How to Pray

BEFORE YOU PRAY PLEASE READ THIS

WHAT THIS IS NOT ABOUT:

Generally, I don't like to start with the negative, but I feel that this will allow many of us much needed freedom and relieve a lot of stress in this venture.

1. This is not a time for preaching. Preaching is great and we need it, but this is a call to prayer. I once went to a gathering for the National Day of Prayer and after about 45 minutes of preaching about prayer we were finally given less than 10 minutes to pray! About half-way through the sermon, I was tempted to just walk out and pray somewhere else! Since the 4th falls on a Sunday this year, please consider asking your church leader to set aside time at the end of the service to break up in groups and pray. Just make sure you set aside plenty of time to pray.

2. This is not a chance to promote any church, non-profit organization, political party or politician. There are times for those things. This is NOT one of them. THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND GOD.

3. This is not about drawing attention to your "spirituality." I was once at a prayer meeting where we broke up in groups to pray and one dear woman prayed so long and so loud that the others in her group were not given the chance to pray. Other groups around the room were so distracted by her that they were not able to focus on their own prayers. We don't need to make a scene and draw attention to ourselves. You may want to pray in the privacy of your own home, or find a quiet place at the park where you are having a picnic, or take your lunch break in a private area to pray. This is between YOU and GOD, not anyone else. Keep speaking to a minimum and praying to a maximum.IF YOU GATHER TOGETHER TO PRAY, MAKE SURE YOU ALLOW AT LEAST 5-10 MINUTES FOR SILENT PRAYER SO THAT INDIVIDUALS ARE GIVEN THE CHANCE TO EXAMINE THEIR OWN LIVES BEFORE GOD.

4. This is not about praying for our economy. God may be using our economy to get us on our knees in the first place. THIS IS ABOUT US, NOT OUR CIRCUMSTANCES!

5. This is not about any political agenda. The Bible clearly says that God chooses our leaders. Daniel 2:21 says, "God removes and establishes kings." Those politicians are there because God planned for them to be. The question is not what Obama or any other government official is doing with America. The question is what is GOD doing with America.

6. This is not about someone leading in prayer. It is about YOU praying. We often ask people to pray and then don't bother praying ourselves. YOU NEED TO PRAY! Plan to pray. Don't wait for someone to organize something or lead you to prayer. You may have 4th of July activities planned or will be attending church at that time. Talk w/ you church leader about setting aside time at the end of the service for prayer. Consider being the one to encourage others to pray.


WHAT THIS IS ABOUT:

This is why and what we are praying.

1. Claim this promise made to Christians. II Chronicles 7:14 "And if My people who are called by My name humble themselves and pray, and seek My face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, will forgive their sin, and will heal their land."

2. Make sure you are a Christian. This is a promise to God's people only. John 14:6"Jesus said to him, 'I am the way, and the truth, and the life; no one comes to the Father, but through Me'." In other words, God won't hear your prayers or take you to Heaven (a Christian) unless you go through Jesus Christ. You must trust in Jesus Christ alone for your salvation. ANYTHING ELSE will get you nowhere.

3. Humble yourself before God. Proverbs 18:12 "Before destruction the heart of man is haughty, but humility goes before honor." If we come with pride, God will not hear us. We must come to God in humility, knowing our own frailty, and He will honor our requests.

4. Seek God's face. God COMMANDS us to seek Him. He isn't hiding. He has revealed Himself in His Word. Get to know Him. He invites you to do so. I Chronicles 28:9b "If you seek Him, He will let you find Him; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever." Acts 17:27 "...that they should seek God, if perhaps they might grope for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us."

5. Stop doing anything that gets in the way of your relationship with God.
II Corinthians 7:9-10 "I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to the point of repentance; for you were made sorrowful according to the will of God, in order that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation; but the sorrow of the world produces death." Confess your sin to God. Isaiah 59:2 "But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He does not hear." God doesn't answer your prayers when you have sin in your life. You must first repent. Ask God to reveal any sin that may be getting in the way of your prayer. Don't be surprised when He reveals it. Make sure you confess it and turn from it.

6. Trust God to keep His promise. If we have obeyed God in the first part of II Chronicles 7:14, we should expect God to keep his promise in the second part. James 1:6-8 "But let him ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man expect that he will receive anything from the Lord, being a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways." If God promises something, He will keep His promise. He promises to hear our prayer and heal our land "IF" we do what he has requested first. It's the first part that we need to be concerned about. Let God take care of the rest.

7. Finally, prayer isn't intended for one day only. The Bible says to "Pray without ceasing." START PRAYING RIGHT NOW AND KEEP PRAYING. You may even want to fast as the Lord leads you. Fasting could mean anything from skipping sugar to going without any food or water. Make sure you are careful to use common sense and take your physical condition into consideration. A diabetic already goes without sugar and shouldn't go without food for extended periods of time. Wisdom is from God. Make sure to use it when deciding how to fast.

NOW LET'S PRAY!!!

THINGS FOR WHICH TO PRAY:

1. Pray for other Christians to be in prayer and repentance on July 4th.

2. Pray for Christian leaders to be protected from temptation and guided by the Word of God. Also pray that they serve in humility and with reverence to God.

3. Pray for government leaders to be men who turn to God's Word and the United States Constitution to make sound decisions.

4. Pray for God's protection against any enemy that would compromise the freedoms that have made America great.

5. Pray for what God would have YOU do in your community to honor Him with your life.