I urge that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and thanksgivings be made for all people
(1Timothy 2:1).
Below I
have shared another simple four steps to prayer which we use in our group, Moms In touch
International (an organization where mothers come together to pray for their
children’s schools).
·
Praise- recognizing and confessing Who
God is, in His nature and power. It puts God in His rightful position. (Hebrews 13:15).
·
Confessions -agreeing with God concerning
sins and confessing. (1 John 1:9)
·
Thanksgiving- Focuses on what God has done
and on His faithfulness; being watchful for answers. (Psalm 100:4-4).
·
Intercession-Coming to God in prayer on
behalf of others (Ephesians 6:18).
Better
yet are the Instructions that Jesus gave to His disciples when they asked Him
how they should pray. This is commonly known as The Lord’s Prayer and is found
in Matthew 6:9-11. You might find this very beneficial as you transform your prayer life.
As I
conclude, I would like to encourage you to pray for 21 consecutive days at
every possible moment you can. By taking the time to pray without ceasing for twenty-one consecutive days, praying will no
longer be a challenge. Instead, it will become a pleasure and you will get
amazing results.
Dearest
heavenly Father, the God of compassion and of all comfort, I pray that you
would give readers of this writing, who desire to transform their prayer
lives and have a deeper relationship with you, the confidence to do so. Help them to priorities
and make prayer their first priority for 21 consecutive so that prayer will
become a life time habit. Stretch their time so that they may go to a
quite place and commune with you daily. Please teach them how to pray, even
as you have taught the original disciples and many others, in Jesus’ name-Amen.
Copyright © July 2012, Pauline Lewinson
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