A Lifestyle of Prayer
Are you ready to deepen your relationship with God through a lifestyle of prayer?
What You’ll Learn:
In this session from Nadine Raphael’s course on Keys to Christlikeness, we’ll explore:
- Prayer as the key to unlocking Heaven’s resources and transforming your spiritual journey
- How prayer connects you relationally to God
- Three practical benefits of prayer for your faith life
Let’s explore how prayer is a foundation to becoming more like Christ!
Why Prayer Is Key to Christlikeness
Welcome to our series Keys to Christlikeness. The process of Christlikeness is of utmost importance to the life of every believer. In this series, you’ll learn 10 key disciplines that will serve you on your journey toward Christlikeness. The first key is a lifestyle of prayer.
Luke 11:1 tells us:
“And it came about that while He was praying in a certain place, after He had finished, one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.’”
If we were to open our Bibles and read through the Gospels—Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John—we would never find an instance where the disciples asked, “Lord, teach us how to witness” or “Teach us how to perform miracles” or “Teach us how to raise the dead.”
But what we do find is the disciples asking, “Lord, teach us how to pray.”
Why? Simply put, prayer is communicating with God. Prayer gives us access to our spiritual inheritance and aligns our hearts with His. Prayer is a privilege, a partnership, and the key that unlocks heaven’s resources.
Three Benefits of Prayer: Connection, Power & Faith
Keep in mind—prayer has many benefits. Here are just a few:
- Connection: Prayer keeps us connected to God relationally. Our intimacy with God is developed in prayer because praying communicates our dependance on God.It is in prayer that we get to cast our cares and our concerns on the Lord, knowing that He cares for us. Our hearts become closer to His as they come into alignment with His. When we spend time with God in prayer, we get His thoughts and His will over our own. This level of intimacy with God strengthens and deepens our overall relationship with Him.
- Power: Prayer plugs us into God’s power. When we pray, we are accessing God’s throne, and at God’s throne, there is divine help available to us. Through prayer, we access God’s power, provision, and protection. Here is what Hebrews 4:16 says: “Therefore, we should come with boldness to the throne of grace so that we may receive mercy and find grace for help in our time of need. “Your prayers are more powerful than you think. They plug you into God’s divine power, bringing about results that are truly in your favor.
- Faith: Prayer exercises our faith in God. When we pray, we put our faith to work. We are standing on the promises of God in His Word, believing that He will do as He has promised. When we pray, making our request known to God by faith, believing that He will do exceedingly, abundantly, above all we can ask or hope (Ephesians 3:20), it activates God’s Word to work on our behalf.
Making Prayer a Lifestyle
Prayers unprayed will be prayers unanswered. So, when difficulty is knocking at your door, pray for God’s intervention. Pray when there is a difficult decision before you. Pray for God’s wisdom if you’re having challenges in the family. Pray for God’s guidance and direction at your work. There are no circumstances in our lives that do not require an attitude of prayer.
Prayer is a privilege. Being prayerful is an essential part of our journey toward Christlikeness. Don’t make it a rare occurrence, but a lifestyle that we adopt.
Reflection Question:
How can you incorporate a consistent prayer habit into your daily routine, and how might that deepen your relationship with God?
Prayer:
Lord, teach us to pray. Convict us to adopt an attitude of prayer, not just in moments of need but as a lifestyle. Help us prioritize time with You, to align our thoughts with Yours and our will with Your perfect plan. Guide us to rely on Your strength and grace every day. In Jesus’ name, amen.
What’s Next?
In this session, we explored the transformative power of prayer. Next time, you’ll discover benefits of reading the Bible and how to make it a daily priority.
Additional Resources:
- Storming the Gates of Heaven: Prayer that Claims the Promises of God, by Anne Graham Lotz
Do you ever feel like your prayers don’t go past the ceiling? The Bible encourages us not only to pray throughout the day, but to commit ourselves to persistent prayer. In this adaptation of her bestselling book The Daniel Prayer, Lotz unlocks a pattern of prayer that works. - Luke 11
What kind of prayer life did Jesus have, and what did He share when His disciples asked Him to teach them? This New Testament chapter shows the events and content of the most famous and beloved prayer for Christians throughout the ages. - “A Lifestyle of Prayer”
This daily devotional walks you through the story of Nehemiah. Find out what Nehemiah’s experience can tell you about how to seek God for any need. - Inspiration Ministries Spiritual Growth Hub
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