How to pray

I first start off by praising God. Thanking him for all the blessings bestowed upon my household and I.

I ask that my family and friends be safeguarded, that our health continues.

I pray for those not in Christs kingdom, to help any and all who are going through hardships, that through their trials, they would seek out the kingdom.

I ask all those things if it be His will.

I ask for his forgiveness for all my transgressions and even ones I don't know about.

I ask all those things in Christs name

(I never ask for the kingdom to come, because the kingdom is already here since Acts 2 happened. Jesus merely told the disciples that in the gospels because the kingdom wasnt established yet then. But it has been established since Acts 2)

Hope this is a helpful template for someone having trouble.

How lovely. Thank you for starting this thread.

I am always honest with God, and ask Him to help me to love Him with all my heart, and to be hungry for Him and His Word, and to delight in Him and His Word, on those blah days when i don't feel like praying, etc. He knows it already hahaaa so i just tell Him about the blahs and that i have no inclination to pray at the moment, and ask Him to change my heart. I also, like the member above me, thank Him and praise Him, and most times delight in Him.

Thank you for this thread. May we all be blessed by it.

Dear Heavenly Father, thank You for sending Jesus to die on the cross for my sins. I acknowledge that I have sinned and that I cannot save myself. I believe that Jesus came to give me life, and by faith I now choose to receive You into my life as my Lord and Saviour. By the power of Your indwelling presence enable me to be the person You created me to be. I pray that You would grant me repentance leading to knowledge of the truth so that I can experience my freedom in Christ and be transformed by the renewing of my mind. In Jesus’ precious name I pray Amen

Dear Heavenly Father, You are present in this room and my life. You alone are all-knowing, all-powerful and everywhere present, and I worship you alone. I declare my dependencey on You, for apart from You I can do nothing. I choose to believe Your Word which teaches that all authority in heaven and on earth belongs to the resurrected Christ, and being alive in Christ I have the authority to resist the devil as I submit to You. I ask that you fill me with Your Holy Spirit and guide me into all truth. I ask for Your complete protection and guidance as I seek to know You and do Your will. In the wonderful name of Jesus, I pray. Amen

Dear heavenly Father, I come to You as Your child, bought out of Slavery to sin by the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ. You are the lord of the universe and the Lord of my life. I submit my body to you as a living and holy sacrifice. May You be glorified through my life and body. I now ask You to fill me with Your Holy Spirit. I commit myself to the renewing of my mind in order that I may prove that Your will is good, acceptable, and perfect for me. I desire nothing more than to be like you. I pray, believe, and do all this in The Wonderful Name of Jesus, my Lord and Saviour. Amen

Oh my Jesus, forgive us our sins, save us from the fires of hell and lead all souls to Heaven. Especially those in most need of Thy mercy.

I love you Jesus, my love above all things.
I truly repent with my whole heart of having offended Thee.
Never permit me to separate myself from You again.
Grant that i may love You always.
Then do with me what You will.

ilovejcsog said:

You all bring tears to my eyes and joy to my heart! What wonderful thoughts and prayers are these.
Thank you
To Brinny, I sometimes feel the way you do in not feeling the words to say but you are brave to tell God that, lol. Love it! I do sometimes ask for forgiveness for my measly prayers

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God understands us. In just going to Him or lifting my heart to Him, well He does the rest, and i'm thankful He does.

brinny said:

God understands us. In just going to Him or lifting my heart to Him, well He does the rest, and i'm thankful He does.

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Very true indeed. We let God work in us.

Lord bless ilovejcsog, and this prayer request, in Jesus loving name, Amen!

The ACTS steps may help. It is not a prescribed method but it can help u move along as you pray.

A = Adoration
C = confession of sins
T = Thanjsgiving
S = Supplications or requests

ilovejcsog said:

Do you all recall this. "Believe that you receive."
There was a time in the past that it was popular on the Christian circuit that "if you believe you receive, why would you need to keep asking for it. Doesn't that show a lack of faith?"
That comes up in my memory every so often. I think that is what is behind my being concerned at repetition in prayer. What do you all think of this?
I think I will ask this of everyone.

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If something matters more, we will pray about it more often, it is just a natural tendency. I remenber some important prayers where i prayed much initially, hoping for answers fast, but when results do not happen soon, i would pray less, but still keep it in mind and pray from time to time. Much later, depending on the situations, God sends deliverance, and when that happened, i was not praying often over that item. However, God was still working on it behind the scene, which we do not see.

It is not possiible to say everything sbout prayer in a few words. I wrote a book Understanding Prayer, Faith and God's Will. One of the ithings I said is "Prayer is not an artficial clutch,` we do not need to pray over mundane problems - - God is not trying to help us at every turn. More prayers do not mean more results. Not praying does not mean He will ignore us. God can work even if we did not pray over some things.

I often pray like this, though I also don't know how to pray!

"Lord God, thank you for Your love and Your mercy to me. Thank you for loving me and saving me, even though I don't deserve You. You are so good to me, Lord. You have always been faithful to me and you've always been beside me even when I didn't know You were there. Thank You that You hear me even now, and You know me. Lord God, please forgive me for my sins. Please cleanse me of my unrighteousness and make me right with You God. Fill me with Your Holy Spirit. Create in me a clean heart, a heart that is filled with love for You and those around me. Give me a pure heart, Lord. Please help me in my weakness, Jesus. Please, help me to flee from sin and to run away from temptations. If I face temptation, please give me strength to resist and run from it. Give me the grace and the strength to walk with You, Jesus. I want to walk with You in the light. Help me, Lord. Change me to make me who You want me to be. Please let Your will be done in my life, Lord. Please protect my family, lead each one of us to be closer to You and to know You more. Please help us to love You more and more, God. Please place Your angels around us and protect us from the enemy. Lord, I want to know You more. Please, whatever it takes, Lord, let me know You more. Whatever You want to do in my life, whatever You want me to go through, whatever it takes to know You and to love You God, please let it be in my life. Lord, I praise You; You are worthy of all my praise, Jesus. Let Your will be done in my life and the lives of my family. Amen."

This is a prayer I prayed just now. I don't know if I pray "wrong" but I try...My prayers are often like this, and I sometimes repeat the same things, but I don't mind because I mean them and I know God knows my heart. I also often pray for specific things, like family situations, jobs, finances, sickness, etc. I pray that He would lead me to the job He has for me; I pray His will would be done in those areas. I pray for restoration of relationships, and healing, and so on. But I suppose my basic prayer is usually thanks, then asking God, and praising Him, but I often "talk" to God more often than what I traditionally think of "praying." I don't worry too much about how I say something; I don't like praying in front of others because I tend to think too much about how it sounds! I like to pray with just me and God, just in the genuine way I express things. I know He listens to us and He cares for us.

Lost4words said:

Very true indeed. We let God work in us.

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Amen. Yes, He does work in us in ways we may not even realize until eternity. i'm so thankful that He does.

I have some questions about how to pray. Some told me that the Holy Spirit will guide me on what to say. However, after praying in tongues, I was still unable to find the right words to pray, especially in a group.
Do we have to memorize scriptures and practise our words/ prayers before we know how to pray?

The Bible tells us to come into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. We are also told to be concerned over nothing, but in everything, with prayer and supplication, to make our requests known to Him. We are told to praise far more than we are to pray.

Many people find it helpful to quote Bible promises back to the Lord. Sometimes they plead the Blood of the Savior, meaning they are claiming what He paid for in full.

Really, though, one could have the most eloquent and Biblical words said ever and if there is no heart in it, and humility, it will be like a Rolls Royce with no gas. A simple prayer from the heart, with that humility, works wonders.