Effective Prayer
Prayer Bible Study
Christianity Oasis Ministry has provided this Effective Prayer Bible study sharing how to pray effectively to enjoy an effective Christian prayer life. We'll also look at all aspects of the Christian Walk. This Effective Prayer study brings forth Truth, understanding and genuine peace.
Welcome to our Christianity Oasis End Times Bible study program. This is our guest favorite, essential and super important ... Effective Prayer Bible study sharing the Biblical teachings and tried and true techniques found in the Bible concerning how to pray effectively as to obtain and maintain an effective Christian Prayer life and how the faith building and hope enhancing message within affects you as a Christian today. The intriguing and thought provoking blessing within this Effective Prayer Bible study revealing the mystery of how to pray effectively to achieve genuine and extremely effective Christian prayer.
Effective Prayer Bible Study on How To Pray Effectively for an Extremely Effective Christian Prayer Life
Greetings ... You will absolutely love this Bible based study on Effective Christian Prayer Life. It matters not if you have recently become a Christian or if you are a seasoned Christian. We all want our Christian Prayer life to be more effective as to enhance our communication with God.
In this study, you'll discover that effective Christian Prayer is simple and with just a little insight from the Bible, you can improve your Christian Prayer life dramatically.
Before we start, there are a few misinterpretations about Christian prayer, and Christian prayer habits that you may have formed that need to be looked at before you can expect positive improvement in your Christian prayers, so let's talk about what Christian prayer is not.
Please don't be offended if one or more of these things describe a pattern or habit that you follow in Christian Prayer. But rather, rejoice that learning more from the Bible about Christian prayer, will have you well on your way to a closer relationship with the Lord.
- Effective Christian Prayer is not ... A daily rattling off of your list of complaints to God. Most of the things we complain to God about can be changed by our own choices. Always remember, we are God's servants, He is not ours.
- Effective Christian Prayer is not ... Something we do because we feel obligated. Our Father wants us to spend time with Him because of a sincere desire to, not because we need to have our prayer time card punched.
- Effective Christian Prayer is not ... A one sided conversation, it's two. You're not the only one present and participating. This will be elaborated on later in our study.
- Effective Christian Prayer is not ... Better because of how long a time you spend doing it.
- Effective Christian Prayer is not ... Reciting the same words over and over again, most of the time with no emotion, or even with your mind concentrating on something completely different while the words wander in your mind. When Jesus spoke the Lord's Prayer, He said that this was the manner in which we should pray, not the only prayer to offer.
- Effective Christian Prayer is not ... Repititous. A heartfelt prayer is not repetition, it is spontaneous.
If any of these things have become your Christian Prayer habits, get ready for a totally new attitude about effective Christian prayer. You may find your Christian Prayers more an obligation than a Spiritual adventure where you are talking to God.
The first thing you need to do is relax. Your prayer life is as you-nique as you are. No two people pray alike. No two Christian prayers are exactly alike. Only you can decide how you pray.
We're going to take a sort of detective approach to investigating our Christian prayers and discover more about the Who, What, When, Where, Why and How of Effective Christian prayer. Ready? Let's get started.
Effective Prayer Bible Study Procedure
How to Pray Effectively and Easily
Who?
An important thing to know about prayer is understanding who you are praying to. Get to know who the Lord is.
God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are one entity (see the Trinity study), and you'll find that building relationships in prayer with and through all three will enhance your Christian prayer life and help you to grow in faith.
Now, even though the three are one ...
For there are three that bear record in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one.
... It's important to know the different "personalities" of the three divine persons of God. Just as you have a body, soul and spirit, and are still only one person, and we are created in God's image - God has three parts as well.
The soul --- God
The flesh --- Jesus
The Spirit --- The Holy Spirit
God
God is your Heavenly Father. He created you. He knows everything about you. Everything! Every need, want, and emotion, every quality and quirk. And He loves you more than any human has the ability to love. Though your sins can never extend further than His Grace, He is a jealous and peculiar God and wants your complete and unwavering devotion. He will discipline you out of love and you should welcome that discipline with an attitude of yearning to always seek, return and remain in His good graces. God is love. Talk to God as your Father, because He indeed is.
Jesus
Jesus is your Savior. Never forget that He died for you. Because the world saw Him in the flesh, most people find it easiest to relate to Jesus. He is forgiveness. If you feel that the Lord is upset with you, Jesus will intercede to God if you ask Him sincerely. He understands our human nature, having lived in flesh and blood Himself. He understands temptation, disappointment, physical and mental agony, trial and tribulation and every human emotion that exists. Jesus is your friend ...
Ye are my friends, ye do whatsoever I command you.
How many of your friends have died so that you can be forgiven of all your sins and live forever? Effective Prayer Bible study tip ... Talk to Jesus like He is your best friend ... Because He is.
The Holy Spirit
The Holy Spirit is your Comforter. He is Truth. Jesus sent Him to guide us because He would no longer be here in the flesh, and He understands how tough it is to live a godly life in an ungodly world.
Another Effective Christian prayer life tip ... The Holy Spirit is a gentleman. He will not enter your heart if He's not invited by faith. He's your Helper. If you don't know what to do or say about something, the Holy Spirit will lead you if you only ask. He is the Spirit of God. He waits for you to commune with Him. He is your companion, your Spiritual intuition.
The Holy Spirit is the voice inside of you that encourages you to always do the right thing. Talk to the Holy Spirit like He is your mentor ... Because He is.
As you learn how to pray effectively, you'll get a better feeling of how we are to pray:
To God
Through Jesus
By way of the Holy Spirit.
26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for
we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit
itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be
uttered.
27 And He that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the
mind of the Spirit, because He maketh intercession for the Saints
according to the will of God.
Sooooooo, our prayer comes from our Soul and is felt by our own spirit and the Holy Spirit feels it and makes intercession for us thru Jesus to God.
The Holy Spirit interprets our Christian Prayers. Pretty cool huh? Each different circumstance and your relationship will deepen with each of them as time goes on. Just as you want God to love all of you - mind (soul), body, and spirit, He also wants you to love and pray to all of Him.
Prayer of the upright is a delight to the Lord.
What is Effective Christian Prayer
Prayer Bible Study on How to Pray Effectively Facts
What?
What is Christian prayer? Prayer is the way that Christians communicate with God. But do you feel like you are at a loss for words when you pray? What on earth are you supposed to talk about when you pray, anyway?
Here is another Effective Prayer Bible study tidbit of Truth ... If you're new to prayer and you're having trouble getting started, or just feel your prayer is not as effective as you imagined it should be ... Maybe this will help. Pretend that someone just introduced you to Jesus for the first time, and left you alone together to talk. Get to know Him. How do you do that?
Talk
What would you tell Him? What would you ask? You may feel a bit silly, being that He already knows you better than you do, but tell Him all about you. You may learn things about yourself that you didn't know, because many times we don't discover things about ourselves until we talk about them.
Bear Your Soul
Are there questions that you've always wondered about Him?
Ask
Are there things about yourself that you've never told anyone?
Confess
It will bring you closer to Him and your friendship will begin to flourish.
Trust Him
Share your successes, your failures, your dreams, your disappointments, your happiness, your sadness. He is your best friend. If you feel you need guidance, or if you're lonely, the Holy Spirit is waiting for your invitation.
An effective Christian prayer life fact ... Sometimes you may just feel like spending time with the Lord, without speaking. Just knowing that His presence is with you, is very fulfilling. Sometimes you just can't put your thoughts into words when you want to pray, but not to worry, because God knows your heart.
Remember ...
Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
And He Dwells Within You
Know ye not that ye are the Temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?
Sooooooo, just pray away ...
When?
Effective Prayer Bible study timing answer ... There is no designated time to pray. The Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit are available whenever you want or need to talk to them. They are open 24/7. You don't have to make an appointment, call ahead of time or save up your prayers for Sunday morning. Just invite them into your heart.
Evening, and morning, and at noon, will I pray, and cry aloud: and He shall hear my voice.
Be Passionate
Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
And He will hear and answer you.
Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.
When you first wake up, say "Good Morning" to God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit. Hide and watch whether the times you remember to do this, if your day goes better. Put something on your nightstand, or your bathroom mirror that will remind you that He is waiting for you to talk to Him.
Attach a "PostIt®" note to your kitchen cabinet, on the refrigerator, or anywhere and everywhere to remind you to greet Him throughout the day. If your child woke up and didn't say good morning to you, you would be hurt or think he was mad at you. Don't ignore God ... You are His child.
Pray Always
Effective Christian Prayer Location
Effective Prayer Bible Study on How to Pray Effectively and Privately
Where?
Jesus taught us that we should pray in private.
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
This doesn't mean that you're confined to your room when you pray. You can pray anywhere, anytime, just as long as it is only between you and God.
This brings up some questions. What about blessing meals or praying in church?
Certainly our Father wants the Church to pray together, but community prayer is quite different from personal prayer.
Praying for others is such a wonderful gift. In praying for someone else, you could be releasing miracles for them.
You just never know the power of prayer.
Ye also helping together by prayer for us, that for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons thanks may be given by many on our behalf.
Acts 12:5
Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.
If everyone present is praying in unity, remember what Jesus said:
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
If you're giving thanks for a meal, and everyone present is in agreement to give thanks, likewise, you are glorifying God together, if you're not seeking edification because of your prayer.
But ... Beware
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Effective Christian prayer life warning ... Ahhhhhhh, we have just been warned by our Lord.
Let's say you are in a chat room and someone opens up the floor for prayer for something or someone. Everyone begins to put their petitions up on the board.
This is where you must be careful ...
In many cases ... Some souls carefully choose their most eloquent words to post, and it is clearly for self edification. Some continue adding additional words, trying to outdo the others present.
They're not speaking to God ... They are speaking for the other people in the room to notice them.
Now this does not apply to those who are praying for others and truly led by the Spirit of God. It is not what you do but why.
Remember ...
If someone wants to be prayed for, your silent prayer speaks volumes to God, compared to revealing your intimate conversation with Him in an open forum. Ponder and pray on this.
In addition ... If there is Godly conversation in the room and you're Spiritually moved by it, an enthusiastic "Amen" or something similar is quite different and righteous of course.
Nobody wants to quench your passion, but there is a time and a place for everything. In Christian prayer, the time is any time, and the place for personal Christian prayer between you and God, is in the privacy of your mind and heart, with God.
Remember ...
And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward.
Matthew 6:6
But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly.
Oh and speaking of hypocrites and Pharisees ... Here is something shared about being haughty in your prayer.
10 Two men went up into the Temple to pray; the one a
Pharisee, and the other a publican.
11 The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, God, I
thank thee, that I am not as other men are, extortioners, unjust,
adulterers, or even as this publican.
12 I fast twice in the week, I give tithes of all that I
possess.
13 And the publican, standing afar off, would not lift up
so much as his eyes unto heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying,
God be merciful to me a sinner.
14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified
rather than the other: for every one that exalteth himself shall be
abased; and he that humbleth himself shall be exalted.
Why Do We Need Effective Christian Prayer
Effective Prayer Bible Study Reason
Why?
There are myriads of reasons why one would pray, but, you may note that most of them fall into about five categories.
- Praise
- Confession
- Request
- Thanksgiving
- Communing
Below are some examples of the categories above:
Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord.
1 John 1:9
If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
John 15:7
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.
Philippians 4:6
In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving, let your request be known to God.
Psalms 62:8
Trust in Him at all times; ye people, pour out your heart before Him: God is a refuge for us. Selah.
Effective Prayer Bible study trivia question ... Do you ever pray with thanksgiving?
Let's elaborate on that point for a sec. That means do you thank God in advance for the things you ask Him for? When you do this, you're showing the strength of your Faith and your lack of doubt.
5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that
giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be
given him.
6 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that
wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any
thing of the Lord.
Be careful that you're not being presumptuous by doing this, you're showing praise.
How?
As you learned at the very beginning of this study, everybody prays differently. Sometimes you may pray for hours at a time, and sometimes you may just whisper one word (like Alleluia or Thanks or Amen or just smiling and picturing yourself with God hugging you). How you pray is entirely up to you. Just remember, there are no limitations on prayer, small or large. Your Father judges your heart, and the only thing that He wants from you, is sincerity.
That being said, look with me at what Peter, who learned first hand from Jesus, that being righteous is important to God and has an effect on prayer:
Here is the sample prayer Jesus gave us ...
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father
which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is
in Heaven.
11 Give us this day our daily bread.
12 And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
13 And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from
evil: For thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for
ever. Amen.
Effective Christian prayer life reminder ... Remember this is a manner of prayer as the Lord said. He is not suggesting that you just repeat this mindlessly. He wants your sincerity, and love and to know you. Not recitation.
But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking.
With all that in mind, there are some things in the Bible that you may find helpful to know about Christian prayer.
Effective Christian Prayer if it Be God's Will
Effective Prayer Bible Study Truth
Ask According to God's Will.
What does that mean, anyway ... To ask for God's Will? It means that you're putting your life in God's hands and giving Him the controls.
14 And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that,
if we ask any thing according to His will, He heareth us:
15 And if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we
know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him.
So ... always ask for God's will to be done when praying.
9 After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which
art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
10 Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as
it is in Heaven.
Even Jesus did so ...
He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
We need to make sure it is God's will not only in prayer but in our own plans ...
For that ye ought to say, If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that.
We are told not to wish God Speed to one who has false doctrine.
Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God. He that abideth in the doctrine of Christ, he hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed: For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds.
So obviously, we are to prove all things before we pray for something.
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
This is especially important when you're praying for others. Consider this if you will when contemplating how to pray effectively for other people ...
What if someone asks you to pray for a specific reason for them, or what if you, in the goodness of your heart, take it upon yourself to pray for something that someone didn't ask for, but you believe it would be a blessing for them.
Innocently, you pray for them, but unbeknownst to you, the prayer is not God's will for them. The prayer is not answered in the way hoped for, and questions arise about believing to receive, and asking in Jesus' name, and innumerable other doubts.
In particular if you prayed openly for all to hear. This, my friend, can be harmful to their faith, and yours. When you pray for someone else, always be certain, that you're praying for God's will to be done.
God answers prayer, just make sure it is God's will because He knows what is best for you.
There is a little saying that goes like this: God always
answers all prayers.
His answers can be ... Yes, No, and
Not now.
Important Effective Prayer Bible study morsel ... Remember that praying for God's will to be done in our lives may be a little hard to grasp at first, because the human creature is naturally a selfish being. We want what we want. But what about what God wants? He is our Creator, after all. He owns the remote control of our lives. He created a plan for us, but sometimes we think we are the ones in control.
Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails.
There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall stand.
The world and it's desires pass away, But the man who does the will of God lives forever.
And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever.
Many things the world offers look exciting, but we don't see what lies behind or beyond its deceptive promises. But ... Our Father and protector does.
How to pray effectively for an effective Christian prayer life danger ... We often make our own plans and think we're headed in the right direction, but if we don't involve God in the planning, we will probably end up on the wrong path. Don't get this wrong now, God loves you so much that He wants to give you the desire of your heart, and He wants your plans to succeed and your dreams to come true, but when we pray for something that will hurt us or is not His will, He patiently leads us in the right direction.
May He give you the desire of your heart and make all your plans succeed.
Grant thee according to thine own heart, and fulfil all thy counsel.
He finds ways to fulfill our hopes while still conforming to His will.
Oft times ... At first it may seem like your prayer is not answered, but if we follow the direction that He points us in, we'll find what we were looking for, without disappointment. Many times you'll realize that what you were praying for, was something you really didn't want or wasn't really in your best interest.
Praise God for His infinite wisdom! He knows all the angles, and the impact, and ... Well, He is omniscient!
So, how do you avoid going in the wrong direction in the first place? Commit (trust) your prayers and plans to Him, and He'll show you the right thing to do.
Commit thy works unto the LORD, and thy thoughts shall be established.
There is a force out there that is attempting to overtake us all; it is Satan. There is another force that is protecting us from him; it is the Holy Spirit. It is a battle for souls. This battle is called Spiritual Warfare, and like it or not, you are right in the middle of it.
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