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“Six Keys to a Healthy and Balanced Prayer – Part Two”
4. Express your personal needs and wants to God, and ask Him to meet them. “Give us today our daily bread…”
God’s love for you is profound, endless and unconditional, often compared in the Bible to a loving father’s compassion for his child. He wants to hear from His child (that’s you); He wants to hear about your life, your needs and desires, and He wants you to come to Him for those needs. His love for you drives Him to bless you more that you can ever hope for.
5. Ask God to forgive you of your sins, being mindful of your need to forgive others who may have wronged you. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Asking God to forgive us of our sins begins with first acknowledging those sins to ourselves, and then confessing them to God.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
You can be assured that God has forgiven you and cleansed you of your sins. With that forgiveness, there is also freedom from guilt, shame and condemnation.
But God also asks that just as He has forgiven us, we forgive others who may have wronged us. Just as receiving forgiveness from God brings freedom, so does giving forgiveness to others - freedom from bitterness, grudges and allowing past hurts to continue hurting us.
Forgiveness, both receiving and giving it, is foundational to living a life of freedom in Christ.
6. Pray for God’s guidance to help avoid temptations and situations which may not reflect well upon Him. “…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
God has forgiven our sins and cleansed us from all unrighteousness as promised in I John 1:9, but we will still encounter temptation, living in this fallen world. This part of the Lord’s Prayer emphasizes the importance of not simply resting and becoming complacent with the forgiveness God gives us, without being mindful of the importance to avoid sin in the future. While God removes the spiritual penalty of sin by forgiving us, He does not necessarily remove the harmful consequences of sin. For this reason, it is important to pray for God’s help to avoid temptation.
On a daily basis, start giving to God whatever time you can joyfully give Him in prayer. God does not have a quota for you to meet each day. Additionally, it will be challenging at times to remain alert and avoid “nodding off.” Don’t be discouraged; know that you will be blessed of God as you commit your time to Him in prayer!
4. Express your personal needs and wants to God, and ask Him to meet them. “Give us today our daily bread…”
God’s love for you is profound, endless and unconditional, often compared in the Bible to a loving father’s compassion for his child. He wants to hear from His child (that’s you); He wants to hear about your life, your needs and desires, and He wants you to come to Him for those needs. His love for you drives Him to bless you more that you can ever hope for.
5. Ask God to forgive you of your sins, being mindful of your need to forgive others who may have wronged you. “Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Asking God to forgive us of our sins begins with first acknowledging those sins to ourselves, and then confessing them to God.
“If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness.” I John 1:9
You can be assured that God has forgiven you and cleansed you of your sins. With that forgiveness, there is also freedom from guilt, shame and condemnation.
But God also asks that just as He has forgiven us, we forgive others who may have wronged us. Just as receiving forgiveness from God brings freedom, so does giving forgiveness to others - freedom from bitterness, grudges and allowing past hurts to continue hurting us.
Forgiveness, both receiving and giving it, is foundational to living a life of freedom in Christ.
6. Pray for God’s guidance to help avoid temptations and situations which may not reflect well upon Him. “…lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”
God has forgiven our sins and cleansed us from all unrighteousness as promised in I John 1:9, but we will still encounter temptation, living in this fallen world. This part of the Lord’s Prayer emphasizes the importance of not simply resting and becoming complacent with the forgiveness God gives us, without being mindful of the importance to avoid sin in the future. While God removes the spiritual penalty of sin by forgiving us, He does not necessarily remove the harmful consequences of sin. For this reason, it is important to pray for God’s help to avoid temptation.
On a daily basis, start giving to God whatever time you can joyfully give Him in prayer. God does not have a quota for you to meet each day. Additionally, it will be challenging at times to remain alert and avoid “nodding off.” Don’t be discouraged; know that you will be blessed of God as you commit your time to Him in prayer!
Scripture
About this Plan
Discover the principles to building a powerful and effective prayer life. Prayer - communicating with God on a personal level - is the key to seeing positive change in our lives and surroundings. Taken from the book, “Out of This World: A Christian’s Guide to Growth and Purpose” by David J. Swandt.
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