First I wanna say thank you for opening this blog. It does warm my heart to know your interest in a better prayer life. Not just me, but I am certain the Lord favors you for taking that step forward in commencing a deeper connection with him.
For the longest I thought prayer was the simple routine of Thank you, I am sorry, I want and I rebuke.
Thank you for my blessings and for all you have done.
I am sorry for committing sins, please forgive me.
I ask for such and such desires that I want.
I cast out spirits or energies that are not of God.
And for as long as I can remember I considered myself good at warfare because I was good at using my authority to cast out any spirits that were not of God. However, the other aspects of my prayer were simple and always repetitive. It wasn’t until recently when I learned that prayer isn’t just about those 4 topics of discussion. It isn’t only a basic conversation with God. But that it is an intimacy with him and sometimes it can be done with just sitting silent in his presence. Like WHHHAATTT! My old church portrayed it to be way more complicated than it is. When in reality it’s a moment of time just spent hanging out with your best friend. Now I must admit I am not a PERFECT prayer, and I am still learning but I did want to share some tips to those joining the journey with me.
1. Gratitude: As I mentioned before, saying thank you to God was a routine. But showing gratitude is truly showing honor and praise to him. Say all your thanks and praise him for being good to you. Honor what he is to you: for example, he is your protector and healer and abundant giver. He has blessed you with what? And then show gratitude for all he will continue to do and the fresh things he will accomplish in you. Sing to him and have a moment of worship.
Did you know that worship and praise is a symbol of gratitude? Yep, reaching those high notes and hallelujahs excites him.
2. Be intentional: Honesty is the best policy, right? BE honest about your needs and desires. But also be intentional with vulnerability and willing to lay all worries at his feet. Transparency is a good habit to achieve, especially with someone who already knows your heart.
3. Forgiveness: Let the waterworks begin… lol. Don’t just do a “I’m sorry for my sins” speech. But be genuine and as for forgiveness with intention to do better. Be sure to ask for strength to forgive yourself too. We often only think of forgiveness as an action to others but forget to grieve our own mistakes. There are chains broken in forgiveness. The power that comes through prayer and forgiveness, gives authority to the enemy to flee and creates peace in your life. It’s really self rewarding.
4. Petition: Don’t be a ME ME ME kind of person. It’s okay to be selfish about your mental health but during prayer, extend a couple mins for someone else. Let me be honest this next thing I will say may sound harsh because it took me a while to get comfortable with it. But don’t allow your prayers to turn into witchcraft prayers. Phew what does that mean???? It means that when you pray for someone, allow your spirit to bless them and the Lord to highlight their strengths instead of asking the Lord to ‘teach them a lesson’ for hurting you. Don’t allow your prayer to highlight their weaknesses and wish bad on them if that makes better sense. That my friend was difficult to say and to adjust to… I wanted God to reveal to them the hurt they caused me instead of forgiving them and thanking God for changing my mindset in that situation. And also blessing them.
5. Recite scriptures: This one I just started applying. It's a good way to memorize scriptures but it's also a great way to speak the affirmations God has already stated. “Lord, your word says …..”! It reassures him and you that you are digging deeper in his word and that you desire to get closer to him. Plus it affirms his plans and covenants he has already established. Isn’t it beautiful to say “Lord, you know me because you have chosen me, your word says in Jeremiah 1:5, that you chose me from my mothers womb. Your word also says that you know what plans you have for me.”
It gives me excitement to recite scriptures for petitions too. Dig deep in his words and continue to say them out loud in your prayers. You will notice how some of those verses can be applied to daily conversations.
I hope you get excited to communicate with God. To truly desire a connection with him and that your prayer life becomes stronger.
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