Again, my morning thoughts go to prayer. Let’s look into a few examples that we can use in our prayer time with God. God knows the very intention of the heart. Prayer is to be from the innermost part of the heart. I believe there is a pattern or way to pray that can bring successful results to your prayer. Begin your Prayer with Adoration or Praise to your Heavenly Father, lead into Confession of any sin or wrong doing that may come to mind, begin to Thank Him for the cleansing of your sin that you just confessed, which now brings you into right standing with your Father, God.
This brings us to the question. what is it that you need? We now come to ASKING or Supplication. ASK Him with confidence and believe that He hears your prayer. You can be assured that God heard your prayer and will answer your requests! Learning these basic steps to praying will help you increase your praying time and self-confidence, bringing you to the extent of praying from your heart with a more complete prayer.
Here is a pattern, or you might say, the very basics of prayer… A-C-T-S:
• A -stands for Adoration. Adoration is telling God we love Him and why. Teach men the attributes of God and what they mean to us. This prayer can be as simple as: “We love you, Lord, because you are always with us.” (Psalm 100)
• C -stands for Confession. Confession needs to be a private matter between the believer and God, but we do need to teach men how to confess their sins in prayer. Along with this, they also need to learn when they honestly confess their sin. They are assured of forgiveness (1 John 1:9).
• T -stands for Thanksgiving. We have more to be thankful for than we might imagine. Teach men to “count their blessings” and give thanks to the Lord for them. (I Thess.5:18)
• S -stands for Supplication. This word simply means to earnestly or humbly ask for something. It includes asking for others (intercession). “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” (Matt.7:7)
Let me say there is no specific way in praying, but prayer must be from the heart. Praying is like talking to a close friend, and truly God should be our closest friend. Just an added thought: A person who does not pray out loud in private prayer is often uncomfortable praying out loud in corporate prayer. Begin praying out loud when you are by yourselves. As you grow more comfortable praying out loud in your private prayer, you will become more comfortable praying in public.
Ask, Seek, Knock – ASK: Matthew 7:7, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you (KJV). Matthew 21:22, If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (NLT). Fellowship is cultivated in the church when sin is expelled.
There are often some observed sins in the church that must be confessed and expelled if fellowship is to be experienced. We must examine ourselves as part of the body of Christ.
• Pride: Pride is an attitude of a man’s heart that says, “I know who I am, what I want and what to do. I don’t need anybody to suggest any need for change in my life.” Perpetual pride will break down genuine fellowship, but humility will rebuild it.
• Unforgiveness: Where unforgiveness exists in the hearts, fellowship will be lost in the congregation. Every positive, Spirit-directed move the church makes can be quenched by unforgiveness. To a church in need of renewed fellowship, Paul wrote in Ephesians 4:32, Instead, be kind to each other, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, just as God through Christ has forgiven you (NLT).
• Impurity: As with every Christian, impure actions always come as a result of impure thoughts. Jesus rebuked the impure Pharisees when He spoke in Matthew 12:34, You brood of vipers, how can you who are evil say anything good? For the mouth speaks what the heart is full of (NIV).
How a person thinks has everything to do with how he acts. Fellowship with God is immediately broken when impure thoughts are tolerated, and fellowship with other Christians is hindered when impure attitudes or actions are expressed. Unholy or impure lives will always create a gulf between people and greatly hinder the fellowship of the church.
Praying with the right attitude…When in prayer, we must have the right attitude; pure thoughts, right motives, and a forgiving heart…” Then, and only then will we see the results of answered prayer.
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