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Keys to Effective Prayer
Developing and Maintaining A Consistent Prayer Life
Developing and Maintaining a Consistent Prayer Life
Welcome to Prayer 101 – a series that looks at the basic fundamentals of Prayer.
Today I am going to discuss with you a simple way to develop and maintain a consistent prayer life.
Jesus shared in John 15:5;
““I am the vine. You are the branches. Those who live in me while I live in them will produce a lot of fruit. But you can’t produce anything without me.” John 15:5 GW
Let me say up front, you and I are not failures when it comes to prayer. Second, we are ever learning and will continue to develop in our prayer life. It is relational, Our God & Us, our God having a one on one with you and me.
Is there a secret that will we can discover that will make us perfect in prayer? If there is, I have not come across that secret, unless it is praying. I want to share an analogy of real life that will help explain how we develop a consistent prayer life.
I am dressed today differently, I am in a sweatshirt and shorts for a demonstration of practicing! Prayer time doesn’t have a dress code, that being said prayer time – the person-you and me- needs to show up. I want to share this experience with you.
I took my 8-year-old grandson to basketball practice some time ago where there were only three kids who showed up for practice, two boys and a girl, and the coach. As I watched, the parents of the two other kids were sitting on chairs with their iPads or phones. I was interested in watching my grandson learn the sport of basketball, so I was watching him and the coach. The coach would tell the kids the drills they would be working on. The three kids said in unison, “I” am not going to do that. So the young coach didn’t yell at them, rather he started with demonstrating the drill, which was dribbling and walking at the same time. Even though the kids said they weren’t going to do it, they followed. As I watched they did their best to mimic what the coach was doing.
When the coach switched hands each of kids took their eye off the coach and looked at the ball and their hand. They bumped into each other, could not walk a straight line. What the coach did next was to turn around dribble walking backwards, so he could see the kids, encouraging each one, calling out their name, saying good job, remember the technique, then he called out switch hands. Each one went to their dominate hand, could see that the coach was right in front of them. The confidence in their little eyes beamed as they could use their dominate hand and look at the coach.
I want us to realize that in maintaining a consistent prayer life will take practice.
The Apostle Paul learned his prayer time as he traveled between cities, spent time with God. His encouraging words in Ephesians 5:1 “Imitate God, since you are the children he loves.” Ephesians 5:1 GW
As I shared about my grandson basketball practice, their confidence beamed as they could see their coach and hear their coach calling out their name. It is the same principle as we pray.
Select a time, a practice time. Show up with your Bible, maybe a list of things you want to pray for, maybe write it down or have it in your head. Ask the Holy Spirit to guide you in the Scripture to pray. If you’re a beginner, or unsure of yourself, use Germaine Copeland’s prayer book, Prayers that Avail Much. Look in the index for the topic and first read the prayer, then go back a pray the prayer. As you develop you will begin to write down verses that apply to your prayer list and pray your prayers, knowing the Holy Spirit, your coach is there calling your name, encouraging you in the prayer time. Your prayer time could be just 5 minutes, but I would say each prayer time most likely will increase as your confidence level increases. Spending time, personal time with our Heavenly Father.
Heavenly Father, I pray for each one that is watching today, may they know and experience the Holy Spirit, the prayer coach, calling their name. Father I know “At the same time the Spirit also helps us in our weakness, because we don’t know how to pray for what we need. But the Spirit intercedes (the coaching) along with our groans that cannot be expressed in words. The one who searches our hearts knows what the Spirit has in mind. The Spirit intercedes for God’s people the way God wants him to.” Romans 8:26-27 GW
Thank you, Father, In Jesus Name
Thank you for being a pray-er! The best advice I have for you today is don’t quit!
I’ll See you again as we continue to develop our consistent prayer life.