“Making the main thing, the main thing,” we’re discussing the importance of developing a healthy prayer life. Based on the understanding that prayer is spiritual communication based on a spiritual relationship.

My favorite way of describing prayer is simply fellowship with our Father. So a healthy prayer life, a lifestyle if you will, is being able to fellowship with God right in the middle of our daily routine.

“In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. (Holy is His name. Reverence & honor) Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. (What’s first in your life?) Give us this day our daily bread. (Our needs are met day to day. We don’t need it till we need it. Faith pleases God.) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. (Unforgiveness stops faith.) And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. (Let me see it, strengthen me not to yield to it. MSG says, keep me safe from myself.) For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.”

Jesus gave us at His as a model for prayer, not something that was to be recited from some religious practice.

Jesus knew exactly how humanity would be, He knew that whatever captured our focus would be the thing we magnify in our lives. And this was exactly His point in setting up an example of how to pray.

First, we start with an attitude of worship, magnifying God. Second, we bring our request and intercession, in love, to Him. Then finish up with another level of praise and worship.

Praise blesses our Father and strengthens us. Psalm 22 says, “You are holy Lord, dwelling in the holy place where the praises of Your people are offered.”

Now just like this natural world exists according to natural law, the spirit world exists according to spiritual law, God’s divinely instituted order. Romans actually tells us that the works of the law are excluded by the law of faith. And when it comes to a healthy, successful prayer life, faith is the only way!

“So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. “And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.”

Unfortunately, out of habit and religious tradition, instead of accepting our God ordained instructions, too many of us continue going to God about things He told us to deal with.

For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.

Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.

Now I’m not talking about some kind of mind game where we’re pretending to believe something’s real that isn’t. I’m talking about functioning in a world beyond our natural one. The just shall live by faith.

The moment the born again actually choose to believe, we have Divine access to God’s world, with the ability to bring its realities into our world. Believing connects us to God’s ever existing power. This is faith.

Faith is the bridge between the two worlds. According to Hebrews, faith is substance of things, hoped for. But because God only has imperfect people to work through, many times His power is hindered because of our unbelief.

Truth is, we honestly haven’t accepted the fact that is really that simple, “Only Believe”. But as we’re transformed, our believing starts overriding doubt and we start seeing greater results. And this is why ultimately, prayer has to be about us fellowshipping with our Father.