True Prayer

It is not how well you say your prayer; it is how sincerely you say it. Your prayer to God is your communication with God. You communicate however you know—and not pretend to be someone you are not. Prayer of any kind is good. It is God who made you and equipped you with whatever skills you have. Whatever God gave to you is good enough to use with Him. Just come as you are.

Saying our Lord’s Prayer—the way it appears on Matthew 6:9-13—is also adequate prayer for it was Jesus Christ Himself that taught His disciples to say a prayer that way. Let the things you say in your prayer get to your heart for whatever you say to God you know to be true. That is why Jesus Christ says about a line in our Lord’s Prayer:

“For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you.15 But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.” (Matthew 6:14-15).

Say to God whatever you have in your mind, but sat it in faith and with reverence. For God said: “Among those who approach me I will be proved holy; in the sight of all the people I will be honored.”(Leviticus 10:3).Give Him thanks and praises. And because prayer is having communication with God who is Spirit, praying in the Spirit brings you into the presence of God. That is why Apostle Paul said:

“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.19 Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel,20 for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.” (Ephesians 6:18-20).

Being in the presence of God means that you have to detach your mind from everything that is going on around you and focus your mind where your spirit is. When you kneel down to pray, your spirit reaches out to God and you must subject your mind to your spirit at this point. Going into a quiet or secluded place reduces your distractions and allows you to connect to God. This is why some uses prayer shawls.

Say your prayers using things God said in the Bible and show confidence in them as it relates to you. The word of God is for all mankind. If He said it to one, He says it to all because our God is not a respecter of persons. He does not play favorites but gives to all who believe in Him. Everything you ask, ask it through Jesus Christ and believe that God will do it for you.

Jesus Christ told us: “And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.”(Matthew 6:5-8).

Pray always. Pray in the good times and pray in the bad times. Do not let the weight of your problems crush you. The Bible reminds you:

“Consider it pure joy, my brothers and sisterswhenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith produces perseverance. Let perseverance finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you. But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord. Such a person is double-minded and unstable in all they do.“(James 1:2-8).

“Believers in humble circumstances ought to take pride in their high position. But the rich should take pride in their humiliation—since they will pass away like a wild flower. For the sun rises with scorching heat and withers the plant; its blossom falls and its beauty is destroyed. In the same way, the rich will fade away even while they go about their business.”(James 1:9-11).

“Blessed is the one who perseveres under trial because, having stood the test, that person will receive the crown of life that the Lord has promised to those who love him.”(James 1:12).

“When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does he tempt anyone; but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.”(James 1:13-15).

“Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of firstfruits of all he created.”(James 1:16-18).

My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.”(James 1:19-21).

“Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like someone who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But whoever looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues in it—not forgetting what they have heard, but doing it—they will be blessed in what they do.”(James 1:22-25).

“Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.(James 1:26-27).

“Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.”(James 5:13-16).

“Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”(James 1:17).

My brothers and sisters, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring that person back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of their way will save them from death and cover over a multitude of sins.'(James 5:18-20).