Purify Your Mind Series (Part 1) by Joe KirbyExemplo

Today You Need to Pray

Everyone wants a hack, a silver bullet, a new gimmick, a strategy which will revolutionize their life and defeat this sin once and for all. Imagine we’re sitting in a TED talk and the speaker’s theme is, “How to be healthy and look after your body.” All she would really need to say is, “If you want to be healthy, there are three things you need to do: first, eat healthy; second, exercise daily; and third, get eight hours of sleep every night. OK, that’s all from me, bye.” Yes, there are nuances, but the bottom line to a healthy lifestyle is diet, exercise, and sleep.

This can be applied to our Christian lives. In very simple terms, if you want to overcome temptation the only solution is prayer, Bible study, and fellowship with other believers. And personally, I believe prayer to be the most important! When I used to pray sitting down, I found I couldn’t concentrate for long. So instead, I walk. Sometimes I use the stairs in my house to help me focus, with each new step leading to a new prayer point, but my favorite way to pray is to prayer pace, either up and down the garden or during a walk in the quiet of the morning. Some people find praying out loud helps them to concentrate, but I find walking is enough to keep focused to do business with God.

One final tip: try using the A.C.T.S. acrostic as a checklist for your prayers. Start with Adoration by praising our amazing God. Then Confession of recent sins you’ve committed, asking for cleansing from these sins. Next is Thanksgiving for the blessings God has given you. And lastly, Supplication, making your requests, knowing that He will supply your every need. This method literally changed my prayer life; I hope it changes yours, too!