For
many people, praying is like breathing.
They get up, have prayer time with God, and continue on through the rest
of their day. If you ask them, "Did
you pray today?" They look at you as if you have asked them the most
ridiculous question ever. For the
majority of us, praying is like exercising, eating healthy, and getting in
awesome shape. We want to do it; we need
to do it; but we just don't find the time to do it. To a Christian it is as important as
breathing; however, we seem to put it lowest on our priority list. If you asked Peyton Manning how to throw a
football, he would probably say, "Just throw it." We all probably could, but not like him. We would need to get some tips on how to do
it better than we do now. With that in
mind, here are a few tips on a better prayer time with God.
1. Choose a specific place to pray.
Everyone is different. Some
people like to walk outside, some like to kneel, and some like to sit or
stand. No matter the position, pick a
place and just do it.
2. Choose a time to pray.
If you want to get a hold of God on a daily basis, you must have a
scheduled time that you pray every day.
If you pray when you have time, you will never have time.
3. Pray out loud.
I have found that whenever I pray in
my head, I begin to daydream, fall asleep, or start thinking about other things
that have to get done that day. If you
pray out loud, you will think and pray together. It is much harder to daydream while quite
literally talking to God.
4. Keep a prayer list.
The best way to pray is to have an idea about what to pray for and
about. Everyone has a different opinion
about a prayer list. You can right
everything down specifically. You can
have general topics like the following: church, family, unsaved, government,
and sick. Another way is to pray for
things by the day of the week by praying for one specific category every day of
the week. My father-in-law has each day
of the week alliterated to help him remember how to pray.
Missions
Monday-he would pray for missionaries around the world
Task
Tuesday-he would pray for the jobs that the family and ministry had to
accomplish that week
Workers
Wednesday-he would pray for the people who worked in their ministry and church
Thanksgiving
Thursday-he would thank God for everything that God had given him.
Family
and Friends Friday-he would pray for them and their need
Salvations
Saturday-he would pray for lost loved ones and lost souls
Saints
and Sinners Sunday-he would pray for the saved to attend church and if any were lost they would be saved.
5. Keep a journal of answered prayers
The journal will be a way to keep
track of what you prayed for and when you prayed for it. Leave a space to jot
down the answer when it comes. This will help you to keep alert to God's answer
so you can thank Him promptly. You can also use it to show others how God
answered your prayers when they are discouraged.
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