Shane Hays

What's great about prayer, is that all we have to do is be honest with God. You will see this a lot in the psalms. Deep heart felt honesty.

He knows what we want before we ask Him, and knows what we are going to think before we even think about it. See Psalms 139:2,4. (Don't even try to wrap your head around that one). 

Prayer is simply talking to God. How do you talk to your friends, family members, etc.? That is all you have to do. Talk to God the way you would a father, friend or family member. Would you go up to someone and start repeating a chant over and over again? Of course not. Mathew 6:7 talks about this. When you pray, mean it from your heart. Matt. 15:8. 

Pray all the time, about everything, without stopping. Philippians 4:6. 1 Thes. 5:16-18. (I have a hard time with this. I tend to get irritated and lean towards complaining, and feeling sorry for myself). 

Also, remember that prayer is more than talking. It is a spiritual weapon. 
2 Corinthians 10:3-5. When we ask someone for something here on earth, we tend to think it rude to keep asking over and over again, but if you were watching our soldiers on the battle field fighting terrorists, what would you think if they only shot their gun once? You would think WHAT ARE YOU DOING! KEEP SHOOTING! Same with prayer. Keep praying the same request until it is answered. Also, know that some requests can take years to answer. Namely, people's salvation, and other situations as well. Just remember that if your prayer seems to go unanswered, God sees the future, and sees the invisible spiritual realm. He isn't affected by time like we are. Also, He is more concerned about working on our character, than our comfort. Also, not all prayers are answered, because God knows what will hurt us. I have been praying for 15 years to get out of my current profession, have tried several attempts and failed. But at least I have a job. 

The best way to have your prayers answered is to have your will lined up with His. John 15:7. 

If you want a basic model of what to pray for, read the Lord's Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13

May 02 2015 • 1 response • Vote Up • Share • Report

SHARON MULDOON

I have just finished reading Max lucado book called before amen and he gives this pocket size prayer:
"Father, you are good. I need help. Heal me and forgive me. They need help. Thank you. In Jesus name, Amen".
It is brilliant building block for prayer and a brilliant book to read.

February 11 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Bob Jones

Excellent question. Whatever you pray, Jesus says believe that you have received it and you will get it! That doesn't mean that you imagine something is there that isn't, but you believe that God has decided to give it to you and is already making a way for it to happen.

Pray that God's kingdom would come. Jesus said this in the Lord's Prayer. It doesn't really make much sense to us since we don't have kingdoms here. But basically it means this - God is perfectly good. When his kingdom comes, all bad stuff goes. Joy and life and peace come.

Ask God to forgive your sins. Don't belabor it, but do confess to him. He really loves you so its more about telling him you want to be in relationship with him.

Tell him you want to know him more.

February 14 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Salem Markus Purba

This question is really encouraging me to meditate on what Jesus has taught me how to pray.

Since Jesus has said in Matthew 7: 7-8: " Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who ask receives; he/she who seeks finds; and to him/her who knocks, the door will be opened"; I understand that prayer is a matter of thinking, talking and doing in seeking the kingdom of God (Matthew 6: 9-10, 25-34), asking for God,s grace and forgiveness (Matthew 6: 11-12) and knocking the door of heaven for God,s protection and salvation from tempation and evil. (Psalm 48: 3; Matthew 6: 13; John 17: 15).

It can be concluded that prayer is my breath and daily life on this planet earth in interacting spiritually and physically with God and with my neighbours; this is the way how I pray.

Amen.

August 28 2015 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Alan Rees

God says that in him we are strong. He wants us to depend on him. He is the shepherd we are the sheep; he will lead us to greener pastures. God wants us to call on him in prayer at all times.

I look at it like this: a baby cannot help himself, talk or do anything but the most powerful thing a baby can do is cry. The mother will respond to that cry to see if the baby is hungry, sick, thirsty or needs a diaper change. When we pray that is how God will respond to us when we pray.

When we are helpless and when things are going good with us He will be there, so keep on praying when we are happy or sad. No matter what, God wants you to call on him. Use faith to trade from Heaven; faith is like money to trade on earth and the wages of sin is death.

August 01 2018 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report

Jack Gutknecht ABC/DTS graduate, guitar music ministry Baptist church

This is a great question, Kathy!

As a guide, we can use the acronym for praying effectively, ACTS (Mt 6:9-13)

A = Adoration (“Hallowed be Thy name”)

C = Confession – Don’t omit this one (“Forgive us our sins as we forgive those who sin against us”)

T = Thanksgiving (implied in “Give us this day our daily bread”)—remember Jesus’ thanking God before feeding the 5,000 in John 6:

11 	“And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed to the disciples, and the disciples to them that were set down; and likewise of the fishes as much as they would.”

S = Supplication (“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”)

September 13 2021 • 0 responses • Vote Up • Share • Report