waystohaveeffectiveprayers

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We've all heard the saying, "prayer changes things." Some of us believe it and some don't. In these
times it's hard to believe in something other than ourselves. Times are hard, the economy is bad and
we are still at war. We may think that when we pray to God, our prayers go unanswered. Or so we
think. In our minds, if we don't get what we prayed for, God was not listening or just didn't care. So
does prayer really change things? Before we figure out what an effective prayer is, we first need to
define prayer. Wikipedia defines prayer as: "The act of addressing a god or spirit for the purpose of
worship or petition."
God of this world or the God over all the world? If you believe in the one and only true God, Jesus
Christ, then here are 9 ways to have an effective prayer and get them answered.

1. Sin hinders prayer. Psalm 66:18-19 says, "If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not
have listened; but God has surely listened and heard my voice in prayer." We cannot continue to sin
against God and expect Him to answer our prayers. We must repent and ask God to forgive us of our
sins in order for God to hear us effectively.

2. Idols hinder our prayers. Ezekiel 14:4-5 says, "Therefore speak to them and tell them, "This is
what the Sovereign Lord says: When any Israelite sets up idols in his heart and puts a wicked stumbling
block before his face and then goes to a prophet, I the Lord will answer him myself in keeping with his
great idolatry. I will do this to recapture the hearts of the people of Israel, who have all deserted me for
their idols." If we put other things such as: money, cars, houses and people before God, they are
idols and have more importance in our lives. We must put God first, before all things, in order for His
will to be done in our lives, through prayer.

3. We must seek divine guidance through the Holy Spirit. Romans 8:26-27 says, "In the same way,
the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself
intercedes for us with groans that words cannot express. And he who searches our hearts knows the
mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints in accordance with God's will." When we
pray for selfish things, material things and things not according to God's will, the Holy Spirit will pray
and help us to speak to God instead. Even if we don't know what to say or think we are unworthy,
the Spirit will do it for us, if we believe.

4. We must have a joyful prayer. Philippians 1:4-5 says, "In all my prayers for all of you. I always
pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now..." God wants us to
pray to Him with joy in our hearts. Even when bad things are happening to us and we pray to have
these things removed, we must have joy knowing that it's already done.

5. We must be in constant prayer. Nehemiah 1:4 says, "When I heard these things, I sat down and
wept. For some days I mourned and fasted and prayed before the God of heaven." When the wall of
Jerusalem had been broken down and its gates were burned, Nehemiah prayed constantly to God to
forgive Israel for their betrayal of Him. Because he prayed day and night without ceasing, God
allowed him to speak to King Artaxerxes and request that he be able to rebuild the wall. This is just
one example of what constant prayer can do. We've all heard that persistence pays off. And in time,
God's will and your prayers will pay off too.

6. We must devote ourselves to prayer. Colossians 4:2 says, "Devote yourselves to prayer, being
watchful and thankful." Enough said.

7. Praise God with prayer. Psalm 18:3 says, "I call to the Lord, who is worthy of praise, and I am
saved from my enemies." No matter how bad things are and the mountains in our lives are not
moved, we must give God praise when we pray. Because even though we may not see God working
on our behalf, he's always at work. And by giving Him praise, we believe our prayers will be
answered. So in all things, good or bad - give God praise.

8. God listens when we pray. 1 Kings 8:52 says, "May your eyes be open to your servants plea and to
the plea of your people Israel, and may you listen to them whenever they cry out to you." When you
pray, you must believe that God hears you. He wants us to talk to Him at all times. He wants to be
our friend and He wants to communicate back to us through His word. If you speak to God honestly
and openly, He will listen. He might not give you what you want, because it may not be good for you
in the long run, but He will definitely give you what you need.

9. God answers prayer. Psalm 65:2 says, "O you who hear prayer, to you all men will come." So to
you who don't or won't believe, God can and will answer your prayer. Having faith in God plays a big
part. When you believe that He lived and died for your sins, then you will know that all prayers of the
heart will be answered.

So does prayer really change things? An effective prayer will. In these times we have to believe in
something other than ourselves. And if we do, our shallow and sometimes empty prayers, will
become much more effective in no time.

9 Ways To Have Effective Prayers!
By: Wanda L. Ball

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