Lesson 6: Prayer

Let’s talk about prayer! I believe most believers do best in praying to God under pressure; however, when we receive our answers, we tend to go on a prayer break. Prayer should not be only for emergencies. Prayer should not be a burden. I prayed rehearsed and copied prayers for so long, until I came across a book written by Joyce Meyer titled, The Power of a Simple Prayer. Boom! My prayer life changed. I don’t want you to go through the same boring prayer time I had. See the things I did wrong below:

*I followed tradition.

* I kept track of time and I would be worried when I found that I had only prayed for a few minutes. I learned that it’s not the time that matters but the quality.

*I restricted praying to specific place, time, and format. I learned to pray everywhere, anywhere. I take prayer walks.

*I thought God does not want to be bothered with petty requests. I learned that God is not only interested with the big issues, He is also very much interested in the small issues of my life, down to the smallest details.

*I watched and copied others’ prayer pattern, it landed me back to where I started from. I learned to pray using my own words.

*I prayed using specially chosen words with the appropriate emotions. I learned God is not moved by emotions; God moves by His words. I learned to pray using God’s Word. Here is an example: “God, You said in Your Word that you will supply all my needs according to your riches. Lord, I know you are very rich; please provide for my needs. Amen.”

*My prayer life suffered because I kept comparing myself with other believers who have vibrant prayer lives; I couldn’t keep up. I learned that they didn’t get to the level at which they are in a day; therefore I can’t (and shouldn’t) compare myself with them, but I can learn from them and start building my prayer life as well.

*I learned that times when I don’t know what to pray for, I can rely totally on the Holy Spirit to help (Romans 8:26).

*I believed prayer is just words laid out to our Father. I learned that worship is also a form of prayer. Let me explain this better. I would worship, but didn’t count it as a form of prayer, so when I kept time, I would start from after worship. I thought that the more words I said, the more I would have fulfilled my praying duty for the day.

Prayer is so sweet if you go about it the right way. After I learned the art, I can boldly tell you that prayer to God can be likened to sharing your concerns with close friend. Pray to God as you would express your mind to a close friend.

Prayer is powerful. Many men and women of God in the Scriptures prayed, and great things happened.

What is prayer?

• Prayer is a two-way communication between man and God. Contrary to what you may have witnessed or copied, prayer is not a monologue but a dialogue.
• Prayer is the authority we have here on earth to make things happen in Heaven (Matthew 18:18). As with other spiritual disciplines, it requires consistency to reap the benefits.

You must also fulfill the necessary conditions for an answered prayer.

• Do not pray in sin; God said He would not answer (Psalm 66:18).
• Do not pray with selfish motives and desires (James 4:3).
• Do not pray in fear; pray in faith. Have faith in the God that can do all things. The good part is that when He answers one of your requests, you have a testimony to say, “He has answered me before; He will answer me again.
• Do not pray vague prayers. Be specific and use God’s Word. You have to know what God’s Word says about your request. If you are praying for healing, search and claim what God says about your health in His Word (John 15:7).
• Pray and say,“Father in the name of Jesus…” This is important because the access we have to the Father is through Jesus (John 14:13).

Prayer tips:
– Always make time for God, no matter how busy you are. One moment in God’s presence can change your lifetime for good.

– Have a place that is quiet and with no distractions whenever possible; otherwise, create the quietness within your spirit.

– For starters, ignore the duration, just spend time with Him. Today it may be just five minutes, but soon you will find so much peace in His presence that you will want more. Don’t kill your zeal by starting with long periods of time each day just because you saw someone else do it. If God gives you the grace, please jump in; it means God has something planned for you. Overall, though, start small and grow big.

– You can pray in the bathroom, while driving, at work, at school, anywhere! Don’t confuse these times with your special time with God.
– Talk to Him about everything including your weakness. Make God your secret buddy! He knows everything anyway!
– Create special times for prayer; this is where things happen. Corporate prayer is good, but the personal and special time goes a longer way. Always have a “you and God” time. There’s power in a particular place and/or a specific time.
– Remain quiet after prayers for some minutes. The Lord might have some things to minister to you.
– Pray simple prayers.
– Pray using God’s words. Put your faith to test. Pray with boldness (Matthew 17:20, Hebrews 4:16).
– Worship and singing is a form of prayer. Start almost all prayers with worship. It is a command. Read Psalm 100:4.
– When you don’t feel like praying, at least say, “Thank You, God.” Keep the connection by all means. Sit in and play some worship songs or hymns. I want you to be a prayer warrior, but there will be times you will be burdened or too tired to pray. Don’t skip it; do something, and don’t stay that way for long. Nobody wants to keep a friend who is always too tired to talk to them. Most of the time, asking the Holy Spirit to renew your strength changes those feelings.
– Make your prayers with God special. For example, treat them as a “This is me and you, Lord” kind of a discussion or a son-to-father talk.

– Expect something good to happen after your prayers. Mark 11:24. PRAY. BELIEVE. RECEIVE.

I often hear people say, “I don’t know what to pray for.” Examples of things to pray for include grace, blessings, peace, healing, salvation of the lost, nations, your neighbors, your pastors, your future, projects, strength to serve God, directions, seeking His will for your life, relationships, journey mercies…my friend, the list is endless.

Note: If you have prayed and received no answer YET, God is mindful of you, and whatever He promises, He will do. There are reasons we have delayed answers. Once you ascertain that you have met all of the conditions, trust God to answer you in due time. His timing is perfect and far better than our own. Do let the devil make you believe a lie that God has forgotten you.

Warning: At this point, the enemy may want to discourage you from finishing these lessons. Don’t allow him; keep going. This is your sowing time. No matter how much you struggle at this stage, keep studying! Every effort you put in is vital, no matter how little. ASK GOD FOR STRENGTH. I’ll meet you at the next lesson!

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Lesson application: Buy and read the book The Power of Simple Prayer by Joyce Meyer. Attend a prayer meeting at your church. We learn to pray by praying.