Holy Habits: 5 Lifechanging Spiritual DisciplinesSample

Day 3-The Holy Habit of Prayer

The third holy habit is prayer. Prayer is talking with God. Prayer happens whenever you are basking the presence of God. Prayer occurs both privately in your prayer closet and publicly in your local church gatherings. The early Christians had such a thriving relationship with God that their prayer life started at home and continued in their worship services—in both small group and large group gatherings.

So how do I develop a greater prayer life? What does that look like? Most people think of prayer as a monologue—you talking to God—you giving God your list of needs and wants. That is part of prayer, but prayer is so much more! Prayer is simply having communication with God. Prayer is listening to God’s still small voice. Remember that prayer is actively being in God’s presence, so you can be in the spirit of prayer at all times since God’s presence is always present (Matthew 28:20).

Do you remember when you first had a really deep connection with someone? You could talk with them with such ease. You could read their body language. You began to finish their sentences. You seem to know what they were thinking and feeling before they even said a word? As you begin to practice prayer, you will find that will gain a deeper spiritual connection with God. You will begin to hear the Spirit speak to you and guide you.

Through your study of God’s Word and prayer, you will begin to discern God’s voice. God will speak daily to you as you read His Word. Remember this truth: Every time you read the Bible; God is speaking to you because the Bible is God’s Word! Sometimes you will hear that inner voice speak to you in a still small voice (I Kings 19:11-12). Pay attention to this as the Holy Spirit will be your guide into all truth (John 16:13).

You possess one of the greatest privileges you can imagine: Access into the very throne room of God. The author of Hebrews encourages us to “come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16). While we know we should pray, we often struggle with this spiritual discipline. Even the most seasoned saints have times in their lives where they find it difficult to have a thriving prayer life. So how can we change this narrative? How can we enter boldly into God’s throne in such a way to find the grace we need each and every day?

One tool that has helped guide many Christians is having a good prayer strategy. A prayer strategy is using a helpful method to assist you in developing rhythm and flow during your prayer time. Let me introduce you to the ACTS Prayer Method. Each letter of ACTS acrostic will help lead you through your prayer time. Here’s how this prayer strategy works:

A.C.T.S: A-Adoration: Start off your prayer time with telling God how good He is. The Lord’s Prayer starts off like this: “Our Father which art in heaven, hallowed thy name” (Matthew 6:9, KJV). Launch your prayer time with a vertical focus—on God and not yourself. As you begin with a focus on God and how amazing He is, this will set the tone for the rest of your prayer time. Go vertical before you go anywhere else!

C-Confession: What areas of sin and struggle do you need to confess to God? It’s helpful to begin each day with a clean slate—that is, you don’t have any areas of unconfessed sin. John tells us that “if we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness” (I John 1:9). This is amazing news—Jesus will forgive you for any and every wrong you commit on a daily basis. So if you mess up, fess up! Begin each day with a clear conscience so that you can have boldness in your prayer time.

T-Thanksgiving: What are you thankful for? Tell God how grateful you are for His many blessings. Starting each day with a thankful heart will launch your day in a positive (and Christlike) way! Paul encourages us to give thanks in everything because this is God’s will for us in Christ Jesus (I Thessalonians 5:18). Has God been good to you lately? Have you experienced any unexpected blessings? Tell God how thankful you are.

S-Supplication: Present your requests and needs to God. Now it’s time to bring your needs and desires to God. A good practice is to have a prayer list that covers these 5 basic categories: Family, friends, church, personal, and global needs. These 5 areas of concentration will help you to organize your prayer time and also to help keep you focused. For example, global needs would include praying for our president, elected officials, world hunger, injustices in our world, the salvation of the lost, and the like.

Let me encourage you to get focused and very specific in your prayers. Focused prayer is like a laser beam that shines into the very presence of God. As your prayers go up, the provision of God comes down! God already knows what you need even before you ask Him, but He wants you to ask Him. Why does God want us to ask Him? God has designed prayer as a way for you to have an intimate and growing relationship with God. Prayer is part of God’s way of having a lively and meaningful relationship with you.

Your Move: How do I apply this to my life?

So how do I have this amazing prayer life that you’re talking about? Here are a few helpful tips:

·Begin and end each day with prayer.

·Pick a private place where you can minimize distractions.

·Turn off your cell phone notifications and other distractions.

·Keep a paper and pen next to you so that you can write down “pop up” distractions so that you can focus on them later.

·Pray over each meal as a way to thank God for His provision of your daily bread.

·Keep a prayer list or a prayer journal to help keep your prayers focused.

·Start out small and allow your prayer life to grow organically. Some people start out with 5 to 10 minutes of prayer each day. Then they grow into wanting more time with God. Some people even find themselves praying for an hour or more each morning! The key is to just make it a practice to pray each day, even if it’s for a few minutes.

Looking ahead: Holy Habit #4: Worship.