A deep connection with God is what gives you the most power when you pray.  You can think of reading the Bible as listening to what God is saying to you. The other side of your connection is prayer – which is simply talking to God.  You might be surprised to learn that you don’t need special, religious words to talk to God.  You can use your own words.  In any kind of relationship, the strength of communication is a good indicator of the depth of that relationship.  So, if we only pray while we are multitasking, our connection is going to stay shallow.  However, if we are willing to set aside some time to be still, we will cultivate a deeper connection with God.  That deeper connection with increase the power in your prayers.

Developing A Powerful Prayer Life

You can certainly “shoot up” a quick prayer to talk with God any time during your day.  But, to have depth and power in your prayer time, you will need to set aside at least a few minutes to quietly focus on God (rather than multitasking).  You can learn to let your heart get quiet before God.  You can learn to rest in His presence just like you might sit quietly with a friend.  Even If you are more seasoned in your prayer life, these suggestions can help you increase the power and effectiveness of your prayers. (These are suggestions not rules.)  Remember, God wants us to approach Him and talk to Him. In fact, He looks for people who seek Him in spirit and in truth (John 4:23-24).

How To Have POWER When You Pray

Here are principles that the Bible teaches us about how to have power in our prayers.  See if there is one suggestion you could put into practice for yourself.

1.  Ask God to cleanse you before you pray. I John 1:9
2.  Use God’s word, the Bible, in your requests.  God’s word has POWER!    Isaiah 55:10-11    Hebrews 4:12   2 Timothy 3:16
3.  Pray in Jesus’ name. Jesus paid for our sins and He is the one who gives us access to the Father.  Hebrews 4:15-16  1 Timothy 2:5
4.  Pray according to God’s will. If you are using Scripture,  you are on pretty safe ground.    Matthew 6:10
5.  Don’t be afraid to pray out loud. Jesus said to “speak” to the mountain (or problem) that you are addressing.  Remember, Jesus healed people by speaking.  God created the   world through speaking.  Words have power for good or for evil.  Matthew 17:20    Genesis 1:3    Proverbs 18:21
6.  Be persistent in prayer. Some barriers take longer to  move!   Matthew 7:7    Matthew 17:20    Luke 18:1
7.  Have someone you trust pray the same thing for you. That  is called “agreement”.  Matthew 18:20
8.  Remember that God loves you and wants to answer you.   Hebrews 11:6

Other Keys to Building Power into Your Prayers

As long as you are yielded to God and trying to follow Him, He will continue to help you to grow (Philippians 1:6). As you get to know God better and learn what His word says, you will have more wisdom in how to pray.  You will begin to see God’s hand in your daily life and recognize His answers to your prayers.  You will learn to rest in His care and and handle the ups and downs of life from a more peaceful and positive state of mind.

Try to have that consistent time in the Bible, not just in Christian books, so that you are learning to read the Bible for yourself.  I am a fan of Christian devotional books: I have used them and written several myself!  But these are not a substitute for learning to sit in God’s presence with your Bible.

A Word of Caution About How to Pray With Faith

When the disciples asked Jesus how to pray, He gave them some principles that are called “The Lord’s Prayer.”  We need to consider the advice that Jesus gave to His followers. “Pray like this: Our Father in heaven, may your name be kept holy. May your Kingdom come soon. May your will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matthew 6:9-10 New Living Translation). Ultimately, we want to pray in a way that is yielded to the will of God.  We need to watch out for teaching that treats prayer like a magic formula to get what you want from God or other people.  The Bible calls that witchcraft!  Cultivating your understanding of God’s word, your connection to Jesus each day, and your willingness to obey Him in the ups and downs of life are the most crucial skills that you can develop to pray with power.

There is a lot of confusion these days about how to pray.  The chart will help you see the difference between what the Bible teaches about prayer and what is trendy (but not Scripturally sound).  There is power in these trendy forms of manifesting.  However, these other practices take you into spiritual confusion and darkness. To summarize, watch out for teachings that are short cuts to spiritual growth or getting what you want out of life. Any relationship, including your connection to Jesus Christ, takes time to deepen and grow.    Spiritual maturity, and a powerful prayer life, take time and disciplined effort to build.  But, the depth of connection you will have with Jesus is well worth the sacrifices you will make along the way.

Resources for Spiritual Growth

These suggestions on prayer are taken from the book, “Correcting Distortions in Your View of God” which is a guide in how to identify and remove barriers to your spiritual growth. The information on spiritual safety will be in an upcoming book called “Spiritual Discernment in an Age of Deception.”  You can find other blog posts on how to develop your spiritual power, spiritual discernment, and connection to God here on my website.