2013 ~ God’s Best Ministries

“The Prayer of a Righteous Person

is Powerful & Effective.”

    - James 5:16b [NIV]

Knowing we are in a good place with God and with ourselves helps us be more confident and bold in our prayers.

Tools for Successful Prayer

Are we being as obedient as we know how to be? This puts us in line for God’s blessings.

Obedience

Repenting

(James 5:14)- “…the prayers of a righteous man are powerful and effective”.

Being the ”Righteousness of God”

There are many stories of people who had their prayers answered after days, weeks, months, even years of continual praying.

God’s will and God’s promises are stated in scripture – if we are praying from scripture then we know we are praying God’s will.

Time

Use of Scripture

Helps us to pray God’s perfect will and gives us a chance to keep praying over a long period of time even when we run out of things to pray about.

Praying in Tongues

(Praying in the Spirit)

I am very interested in taking care of my children. Whatever they need is important to me, and I will do whatever I can to help them. God loves all of humanity; but He is Father to those that chose to be a part of His family. He wants His children blessed and happy, just as I want my children blessed and happy. Choosing to be a part of God’s family is our choice. He does not force it on us; but to receive the inheritance of the family, we have to be a part of the family.

Being a Part of God’s Family

Understanding that the name of Jesus is a powerful tool, not a swear word. Jesus’ name gives us access to the Father and sets us up to be taken seriously – “I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:23). Do not take the name of Jesus casually – it is worth more than gold.

First and foremost, Having a Close Relationship with God is the most important tool for a successful prayer life.  The closer we are to God and the more time we spend with him, the more successful our prayers will be.

Faith is a key ingredient in scripture – “The prayer made in faith will make the sick person well” (James 5:15).  “Your faith has healed you” (Mark 10:52). Both verses tell us how much importance God puts on our faith in His goodness and provision and in His desire to answer prayer.

Specific prayers are a helpful tool for successful prayer. The more we are aware of exactly what the need is and exactly what answer we are asking for the more successful our prayers will be. “God bless my finances” is too general. If I need more money a month, a job change or promotion, or fewer bills to pay, then that is exactly what I need to ask God for. Put the work and prayer in to discover what exactly it is we are asking God to provide.

Thankfulness is a key component to successful prayer. There are many stories of an answer to prayer coming when the person just kept thanking God for the answer; or for all God had already done in their lives; or thanking God for who His is and for His presence in the world and in their lives. Thanksgiving is a powerful tool in successful prayer.

Listening to or reading others’ teachings and stories about the power and work of God is also another tool for successful prayer. The more we hear about what God has done for others, the more we will be open to God working in our lives. It builds up our faith and confidence in God and in His provision and love for us. If we do not keep a continual stream of listening to others (or reading others), then we can find ourselves getting discouraged and not sticking with our praying and believing in God’s faithfulness to answer our prayer. This is crucial to success, keeping ourselves encouraged and strong in our walk with God.

“Today any successful and competent businessman will employ the latest and best-tested methods in production, distribution, and administration. Many are discovering that one of the

greatest of all efficiency methods is prayer power.”

- Norman Vincent Peale

Another tool for successful prayer is our giving to God’s work in the world. If we want God to take us and our needs seriously, then we need to take Him and His priorities seriously. Do we care about what God is doing around the world? Do we want to be a part of His family that cares about the other members of the family, no matter where they live or what their needs are? Getting involved in God’s concerns and in His family is a sure fire way to get Him actively involved in our lives and our needs.

We often care about our own family or friends; or our church family, but how about caring about God’s family all around the world?  God has children all over the planet and many of them are struggling in ways that we cannot even imagine.  We often limit our giving and concern to whatever our particular church or denomination is involved in and miss much of what else God in doing in the world. Being a part of God’s family is more than just being a member of a particular church or denomination.

As you can see, prayer is a complex practice; but using these tools will help you build a successful prayer life!

Generosity is also a tool of successful prayer. If we are worried about our own finances so much that we are tight with our money and not generous in our giving, that can limit our prayer life. “Give and it shall be given unto you” (Luke 6:38). “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7).  Are we cheerfully giving to God’s work; or to others than are more needy than we are? There are always opportunities to give to others who are in need, even if we give from our “stuff” or our time. It does not always have to be giving of money. We can also commit to praying for an hour or more a day as giving to God. There are many ways we can be generous and give so that it shall be given unto us.

Another tool for successful prayer is boldness. Do we believe in God’s goodness and love? Do we believe in God’s promises and His faithfulness to His promises? Then our words and actions will be in line with our belief in God’s love and provision. We will not talk about being discouraged or being unsure of whether God will answer. What we say and talk about after we pray must be consistent with the answer we are expecting. We believe in God and know He is good, and we will be bold to say so.

Another tool for successful prayer is a “lifestyle check”. Is there anything in our lives that God would like us to change? Are we the people He is asking us to be? Do people know I am a Christian by how I talk and what music I listen to or what TV or movies I watch? Am I putting time in to studying about God and listening to people who know God? Am I making personal life choices that are in line with the scriptures and in line with what God wants, or am I allowing the culture to dictate who I am and what I do?

“Seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things will be added to you as well” (Matthew 6:33). The greatest commandment is to love the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength (Matt. 22:37). Putting God first in all we do is an important tool in successful prayer. How we spend our time, our entertainment choices, who we spend time with, how we talk about life and God, how we treat others, forgiveness, etc, are all pieces of a successful prayer life. Prayer is not something we do in isolation from the rest of our life. “Give, and it shall be given unto you… with the measure you use, it will be measured to you” (Luke 6:38). The more we take God seriously and make Him first in our lives the more we are in a position for Him to bless us.

Prayer is talking to God but so much more.  Its often about caring for God and caring for others.  It is also seeing the enemy is real and active on the earth.  Not everything that happens is God’s will.  The enemy has power on this earth and exercises it regularly.