Effective or Ineffective Prayer Life: The Choice is Yours, Part 1

Did you know you can learn how to pray and have an effective prayer life and you can start learning today? Effective prayer, or prayers that are answered, start with us praying God’s Word. Jeremiah 1:12 (NKJV) says God is ready to perform His Word. That means He is waiting for us to know what He said He wants to do and then ask Him. You could say it like this: we are to find what God’s will is and ask Him for it. For whatever is God’s will, you can have. We must learn that God’s will is not mysterious nor is it hidden from us. God’s will is His Word. Knowing this makes prayer clear and simple, and enables us to pray effectively. 1 John 5:14-15 is a powerful verse which illustrates this for us. It says, “And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us: and if we know He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions (prayers) that we asked of Him.” Notice how God’s Word tells us we can have confidence in knowing He hears and answers our prayers. All we have to do is find scriptures that cover our need and then ask Him to meet it.

Mark 11:24 also gives us helpful insight into effective prayer.  It says, “Whatsoever you desire when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.”  Jesus tells us we must pray in faith, which means we must believe God hears and answers our prayers before we see them come to pass. This is not hard to do when you understand that your confidence in prayer must come from the Word of God. In other words, if God said He would do it (something He said in His Word) then faith fills your heart from His promise and you believe that you receive it. You believe it is yours; you believe God has heard and answered your prayer.

So, remember your confidence in prayer will come from knowing God’s will or His Word. Now you can learn to pray effectively and receive answers to all your prayers.

– Pastor Chris Morgan