How to Develop a Powerful Prayer Life Study Guide
(By Dr. Gregory Frizzell)
DATE: 12/10/13
CHAPTER (2)
It is essential to understand and practice each basic prayer type on a regular basis. Each type has a unique and vital role in the believer's relationship with God. As you read about the various prayer types, ask God to reveal how your prayer life needs adjustment.
FIRST TYPE OF PRAYER: PRAISE AND THANKSGIVING
Praise and thanksgiving are the primary ways we give daily adoration and worship to God.
A balanced biblical prayer life absolutely requires consistent time in deep praise and thanksgiving to God.
§ We must make adequate space in our prayer time to experience genuine praise and thanksgiving to God.
§ Our primary purpose is to praise and worship the Father. What is the supreme commandment in all of Scripture? "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Read Matthew 22:37) Clearly this passage calls for a consistent practice of daily praise and thanksgiving.
§ We should daily ask God to grow us in effective praise and worship.
§ When we get our praise right, God is even quicker to answer prayer!
Look up the following scripture references. Spend time studying each verse, and then write your response to the questions.
Psalm 100:1-5
What commands does the psalmist give for giving thanks?
____________________________________________________________________
Which of these commands do you include in your prayers?
____________________________________________________________________
Which of these commands are not usually a part of your prayers?
_____________________________________________________________________
Psalm 50:23
How can we honor God?
_____________________________________________________________________
What will God show us?
_____________________________________________________________________
Psalm 22:3
What does it mean that God is enthroned as the Holy One and the Praise of Israel?
_____________________________________________________________________
Thessalonians 5: 16-18
What are Paul's instructions for us in this scripture verse?
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
How is this possible to attain?
_____________________________________________________________________
Hebrews 13:15
What does the author of Hebrews mean when he says, "through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise."
____________________________________________________________________
List reasons to praise God and reasons for thanksgiving.
_____________________________________________________________________
_____________________________________________________________________
SECOND TYPE OF PRAYER: CONFESSION
Confession is the primary way we receive God's forgiveness and maintain a Spirit-filled life.
A balanced, biblical prayer life requires significant time in regular confession to God. Only then can God keep us truly filled and empowered by the Holy Spirit.
§ Consistent confession and cleansing represent the primary ways we grow and become conformed to the image of Christ. According to (Psalm 66:18), failure to practice regular confession completely blocks the flow of answered prayer. "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me."
§ Confession must be thorough. The psalmist said, "Search me O God and see if there be any wicked way in me" (Read Psalm 139:23-24)
Pray with the psalmist through these two verses.
What has God revealed to you that needs to be confessed?
_____________________________________________________________________
Are you willing to confess and cleanse yourself? ____________ If not, what is keeping you from doing so?
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THIRD TYPE OF PRAYER: PETITION
Petition is the type of prayer in which we present our individual needs and desires to God.
A balanced prayer life is built on personal petitions that are biblically based and born from the heart of God Himself.
§ There is certainly nothing selfish about presenting our needs to God. He wants us to come to Him with every need and concern. Jesus' words in (John 16:24) invites us to do that, "Hitherto have you asked nothing in my name: ask, and you shall receive, that your joy may be full."
§ It is critical that we learn to focus our personal petitions on God's greatest priorities for our lives, to ask petitions that bring the most eternal good.
What petition could you ask of the Lord to bring about eternal good in your family?
friends? ______________________________________________________________
church?_______________________________________________________________
community? ____________________________________________________________
coworkers? _____________________________________________________________
FOURTH TYPE OF PRAYER: INTERCESSION
Intercession is the type of prayer that focuses on the needs of others.
A biblically balanced prayer life must include consistent intercession for all the great Kingdom issues.
§ To intercede for someone is to spiritually stand in the gap as mentioned in (Ezekiel 22:30.)
§ Intercession is a broad category of prayer that covers anything from praying for the lost to praying for God's blessing on a great evangelist or pastor.
§ God has ordained intercession as the primary way He works to save the lost and empower the church.
§ God has called all believers to intercession. (Read 1 Timothy 2:1-2)
For whom do you need to continually intercede?
____________________________________________________________________
What keeps you from praying for this person or persons?
____________________________________________________________________
Are you willing right now to intercede for this person or persons?
____________________________________________________________________
Our prayers should focus more on Kingdom concerns, eternal issues that serve to glorify God and extend His Kingdom. How can you make your prayers more Kingdom based?
_____________________________________________________________________
FIFTH TYPE OF PRAYER: MEDITATION
Mediation is the act of reflecting on God's Word and quietly listening for His still small voice.
A biblically balanced prayer life includes time to pause and listen for God's still small voice. He speaks most to those who consistently still their hearts to listen. "You will search for me and you will find me when you search for me with all your heart." (Jeremiah 29:13)
§ A healthy relationship must be two-way! When we pray we talk to God; when we mediate He talks to us.
§ In prayer time, meditation is the period in which you quietly reflect on your Scripture reading and the impressions God has given.
§ Through meditating, you learn to hear God's leading and thus your prayers initiate from His heart and mind.
§ "Listening to God" is the fundamental key to an effective prayer life.
I strongly suggest that you keep a daily prayer journal. Write down any impressions or scriptures God impresses on your spirit.
Is your prayer life a dialogue with God or a monologue? ______________________________
Do you truly anticipate God speaking to you? _____________________________________
How long after you pray, do you wait for God to speak to you? _________________________
WHY ALL THE PRAYER TYPES ARE ESSENTIAL!
A balanced, biblical prayer life requires making the daily choice and commitment to allow God to lead you in a full rich relationship with Himself.
§ The consistent practice of each prayer type is absolutely essential to a powerful well-rounded relationship with God.
1. If you neglect regular time in adoration, praise and thanksgiving, you are neglecting personal worship which is the first and primary thing God desires.
2. If you neglect regular confession and cleansing, God will not hear your prayers.
3. When you neglect intercession, you are neglecting a primary command God has given to all believers.
§ Many people do not view prayer as a rich personal relationship with Christ, but more as a means to secure their own perceived needs or wants. In the lives of far too many, prayer consists of a few personal petitions with little or no intercession for larger Kingdom concerns.
§ A balanced biblical prayer life does not happen by accident. To grow in prayer, the believer should understand two things.
1. All five prayer types need to be a significant part of their daily prayer life.
2. Believers must make the commitment to seek growth in the various types of prayer.
Obviously, this requires a consistent time commitment, a daily choice and Spirit-led discipline.
NOTE: Do you, at this point, feel a bit overwhelmed? After studying this chapter, a powerful prayer life might seem beyond your reach. Do not be discouraged. Our God will take care of you right where you are and lovingly guide you to ever deeper levels of prayer. Remember, prayer must not become some logistic formula to be used in a mechanical manner. Your prayer life is a personal relationship with a living God. Though the overall guiding principle is to faithfully spend time in all the different prayer types, you do not have to use the various prayer types in the same order or amount each day. Let God lead you.
Would you now stop and sincerely ask God to help you view your prayer life as a deep personal relationship with Him? Ask Him to forgive you for neglecting your relationship with Him. Make a genuine commitment concerning the amount of time you spend with Him. Be specific, telling Him the time and place. Ask God to help you grow in all of the crucial categories of prayer. Tell God of your commitment to develop a biblically balanced relationship. Claim God's grace for a glorious new relationship with Him.
Show your seriousness by writing down and sharing your commitment with a friend. Be accountable to someone.
& KEY POINTS – The Biblical Path to a Powerful Prayer Life
& Prayer is not us telling God what He is to do. Prayer is our discovering what God wants to do and joining Him as co-laborers through our prayers.
& A full and balanced relationship with Christ requires a balanced practice of all the various prayer types.
& God intends for all of His children to be powerful in their prayers. As you learn to let God guide your petitions, you will see more and more miraculous answers.
& No child of God should feel that miraculous answers are beyond reach.
& No one can walk in God's fullness with a shallow practice of confession and cleansing.
& Intercession is the least practiced prayer type, but also the most crucial type of prayer for reaching the lost and renewing the church.
& God has called all believers to practice intercession on a regular basis.
& "Listening to God" is the fundamental key to an effective prayer life.
& No believer can afford to be weak or inconsistent in any of the major types of prayer.
& If you are saved, you are not only able but responsible to develop a powerful prayer relationship with Christ.
& Don't feel overwhelmed. He will take you right where you are and lovingly guide you to ever deeper levels of prayer.
& Remember, your prayer life is a personal relationship with a living God. IT REQUIRES A DAILY CHOICE! WE MUST ALL DECIDE TO SPEND DAILY QUALITY TIME WITH GOD.
Please turn to pages 36 and 37. Read the three key questions, meditate on them and spend a few minutes responding to them quietly in your own mind. Turn to page 38, look up the scriptures, answer the study questions, and pray the prayers for daily growth on page 39.
QUESTIONS:
Why do you think significant time in daily praise is so vital to prayer and pleasing to God? What does it suggest when we rush through praise to get to our list of needs?
Why is significant time in daily confession so essential to spiritual power? What does it suggest when we quickly gloss over confession to get to our prayer lists?
Should our petitions center on earthly or eternal concerns? Explain your answer.
Why should intercession be a regular part of every believer's prayer life? Give examples of important subjects for consistent intercession.
In what way is meditation the "listening" element of your prayer relationship with God? Why is listening such a vital part of genuine prayer?
PRAYER:
Father, please forgive me (us) for viewing my prayer time as a duty or ritual. Help me to treasure my time in prayer because I love and treasure You (I Corinthians 13:3). God, please forgive me for spending so little time with You. Forgive me for being inconsistent in prayer. Help me to make our time together my top priority. Lord, please forgive me for neglecting some of the essential types of prayer. Help me walk in a balanced relationship with You. Amen
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