Prayer is a part of your Jesus experience you want to enjoy. If you are free of guilt and desire the will of God, your prayer life will be on fire.
Then, there's the point of getting your prayers answered. So, the benefits of praying the right prayers will not only change your life forever but also greatly increase your confidence in God and, not least, get your prayers answered every time. In this teaching, I want to ask a few questions that will help define prayer and how to know if you're praying the right prayer or just speaking words.
First, I must say that all prayers are meant to join you in the unity of the Spirit with God and all those in His kingdom. The right prayers will always be done through the Spirit of God and will be led by the Spirit. It is also important to acknowledge that our prayers may start out with our soul crying out to God for help and sometimes in absolute desperation. All of your prayers may not be right at first, but if you continue in the truth, your prayers are meant to change and become prayers that not only bless you but glorify God and bless the whole kingdom of God as well.
Jesus was the best example of always praying the right prayer, and every time He did, God answered Him. When looking at His life and testimony, it's easy to see why His prayers were answered. Jesus's prayers always focused on what His Father needed and not what He required for Himself. One of my points is that we should learn how to pray as Jesus did so we can walk as Jesus walked.
Question 1
What is prayer?
Answer
Your communication with the Lord concerning the will of God.
Explanation
God wants to have conversations with His people and accomplish His will simultaneously. Prayer is about communication, meditation, and joining yourself to God's will. In prayer, you get to know who God is, and in time, as you learn His voice, He will tell you things that you can only hear from Him. A true relationship with God is learned through many conversations with God. These conversations form all of your prayers.
————————
Question 2
If God already knows what we need before we ask, why pray?
Answer
We often come to God praying for what we think we need, which results in overtalking during prayer. But God knows our real needs and wants to reveal them to us so that we can agree with Him and pray the right prayers.
Explanation
In this scenario concerning prayer, those who do not know God pray long prayers full of empty words because they think God will listen to them by speaking more, but that's not true. In this case, the real need is often overlooked because you want God to hear you and give you what you think you need. But God is not interested in empty, fruitless words that only selfishly comfort the flesh. God knows what you need, so the point is for you to join Him in prayer for the need that He is willing to answer. So get to the point, and He will answer your real needs.
Scripture references
Matthew 6:7-13
————————
Question 3
What stops prayer from getting answered?
Answer
There are many answers to this question, but in simplicity, you are praying the wrong prayers. If you pay attention to what doesn't get answered, you will notice a pattern of your own desires fueling your prayers.
Explanation
In this case, your desire to fix everything or be perfect is lust. When you continually bring your weakness and guilt before God and try to fix it, you are bringing an accusation to Him by saying He doesn't know what He's doing or He's not helping you. James said, "You ask and do not receive because you ask wrongly (amiss) to spend it on your passions (lusts)." When you allow your desires (passions, lusts) to lead your prayers, you cannot pray the right prayer in the Spirit.
Scripture references
Matthew 6:7-8; James 4:1-4
————————
Question 4
What is the right way to pray?
Answer
Jesus said, "Pray like this:
Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.
Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread,
and forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Explanation
When Jesus taught His followers to pray, He revealed the secrets of heaven and how He communicates with His Father. In this prayer, we see the sanctification of the Lord by regarding Him as our Father who is one from heaven and not the earth. The desire is for the will of God in heaven to work on the earth. In this prayer, there is a continual receiving of the word of God daily, the ability to overcome evil temptation and the work of forgiveness. These are the things that should work in our prayers, and the Lord will answer everyone.
Scripture references
Matthew 6:7-13; Luke 11:1-4; Jude 1:17-23
Conclusion
Prayer between you and God is meant to build up the kingdom of God and all those who live there. To do this, we must remove the mocker who prays through his lust and weakness so that we can join with our Heavenly Father and pray according to the need God already knows we have.
This doesn't mean you can't pray for yourself; it just means that when you do, it's because God is leading you and you have a need worth addressing in your prayers. Don't be deceived by your emotions. If you have been forgiven for your sins, why do you keep praying as if you still have sins? If sin is hidden in your soul, God will raise and manifest it so He can help you overcome it. You must trust God to know the right time to pray that prayer.
Your prayers may not be perfect, but God understands you much better than you do. So continue in your/His daily bread, and He will teach you everything you need to know about praying by faith and in the Spirit. But remember, God wants nothing more than to answer every prayer you have, so be like Jesus and focus on God's will in all your prayers.