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10 Essentials of Effective Prayer

And Jesus, replying, said to them, Have faith in God [constantly].Truly I tell you, whoever says to this mountain, Be lifted up and thrown into the sea! and does not doubt at all in his heart but believes that what he says will take place, it will be done for him. For this reason I am telling you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe (trust and be confident) that it is granted to you, and you will [get it].

—Mark 11: 21-24 (AMP)

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Prayer is simple. It’s a conversation between us and our heavenly Father. Although prayer takes discipline, God wants us to enjoy the moments we spend with Him and to receive His blessings.

Sometimes when we pray and we don’t receive God’s response we often get frustrated and give up. However if we want to see success in our spiritual walk and receive answers to our long-desired requests we need to keep some basics in mind.

Praise God —Matthew 6:9

I once heard someone said that when you don’t know where to start, begin by praising God. Attributing praise to God draws us closer to Him and He comes near to us because of our worship. Acknowledge Him as your God and your Father who is the most High God – great, mighty, gracious, loving and a lot more wonderful.

Ask the Father in Jesus’ Name —John 16:23-24

Direct you prayer to the Father through the Son. Jesus said that the Father will do whatever we ask in His name. It’s so simple, “Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”

Be Persistent —Luke 18:1-8

Keep asking until you receive an answer from God concerning your matter. I understand, I’ve experienced for myself, some requests seem to take long but at the right time the answer comes. Please, don’t give up. Keep praying and don’t let go until God blesses you.

Don’t be Selfish — James 4:3

This may sound strange but check the motive behind your asking. Yes, you have needs and desires but is your asking only beneficial to you all the time? Do you consider others when you are praying? Sometimes our prayers can be selfish, “Lord I want this and that and that.” We look out our own and not for others. Jesus expects us to pray for others too. Consider the needs of others.

Have a Pure Heart —Mark 11:25-26

Hidden sin such as unforgiveness, bitterness, unresolved conflicts, hate, hurt, etc. can keep us from receiving answers to our prayers. As Psalm 66:18 says, the Lord will not hear us. If the Lord does not respond to our prayers then no blessing will come. Jesus said if we have issues with someone, while we are praying forgive them. Forgiving others benefits us because we receive forgiveness from God. Therefore, set your heart to forgive and receive God’s best.

Don’t Worry —Phil. 4:6-7

This scripture deeply resonate in me. It is a constant reminder that nothing in my life should cause me to be anxious. True prayer brings inner peace. It does not mean that we see immediate results but we have God’s peace protecting our thoughts and our hearts from constant worry. When we pray the effect on us should be an inner confidence in God’s ability to help us.

Don’t Doubt God —James 1:6-8

Doubt – regular instances of negative thinking – contradicts your prayer. Doubt will result in unanswered prayer. If you are uncertain about what you want God to do, how can you expect a definitive response to your prayers? Like the father who had some doubts that Jesus could heal his child, ask God to remove any doubt from your heart.

Have Faith in God —Mark 11: 21-24

Believe you have what you asked for. Believe that God exist and that He is willing to bless you (Heb. 11:6). As Almighty as God is, God will only do through us and for us what we believe. The success of our prayers is dependent on what we believe God can do. Faith in God leads to salvation, victory, success, provision, healing, and so much more.

Think & Ask the Same Things —Ephesians 3:20

This may seem like a repetition of the above but we need to align our thoughts with our prayers. If there is any contradiction between the two then we are hindering the answers we need. What we think works with what we say. Therefore we must be careful about what we say not only in prayer but in our day-to-day conversation. We must also what keep renewing our minds in Christ so what we are thinking is brought in line with His will.

Seek God First —Matt. 6:33

The best solution to answered prayer is to seek after God first. Make Jesus, His kingdom and His will your priority. It’s not like God doesn’t know what His children need or want. He certainly does but He desires a relationship with you too. Let your first priority of prayer be fellowship with the Father through His Son Jesus Christ.

I hope that as you reflect on these points, you will ask your Father God to help you draw closer to Him. Prayer is not only about asking for what you need or want but it’s about building a relationship with your Creator, the Most High God. What a blessing we have to be able to connect to this great and awesome God!

What do you do to help you prayer more effectively?

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Six Blessings of Obedience

Success Keys

Then Samuel called the people together to the LORD at Mizpah, and said to the children of Israel, “Thus says the LORD God of Israel: ‘I brought up Israel out of Egypt, and delivered you from the hand of the Egyptians and from the hand of all kingdoms and from those who oppressed you.’ But you have today rejected your God, who Himself saved you from all your adversities and your tribulations; and you have said to Him, ‘No, set a king over us!’ Now therefore, present yourselves before the LORD by your tribes and by your clans.” —1 Samuel 10:17 -19

When Israel wanted a king to rule over them like the other nations, God was not pleased. He told them because they wanted to be like the rest of world, they were rejecting Him. Samuel called their act one of great wickedness (1 Samuel 12: 17). This scripture shows us the importance of having Jesus not only as our Savior but as our King.

So, who is your King? What have you exalted higher than God? Which of God’s laws have you rejected in preference for the world’s way? Have you adopted any views of the world system? Have you compromised God’s laws in any way just to fit in?

Sometimes in our walk with God, we may make compromises or we may not adhere to His word in some way. We realize that areas like forgiving, lending and not expecting repayment, giving, praying for our enemies, expressing brotherly love to all, etc. often pose challenges to our way of being, thinking and living. We quickly learn that God’s laws are very different to how the world operates.

But the choice is ours. When we choose to live by Jesus’ ways, we are making Him the King of our lives. The decision to live out loud for God – knowing His word and applying it daily in our lives proves best. As we read Deuteronomy 28, we see two different results: (1) living by God’s commands brings more than enough blessings in our lives and (2) there are dire consequences of rejecting God and disobeying His laws.

It is necessary that we then walk in righteousness, and experience great peace and joy (Romans 14:17). Having Jesus as King in our lives brings us many blessings:

Presence of God– The abiding presence of God is in us.“If you love Me, keep My commandments. And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” (John 14:15-17)

Peace– We will have great peace in the midst of life’s troubles.“Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John 14:27)

Protection– God will fight our battles and defeat our enemies.“Do not be afraid nor dismayed because of this great multitude, for the battle is not yours, but God’s.” (2 Chronicles 20:14)

Provision – He will sufficiently supply every need in our lives.“As His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” (1 Peter 1:3)

Prosperity– God will empower us to be wealth creators and distributors.“And you shall remember the Lord your God, for it is He who gives you power to get wealth, that He may establish His covenant which He swore to your fathers, as it is this day.” (Deuteronomy 8:18).

Power– As Jesus’ king-priest, you have authority over the enemy.“Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments which I command you today, that the Lord your God will set you high above all nations of the earth.” (Deuteronomy 28:1)

God is graciously blesses us when we are obedient children. Our obedience to God determines the level of success we experience in life. God promises that when we obey Him and let Him be the King of our lives, He will overtake us with blessings (Deuteronomy 28:2). Can you imagine that – God’s blessings running ahead of you before you reach the next stage of your life!

Take time to look at your life and ask the Holy Spirit to show you where you are not allowing God’s rule in your life. Ask for forgiveness. Make a 360 degree turn away from being in charge or doing things your way to obeying God. You will be all the more blessed for this – having His peace and joy.

Let Jesus be king in all your life and receive the blessings of obedience.

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Don’t Overlook This: Pray for Success

Spiritual Success

Save now, we beseech You, O Lord; send now prosperity, O Lord, we beseech You, and give to us success!

—Psalm 118:25 (AMP)

I have read this scripture many times but recently it really ministered to me. I realize that we often strive hard to achieve success in our personal and business lives. We try different ways to reach the mark we have set for ourselves but there is one important thing we overlook – to pray for prosperity and success. That’s what hit me when I read this scripture – David asked God for success.

In other words he was saying to God: “Lord, I need success now. I have struggling through life, I have been working really hard, and I can make it without you. Give me favor, Father. And let there be continued and uninterrupted prosperity in my life.” David had his fair share of trouble. He knew what it was like to be hated because God had anointed him. He longed for success.

When we read his life story, we see a man who actively pursued his calling. He occupied himself as a man of war while moving towards his destiny – to be what God wanted him to be, the king of Israel. Yet there is one thing we can all learn from David. He constantly ran to God in prayer at critical times to find out what He should do (1 Samuel 23:1-5; 1 Samuel 30:8; 2 Samuel 21:1-3). He knew how to acknowledge God in all he did and what it was like to receive direction from God. Furthermore, he understood what it meant to obey God’s instructions and in every circumstance to reap success.

David provides the classical example for us – if we want success – we must prayer before we act especially when making critical decisions. Other people of God throughout the Scriptures also confirm this truth, that seeking God is necessary in achieving success:

Moses acted on God’s instructions to lead the people of Israel out of Egypt (Exodus 3-14).
Joshua led a successful victory over Jericho because he followed God’s not-so-orthodox instructions (Joshua 6).
Jehoshaphat and the people of Israel or Judah fasted and prayed before going to battle. Again a hands-down victory was won without the people of God fighting the battle (2 Chronicles 20).
Ananias obeyed God’s instructions to pray for Saul after receiving a vision from the Lord. Obedience (despite his initial concerns about Saul) not only brought healing to Saul but also cause him to receive the Holy Spirit and become a great apostle (Acts 9: 10-19).

I have seen how praying and acting on God’s instructions have led to personal victories for me. Admittedly there were times I was hesitant to obey because I wondered if I was hearing from God or didn’t think what I was guided to do seem logical. However, I soon realized that God doesn’t do things the way we do, He sees way ahead of us and as such we should just trust and obey.

If we want to be successful, we need to include these two important godly principles in every area of our lives:

Follow the instructions for success and prosperity as given in Joshua 1:7-9. Read the word, meditate on it day and night and obey it.
Like the Psalmist did pray for success (Psalm 118:25) and the way to do this is the acknowledge God in all you do and He will certainly directly you along life’s journey (Proverbs 3:5-6).

My challenge to you is to pray for success everyday as you work towards to your goals and your God-given assignments. Don’t be shy to ask it: “Lord, give me success now.” When you live to honor the Lord; He will not reject your plea for success.

May success come to you as you seek and do His will. God bless you!

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