LESSON #7: PRAYER

“How Important is Prayer in My Life?”

A Christian is only as strong as his prayer life. When you read the Bible, God speaks to you. When you pray, you speak to God. Your personal relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ cannot grow without proper communication. Prayer is simply your direct communication to God.

The purpose of this lesson is to acquaint you with the basics of a proper prayer life so these lines of communication can be open and effective.

1. Prayer has specific purposes.

1. Prayer gives you the ability to communicate with God.

Hebrews 4:16

B. Prayer gives you peace of heart and mind.

Philippians 4:6-7

3. Prayer draws you close to God so He can prove His

sufficiency for every need.

1. God know exactly what you need even before you ask.

Matthew 6:8

2. God allows needs to come into your life so He can draw

you to Him.

Psalm 50:15

2. Prayer must have a specific place in your life.

1. It is absolutely essential to recognize you have needs in your

life that only God can meet. Therefore, you must make

prayer part of your life.

Revelation 3:16-17

2. It is absolutely essential to give thanks in everything,

including the difficult times of your life.

I Thessalonians 5:18; Romans 5:3-5; I Peter 3:12-15

3. It is essential to develop a consistent prayer attitude where

your first reaction in a difficult moment is to go to God in

prayer.

1 Thessalonians 5:17

3. Prayer follows specific principles

1. The Bible provides basic guidelines.

1. Pray always - develop a lifestyle of communicating

with God.

1 Thessalonians 5:17; Luke 18:1

2. Don’t repeat the same words over and over.

Matthew 6:7

3. Talk to the Lord as a friend because that’s what He is -

your friend!

John 15:13-14; Exodus 33:11; Proverbs 18:24

4. Realize you have DIRECT access to God personally.

You do not need to go through any other person to

talk to God

I Timothy 2:5; Ephesians 2:18

2. Always focus on maintaining a proper relationship with the

Lord Jesus Christ. There are certain things that can hinder

your prayers.

1. Unconfessed sin. Isaiah 59:1-2; Psalm 66:18

2. An unforgiving spirit. Matthew 6:14-15

3. Bitterness toward your mate (as well as others).

1 Peter 3:7

4. Not asking. James 4:2

5. Asking with selfish or other wrong motives.

James 4:3; Proverbs 21:13

6. Insensitivity to the Word of God.

Proverbs 28:9

3. Romans 8:26-27 makes it clear we don’t always know how

or for what to pray. That is why the Holy Spirit intercedes

for us in prayer.

4. Prayer follows a specific pattern 1 Timothy 2:1

1. Supplication - urgent requests. This is when you seek to

discover God’s plan in a specific matter.

II Corinthians 12:7-10; Matthew 26:36-44

2. Prayers - specific requests rooted in God’s Word.

Philippians 4:6 says to “…let your requests be made

known unto God.” Too many prayers are wasted

because they are so general and not biblically based.

For example: “God, please give me a blessing.”

“Which one? How do you want me to bless you?”

3. Intercessions - prayers for others. This is important to keep

your motives pure and keep your selfish eyes off yourself.

I Samuel 12:23

4. Giving of thanks - appreciation for God. Psalm 100:4

makes it clear we enter the presence of God through

thanksgiving and praise.

5. Prayer should follow specific practices in your life.

1. Make a list to help you remember. Otherwise your prayer

life will not be consistent.

B. Keep a list of answered prayers to reinforce your faith in

God’s ability to answer.

6. Basic questions.

1. Does God answer all my prayers?

Yes, but not always the way or at the time you expect. As

we learned in lesson one, God is your Heavenly Father and

all His ways are perfect. There will be times when in His

infinite wisdom the best answer to prayer will be “NO” or

“NOT YET”. In those times, simply trust Him.

2. How important is it to pray for others?

1. Paul prayed for others continually (Romans 1:9)

and requested prayer on many occasions.

Hebrews 13:18; II Thessalonians 3:1

2. Samuel said it was a sin against God not to pray for

others.

I Samuel 12:23

An example of effectual pray for others is how a preacher

from England, George Mueller, prayed for the salvation of

several people for up to 60 years. When Mr. Mueller died,

some of these people were still lost. However, there were

some saved at his funeral and many others were saved

within the next year. This leads to the next point. Keep

at it and be faithful. The full results of your prayers will

never be known completely in this lifetime.

3. Should I try to change God’s mind when I pray?

No. The purpose of prayer is to conform you to His

will, not the other way around.