To have an effective praying life, here are a few steps you can follow or take into consideration to enrich your prayer life. Prayer can be challenging, particularly if you’re a non-believer, a new believer, or a restored believer seeking to develop ways to improve or connect with the Sovereign Lord. This is a methodical approach that you can use to progressively strengthen your prayer life. Below are two ways to stimulate what God has already implanted in YOU.

A.C.T.S

Adoration – Honor God for who He Is. This is an act of paying honor to a divine being; worship Him, sing praises to Him, exalt Him, extol Him, magnify Him, revere Him. Elevate Him to the highest place of Honor, glorify Him, and ask God to search your heart and eradicate anything that is not of Him. Psalms 139 :23-24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me and lead me in the way everlasting.” Hail the King of Glory, Lord of Lords, Ancient of days. A compassionate and gracious God; slow to anger abounding in love and faithfulness.

Confession – Pour out your heart to God by confessing your transgressions: including pride, dissatisfaction, jealousy, lust, selfishness, rage, greed, and gluttony. Both sins of commission and omission are mentioned in the Bible. James 4:17 “Anyone, then, who knows the good he ought to do and doesn’t do it, sins.” Lying or stealing are examples of deliberate actions that go against God’s instructions found in the Bible and are considered as sins of commission. The sin of omission involves not doing what is right or failing to do the right thing. Familiarize yourself with the tenth commandment Deuteronomy 5: 6-21 to draw you closer to God and grant you with the spirit of discernment to resist temptation.

Thanks – “Give thanks to the Lord for he is good; his love endures forever”. Psalms 118:1. Express your gratitude to God in full. Give Him thanks for everything you have: food, energy, a roof, a family, a job, water, light, a car, a spouse, body parts, the ability to come and leave, and the gift of childbearing. You will experience a heart filled with gratitude and enable you to be thankful for the little things as you go through that list. Without tallying and cataloguing all our gifts, we tend to take the smallest things for granted. “Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.” 1 Thessalonians 5:16

There are people in other parts of the world who lack access to electricity, decent drinking water, and a three-square meal. Not to mention all the desires we have been privileged to enjoy. Does this imply that we are superior to them? Not at all! “Therefore, God has mercy on whom he wants to have mercy, and he hardens whom he wants to harden.” Romans 9:18.

Supplication – Ask God for something in a sincere or honest manner. For God to bless you, demonstrate your handiwork. Bring your request to God in humility, not out of selfish ambition. Allow His promises to be fulfilled in your life. God Has promised us good things and will stop at nothing to ensure us His Children receives His overflowing blessings. “Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.”  James 1:17. When God gives with his righthand, he doesn’t remove with his lefthand. Freely He gives, and freely you will receive. He gives good gifts and adds no sorrows to it. Ask with faith, ask confidently, boldly and wait in expectation to receive your request from the Alpha and Omega.

The 2nd prayer enrichment strategy is P. R. A. Y. Prayer is an invitation to true life. Whoever will seek Him will surely find Him.

P.R.A.Y

Praise – Thank God for who He is and not what He can do. Express warm approval/admiration to the Maker of Heaven and Earth. Thank Him for all the goodness in your life. Sing songs of praise, dance, shout, cry, jubilate, and surrender your all to Him.

Repent – Feel or express sincere regret or remorse about one’s wrongdoing or sin. Ask for forgiveness by changing from your wrongs to becoming a better version of yourself. Constantly endeavor to imitate Jesus. May you be broken by what breaks Him “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God and are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.” Romans 3:23-24

Ask –  Ask for anything from the Lord with an open mindset believing that He has already granted your requests. Allow His will to align with yours. Ask for faith and have the assurance that you are trusting in something you cannot explicitly prove. Seek wisdom—things that are invisible, like Solomon did. “Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”  Psalms 37:4. What is your heart desire? God wants to fulfill that for your today. “If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer.” Matthew 21: 22

Yield – (Allow God to Speak) – Be still and listen for what He has to say. Open your mind and heart to what he is about to show and tell you. We frequently ignore God’s presence because we are preoccupied with worldly views. However, all He wants is to get closer to us. Being in a spirit-filled environment will help us think like God, act like God, and walk like God. This will ultimately bring us closer to Him. “Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things.” Philippians 4:8. He’s crazy about you, more than you can imagine. Open your heart to receive Him.

Prayer is an essential aspect of our lives. That has proven to be true, even with you, my readers. This is based on the tremendous views I continue to receive monthly on “The Prayer is my Link” article. I hear you guys and can relate to your yawning for prayers. There is no reason for us not to pray. Prayer is among the best methods for getting in touch with God. We should always seek the Holy Spirit’s presence and extend an invitation to Him to enter our lives whenever possible. To inspire us to walk in the light, just as He does. May our lives exemplify that of our Master.

Note Below: This article is a section extracted from my upcoming prayer book coming in March 2024. Stay Tuned!