Keys To A More Powerful Prayer Life In 2021
I love Luke 5:16 because it shows that just like you and me, Jesus needed a break from the demands of his busy life to recharge his batteries and spend time with his Heavenly Father. The life of Christ is intended to give us examples we can follow and learn from. So, even though he was God incarnate, Jesus didnt draw on his superpowers as the Son of God when it came to facing lifes challenges. Instead, when he was exhausted or burdened or in need of spiritual refreshment, he would slip away to pray plugging into the power, perception, and purpose that can only be found in Gods presence.
But Jesus Himself would often slip away to the wilderness and pray.Luke 5:16, AMP
Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons God has given us, and looking ahead at 2021, I believe it has never been more important for Gods people to be on our knees. But knowing how to pray is not always easy. Jesus disciples felt the same confusion. They were familiar with the oft-repeated prayers of the Torah. But Jesus prayed with a kind of authority and power they had never seen before as though God was listening! So when they came to Jesus, as told in Matthew 6, they didnt say, Teach us another prayer. They said, Lord, teach us to pray.
Here are eight keys that have helped me develop a more powerful and effective prayer life. I hope they will encourage you to make 2021 a year of prayer.
What Are Some Scriptures On Prayer
Here are some carefully selected scriptures for prayers
James 5:16 Confess therefore your sins one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The supplication of a righteous man availeth much in its working.
Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for believe that you have received it and it will be yours.
Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all comprehension, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-19 Rejoice always; pray without ceasing; in everything give thanks; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus. Do not quench the Spirit;
1 John 5:14-15 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.
John 15:7 If you remain in Me and My words remain in you , ask whatever you wish and it will be done for you
1 Timothy 2:5 For there is one God, one mediator also between God and men, himself man, Christ Jesus,
James 1:5 If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him.
Luke 11:9 And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.
Prayer Is Important Because Its A Form Of Service
Defined as the action of helping or doing work for someone, a system supplying a public need, or to perform routine maintenance or repair work on.
Thats exactly why prayer is important!
We are interceding for others. Its how we help someone else.;Prayer can;repair an emotional wound. At its core, prayer is a system that can meet the publics need.; And its the prescribed method for maintaining our spiritual well-being.
Do nothing from selfishness or empty conceit, but with humility of mind regard one another as more important than yourselves; do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others .
The Lord restored the fortunes of Job when he prayed for his friends, and the Lord increased all that Job had twofold .
But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you .;
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Prayer In The Bible: The Lord’s Prayer
In Matthew 6, Jesus gives clear instruction and guidance on how to pray, saying “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you pray, go into your room and shut the door and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do, for they think that they will be heard for their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”
He then proclaims what is known as the “Lord’s Prayer” which is popularly used across most Christian denominations to this day!
“Pray then like this: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.“ ~ Matthew 6:9-13
What Can You Learn From Those Who Pray In The Bible
As you study the bible, you can learn a great deal about prayer from the prayers of others.
A great example of this is Jesus. He is the ultimate example to follow when it comes to prayer. When you get a chance, read through the gospels with a focus on prayer and see what you can learn from Him.
Another example is Hannah in 1 Samuel 2:1-10. We see Hannah pray confidently and freely to the Lord requesting for a son. Hannah acts openly assuming God will hear her silent prayer, and pours out her heart to God about wanting a son of her own. From Hannah we learn that we can come before God and speak to Him as if speaking to a close friend pouring out our hearts to Him. We have direct access to God without any formalities or priests.;
The whole of Psalms is also another great place to learn about prayer. The Psalms show us many different ways in which we can say things to God.
- You are holy; Psalm 22
- Help Us Psalm 12
- I am Alone Psalm 88
- Defend Me Psalm 43
- You are Good Psalm 100
- We Shout for Joy Psalm 98
- Remember Us Psalm 105
- We Praise You Psalm 66
- Bless Us Psalm 67
- Thank You Psalm 100
Through the psalms, we as Christians learn what prayer looks like, sounds like, and what prayer communicates to God. From the psalms, we learn no emotion is excluded and no topic is out of bounds when it comes to prayer because God is interested in hearing from us.
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Bible Verses About Praying Together
In your Christian walk of faith it is important to pray together with other believers. Not only with your church, but with friends, your spouse, and other family members as well. There are some people who are a little afraid when it comes to praying out loud, but there is nothing wrong with praying silently while others pray out loud until that person becomes more comfortable.
Corporate prayer opens up your heart to the needs of others. Not only does it bring encouragement, repentance, edification, joy, and the feeling of love among believers, but it shows togetherness and the body of Christ working together submitting to the will of God.
Prayer meetings should never be to show off or gossip like we see in many of the churches today in America. Praying together is not a secret formula that makes your prayers more powerful so God will answer your personal desires that are not his will.
In prayer we are to align our lives with Gods purpose leaving our desires behind and when its all about God and his divine will we can have confidence that our prayers will be answered. Always remember its all about his glory and the advancement of his kingdom.
What does the Bible say?
1. Matthew 18:19-20 Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.;For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.
Fellowship
One body
Reminders
The ultimate goal
;Bible examples
What Does The Bible Say About The Importance Of Prayer
Gods Word calls us to be faithful in;prayer , and promises He will be near when we call .
Scripture is clear; prayer is vital in the life of faith. Consider the following verses:
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is Gods will for you in Christ Jesus.
Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful .
Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer .
The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth .
Therefore, confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective .
And 1 Thessalonians 5:17 reminds us we can pray without ceasing, maintaining an attitude of prayer as we go about our daily lives.
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Examples Of Prayer In Scripture
As we read stories about how people in the Bible prayed, we can be reminded that God longs for us to pray to Him so that He may answer us.
Abrahams Prayer for Sodom & Gomorrah
The story of Abraham pleading on behalf of Sodom takes place in Genesis 18:16-33. Sodom and Gomorrah were two cities filled with wickedness, sexual immorality: rape, homosexuality, and premarital intercourse. These people lived without any regard for the law.
On the other hand, Abraham was a man of God, therefore, God told him about his plan to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah because of their exceedingly grave sins.
Abraham replied with a request for mercy, he said, Will you sweep away the righteous with the wicked?
Far be it from you to do such a thingto kill the righteous with the wicked, treating the righteous;and the wicked alike.;Far be it from you! Will not the Judge;of all the earth do right?
Abraham asks God another question, would he destroy Sodom and Gomorrah if he found 50 righteous people within the cities?
Graciously, God says for the sake of 50 righteous people, he would spare the cities. But, Abraham was not done with his request for mercy, he goes on to ask what if were 45 people, then 40, what about 30, and all the way down to ten people. Again, God declares he would not destroy the city if ten righteous people can be found.
God did not find ten people within Sodom and Gomorrah who were righteous. Genesis 19:23 says, Then the;Lord;rained down burning sulfur;on Sodom and Gomorrah.
The Supreme Importance Of Prayer In The Life Of The Christian
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Why We Pray Together
Somewhere during the Living to Honor God and the Growing by Helping others processes, we really want to learn to pray. Often it seems that prayer is one of the more difficult practices for a new believer, and it can be a challenge in your small group. ;But, we need to remember that prayer is one of the most important actions your group will ever take.
Ephesians 6:18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
When we pray incredible things begin to happen. We take our problems and battles to a new level when we pray. ;So, when your group learns to pray, your community will enter into a new and much more exciting relationship with God and your world.
When We Pray Together, We Learn how to Pray
It is doubtful that anyone would be comfortable praying out loud with a group of people for the first time. ;Any new experience creates a measure of anxiety, but there is something about prayer that tends to intimidate us. ;We cannot let that happen. Learn to pray as a small group.
Acts 2:42 All the believers devoted themselves to the apostles teaching, and to fellowship, and to sharing in meals , and to prayer.
When We Pray Together, We Win the Fight
Acts 4:24, 31 When they heard the report, all the believers lifted their voices together in prayer to God: ;31 After this prayer, the meeting place shook, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit. Then they preached the word of God with boldness.
You Should Pray Scripture Because It Keeps Your Prayers In Scriptural Proportion
One of the many reasons that expository preaching is wise is that it systematically explains and heralds Scripture proportionally. Topical preachers tend to talk about the same few issues over and over and over. Expositional preachers are forced to talk about a rich variety of issues in scriptural proportion, namely, every time the text addresses various issues.
Similarly, we may tend to pray about the same few issues over and over and over. But if we pray Scripture as we read through the Bible, that will force us to pray about a rich variety of issues in scriptural proportion.
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The Importance Of Prayer In A Christians Life
Christian or not, many people in some way have encountered prayer or are in some way familiar with the term. Every person will have their own opinion or perspective on prayer as well.
However, I want to give my perspective on prayer in a Christians life. Why prayer is important and how prayer benefits us as Christians in our daily lives.
So, grab a cup of coffee, or whatever drink suits you at the moment, and join me as we dive into prayer.;
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The Importance Of Prayer
1. Prayer makes us more like Jesus.
If we look at the life of Jesus, we see that he prayedwith others , for others , and on his own . It was a fundamental part of how he approached each day and every decision, retreating faithfully to spend time with his Father.
Clearly prayer was important to Jesusit was his lifeline and his connection to the Heavenly Father. It equipped him for the battles he was about to face. It kept alive the intimate relationship that sustained him. And it revealed to him Gods desires and direction.
If the goal of a Christian is to become more like Jesus, that process should include imitating his actions and living out his words. As we pray, we will become more like Jesus, and we will find that prayer changes us.
2. Prayer shows us the heart of God.
When Jesus prayed for his disciples in John 17, he prayed for those who would believe in him, that all of them may be one, Father, just as you are in me and I am in you .
Prayer helps us become one with the Father and have the kind of relationship Jesus had with him. The Bible is filled with stories illustrating Gods desire to have an intimate relationship with his people, and any close relationship involves communication. When two people have no contact with each other, their relationship will never advance. And since prayer is, quite simply, a conversation with God, it is how we get to know him.
3. Prayer reveals the wisdom of God.
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