My, Devotion to Him #60
Let me start off by saying no one has a perfect prayer life. There is not a strict guideline that everyone has to follow to form an all perfect guideline. Though prayer is one of the most powerful tools we are able to access as Christians. Not only because we are able to spend time with God during prayer. But because prayer also has power in itself as prayer is a petition or request unto God. There is also the intercessor prayer, in which we stand in the gap for someone and petition on their behalf. Starting or restarting your prayer life is desirable when you consider how eager God is to share a loving relationship with you. Like most new things we try such as an exercise program it is most helpful and useful to keep prayer simple and practical as we are just now taking the reins of something new. As for the person who is restarting. The basics is always the best as they are the foundation and pillars of the praying life. We need to set prayer goals to connect with God that are well within our reach. Here are 5 steps to get started or restarted in prayer.
1. Decide Where & When To Pray.
You are able to pray anywhere at any given time, it is also good to schedule a specific time and place to pray. Many people have a prayer closet, room, hallway, or like Evangelistic Pastor Greg Fritz he has a office that he pays for that is dedicated for the sole purpose of prayer. That is his place where all his energy and time is solely focused on God in prayer. You can start with five or ten minutes with God and only with God as your main prayer time. Choose a quiet place where you can be alone and are unlikely to be interrupted. Put the phone on silent and just bask in the presence of the Lord as you come to Him in prayer.
Think of this prayer time as the main meal you are going to have with God. Obviously, you can have many meals or snacks throughout the day or week, but your main prayer meals are the ones you reserve. The ones that you don’t skip because of a new diet, the ones you don’t get a rain check for. These are the ones where it’s like a special date night. This is a specific date and set time for you and God.
2. Be Relaxed Yet Alert.
God does not want a stiff necked Christian. Who thinks be prim and proper is the only acceptable manner in which to pray to Him. God wants us to be relaxed when we come to Him. Don’t be stiff or tense. Relax. But at the same time God wants us to be alert. Alert for what? For Him. We need to be alert in our spirit for the moment He lays someone on our hearts. Or the moment that He speaks to us.
3. Preparation For Prayer Is Not A Bad Idea.
Get to your place of prayer. Relax and let your mind empty itself of everything. Release all thoughts that are not on Him. This is not easy to do, but with practice you will be get better at it. One way to do this is to take 10 or more calm and cleansing breaths. Your goal is not to become thought-less but to lessen the distractions of so many thoughts in which will interfere with a prayer time that is suppose to be between you and God alone. It’s not a time for you, God, and what’s for supper. It’s only about you and God.
4. Pray A Prayer Of Intention Beforehand.
Tell God in prayer that you intend to spend the next five or 10 minutes in prayer.
“Heavenly God, the next ten minutes I am giving to You. I am going to spend them fully in prayer with You. I want to be with You yet I am restless and easily distracted. Help me during this time Lord.”
In time you will probably have the desire to increase your prayer time and find that as you make it a priority in your life you will carve out the time for longer prayer periods. You will be less distracted as you make it a top priority to pray that the stated time. As this is commitment not only to God but to ourselves. As we start to shape this we will find it easier to not pay any attention to distractions.
5. Pray The Way You Want.
Not everyone prays the same way. Nor is anyone bound to. Nor is anyone subject to. If we want to pray like we are reading from the Kings James than that’s fine. If we want to pray in tongues, or like we are talking to someone we can. We can express gratitude, ask for forgiveness, seek God’s help with a problem or difficult relationship. You can choose a prayer you know, such as the Lord’s Prayer or Psalm 23. You could pray for someone else or just be with God in silence. Trust the Spirit of God to be with you and to help you pray in the ways that work best for you and the Father. Make sure that you allot time to listen to God’s part of the conversation.
Be blessed my brothers and sister in Christ.
Copyright © 2017 by Jacob D. Olinger
Spirit Warrior Ministry 