HOW TO PRAY

A lesson on how to pray.

As you read this lesson, be sure to hover over the the Bible verses to read them or look them up in your own copy of the Bible. When the Bible passage is longer, you need to click on “more” in the bottom right corner of the pop-up window.

Introduction

Welcome! The Bible has much to say about this interesting topic. You may find it helpful to invite a mature Christian from your church to study this topic with you. You may have a lot of questions that are not answered here. Maybe there are ideas here that seem hard to understand. Do not get overwhelmed! You can contact us with any questions that you may have. The elders of your local church can help you as well.

Remember that learning the content about this topic is helpful, but knowing the information will not truly change you. For you to benefit fully from this topic, you must…

• Become born-again by securing a personal relationship with God the Father and His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, through faith by grace. This information cannot change you until the Holy Spirit of God gives you a new heart that is able to apply it to your life. To begin a personal relationship with God, it is imperative to understand and believe the following:

  • God is separated from you, because He is good, pure, and holy. 1 John 1:5-6

  • You are sinful, impure, and unholy because you do not measure up to God’s holiness. Romans 3:10-12 You are a descendent of Adam and Eve who rebelled against God. Romans 5:19

  • Your sinfulness provokes God’s anger and separates you from Him because He is holy. Romans 5:12 As a result, you deserve to be thrown into the Lake of Fire forever. Revelation 20:14-15

  • God the Father sent His Son, Jesus Christ, to earth. Jesus is God in the flesh. He lived a sinless life. He was nailed to the cross, shed His blood, and died in your place for your sins. He was buried, rose again, and went to Heaven to prepare a place for all who believe. He will return one day for those who believe. 1 Corinthians 15:1-4

  • Only the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus is enough for you to be accepted forever by God the Father the moment you believe. John 3:16 God does not accept you on the basis that you try to be a good person and do good works. Romans 4:5 He accepts you fully and forever the moment you abandon your sins and call on Jesus to save you. John 3:36

• As you understand, meditate on, and believe the information presented here about this topic, you must also do what the Bible says. James 1:21-22 Only by trusting and obeying God’s Word regarding this topic will you experience the full benefits of this information. James 1:23-24 Trusting and obeying God’s Word will change you as you learn this. 2 Corinthians 3:17-18 You will be happy as a result of your obedience. James 1:25

• Seek and heed the advice of your church leaders regarding this topic. Hebrews 13:17

• Depend upon the Holy Spirit to change you. Galatians 3:1-3 You cannot change without Him enabling you. John 15:5 He will change you in His time and way; but not apart from your faith and obedience to God’s Word. Trust Him to do His work in your heart. Philippians 2:12-13

• Allow the joy that you experience from obeying God’s Word to transform how you interact with others. James 2:12-20

Hot to Pray

1. Address God as “Father” or “Lord”. Recognize God as the one, true, Holy God. Don’t regard Him as common. Matthew 6:9; Acts 7:59-60
   
   

2. Praise God for who He is (for His attributes). Psalm 106:1; 1 Chronicles 29:13
   
   

3. Thank God for what He has done and what He will do. Philippians 4:6; Romans 1:8
   
   

4. Confess your sin to God. Matthew 6:12;1 John 1:9
   
   

5. Ask God to provide what you need and to lead you away from temptation. Matthew 6:11; Matthew 6:13
   
   

6. Pray for believers and unbelievers you know. James 5:16; 1 Timothy 2:1-4
   
   

7. Believe God heard you. James 1:6-8
   
   

8. Wait for Him to answer your prayer in His time. Psalm 62:5
   
   

9. Recognize that His will is best. Matthew 6:10;1 John 5:14-15
   
   

10. Acknowledge that you are asking on the authority of Jesus (in Jesus name). John 16:23-27
    
    

11. Keep a Praise/Prayer journal.
    Write a prayer request and the date that you started praying for it. Then when God answers it, note the date when He answered it and how. Then take a moment to praise and thank God for that answered prayer.
    
    

12. Realize that God sometimes does not grant our request because:

• He knows what is best, and He only gives good gifts. Isaiah 55:6-9; Matthew 7:7-11; 2 Corinthians 12:8-10; James 1:16-17 (NASB)

• We want our sin more than we want Him. Psalm 34:15-19; Psalm 66:18-20; Proverbs 28:13-14; 1 Peter 3:12

• We don’t believe He cares or even perhaps, that He can grant our request. Matthew 21:22; Mark 11:22-24; Hebrews 11:6; James 1:5-8; 1 Peter 5:6-7

• We have unconfessed sin against a fellow Christian. Matthew 5:23-24; Matthew 6:14-15; Mark 11:25; 1 Peter 3:7

• We are praying just for show. Matthew 6:5-6; Matthew 6:16-18; Luke 18:9-14

• We want our request more than we want Him. Matthew 6:24-34; James 4:1-3

• What we want is not what we need. Proverbs 15:8; Proverbs 28:9; John 15:7

• The request doesn’t honor God. John 14:13-14

• We are simply repeating prayers without actually understanding what we are saying. Matthew 6:7-8; 1 Corinthians 14:7-19

Conclusion

Now that you have studied this topic, we encourage you to...

• Ask us or any of your church leaders about any questions or concerns you still have about this topic.

• Pray for yourself to grow in maturity regarding this topic.

• Do your best to practice what you have learned.

• Tell someone else about what you have studied.

• Ask one of your church leaders to help you overcome your weaknesses regarding this topic.

• Teach this subject to others.

• Consider reviewing this topic once each year.

• Commit to growing in this area together with other members of a local church.

• Trust the Holy Spirit to change you as He uses His Word, others, and circumstances to make you more like Christ.

Bible References

Read the Bible in your own language here courtesy of www.biblegateway.com.

Read about the Authorized King James Version (AKJV) here and its copyright here courtesy of www.biblegateway.com.

Read about the King James Version (KJV) here and its copyright here courtesy of www.biblegateway.com.

Read about the New King James Version (NKJV) here and its copyright here courtesy of www.biblegateway.com.

Read about the New American Standard Bible (NASB) here and its copyright here courtesy of www.biblegateway.com.

Read about the English Standard Version (ESV) here and its copyright here courtesy of www.biblegateway.com.

Read the Bible in its original Hebrew, Aramaic, Greek languages or Septuagint couresty of BLB www.blueletterbible.org.

The automatic reference tagger courtesy of FaithlifeReftagger www.faithlife.com/products/reftagger.