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How to Pray Effectively Series
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We've completed our study on How to Pray Effectively, but several important questions have emerged that deserve careful attention. Today we're addressing those questions together so we can all be on the same page—though remember, the answers are still rooted in the teaching we've already covered.
The first key question many ask is: How do you know which type of prayer to apply to which situation? How do you recognize when it's time to pray a prayer of agreement, faith, supplication, intercession, thanksgiving, or praise?
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The answer lies in understanding that prayer is fundamentally communication with the Lord. Communication always has a purpose, and the purpose determines the mode and relevant details for that communication to be effective. If you're blessing food, you don't cast out demons. If you're praying with someone at your same level of faith about a specific financial need, you might pray a prayer of agreement. But if you're interceding for a family member who has strayed from the Lord, you move into petition, supplication, and intercession—deeper forms of prayer.
Consider these practical distinctions:
When you don't know where to start, Romans 8:14 provides clear guidance:
"For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God."
Prayer itself is a priestly ministry, and the Holy Spirit prays through us. You might begin uncertain—perhaps just saying "Thank you, Lord"—but as you engage, the Holy Spirit will shift your direction. You'll start making declarations. You'll find yourself moving naturally into the type of prayer that situation requires.
This is reinforced by Romans 8:26-27:
"Likewise the Spirit also helps us in our infirmities. For we know not what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit itself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered... the Spirit makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God."
Sometimes you face a situation without knowing exactly how to address it. But the Holy Spirit gives you the right way—He prays through you and uses you as a vessel to change that situation.
Another vital passage is John 16:13:
"When the Spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all truth. For he shall not speak of himself, but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak, and he will show you things to come."
You may not know the exact approach, but the Spirit of God will guide you. He shows you things to come and directs your prayers accordingly.
When you speak in tongues, you open yourself to receive divine guidance and direction from the Spirit. This is one way the Spirit leads you into the right kind of prayer for your situation.
The second major question is profound: How do you effectively move from one stage of prayer to the next without forgetting and starting over? For example, after praying a prayer of faith and believing you've received, how do you stop yourself from going back and asking for the same thing again? Or, when petitioning, how do you stay encouraged when nothing seems to change?
Here's the critical principle: If you have truly prayed a prayer of faith and believed, you cannot go back and ask again. This is not just discipline—it's evidence of your faith. If you believe you have received, why would you ask again?
Mark 11:23-24 captures this truth:
"For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, 'Be thou removed and be thou cast into the sea,' and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass, he shall have whatsoever he said. Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
By faith, you have already spoken. You've already declared it. Going back to ask means you didn't truly believe.
When we pray, the Holy Spirit works in and through us. He gives us a "note of victory"—a spiritual assurance that what we've asked for is already done. This note of victory is where our confidence sits.
When the Holy Spirit gives you that note of victory, your prayer naturally changes. You find yourself thanking God, praising Him. Why? Because there's a note in your spirit telling you that the thing you asked for has already been accomplished.
Deep down, we must grasp that prayer itself is a privilege and an honor. Every moment spent in prayer is an investment into eternity. True prayer is a romance of righteousness—intimacy with God.
When you're intimate with God, you won't miss His voice. Intimacy means very close closeness—your heart and God's heart are in sync. In that communion, you hear Him and He hears you. Remember: in prayer, you are talking and God is talking back to you. It's a two-way conversation.
Many of us struggle with this: We're speaking in tongues while our minds wander to cooking dinner, checking the sugar supply, or replaying a conversation from before church. Our lips are moving, but our hearts and minds are elsewhere. We're not really talking to God at all.
Imagine speaking to Pastor James about something serious while holding someone else's hand and petting their hair. You're saying "Yes, I agree with you, Pastor James," but you're not really present with him. You're divided. The same happens in prayer. When your mind is scattered, you're not really communicating with God. You're just using the gift of tongues to "whip up time."
This happens easily—the mind wanders. You're physically present, but mentally you're somewhere else. It's very common, and very human.
To avoid distraction, you must focus. Focus means isolating one particular thing—like a camera lens. You're not taking a picture of everything; you're focused on what will create a good image.
When praying, focus on God through His Word. The Holy Spirit is very faithful. He will come to the level of your understanding. Every one of us is at a different level, and He meets us where we are.
Here are practical ways to maintain focus:
Focus on God's love. When Jesus went to the cross and bled from those stripes, that was love flowing. Focus on the love of God regardless of what you're praying about. God prompted you to pray because He wants to answer. He wants to address your situation and bring it to an end—why? Because of His love.
Focus on a revelation from Scripture. If God has shown you something about Himself through His Word, focus there. As you do, even your prayer language will change.
Focus on God's greatness, not the problem. Don't see the problem as too big. See the greatness of God beyond it. Think of how God has intervened in Scripture or in your own life before. As you pay attention to His past faithfulness, you'll see His greatness beyond your present problem.
Ephesians 6:18 says:
"Praying always with all manner of prayer and supplication in the spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints."
This means you can pray all kinds of prayers—faith, petition, supplication, thanksgiving, praise, worship. But as you do so, the Holy Spirit will guide you where you must pay attention—whether to praise, thanksgiving, or petition.
Lifting up holy hands changes everything. If you find yourself distracted, physically lift your hands to God. When you do, the distraction about cooking dinner suddenly loses its power. Something shifts.
1 John 5:14 assures us:
"And this is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask anything according to his will, he heareth us."
When you focus and address your situation without distraction, there is always an answer. There is always going to be one.
From studying How to Pray Effectively, I've discovered that the prayer of worship, praise, and thanksgiving is an all-rounder prayer. It cannot be limited. If you cannot focus or don't know what to pray, start here.
Forget about the situation in front of you for a moment. Start by worshiping God, praising Him. Tell Him how great He is. As you do, before you know it, your prayer is already directed to where it's supposed to go. The Holy Spirit will lead you into declarations if needed, into petitions, into supplications, into intercession—all flowing from that foundation of worship.
When you start by exalting the Lord and worshiping Him, He gives you direction for the exact thing you must address and how to address it. And you are guaranteed to bring an answer.
Our highest calling as believers is fellowship with God. In this fellowship comes our priestly ministry.
Revelation 1:6 declares:
"And he hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion forever and ever."
In the New Testament, we are called into the priestly ministry. What we see typified in the Old Testament—the priests offering sacrifices in the tabernacle—is now a reality for us.
The tabernacle had three courts: the outer court, the inner court, and the holy of holies. In the outer court stood a bronze altar where an evening sacrifice was made—representing judgment and the forgiveness of sins. In the inner court was a golden altar where incense was burned and another sacrifice was made each evening.
When the priest went into the holy of holies carrying the blood from the sacrifice, he was pleading before God's presence. This entire system pointed to Christ and to our priestly role.
Psalm 141:2 captures this beautifully:
"Let my prayer be set before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice."
King David—a king and prophet—was seeing into the future, into the reality of the Church age. He understood that our prayers are like incense, sweet-smelling to God, and our lifted hands are like the evening sacrifice.
When we lift our holy hands, we are saying: "I accept the work of Christ. I yield to Him." This is the reality of what that ancient animal sacrifice foreshadowed.
In Revelation, the apostle John says he saw the prayers of the saints coming before God as a sweet-smelling savor, and they were accepted. This is our priestly ministry—the real, true priestly ministry.
In the New Testament, the prayers of God's people are more pleasing to Him than the sacrifices of the Old Testament.
Psalm 69:30-31 states:
"I will praise the name of God with a song and will magnify him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs."
When you grasp that your prayers are more pleasing to God than animal sacrifices ever were, you'll stop treating prayer time as an afterthought. You won't cook dinner while praying. You won't neglect this priestly ministry. The tabernacle won't be deserted; the priest will be present and engaged.
Hosea 14:1-2 reinforces this:
"O Israel, return unto the Lord thy God; for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity. Take with you words, and turn to the Lord: say unto him, Take away all our iniquity, and receive us graciously: so will we render the calves of our lips."
Notice: the prophet likens the words we speak to God to calves—to animals that would be sacrificed. Our words, our prayers, are our sacrifices.
Hebrews 13:15 says:
"By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks unto his name."
Praise and thanksgiving must be done continually. Just as the priest continually offered sacrifice, so must we continually offer the sacrifice of praise. And here's the key: This is not dependent on how you feel.
You don't praise God only when you're feeling good. You praise Him regardless of your feelings. You praise Him anyhow. This is priestly duty, not emotional luxury.
Praise, worship, and giving thanks activate the power of God. They cause God to intervene in situations. Even without declaring or decreeing anything—just in the act of praising and worshiping—you activate the power of God. You bring the power of God into action.
Consider 2 Chronicles 20: King Hezekiah faced three huge armies with nowhere to turn except to God. When they praised, God Himself dealt with the armies. Not the children of Israel—God did it. He discomforted the enemy armies and gave them victory.
Or think of Paul and Silas in prison (Acts 16). After being beaten and thrown into the maximum security prison, at midnight they worshiped and gave praises to God. What happened? The prison doors opened. Their shackles fell off their hands and feet. They weren't praying against their captors. They weren't petitioning for release. They were praising God. And things changed.
Here's the truth: When you praise God without even addressing your situation, you'll be surprised that your situation gets sorted out without you even talking about it. Because God already knows your situation. Your future is history to God. He already knows where you're going and the direction you're heading.
When you go into praise and worship mode, danger is removed before you know it. Situations you thought were stubborn suddenly resolve, without you even naming them, because God has taken care of it.
Worshiping is not singing. Singing is part of worship, but worship is broader. You can worship God by:
As you do this—telling Him how great He is, marveling at His goodness and wonder—He demonstrates that greatness in the very situation you're going through.
So when you don't know what type of prayer to pray, go into worship mode. Regardless of your circumstances, go into worship. Praise God. And watch as He shows His greatness in your situation.
Glory be to God. Hallelujah.
