Five Fundamentals to Upgrade Your Practice of Prayer
How Is the Deadly Christmas Parade Connected with George Floyd?
Winsome Sears: Telling the truth about CRT
The Bill That Will Force Taxpayers to Pay for Abortions
How Teachers Are Recruiting Children for LGBTQ Clubs
Five Fundamentals to Upgrade Your Practice of Prayer
Father, we ask that You help us to walk in Your ways by acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with You. Micah 6:8
Intercessors for America, a national prayer ministry established through the ministry of Bible teacher Derek Prince, will soon celebrate our 50th anniversary. As a board member from almost its inception, Iāve had the distinct privilege of learning lessons from phenomenal intercessors.
Yonggi Cho, once pastor of the worldās largest church in Seoul, Korea, had laid his hands upon me during the Brownsville Revival to receive an impartation.He famously said, āMuch prayer – much power. Little prayer – little power. No prayer ā no power.ā
In the Garden of Gethsemane Jesus told his sleeping disciples, āCould you not keep watch with Me one hour?ā He then told them āWatch and pray that you enter not into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the flesh is weakā (Matt. 26:40-41).
All of us desire to develop a consistent prayer life but when all is said and done, Ā thereās usually more said than done!
In the Gospels we never find the followers of Jesus asking Him, āTeach us to preach.ā We do find the disciples entreating the Master, āTeach us to prayā (Lk.11:1). They knew the connection between a strong prayer life and a fruitful one.
From my journey with Jesus let me offer five essentials to make you fruitful in your communion with God.
Practices for a Powerful Prayer Life
1. Establish right priorities.
Years ago a Christian confessed to me that he found it much easier and enjoyable to study the Bible than to pray. I could relate.
Charles Hummel in his classic work, āTyranny of the Urgent,ā sobers us with misplaced priorities regarding prayer. He believes one of the worst sins is prayerlessness. We usually think of murder, adultery or theft among the worst but the root of all sin is self-sufficiency – independence from God. When we fail to wait prayerfully for God’s guidance and strength we really are saying with our actions, if not our lives, that we donāt need Him, we can do it all alone. The opposite of such independence is when we acknowledge our need of God’s instruction and supply as we āseek first the Kingdom of Godā each day.
Dedication to prayer is not merely trying to find time to commune with Him. It’s making time intentionally and consistently.
- Remind yourself of the benefits of prayer and consequences of neglect.
Psalm 103:1 exhorts us to āforget not all His benefits.ā A consistent prayer life does the following:
- Enables us to experience the Presence of God more regularly.
ā¢ Bring delight to the heart of Father God.
ā¢ Affords opportunity to receive His daily instruction and enablement.
ā¢ Opens dialogue with God wherein we can āCast all your care upon Him”Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā (1Pet. 5:7).
ā¢ Provides opportunity for spiritual cleansing and to ābreak up the fallow Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā groundā of my heart to stay perceptive to His promptings.
ā¢ Releases me into spiritual warfare to break the power of the enemy in my Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā life.
ā¢ Cultivates greater discernment regarding issues.3. Find a āprayer closet.ā
Jesus set the example when he went to a “lonely place” to pray. He also told us, āWhen you pray, go into your room, close the door, and pray to your Father in secret” (Matt. 6:6).
This simple act enables us to block out distractions and noise pollution all around us today. We should expect resistance from the enemy when we endeavor to commune with our Creator. Satan will contest us every step of the way! Whether it be a basement, attic, office before others arrive, a walking path or a literal āclosetā as some of my friends utilize, the most important thing is to discover such a haven, turn off the iPhone and enjoy the solitude and serenity of an āEmmausā experience with Him (Lk. 24:13-24).
4. Retire and rise early enough for a quality time alone with God.
āIt is in vain for you to rise up early, to stay up lateā¦for He gives sleep to His belovedā (Psalm 127:2). This may seem elementary but itās amazing how many Christians regularly stay up late on computers, channel surfing or fellowshipping with late night comics yet are perplexed as to why they canāt arise early enough for prayer!
Granted, some of us are more an āowlā then a āfowlā in staying productive late into the night, but be careful of long-standing bad habits of simply āputtering aroundā late into the evening that undercuts your quality time with Him.
Getting up early to spend time with the Lord is not specified in Scripture but it certainly is implied.
ā¢ āOh Lord, in the morning You will hear my voice; in the morning I will direct my Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā prayer to You, and I will watch expectantly” (Psalm 5:3).
ā¢ āThey rose up in the morning early and worshiped before the Lordā (1Sam.1:19).
ā¢ āIn the morning, rising up a great while before sunrise, Jesus went out and Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā Ā departed to a solitary place. And there He prayedā (Mk.1:35).5. Establish order for your prayer life to avoid wandering thoughts.
As Peter and John went up to the temple at āthe hour of prayerā (Acts 3:1), it helps to develop habit patterns that enhance effectiveness. Approach the adventure of engaging in prayer as a grace-motivated āget toā not a legalistic āhave to.ā
- First, it is Scriptural to come before God’s Presence with thanksgiving. Psalm 100:4 exhorts us to begin not with petitions but with thanksgiving. I usually begin my time of prayer by expressing gratitude for all the specific things that God has done for and through me during the past 24ā48 hours. Itās so important to cultivate this attitude of gratitude and contentment in a culture of grumbling and complaining.
ā¢ Secondly, a time of thanksgiving should naturally lead into praise and worship. āWe thank God for what Heās done. We praise Him for Who He is. Then we worship Him in the ābeauty of holinessāā (Derek Prince).
ā¢ After a time of āhallowing His Ā Nameā as Jesus taught in āThe Lordās Prayer,ā itās good to ask God to āsearch our heartsā to confess any sin; pray for our governing authorities (1Tim 1:1ā3); intercede for our spouse, children, family members etc.; lift up loved ones who are lost to be saved; pray for our church’s leaders, ministries, missionaries and the sick. Finally, wait on the Lord and pray for other specific needs that the Spirit of God will impress upon our hearts – job, schooling, healing, guidance, finances and beyond.
Hereās the deal: Amidst the darkness escalating today, God is calling us to a fresh commitment to intercessory prayer. Knowing the priority of prayer let’s respond with passion to honor Him.
Comment your thoughts on this article!
(Photo by iStock.)
Partner with Us
Intercessors for America is the trusted resource for millions of people across the United States committed to praying for our nation. If you have benefited from IFA's resources and community, please consider joining us as a monthly support partner. As a 501(c)3 organization, it's through your support that all this possible.


We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. Privacy Policy
Comments
Oh, I needed this! We can allow far too many distractions to invade our lives, with or without the assistance of the enemy. If you aren’t hearing from God well, these are good steps to take.
Heavenly Father, forgive me for not putting you first. You desire a closeness with each one of us that is unlike any other relationship. It is a beautiful thing. Help me to remain close to you so that I may live most joyously and productively for You.
Author of this piece is identified only as “a board member [of IFA] from almost its inception. Is it Dave Kubal?