March 31:  Principles for Effective Prayer

Today, let’s reflect on the twelve action steps to prayer: Become silent: Be still, and gather yourself. If your spirit, body, mind and emotions are separated, then you will be unable to pray God’s will with singleness of purpose. Silence help bring you into singleness with God.

Give adoration: Worship God for who He is: King of all the earth, your creator, your savior, your all in all.

Make confession: Agree with God about what He says to you and about you. Don’t dwell on past sins, but obey God immediately when He shows you that you are wrong.

Give thanks: Offer sacrifices of praise to God for all that He has done for you.

Make supplication: As God shows you what He desires, agree whole-heartedly with Him in prayer to fulfill His will.

Specify petitions and requests: When you ask God to do something for you, bring evidence relevant to the case – in the form of God’s will and word – through specific, intentional communication.

Secure the promises: When you petition the Lord, take God’s promises before Him, applying them to the specific request you are making. Then hold unto God’s promises.

Plead the case: Don’t beg or moan before God, but pray intelligently because you rightfully deserve the answer based on God’s promises.

Believe: Believe right at the time you are asking that you have the answer to your request and you will receive it. Give thanks: Thank God for what you don’t yet see because you believe it is already done.

Live in expectation: Anticipate the answers to your prayers and prepare the way for them.

Practice active belief: Don’t stop after you have prayed. Get up and look for what you asked for. If you seek and knock, it will come to pass. Note: Opened doors belong to those who knock, and finding for those who seek. We are taught be knockers, seekers and finders, all in the Name of Jesus.

Let’s pray: Our Father and our God, thank you for teaching me how to present myself before you during prayer. Thank you for enlightening me about prayer and for the twelve-step principles for effective prayer. Lord, help me to appropriate theses teachings and to use them effectively in my prayer life. In Jesus’ name I pray. Amen. Today’s reading: Judges 11-12; Luke 6:1-26

You Should Ask, Seek, Knock and Believe.