Luke 11:1 – “Now Yeshua was praying in a certain place. When He finished, one of His disciples said to Him, “Master, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.” TLV

It is my conviction that there are unlimited possibilities that we can receive by praying positively, effectually, and fervently.  Tragically, we often limit ourselves because we limit our prayers.  We tend to go to the wrong place to pray, surround ourselves with the wrong things, and get into too big a hurry for any good to come through our praying.  There is a time and a place for order praying.

Here, the request of the disciples was, “LORD, teach us to pray.”  How do we pray?  How should we pray?  One of the first things we should do in establishing our private prayer life is to determine to do everything physically, mentally, emotionally, and spiritually to get alone with God and listen.

Matthew 6:5-6 – “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites; for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners, so that they may be seen by others. Amen, I tell you, they have their reward in full! ⁶ But you, when you pray, go into your inner room; and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father, who sees in secret, shall reward you.”

It is important to have physical solitude in prayer.  It is helpful to have the same place to pray each day, if possible.  It is vital that before you begin praying, relax and allow the Peace of God to come to you.  In Psalms 46:10 we read, “Be still and know that I am God.”  In Exodus 14:13 God said through Moses, “Stand still and see the salvation of God.”

Prayer is a profoundly serious endeavor and should not be rushed into and rushed out of. Prayer is as delicate to the heart of the soul as open-heart surgery is to the body.  If you are too busy to pray, you are too busy!  Prayer is serious and there are some especially important steps in developing a prayer life and discovering the Power of Praying.

THE FIRST STEP IN PRAYER SHOULD BE PRAISE.   

I believe that because I have learned that Praise helps to frame and shape a proper attitude.  I believe that one of the reasons some people find prayer a drudgery and a chore is because they jump into prayer and begin confessing sin.  That is a needful thing to do, but it is not the first thing to do.

Too many set their minds on sin instead of the Savior.  They have a sinful mindset and see themselves as great sinners rather than focusing on the mercifulness of the Savior.  This places them in the wrong frame of mind and heart.  If we would begin our time of prayer with Praise, we will see Who God is and when His presence comes, we will not want to stop praising Him.

Also, Praise helps to establish the reality in our hearts, Who God Is, and enables us to see His ability to supply the need.  We begin to see the true majesty of God.  Praising God changes the outlook and instead of focusing on the bad we see the LORD in His Glory, Majesty, and Faithfulness.

If you are a chronic complainer and pessimist, it is because either you do not know God in his true power and have not learned the Power of Praise.  Instead, you are focusing on self, and in voicing your complaints and negativism, you are seeking sympathy, not a solution.  I know that is a bit harsh, but I believe it is needful.  God wants you to be victorious!

I want to discuss some Powerful and Wonderful ways to Praise the Lord, but I will pause here and pick this up next time. 

I pray that you will have a wonderful day in Jesus!