creating a lifestyle of prayer
Very
early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and
went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. MARK 1:35
Prayer is
most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s
a lifestyle we nurture. To understand how to have a lifestyle of prayer, we can
look at the example Jesus gave during His life on earth.
HAVE A
CERTAIN TIME
Jesus got up
early in the morning to spend time with His Heavenly Father. Make a daily
appointment with God — whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunch, or in
the evening — and faithfully keep it.
HAVE A
CERTAIN PLACE
Jesus had a specific place He went to pray. Having a designated
place to pray helps us remove distractions and frees us to worship and pray out
loud.
HAVE A
CERTAIN PLAN
When Jesus
taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them a prayer outline. We call it
“The Lord’s Prayer.” This outline, along with several other tools, is available
in this guide. As we pray every day, our plans for our prayer time can vary,
maybe including worship music, Bible reading, and quiet time to listen to God.
It doesn’t always have to look the same; it just helps when we have a plan for
connecting regularly with God.
One day
Jesus was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples
said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray…” LUKE 11:1
“Our
Father in Heaven, hallowed be Your Name. Your Kingdom come. Your will be done
on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us
our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And do not lead us into temptation, but
deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the Kingdom and the power and the
glory forever. Amen.”
MATTHEW 6:9-13 NKJV