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The Lord said, "If as one people speaking the same language they have begun to do this, then nothing they plan to do will be impossible for them. (Genesis 11:6)

Prayer is one of the most powerful tools that a Christian has in his or her arsenal, yet so many Christians don't use it to their (or others') advantage. Here are a few ideas that can help you get started praying and come into a closer relationship with God.

The Lord's Prayer

A model of prayer is outlined by Jesus in what is known as "The Lord's Prayer" (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:1-4). In His model, Jesus teaches us how to pray. This prayer serves as an outline that we can follow:

1. "Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name."
   Prayer should always begin with praise to the Lord and appropriation of His promises.

2. "Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven."
   Prayer should be made for God's will to be done in 1) your personal life; 2) your family; 3) your church, etc....

3. "Give us this day our daily bread"
   This area of prayer seeks God's provision for your physical and material needs.

4. " And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors"
   Confession of sin and repentance is made as the Holy Spirit convicts us of our sins.

5. "And Lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil"
   Prayer is made for deliverance from demonic forces and that such forces would not lead one into temptation through one's own carelessness or disobedience.

6. "For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen"
   Prayer begins and ends in praise to God.

Prayer Tips

1. Persistent prayer will be transformed from desire to discipline to delight!

2. Prevailing prayer purposes to war in prayer until the victory is won.

3. You will experience divine preservation as you put on the whole armor of God and pray a hedge of protection about yourself and your loved ones.

4. Prayer as duty is drudgery, but prayer as delight becomes a dynamic encounter with the living God.

5. Refuse to let discouragement or unbelief rob you of answers to prayer. When you lose one, get mad, declare "I am claiming in the name of Jesus a seven-fold return on everything the devil has stolen." ( Proverbs 6:30-31). Repossess that lost ground!

6. The desire to pray is not something we work up in our flesh. Ask the Holy Spirit to plant the desire in your heart to pray.

7. A prayerless Christian is a powerless Christian.

8. John Wesley said "God does everything by prayer and nothing without it."

Why Prayer Fails

1. Unconfessed sin. Sin is a hindrance to answered prayer. (Psalms 66:18 ).

2. Not asking according to God's will. ( James 4:3 ).

3. Asking with faith that doubts. ( James 1:6 ).

4. Improper attitudes toward one's spouse. ( 1 Peter 3:7 ).

5. Pride. ( Psalms 138:6 ).

6. Unforgiving Spirit. ( Matthew 5:23-24 ).

7. Idols in one's life. ( An idol is anything that you place ahead of God ).

The Nature of Prayer

Four types of prayer are given in 1 Timothy 2:1-2:
1. Prayer of Supplication unto God. This type of prayer is that of needs, results, and desires.

2. Prayer of Worship unto God. This type of prayer involves worship and devotional adoration, exhaltation, and praise unto God.

3. Prayer of Intercession unto God. This type of prayer lifts the burdens and needs of others to God in prayer.

4. Prayer of Thanksgiving unto God. This type of prayer is the offering of thanks to God because of who He is as well as what He has done.

How to Pray

1. Acknowlege your own weakness to pray and the need of God to establish a faithful prayer ministry.

2. Establish a systematic and structured time for prayer daily and don't let things interrupt or interfere with it.

3. Discipline oneself to faithfully use this time for prayer daily.

4. Ask God for cleansing of any sinful actions and attitudes.

5. Strengthen your faith by reading the Bible, God's Word, so that your prayer is one of strong faith.

6. Pray for God's will and purpose to be fufilled in the circumstances or lives of people involved in these requests.

7. Join with others in prayer to move the hand of God.

Prayer Closet

It is imperative that you find a time and place to pray. The place you find should be free of any distractions that would lead you away from your time with God. This place is called your "prayer closet" and while you are not required to only pray here, it is your "special" place.

Using Psalms to Help You with Prayer

Prayer is not a natural act of the flesh. Sometimes you need a little extra help to start you praying and some guidance as to what to pray for. Psalms are an excellent tool for this as they are some of the most emotional prayers offered to God from King David, himself.

Simply pick up your Bible, select a Psalm, read the first verse, pray about what you have read, and then move on to the next verse. For example,

"Blessed is the man that walketh not in the counsel of the ungodly, nor standeth in the way of sinners, nor sitteth in the seat of the scornful." (Psalm 1:1)

Dear Lord, our world is so full of the hatred and ungodliness indicative of a fallen generation. Please help me not to fall into the traps set by the devourer. I know that I too am ungoldly at times and I ask that you give me the strength to walk in light and your good nature....

Do you get the picture. Simply use David's prayers as your own. You may find that you and David have a lot in common!

Using Proverbs to Help You with Prayer

Like Psalms, Proverbs can be a handy tool to help you pray as well. Simply follow the outline as defined in "Using Psalms to Help you with Prayer" but use the book of Proverbs, instead. This time you are using the wisdom of Solomon to help you pray and you have one added bonus. The book of Proverbs is broken down into 31 chapters - one for every day of the month - coincidence? I think not!