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“…if you do not forgive others their trespasses, neither will your Father in heaven forgive yours.”
Matthew 6:15, Mark 11:26
Do your prayers work? “Father, bless my enemy with your peace…” is a prayer that makes sense! A lot of people wonder why some prayers are answered while others — or their own prayers — seem to never get answered. Here are some ideas. So here are things to consider, if you actually want power in prayer.
Table of contents
Steps
- Revere God:
Do what it takes for following Christ, and to maintain your reverence for God. Know that He is mighty, is the
creator of the Universe
and deserves glory, praise and honor. Your prayer life should
acknowledge the Lord
in His rightful place in your life.
- Pray thankfully and praise God and end your prayers positively.
Overcome attitudes like unnecessarily emotional begging and pleading to God ‘at bedtime’ because — for example this might cause upset sleep and bad thoughts can lead to bad dreams; be peacemaker in your own mind: how — believe that God already knows and wants for you what you need and rightly desire (not coveting or envying). Then give thanks in advance, expecting good results (that’s trusting). There is, of course, a time and a place for that pained, pleading and begging: “work out your salvation with fear and trembling”, anytime you like, but bedtime is not always the best time. Though, happiness is not the goal — rather
ask for joy
in whatever you experience — for trying to stop anxious thoughts or bad dreams, ask the Lord to show you the root cause of these and
take them to him
in meaningful prayers (personalized), believing. Colossians 4:2, “Continue in prayer, and watch in the same
with thanksgiving; ” — and everyday thanksgiving can bring peace into your life!
- Increase (or start) thanking, and praising, and lifting up (be a booster of) God and Jesus for any good things (called blessings) in your life.
God and Jesus have promised to bless one who
blesses others
and who thanks God for blessings.
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Stop harboring sin in your life: Yep, this would kill it from the get-go! God can not look upon sin. I Corinthians 6:9-10, “Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God.”
- Forgive others:
Live as God’s child that He loves “positionally” in Christ, and you will be in His joy forever, including in sorrow He’s your comfort (joy). Yet, you need to access His righteousness and forgiveness, remembering that you must also forgive, or you will not be forgiven “relationally” as a friend (and follower). So that you yourself may be
more pleasing in His eye, always forgive, as it comes back to you in kind! Mark 11:25, “
And when ye stand praying, forgive, if ye have ought against any: that your Father also which is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses. ”
- Obey God:
John 15:7, “
If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you. ” Notice what you will should be in His pleasure for you. Sin is disobedience and separates us from Him (out of His pleasure). The Holy Spirit will not dwell in an unclean temple; therefore you must repent often, be saved once and remain yielded to the will and the grace of God. Whatever you
plant into the lives of others grows in your own life, i.e.: “
You reap what you sow. ”
- Believe, never doubting.
Be wise enough to pray for what you want and be sure that you have the wisdom to believe when you pray, and so you shall receive. Faith makes it possible. James 1:5-8,
“If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraids not; and it shall be given him. But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavers is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.
For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.
A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.
”
- See the results and be inspired.
How?
Make a prayer journal or a prayer list of things, people and missions you pray about. Your prayer journal may enable you to keep up with the progress in the things you pray about. But be careful. Your prayer journal is a list of things to pray about. However, it’s not a score card to grade God’s answers.
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Confirm God’s will in prayer, for God is not mocked: as whatever a man plants into other lives and hearts, he will also harvest.
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Ask for God’s will to be done. “Study to show yourself approved, unto God,” and to know the mind of God and His will from His written word.
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Stand firm without giving up: Sometimes God wants us to persist in prayer… When we quit: that’s it. Ephesians 6:13-14, “… and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, …”
- Love your enemy and never treat others wrongly.
Love one another as He has loved you.
Love mercy
and do it! And if they are sick you should
pray for them to be healed
Matthew 7:12, “
Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets. ”
- “Bless and curse-not“.
Seek goodwill and the good of others in all you do or say! Pray for God to
bless your enemies
with good things. Considering that is a direct instruction from His word, we need to practice that whether we like it or not.
- “Pray without ceasing” 1 Thessalonians 5:17.
Remain in a spirit of thankfulness and gratitude: blessing others for God hears such things as a
living prayer , and it counts as praying ceaselessly as you
glorify God
as you treat others as you would want to be treated. And whatever you do to the least of these, you do to the Lord, good or bad.
- Open up towards God, and ask Him what you will in faith.
God obviously knows every aspect of your life (lying won’t help), and He knows your struggles and sins. He knows how you feel. He loves and cares for you without limit. Since He is love and mercy, He doesn’t unfairly favor
anyone because He created and seeks to heal and save all of us if we have faith and follow in God’s will.
- Jesus said:
“When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:5-6
- Jesus also said:
“When you pray, do not keep on babbling like Pharisees, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.” Matthew 6:7-8
- Pray with right motives, not self-serving. Let your thoughts be of good reasons, and when you pray ask yourself whether it is going to bring glory to God or not. (James 5:3)
- Jesus said:
Community Q&A
Add New Question
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Can I use prayer and ask God to help me forgive someone?
wikiHow Contributor
Yes, of course! If you find that you are unable to forgive someone, pray to God to give you strength and to take away the pride inside of you.
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Can I pray alone?
wikiHow Contributor
Certainly. Praying alone can be just as effective as praying with other people. It allows you to establish a more personal relationship to God. Many people find that they feel closer to God when they pray to him in private than when they pray to him in a group with other people.
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How do I pray to overcome lust?
wikiHow Contributor
There are basically three ways of overcoming lusts of the human flesh. First, you must control your mind because it is the storeroom and tap root of all lust. Reject lustful thoughts fiercely by imagining yourself slamming a door on them in your mind’s eye. Secondly, you must meditate on the world of God. Find scriptures that remind you of God’s faithfulness in temptation and help you to think about good and worth things. Lastly, you must pray fervently for the help of the Holy Spirit. Simply ask every day (every minute, if you need to!) to fill you with his Spirit in all power, love, and self-control.
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How can l concentrate on what l am praying about? At times my thoughts wonder as l pray.
wikiHow Contributor
Tell God that you’re struggling to concentrate (He knows that already anyway), and then continue with whatever you were praying about. You may have to repeatedly re-focus, but that’s okay. Sometimes it’s helpful to have a list to keep you on track.
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If it is written that we should be able to do the miracles that He did and greater, why aren’t we doing it?
wikiHow Contributor
Because humans rarely know the power that is within them, and even less often use that power to do miracles.
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How do I remember how to pray?
wikiHow Contributor
Keep practicing until it becomes a habit.
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Can someone who watches porn still pray?
wikiHow Contributor
Yes. Anyone can pray, no matter what they do. If you are watching porn, then you should pray to God for forgiveness, and ask him to help you stop watching is, as it is considered sinful by Christian standards.
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How do I pray in the night?
wikiHow Contributor
Praying at night is the same as praying in the daytime. Praying is speaking to God, thanking Him and asking for help.
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If I have been praying for several years for my marriage, will I receive an answer from God for my prayers?
elijah amanor
Yes of course! The Holy Bible made us to understand in Matthew 7:7 that we should ask and it will be given, seek and we will find, knock and it shall be opened for us. What we must understand in our Christian lives is that God has plans and an appointed time for everyone and everything. Until the appointed time, our prayers might not be answered. Maybe this is not the right time for you. Please kindly exercise patience and wait for the Lord. Remember that marriage is a lifelong journey. Do not cease praying, your time will definitely come. Have faith.
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Do I have to pray in English, or can I pray in another language?
wikiHow Contributor
Pray in any language you want. God understands all languages. Always remember that He is omniscient (He knows everything).
Show more answers
Unanswered Questions
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How to look out for signs that my prayers being effective? How do I pray for strength and positivity in my life?
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How do I pray in tongues?
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Is it okay to speak with God after smoking weed?
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I have stop going to church but I am a Christian and believe in God always so why can’t I get myself to go?
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How do I know if my prayers are being answered?
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Tips
- Pray sincerely. Pray the sinners prayer of repentance, when you ask Jesus Christ to save you, then accept God’s plan for your real life.
- Persevere in prayer. He knows what your next motives are because He knows the truth (because He is the truth) and knows your life (past, present, future). He has a plan for all of us personally. So, if you give your life to Jesus, and ask for mercy, God will forgive you and your sins.
- Read the Bible. It is full of plain talk on how to pray, what works and what doesn’t. God speaks through the Bible when you read it, not all the time though (for it depends on Him and what you pray for).
- Love your neighbor sacrificially for, what greater love is there that a man should risk or give his own life for a friend (or even for a stranger)?
- “Love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength; and your neighbor as yourself.”–Luke 10:27
- Read the Gospels on Jesus; praise God, and ask for help “in the name of Jesus.” Jesus said: “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; He who seeks finds; and to Him who knocks, the door will be opened.”(Matthew 7:7–8) God will answer if you wait in his time.
- The Bible says to pray for the following things:
- Matthew 9:37-38 — Workers in the harvest of souls.
- Isaiah 58:6, 66:8, I Tim 2:4 — Conversion of the lost.
- I Timothy 2:2 — Presidents, government and
Peace, holiness and honesty.
- Galatians 4:19, 1:2 — Maturity in the Churches.
- Ephesians 6:19, 6:12 — God to open the door for missionaries.
- Acts 8:15 — Fullness of the Holy Spirit and His anointing for Christians .
- I Corinthians 14:13 — A double portion of the Holy Spirit and the gifts for Christians.
- James 1:5 — Christians to receive wisdom.
- James 5:15 — Physical, mental and spiritual healing for Christians.
- II Thessalonians 1:11-12 — Power to glorify Jesus in evangelism.
- Matthew 26:41, Luke 18:1 — Power to overcome temptation for Christians.
- I Timothy 2:1 — Petitions and any requests.
- Some people use Rosary beads for certainty kinds of prayer rituals.
Warnings
- Pretentious or bragging prayer is not worth your breath.
- When you pray, you need to be in God’s will. If what you are praying for is not in God’s will, then you will not get it. Prayer is not a simple “I ask for it, and I get it.” God will always hear you when you pray, but sometimes God’s answer to a prayer is “No” or “Not now”.
- Don’t ask pointlessly, but ask Jesus when you need help, guidance or mercy — and ask for God’s will to be in your heart (in your “core” being).
- Praying against ordinary people is not going to work!
- Jesus said:
- “…if you remember that your brother has ‘anything against you’; go and make it right, then come back to the altar…” (Matthew 5:23-24)
- Consider:
- “…cleanse your minds all you double minded!” (James 4:8)
- “…he that wavers is unstable in all his ways and should expect nothing from God…” (James 1:5-8).
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Dear heavenly Father,
Give me clarity,
Of mind, heart, and spirit.
Let me see things for how they are,
As you see them.
Let me see my situation with,
Your eyes,
With the eyes of Christ.
Take away my fears and emotions,
And may your spirit shine through.
In your clarity, I find peace,
Strength and direction.
When my eye is clear,
I see where there is hurt,
So i can show compassion.
I see where there is sin,
So i can give mercy.
I know how to protect my heart,
From those that may harm me.
When my eye is clear.
I see the great work,
Christ did for us all.
By taking all sin upon Him,
Then rising up victoriously.
Jesus is my King and Savior.
This is my clarity.
This is my home.
In his Holy name,
Amen
www.vcatholic.com
I love to go back through journals and see things I prayed for in the past and reflect upon how God has responded. I write these prayers down and then I have this habit of weekly looking back and putting a symbol regarding the status. If things are going well, I might put a plus sign or a smiley face. No change earns an = sign. And you know when things are actually moving in the wrong direction, poor God usually gets another journal entry on the topic.
I think prayer is just as important in our business as any other part of our life. As a matter of fact, in my ebook and work book, The Christian Business Edge, I recommend that small business owners develop a Top 10 Business Prayer Request list (see bottom of post).
This is a list of prayer requests that you, your team, and even outside supporters can be praying for.
What To Include In Your Prayer List
It is human nature to pray for an immediate need or problem. I am suggesting here that you develop a list of prayers that will lead you in the direction of God’s vision for your business. It can include things like:
- breaking into a new niche or industry with your business.
- building a culture in your organization that reflects your values.
- praying for certain milestones or business goals to be achieved for the year.
- finding talent that is required for your business to do excellent work.
- praying that you can be a Godly leader for your team and customers.
- peace in times of stress or economic adversity.
- growth
- work that will make a difference in God’s Kingdom.
- that the Lord will be with you in your business and that the Holy Spirit will guide you.
- and yes, we can also pray for resolution to problems!
Thanking God In Advance
I learned a valuable lesson from a 6 year old once who prayed thanks to God in advance for selling their home. It was the innocence and trust of a child that helped me realize that God answers our prayers and we can thank Him in advance because there is nothing too big for our God.
A sincere thanks, though, means we are okay with the outcome whether it matches our exact request or not. I constantly remind myself that I need to pray for His Will and also remind myself that His will is the best thing even if it isn’t what I want.
Timing Is Always Perfect If We Have a God Perspective
If you are an adult with your own business then you already know that our timing and God’s timing do not always line up. But our job is to be faithful with our prayers. We need to keep our list in front of us and pray consistently. If God is silent, then we have to trust His timing includes what is best for us.
I started praying for my business to grow when I first started it. However, it wasn’t for about four years, when my kids were out and about with their own activities that God started sending an abundance of people. Before then He knew I would probably get out of balance again. I started my own business so I could spend more time with my kids.
When they started driving, my business just started growing. It wasn’t really anything I was doing substantially different; it was just the right timing.
Include Other Prayer Warriors
Asking others to pray with you and for your business is a very reasonable request that most fellow Christians are very open to. I know we don’t like to burden others, but asking others to pray is not a burden. It is something they can do that will have a significant impact on you and your business and it honors God at the same time.
A Little Help From Crossroads
Here is a simple Top 10 Business Prayer Requests worksheet for you to get started with. Simply click the link below to download. Also, please feel free to list one or two of your prayer requests in the comments and we would be honored to pray on your behalf.
crossroadcoach.com
So often in our lives happens the situations when we are lost or at least not sure how to behave. Sometimes it is so trying to make a decision and to choose the right way. You feel that you can’t rely only on your experience or on the advice of other people. You think that it is not the advice you need, it doesn’t lead to the peace in your mind and heart, you feel undecided and confused. The only thing that you want is some clarity in your thinking, some wisdom on which you could base your decisions. God is our Shepard, who guides us all in our life journey. We need to walk with Him, talk to Him daily. And of course, we can say a prayer for guidance, direction, clarity, and wisdom.
Prayer for Guidance, Direction, Clarity, and Wisdom
Everlasting Father, wonderful and counselor, you are the almighty God, the all-knowing and all-seeing God. Nothing is hidden from you, and even darkness is as plain as light before you. I praise and adore your holy name for who you are and for the things you do.
God, I approach unto your presence today in the multitude of your mercy; I know that you know my ways and I do not want to be wise in my own eyes. Thus, Lord, I ask that you lead me today and give me guidance, direction, clarity, and wisdom into your truth. God, order my steps by your Holy Spirit, let my choices be guided by your word, let me not go ahead of you.
I humbly ask for your guidance and direction today as I go through life. Please guide me in your love and lead me in your light that I may not fall into temptation, that darkness may not overtake me. God, I pray that you light my candle and enlighten my darkness. I pray for clarity in my situation. In the name of Jesus. Amen.
When to Say Prayer for Guidance, Direction, Clarity, and Wisdom?
A prayer for guidance, direction, clarity, and wisdom is a prayer we say when in need of counsel or light in times of confusion and trouble.
A prayer for guidance shows our absolute dependence on God for direction, wisdom, clarity, and inspiration. It is a prayer that every believer must consciously pray every day in order avail oneself of God’s help and direction in these changing times that we live in.
The prayer for guidance, direction, clarity, and wisdom is a vital prayer that one needs to pray daily. We daily make decisions, sometimes stand at crossroads and need direction. In all these situations we need a higher authority to lead and guide us the right way. Sometimes we don’t even notice traps or nets are in our way, but as we daily pray for guidance, the Lord directs us to victory.
We can’t afford to make mistakes that can cancel or dent our destinies hence; we daily desire prayers that the Father of light, the all-knowing God will give our heart counsel and guidance.
“Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge him and he shall direct thy parts” (Proverbs 3:5).
The word direct means guide. Never assume that your judgment is right, never try to figure out things on your own, learn to say the prayer for guidance, direction, wisdom and clarity in all you do and God will keep you on track.
You need the prayer for guidance in a time of the battle. Your battle may be financial, spiritual, emotional, marital, parental, leadership, etc. If you will learn to trust God with all your heart, humble yourself and pray for guidance, direction, wisdom, and clarity. The Lord will deliver into your hands divine strategies that will give you the victory.
Not by power, by military strength or by political strategies, but by the Spirit of God mountains can be moved. Pray to Him for guidance today, and He will surely lead you into victory.
Also read: PRAYER OF ENCOURAGEMENT
prayray.com
