Prayer Guide

Prayer is spiritual communication between you and your Heavenly Father, a two-way relationship in which you should not only talk to God, but also listen to Him. Prayer is simply opening your heartfelt thoughts and emotions to God.

Prayer is a gift. God has given each and every one of us the opportunity, through the Holy Spirit, to address him directly. As a child of God, you are invited to come boldly before His throne.

"This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.” 1 John 5:14

Why Should I pray?

We can freely bring all of our concerns, thoughts, desires, hurts and needs to Him, knowing that He is our loving Father who wants to hear from us. We pray because it:

* Changes us
* Gives us power
* Blesses others

"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.” Ephesians 6:18

Where do I find time to pray?

Many of us struggle to bring God into our daily schedule and forget to make time to pray. When we do pray, we may find it difficult to bring our activities to God as prayer topics. We may think that God can't possibly be interested in our work lives, our housework or our leisure time, yet our Heavenly Father is interested in everything we do.

Prayer is a powerful tool in your spiritual arsenal that is available to you 24-7 no matter where you are – at home, at work, in the car, at the grocery store, in church, etc. Prayer is both public and private.

Why not practice the presence of God today?

Place a colored dot on your watch or your cell phone and every time you see it, pray a brief prayer for someone on your mind at that time.

Make time in your daily routine, actually scheduling an appointment in your planner, to meet with God for prayer. It may only be a half-hour slot, but you can guarantee that He will never be late!

Look back over your weekly routine to identify some ten to fifteen minute periods that you can use to be alone with God.

How do I pray?

Remember that prayer is essentially talking with God just as you would talk with an earthly parent who loves you and wants the best for you. God is your heavenly Father who loves you perfectly. Just come before Him with the simplicity and trust of a child.

Our relationship with God and journey of faith are deepened by spending quality time in daily prayer. It is better to start with five minutes a day, if five minutes is all that can be found, than to aim for an hour of quiet time and become frustrated that you cannot find the time to do this. Be diligent and recognize that it may take a while before you feel comfortable praying. Eventually, you will find the joy of daily prayer time and find yourself spending longer each day in prayer. Prayer should be such an integral part of your life that throughout each day you should be carrying on a running conversation with God.

You can follow these six simple steps, AWCIPA, for powerful prayer:

Adoration is to worship God and to fulfill the commandment to love Him with all of your heart, mind and soul. As you spend time in adoration, you praise God for who He is - your Creator, your Provider and your Redeemer.

Wait in silence for God to speak to you. Sometimes the Lord is silent, so do not become upset if you do not hear anything when you pray. Many times you will hear things outside of your prayer time through scripture, circumstances or people.

Confess anything in your life which needs healing and forgiveness.

Intercede for others - ask God for the needs of others.You can ask the Lord to give you a heart for those He wants you to serve or keep a written prayer list of family, friends, coworkers, your church, etc.

Pray for yourself – make sure your requests are properly motivated and will glorify God.

Admire Him some more and thank Him for all that He has done and will do in your life!

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