Most people view prayer as a last resort – something they do when all else fails. But prayer should be at the center of our lives as Christians. In this post, we’ll explore how to develop a consistent prayer life, regardless of your current level of prayer proficiency.
Prayer is one of the most powerful tools we have at our disposal, and it’s something we should never take for granted. With a little effort, you can make prayer a regular part of your life – and see amazing results in your spiritual growth!
What does it mean to have a deep prayer life?
A consistent prayer life is one in which an individual prays regularly. This could mean praying several times daily or at set intervals throughout the week. The important thing is that prayer becomes a regular part of the individual’s life.
Having a consistent prayer life helps you cultivate a closer relationship with God. It can also provide peace and calm amid your busy or stressful life. Prayer can be a powerful tool for making important decisions, coping with difficult situations, and seeking guidance.
Consistency is key when it comes to developing a strong prayer life. Those who are inconsistent in their prayer habits may find it difficult to maintain their connection with God.
Reasons Why You Must Have a Deep Prayer Life
Here are five reasons why having a consistent prayer life is necessary for every Christian.
- It strengthens our relationships with God.
- Through prayer, we can fight our battles. For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. (2 Cor 10:4)
- A consistent prayer life allows us to intercede for others, especially our loved ones.
- It gives us an avenue to request and call upon God. (Jer. 33:3).
- You receive revelations after prayer. Dan. 2:17-18
What Does The Bible Say About Consistency In Prayer?
The Bible is clear that God wants His people to be consistent in prayer. In 1 Thessalonians 5:17, we are instructed to “pray without ceasing.” This doesn’t mean that we are constantly praying out loud, but rather that we should continually focus our hearts on God in prayer.
We also see in Philippians 4:6-7 to “not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.” Here we see that when we pray consistently, it helps us to combat anxiety and worry.
We can be confident that God hears our prayers and that He will answer them in His perfect timing. So whatever you’re facing today, remember to take it to God in prayer!
How Can I Make My Prayer Life Deeper? 13 Things You Should Do!!
What are some of the things I can do to become more consistent in prayer? Here are 13 things you can do
1. Put Away All Distractions.
One of the first things you need to do if you want to learn how to develop a consistent prayer life is to get rid of anything that could serve as a distraction during your time with God. This may mean turning off your phone, closing the door to your room, and silencing any other noise around you. 2. Find a Quiet, Comfortable Place. Once you’re able to put away the distractions, you should be able to get your mind focused properly on the task of prayer.
Distractions will cause you not to concentrate, so even if the Holy Spirit speaks to you, you may not hear because your attention is divided.
2. Set Aside Time Every Day.
You must make an appointment with God every day for prayers. In Daniel 6:10, we see Daniel set aside time to pray three times a day. Doing so will help you become consistent in praying daily.
No matter where you are, start praying. You must not be in your prayer closet to start praying. Imagine if you’re on the road home, will you put off prayer till you get home? Maybe, or maybe not. You can start singing worship songs till you get home.
The most important thing is to start praying. It doesn’t matter where you are or what you’re doing. If you feel the urge to pray, then pray. The key is to make prayer a regular part of your life; the only way to do that is to start praying consistently.
3. Begin with thanksgiving and praise and worship.
There’s no special mode for starting your prayers, but I encourage you to start with thanksgiving. Make a mental list of everything you want to thank God for. One by one, say thank you to Him for all of them. Worship and adore him. This will set your heart in tune to pray to him at that moment.
4. Rely on The Holy Spirit.
In Romans 8:26-27, we find that the Holy Spirit intercedes for us in prayer with groanings that we can’t even utter nor explain. It suffices to say that we should lean on the leading of the Holy Spirit to get the most result out of our prayer time. When you rely on the help of the Holy Spirit to pray, you will marvel at the results.
5. Have a private place set aside.
It’s not a must to set aside a private place, but if you can, do it. This helps you control the immediate environment around you. If you have children, you can pray with them and also schedule time for your prayers.
6. Ask God For Help In Your Prayer Life.
Even with all our strength, we cannot prevail. Therefore we need to ask God to help us to pray. Some people struggle with weakness and sleep when they want to pray for midnight prayers, for instance. In such a case, only the strength that God gives can help you to pray better. You also need the discipline to get up and pray.
7. Read the Bible.
Most Christians skip reading the Bible to pray. Reading the Bible to know which verses to use in your prayers is important. One of the ways the Bible can help you strengthen your prayer life is that it’ll open up your eyes to the things God has done, is doing, and will do for you. It’ll increase your faith and even present you with prayer points that can change your life.
8. Make A Prayer List and their answers (prayer journaling).
Make a list of the prayer points you want to pray about. Darryl Burling shared an insightful tip on creating a wonderful prayer list in this article. Before you make a list, it’s important to categorize your prayer points.
Create categories like thanksgiving, family, friends, church, youth groups, hospital, salvation prayers, missionary, warfare prayers, leaders, etc. After creating the categories, write the corresponding prayer points in the category where it belongs.
Next, seek out bible verses about your respective prayer points and write them beside them.
9. Accountability Prayer Partner
If you struggle to pray, you should get a prayer partner with whom you’ll be accountable. They must be someone who is not struggling to pray and not too busy to make out time to check how your prayer is progressing.
Being accountable to a prayer partner who pushes you to go the extra minute in prayer is a surefire way to help you to sit up and become better in prayer.
10. Pray Different Types of Prayer
Spice up your prayer life by praying different kinds of prayers. Also, don’t forget to switch gears in your prayer strategy to warfare prayers now and then. This resource from Got Questions sheds more light on the different types of prayers. But in summary, here are the different types of prayers.
- Prayer of faith.
- Thanksgiving/worship prayer.
- Corporate prayer.
- Consecration prayer.
- Intercession prayer.
- Prayer of request/supplication.
- Imprecatory prayers
11. Pray for others.
Make it a habit to pray for others (intercessory prayers). This is powerful and can work wonders in the life of the person you’re praying for without your knowledge.
If you know the specific problems and challenges people around you are having, make it a duty to mention them in your prayers. Pray fervently, with love and faith, and with the same vigor you pray yours.
12. Never get discouraged.
I’m sure you may have felt the urge to stop praying because you’re not feeling the prayer. Or perhaps you’ve prayed long for something that hasn’t been answered. I have three words for you – never stop praying. Some prayer points can take a long time to get answered, while others can get answered immediately. In all, don’t get tired of praying no matter what.
13. Be Intentional. No matter how tired you are, pray/spend time with God. Make prayer a priority.
Whenever you don’t feel like praying, that’s when you should pray more. Sometimes you’ll feel tired after a stressful day, but don’t skip your prayer time because you’re physically tired.
When I have such challenges, I usually pray thanksgiving/worship prayers instead of not praying. The devil knows better than using a lack of physical strength to make me not pray.
Conclusion
Make prayer a lifestyle, and you’ll marvel at your results. If you cannot start implementing these tips on your own, I encourage you to find someone to be accountable (a prayer partner) and discipline yourself to pray even when your physical body is against you.
God bless you as you journey towards becoming consistent in your prayer life.
