HAPPY NEW YEAR!…Let’s thank The Lord for granting us the opportunity to see another great year!
I am sure by now that you have began working on all those New Year’s Resolutions which I am hoping included spending more time in prayer…at least it is one of my New Year’s Resolution. So what better way to kick off the New Year of 2016 than by working on establishing an effective prayer life.
We all know that prayer works and that prayer changes things. But if we do not have an effective prayer life, it will be somewhat difficult to see the things and the people that we pray for come to fruition. I am not implying that there is a magical formula or a mandated style when it comes to effective praying, but knowing how to pray and to pray effectively is the key to communicating with our Heavenly Father.
If we could just look at praying as just a way of communicating with God, it should be easy right? Praying comes easy for some and for others it may seem as if it is the hardest part of being a Christian. In Matthew 6:9-13, Jesus teaches His disciples about prayer and how to pray. In verse 2, it states…”and He said unto them, when ye pray say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name. Thy kingdom come thy will be done, in earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. For thine is the power, the kingdom and the glory forever amen!
So Jesus gave us a great starting point or opening statement towards having an effective prayer life. The rest is for us to seek and develop a genuine relational communication with our Heavenly Father. I know that may sound hard, but it is really less complicated…the first thing that we must do is to accept The Lord Jesus Christ as our Lord and savior and then open our hearts to God in which He will place a desire for us to want to have a deep relationship with Him through our prayer life.
Here are some suggested practical ways that we can further nurture an effective prayer life:
- War Room. If you have not had the opportunity to view this powerful movie, I implore you to go and watch this movie. The entire concept behind this movie ties into the first way and that is to go and pray in your prayer closet. Make your prayer closet to be in the most quietest area in your home away from all the noise and distractions
- Keep a list of your prayer needs. Jot down the names of people who you are praying for, situations and circumstances
- Pray out loud sometimes. This makes it much easier to stay alert and to concentrate more on what we are communicating with God
- Include praise and worship in your prayer time. God loves it when we praise Him and give Him glory. In Psalm 22:3, it states that God inhabits the praises of Israel…His people
- Carve out time each day to pray. Make prayer time as an appointment; schedule it in as the first thing on your “to-do” list. In addition, pray during your unused or unallocated times of the day…sitting in traffic, cleaning the house, or out on a jog or while exercising.
Our best weapon of defense against the enemy is when we are on our knees praying to our Heavenly Father. The enemy knows that if he can prevent you from having an effective prayer life, the line of communication between you and God will slowly diminish and render you ineffective at defending yourself against the enemy. We must always remember the truth in James 5:16, “…the effectual prayer of a righteous man availeth much”. KJV
Thanks for stopping by…take care and be blessed!
Warmly,
Tamela