Lessons on prayer - 7 Steps to Spirit filled prayer

7 basic steps to Spirit filled prayer (prayer is faster than cable :)

My favorite prayer verse is Ephesians 6:18 - Why ? Because it tells you the three most important things in the prayer life:

I. Pray always (in all circumstances) and with all perseverance (or endurance and patience through the struggles). You have to learn to pray mentally as you do your daily tasks and are busy doing other things. God can read your thoughts and answer your mental prayers. Pray as matters come into your mind.

II. Pray in the Spirit (be filled with the Spirit, don't quench the Spirit, follow His leading in your prayer life). Be filled with Bible reading and preaching – they will greatly empower you.

III. Pray for others (pray for their needs and welfare, and for the gospel to be preached in the whole world everywhere). Don’t be selfish. Spend more time praying for others than for yourself.

Here's some short prayer guidelines which will work wonders in your life. Have faith that prayer works. Things won't go your way 100% of the time because the Lord knows what He's doing and what is best for you and what is or isn't possible to be done.

1. Be specific in your requests (tell God exactly what you want Him to do for you - be thorough in your prayers (put in some depth), include the most important details about your requests until you feel satisfied with your requests - Pray for every specific need that you have in your life. Simply say ‘’Lord give me this, or Lord do that’’ as a starter for the things you want or need. You can repeat the same prayer and add more details if you feel a burden for it over time.

2. Ask for spiritual and physical needs first (as well as for wisdom, discernment, counsel: Php. 4:19, Rom. 8:26-27, Pro. 3:5-6, Ps. 37:4 – every good thing and need you can think of). Ask the Holy Spirit to give you ideas of things and people you can pray for. The more you read your Bible (especially the Psalms and Proverbs), you’ll have a easier time knowing what to pray for. Read the scriptures and pray over all the promises of God you can find, and try to memorize them. Scripture memory is a blessing and will help you in all of your needs.

3. Pray for others (Eph. 6:18). Praying for others is one way to get rewarded. Prayer is hard labor. (Col. 4:12).  It is just as important, if not more, to pray for others than to pray for yourself. If you start praying for others, you will learn to pray better and it is one of the best ways to develop compassion and hope. Prayer is half the work in the Christian life.

4. Pray in faith (Mt. 21:22). You have to trust in the invisible hand of God. Prayer has a tremendous effect when things are asked according to God's will. You have to pray over a long enough period of your life to get to the point of absolute confidence that prayer will lead to results in your life as well as in others' lives (1John 5:14-15). Also God works in natural ways today, not necessarily in miraculous ways. Prayer requires faith that it works. The Lord wants to be involved in your life and He wants you to trust Him that He will deliver you from evil and give you all your needs and good things. You have to learn to enjoy your blessings and to count Him faithful. He wants you to brag on Him and to fellowship with Him (Luke 11:11-13). Don’t hesitate to ask for big things (Eph. 3:20-21, Jam. 4:2).

5. Be patient (never stop praying – wait for the answer - the answer is coming!) (Jam. 1:4, Ga. 6:9-10, Luk. 18:1-8). God is testing us through the trials of life and it will take time for us to learn to trust Him always and to depend upon Him for our needs and deliverance. We have to learn to pray in the face of bad circumstances. If we hold onto prayer, then we are assured spiritual victory and the power of God over our lives. Once you pray, God is in the process of answering your prayer so it will take time and it most likely won't be instantaneous. Keep praying and pushing on the Lord and continually wearing Him and trust that He will act on your prayers.

6. Keep the commandments and confess sins you’re aware of (1John 3:22, 2Ch. 7:14, Jos. 1:8-9). Unconfessed and unrepented sin as well as unbelief and pride will hinder your prayer life. You will lose power and effectiveness in prayer, as well as in soulwinning and other aspects of your life. Backsliding always lead to a loss of God’s power in your life.

7. Write down your requests in a prayer journal. (Psalms 103:2 - A small book or sheets of paper kept in a binder - Write your current requests as well as answered prayers in a notebook in a weekly or monthly format (one side for requests, other side for answers). If you live right, you will be amazed at the results (Jm. 5 :16) ! To begin with, you can use a sheet of paper and write whatever needs to be fixed in the present moment, and as you get used to it, you will want to put in more and more. Write whatever God lays on your heart to pray for. If you read a lot of books (such as a dictionary, and online articles), you will find alot more ideas to pray for.

As a final tip, try to find a prayer partner and pray with them regularly (Matthew 18:19). Even if you are alone, try to pray at a regular time every day (when you wake up or before you go to bed). This will help maintain consistency in your prayer life and will encourage you to do more. In the morning, ask Him for a good day and for deliverance from evil. Ask Him to show you tasks and things you can do, and for people to reach with the gospel or for whom you should pray for or help. Whenever you feel stressed, remember the promises of God in the Bible. At evening, you can pray for a short time thanking God for the day and for what He’s allowed you to accomplish. Remember to praise God and to thank Him for all the things He’s doing for you. Trust and obey the Bible, and you will have peace and power in your prayer life. Find your own favorite Bible verses on prayer, and apply them in your daily life (Ephesians 6:18 – this is probably the single verse that will help you the most in the whole Bible – and prayer promises - Joshua 1:8-9, Isaiah 26:3 – Philippians 4:6-7, Proverbs 3:5-6).