Taking three steps will help you begin to pray right, avoid common mistakes, and pray for good. And if you are looking for some way to improve your prayer life, the following three steps will help you with that also.
Understand that the power in prayer is God’s power.
God’s power in response to prayers makes God’s work happen in our lives. God does not work harder or faster because you pray harder and faster. He looks for your humility and sincerity. God unleashes His power when you acknowledge your powerlessness.
We need prayer to unleash God’s power. Mark 11:24 says,
“Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.”
There is no request too great for God to answer.
We need God’s power because of the normal hindrances that prevent us from fulfilling His will and especially because of the intentional, diabolical hindrances intended to prevent us from fulfilling God’s will. We need the power of God to clear the way and to open the paths leading to the goals God has set for us.
Nothing can prevent God from doing His will or answering our prayers. Not even mountains can prevent God from doing His will. He can move all obstacles.
But this does not mean He will remove obstacles. He will grant our prayers as long as they do not interfere with His primary objective to win the maximum number of souls. Any prayer, in accordance with His will, will not be denied.
Fulfill the 3 minimum requirements for prayers.
What does it mean to pray correctly? There are three minimum requirements for prayers to be acceptable to God: faith, belief, and righteousness.
1. Faith
Faith is personal revelation from God. It is the means whereby we know what to pray for or at least know that we should pray. Hebrews 11:1 says,
“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”
Faith is the basis for hope in the things God promises to do. It is the evidence we can resort to for knowing and understanding what God promises to do. Hebrews 11:3 explains,
“Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”
Understanding faith is important to understanding prayer. By faith, we understand that we should pray. We understand what we should pray for. We understand why we should pray. We understand what God wants us to believe.
Interestingly, faith is not belief. Faith is revelation from God that we believe in. This is the reason faith is the substance or basis for things we hope in. And this is the reason faith is the evidence of things not seen.
2. Belief
Believing in something does not give understanding. Believing is not evidence. Believing is our response to what God reveals to us.
To have faith is to have understanding of the will and ways of God. It is having knowledge of what God desires. And when you pray by faith, you pray with the understanding of what God wants you to pray for.
Whereas faith is what God gives to you, belief is what you give Him. If God reveals His promise and will to you, and then you accept it as true, it will be done.
Why does God require belief? If you do not believe that what He reveals to you is true, then you are rejecting Him. And if you reject God, He will reject you. Jesus said in Matthew 10:33,
“But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven.”
If you want your prayers to be granted, you need to understand God’s will by faith and then accept His will. If you pray with the desire that His will be done, every prayer will be granted, regardless of whether the answer is yes, no, or not yet.
Those who pray for God’s will to be done do not demand that God fulfil their will. They pray that His will be done. They rejoice over God’s answer, no matter what it is, because it is His will.
3. Righteousness
Those who believe God love Him. And those who love Him obey Him. This is the right thing to do. And doing what is right is what makes one’s prayer life good.
Being right with God means that you believe His promise to forgive you of your sins and to give you eternal life. Forgiveness of your sins corrects the wrongs that you have done. Eternal life is the gift of love God gives to you.
God resolves your unrighteousness, and He imputes to you His righteousness. It is all about what God does. You are simply the object of what He does. You are the beneficiary of His love.
There is nothing you can do to be forgiven or to pay for your sins. There’s nothing you can do to be righteous in God’s eyes in order to be worthy of eternal life. It is your helplessness that God responds to. And it is to those who humble themselves before God, confessing their helplessness, who receive His gift of eternal life.
Nurture your relationship with God.
Prayer is simply talking with God. And because God is always with you, you can have an ongoing conversation with God. First Thessalonians 5:17 says,
“Pray without ceasing.”
Those who have a relationship with God know how to do this. They are already praying without ceasing.
Prayer is not a special moment each day in which you talk to God. Prayer is not the fulfillment of a ritual of saying words. Prayer is not defined by a place or time. Prayer is a conversation with God everywhere and all the time. If He is with you all the time, the conversation will never stop. At the most, it will be interrupted.
Conversation is vital to nurturing your relationship with God. You need to talk to Him, and you need to listen to Him. This is the primary reason to pray.
But in order to nurture your relationship with God, you need a relationship with Him. How do you do that?
Starting a relationship with God is called salvation. You must be saved from sin and the subsequent condemnation. But to be saved, you must admit that you are a sinner. Have you ever done that?
Jesus Christ is called the Savior because He is the one who makes salvation possible. He died to pay for your sins, and He offers to apply His payment for your sins if you believe that His way is the best way. Your way of thinking and doing things is not right. His way is right. And if you believe that His will is the best thing for you, then you will want His will for your life.
Have you ever really wanted God’s will for your life? Have you ever denounced the sin in your life as being bad?
If you want a relationship with God, then you must want His will for your life. Is this what you want?
Start your conversation now
If God is confirming these truths to you, then He is giving you faith. He is revealing to you that you are a sinner in need of His help. He is revealing to you His promise to save you. And He is revealing to you that He is waiting for you to believe Him.
Because of this revelation, you know that He is right. You will feel resistance and perhaps agitation due to your pride and stubbornness. It is difficult to admit you are wrong. And it is difficult to admit that God’s will is the best way for you. But you know it is true.
Talk to God right now. Ask Him to help you pray. Humbly confess your helplessness and your need for Him to save you.
Will you admit that He is right and that you need Him? Will you believe Him and accept His gift of eternal life? Once you do this, you will begin a conversation with Him that will never end. This is how you begin to pray.
Still uncertain?
Sometimes people feel like they need to read a prayer or hear an example of prayer. This is understandable if they have never prayed before.
The best place to read prayers is in the book of Psalms. The Psalms is a collection of prayers written to God and about God. As you read, pray along with them.
If you want to hear how others pray, join a prayer group. Pray along with those who are praying.
If you are wondering what to pray about, read Matthew 6:9-13. This is called the Lord’s prayer. Jesus said this to His disciples after they asked Him to teach them to pray. Now it is your turn.
“After this manner therefore pray ye: 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 kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
I have a free book that explains the Lord’s prayer. It will help you understand the eight topics Jesus gave His disciples to pray about. Visit the Life Changing Scriptures store at lifechangingscriptures.org to obtain a free copy.
Remember, prayer is simply talking to God. It is an ongoing conversation with Him. There is nothing fancy or complicated about prayer. Talk to Him about decisions you are making, about what is happening at the moment, about plans you are making, and about people you know. There is nothing you cannot talk to Him about.
When you decide to begin your prayer life with a relationship with God, you will begin a conversation that will never end. And when you decide to begin praying by believing His way is the best way for you, be sure to let me know. I’d love to hear how you decided to start your prayer life.
3 steps to prayer
The 3 steps to prayer are 3 things to do to pray correctly and effectively while avoiding common mistakes. The first step is to understand that the power in prayer is God’s power. The second step is to fulfill the 3 minimum requirements for prayers: faith, belief, and righteousness. The third step is to nurture your relationship with God. These three steps will lead you to answers you have about prayer and will help you experience a wonderful prayer life.
Changing your life for good
If this article has helped you in some way, share your blessing with others. Let me know in what way you benefitted.
Ask God to teach you more about prayer. And search for more articles in my blog for more insights into prayer.
I look forward to hearing from you and reading your comment below.
