t.c21 Prayer Guide
The Big WHY
Prayer isn’t optional, but should be the lifestyle of a Jesus follower. Yet we have to cultivate an effective lifestyle of prayer. Jesus gave us not only lifestyle prayer examples, but instructions on how to pray!
Mark 1:35 (NLT) Before daybreak the next morning, Jesus got up and went out to an isolated place to pray.
PRAYER The Jesus Way
Matthew 6:6, 9-13 (HCSB)
(P) But when you pray, go into your private room,
(R) shut your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you… “Therefore, you should pray like this:
(A) Our Father in heaven, Your name be honored as holy. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
(Y) Give us today our daily bread.
(E) And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And do not bring us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one. [For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever.
(R) Amen.]
Put It On Your Calendar
…But when you pray, go into your private room…
Make a daily appointment – a time and place for you to pray!
Amos 3:3 (HCSB) Can two walk together without agreeing to meet?
When and where can I pray daily?
Remove Distractions
…shut your door…
Prayer time should be a time to focus. Try to create an environment that won’t distract you. (Turn off your phone, for example.)
Colossians 4:2 (HCSB) Devote yourselves to prayer; stay alert in it with thanksgiving.
How can I remove distractions?
Acknowledge OUR Father
…Our Father…Your name…Your kingdom …Your will.…
A complete Lord’s Prayer outline will be available in another guide. But using the model Jesus gave us, start your prayer recognizing the Father.
Isaiah 64:8 (WEB) But now, Yahweh, you are our Father; we are the clay, and you our potter; and we all are the work of your hand.
Your Requests
…Give us today.…
The Father knows our needs before we ask, but we are still instructed to ask!
Mark 11:24 (HCSB) Therefore I tell you, all the things you pray and ask for — believe that you have received them, and you will have them.
Empty and Arm Yourself
…And forgive us… as we also have forgiven… deliver us…For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever..…
Forgiveness is a two way street. We ask for forgiveness as we forgive others. We also remember the battle is spiritual, and the Kingdom is His!
Matthew 6:14 (HCSB Free) “For if you forgive people their wrongdoing, your heavenly Father will forgive you as well.
Reflect and Write It Down
…Amen.…
Amen means, “so be it”! Don’t just end your prayer time, take some time to reflect on what you prayed. How is God answering you? Write it down as you learn to listen.
Habakkuk 2:2 (HCSB) The Lord answered me: Write down this vision; clearly inscribe it on tablets so one may easily read it.
Click to download this Prayer Guide and Journal
t.c21 PRAYER Guide and Journal