HOW TO PRAY?
“Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere” (Ephesians 6:18 NLT).
Many have the will and desire to pray, but once they start, they quickly lose their repertory and don’t know what to say or do anymore, so they stop praying. However, prayer is not a repertory nor a monologue, but a dialogue with God. In prayer, you renew your strength and become more sensitive to the Holy Spirit’s voice. It is the only way you can have an intimate relationship with the Lord.
Here are four steps simplified through the acrostic ACIA. This will help you achieve a daily prayer life.
1. Adoration.
Adoration is to honor, acknowledge, and express your gratitude to God for who He is and what He does. It is important that you bring your worship before bringing your petition, because the Heavenly Father already knows your needs and He wants to meet them, but He also longs for your adoration. Why? Because, He is only able to have an intimate relationship with His sons and daughters. Each time you worship Him, you become more like Him.
2. Confess.
You need to be honest with the Lord, learn to self-examine your heart and confess your mistakes to God without any fear. He is not asking you to be perfect, but to live a holy life. To live in holiness is to live set apart and consecrated for Him. He is not asking you to do something you cannot do, if Jesus being a man could do this, you can too. God will always be willing to forgive you.
3. Intercede.
To intercede is to stand in the gap for other people or for a personal petition. This is the time when you use the Word of God to declare everything He has promised as done. God needs you to intercede so that He can do His will on earth like it is in heaven and intervene in any situation or circumstance.
“Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not” (Jeremiah 33:3 KJV).
4. Act of thanksgiving.
Once you finish praying, thank God for being good and faithful. The Bible says that after Jesus thanked God the Father for the bread and fish, they were multiplied. Your gratitude has the power to determine the multiplication of blessings in your life.
I invite you to start praying for five to ten minutes a day, while increasing a few minutes each time you pray. If you take care of your relationship with God, you will be taking care of your wellbeing and your relationships with everyone else.
Think about it:
How can you improve your prayer life? What are the benefits of praying?