Prepare your heart for fellowship with God: (Psalm 24:3-5) Confess known sin in your life (1 John 1:6-9; 1 John 3:21-22; Hebrews 10:19). Forgive all who have offended or hurt you (Mark 11:25-26). See yourself then as dead to sin and sinless in the eyes of God. (Romans 6:11; 2 Corinthians 5:21)
Have a purpose in prayer: Know what you are going to pray about. It is difficult to pray fervently without knowing what you want or desire from God. We should have a clear-cut, well-defined idea about what we are asking God for. Jesus told us to ask, seek and knock. (Matthew 7:7). In asking, we must be definite. In seeking, our goal is to know God and commune with Him. In knocking (intercession) we must understand what the Lord wants to do and pray the Word for that thing. Sometimes we do not know what to pray for, and so we can pray in the Spirit (Romans 8:26). We can pray in tongues without understanding, even for hours, according to the will of God. However, Paul stated that he prayed with the spirit and with the understanding (1Corinthians 14:15). Our whole being, including our minds, should be involved in praying. Our minds should understand what we are asking God for. However, we can pray with the spirit (in tongues) when our minds need a rest (Isaiah 28:11,12). The fact remains, however, that when we set ourselves to pray, especially in a group, we must be agreed about what we will pray for (Matthew 18:19).
Study the Word: Know what the Word of God says regarding the thing you are praying for. We must renew our minds with the Word so that we know God’s will on the matter without a doubt. God’s will is to do what He promises in the Word. By meditating on the Word and letting it transform our hearts as we renew our mind in it, we prepare ourselves to pray in faith. If we don’t know what the Word says, there is a good chance that doubt will enter, and if we doubt we cannot expect to receive from God (James 1:6,7)
PRINCIPLES IN PRAYER
Depend on the Holy Spirit: In prayer, you should look to the Holy Spirit to help you to pray effectively. He can give you the right words with which you can pray effectively. Its very good to ask the Holy Spirit to help you to pray. Talk to the Holy Spirit as a person, and ask Him to help you to come to the Father in Jesus’ name. Rather than rushing in to God’s presence and saying many things, it is good many times to quieten your mind and wait in God’s presence so you can feel God’s heart and pray the things that the Holy Spirit shows you to pray for. We should realize that learning to listen to God is an important part of prayer. We are told to “pray always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). It is the Spirit who is to lead us in the kind of prayer we offer to God. He gives us the power to pray. Spend at least part of your time seeking to be filled with the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 5:18). The more filled you are with the Spirit, the more effective will be your whole life with God.
Know who you are in Christ: We must pray to the Father in Jesus’ name, not our own name (John 16:24,26; Colossians 3:17) This means that we are basing our approach to God on Jesus’ righteousness and goodness, not on our own. We receive His righteousness when we repent, confess our sins and believe that we receive His righteousness. We should know then that “we are the righteousness of God in Him” (2 Corinthians 5:21) and we can come directly to have an audience with God because of the sacrifice of Jesus in our place. We come as children of God (Galatians 3:26; John 1:12), as members of the royal family of God (Revelation 1:6), and NOT AS BEGGARS or STRANGERS. Therefore when we pray we should expect that God will grant results in response to our prayer. (1 Peter 3:12)
Begin with praise: It is good to begin your prayer with thanksgiving and praise. “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” (Psalm 100:4). Thank God for answers to prayer, for your salvation. Tell Him how great He is. It is good to use the Word of God to praise God. This is not a form of flattery in order to get God to give you things, but it is only fitting to thank Him and praise Him. Thanking God will increase your faith. Praising God will also increase your faith, since you will begin to fix your eyes on God, His goodness and faithfulness and greatness and power, and not on your problem.
Worship God: Many effective prayer-warriors recognize the importance of spending much time in worship, even up to 80% of prayer time. This deepens our fellowship with God, increases our faith and pleases the Holy Spirit. We are then more likely to really hear His voice and thus pray effectively.
Pray the Word: God’s will is to keep His promises to us. In prayer the Word of God should be in our hearts and in our mouths (Romans 10:8). In our prayers we should use the Word of God and remind God of His promises to us. This builds our faith and it also pleases God because it is an expression of our confidence in His Word and His integrity. For example, you can pray “Father, in your Word you say that those who seek you will not lack any good thing. I thank you that you will not lack ……….. . I ask you for this in Jesus’ name. Thank you for it. Amen. ” (Psalm 34:10).
Let God lead you: Allow God to lead you to pray for others in the church and their needs, national and local situations, the government, the advance of the Kingdom of God, and the growth of the church. God is looking for people who will stand in the gap with Him in intercession for situations that are beyond their own personal interests. Make God’s interests your interests.
What Will We Pray For:
GOVERNMENT Our Founding Fathers established a nearly foolproof system of government; its checks and balances are among the most noteworthy aspects of our republic. Our executive, legislative, and judicial branches, when functioning as they were designed, champion our liberties and prevent our government from becoming tyrannical and oppressive. By and large, however, the American people are sadly uninformed about democratic principles and their role in safeguarding our freedoms. What’s more, the clearly defined lines between the three branches of...
MILITARY In the wake of the September 11 attacks on our own soil, the American people have realized that the face of war is forever changed. No longer can we think of combat being fought solely on faraway shores. We must acknowledge that many of the United States’ enemies are among us, even as others plot against us from afar. With this sobering reality in mind, pray for the courageous troops who are actively serving our country each day not only at bases around the world, but also here within our borders. Our soldiers daily place themselves in...
MEDIA The media is unquestionably one of the most powerful and influential voices in our culture. Journalism used to be a simple matter of reporting the facts and, where there was controversy, presenting both sides of the story. Unfortunately, that is no longer the case. From the top national networks to local newspapers, we are faced with the challenge of sorting through commentary and conjecture in order to get to the truth. Meanwhile, throughout the entertainment industry, the heroes of pop culture model vices such as materialism, promiscuity,...
BUSINESS Today’s business leaders hold a great deal of sway in our society. America has long celebrated the entrepreneurial spirit of men and women who have launched innovative and successful companies. In generations past, honest and generous CEOs were rewarded with loyal employees, customers and clients. In recent years, however, greater numbers of large corporations are becoming characterized by deception, greed, and even fraudulent activity. In this climate, executives with strong ethics are especially deserving of our recognition and patronage....
EDUCATION The goals, content and approach of modern-day education have changed dramatically from the schooling children received when our nation was first conceived. Formal, public education was just taking shape at that time as the newly formed government took responsibility for helping parents with this aspect of their children’s upbringing. With the 1635 founding of America’s first public school, the Boston Latin School, biblical faith was unapologetically woven into classroom teaching. Many teachers were local pastors, and a reverence for the...
CHURCH While we often associate the word “church” with our locale of worship, Scripture takes a much broader view. The Church, ultimately, refers to the body of Christian believers around the world. The Lord is passionate for His Church, His bride. From the dawn of time, God’s purposes have centered around revealing His glory through His people and securing our eternity with Him. As those who guide and disciple the Church, today’s pastors and other Christian leaders face a vast and unprecedented array of pressures. While God has blessed...
FAMILY No institution in the culture is facing more intense persecution than the family. Not only are the incidences of divorce, infidelity and abuse on the rise, but social engineers are relentless in their efforts to dismantle the traditional family. It’s crucial that we pray for this vital and foundational unit of society. God’s Word makes it clear that families play a central role in disseminating the tenets of our faith to the next generation. Loving homes model virtues such as sacrifice, patience and unconditional love to a watching world,...