HOW TO PRAY 30 MINUTES A DAY
By Evangelist Steve Pettit
FOUR STEPS IN PRAYER
P RAISE (10 Minutes)
R EPENT (5 Minutes)
A SK (10 Minutes)
Y IELD (5 Minutes)
PRAISE (10 Minutes)
What is it?
1. Praise is a command of God. "Let every thing that hath breath praise the Lord. Praise ye the Lord." (Psalm 150:6) "Enter into his dates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise." (Psalm 100:4).
2. Praise is adoration of God. It is always active, not passive. It is always assertive, not presumptuous. It is always open, not secretive. Whenever it is mentioned in the Bible, there is movement, actions, sounds, and songs. It is vocal, audible, and visible.
3. Praise is where God lives. "But thou art holy, 0 thou that inhabitest the praises of Israel" (Psalm 22:3). God settles down and feels at home among the residual praises of His people. Although God is everywhere, He is not everywhere manifested.
HOW do I do it?
1. Bow on your knees as a sign of humility. Clear your mind of thoughts that would crowd out God. Ask the Holy Spirit to be your Helper in prayer (Romans 8:26-27).
2. Read Psalms 145-150. These will prepare your heart for praise.
3. Praise is verbal! Always use your tongue to praise Him. The heart does not have to feel praise. The emotions normally follow after obedience. Use statements like: Praise the Lord; Hallelujah; Thank you, Lord; Amen; Glory; etc.
4. Follow the pattern of the Lord's prayer. "Our Father, which art in heaven. Praise God that you have a personal, loving, and powerful Father because of Jesus Christ (John 1:12), His blood (Hebrews 10:19), and the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:15; Ephesians 2:18).
5. Focus on a character quality of God (holy, righteous, good, merciful, loving). This prepares your heart to be aligned with God's priorities. Focus on the eight compound names of God (Jehovah) that reveal Himself as the eternal and self-existent God. "I am that I am" (Exodus 3:13-15). He will be what we need Him to be. Jesus Christ is the fulfillment of all these names (Philippians 2:9-11).
Jehovah-Tsidkenu God our Righteousness Christ our Pardon
Jehovah-M'Kaddesh God who Sanctifies Christ our Purity
Jehovah-Shalom God our Peace Christ our Peace
Jehovah-Shammah God is Present Christ our Presence
Jehovah-Rophe God heals Christ our Physician
Jehovah-Jireh God provides Christ our Provider
Jehovah-Nissi God is my Banner Christ our Protector
Jehovah-Rohi God my shepherd Christ our Pastor
REPENT (5 MINUTES)
What is it?
1.Repentance is a change of mind with regard to sin and Christ. Sin is the leading cause of unanswered prayer (Psalin 66:18). Everyone is convicted in some degree when they sin. God wants you to turn from the sin through confession and trust the power of the blood of Jesus to cleanse you (I John 1:7-10).
2. God wants you to keep a "short account" of sin. Daily confession and cleansing is necessary for every believer. We are constantly contaminated through worldly contact and the lusts of our own sinful nature (John 13:1-10). We should deal with our sins immediately.
3. God calls Christians to repentance (Revelation 2-3). Satan makes inroads into our lives and churches through various means. You have to watch and pray lest you fall into temptation. Continual repentance for a believer is a key to spiritual growth (I Jobn 1:7).
What am I to do?
1. Forgive as often as you want to be forgiven (Matthew 6:12, 14-15). If you are unwilling to forgive others of their sins toward you, God is unwilling to forgive you of your sins toward Him (Mark 11:24-26). Jesus told Peter to forgive as often as he is offended because that is how many times God is ready and willing to forgive us. Our sins toward God are far greater than the sins of others toward us (Matthew 18:23-25).
2 Ask God to forgive you. Name your sins to God. Tell Him exactly what you've done. Be totally honest and transparent. Be specific! Know the list of specific sins in the Bible and judge yourself in the light of them. Do not plead ignorance as an excuse. Do not let past sins that have been confessed surface in your mind. The devil will use this to keep you in an attitude of defeat. There is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus (Romans 8:1).
3 Confess your weakness to God. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you through the day not to fall. We are prone to certain sins. Prepare your heart not to give in when the temptation comes (Daniel 1:8). Reckon yourself dead to sin because of your union with Christ (Romans 6:1-11). Ask God to give you a revelation of Calvary (Isaiah 53:4-6). This will help you to hate your own sins and see that others' sins toward you are minimal in comparison.
Sins of the Family:
Adultery
Abuse and incest
Divorce
Fighting and bickering
Neglect of discipline
Nagging
No communication
Unwillingness to forgive
No family time
Complaining
Neglect of family prayer
Unfaithful to church
Excessive debt
Failure to make reconciliation
Rebellious children
Failure to witness to your relatives
Husbands not loving their wives.
Lack of love
Wives not submitting to their husbands
Personal Sins:
Pride
Undiscipline
Dishonesty
Impure thoughts
Bitterness
Neglect of the Bible
Hatred
Worldliness
Envy
Covetousness
Jealousy
Selfishness
Stealing
Gossip
Cursing
Criticism
Lust
Complaining
Immorality
Disrespect
Idolatry
Not tithing
Indulgence
Laziness
Unbelief
Rebellion
Sins of the Church:
Failure to pray
Powerless believers
Failure to win souls
Neglect of the Holy Spirit's ministry
Worldliness in the church
Neglect of church leaders to go forward in faith
Laziness of the church workers
Rebellion against pastoral leadership
Immorality of church membership
Failure to be salt in a corrupt world
Division among believers
Lukewarmness and carnality
Rock music, TV, movies, videos
Compromise with false doctrine
Lack of love among believers
Failure to support missionaries
Neglect of the services
Hearing the Word but not responding
Gossip against church members
Sins of the Nation:
Abortion
Failure to honor the Lord's Day
Removal of prayer from schools
Unbelief in the universities
Homosexuality
Divorce
Immorality
Corruption in government
Materialism
Corruption in entertainment (movies,
Murder
TV, music, videos, etc.
Drug abuse
Excessive governmental debt
Legalized gambling (lottery)
Persecution of Christian schools
ASK (10 MINUTES)
What is it?
1. Prayer is asking: "Ask and it shall be given unto you." "And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer. . ."
2. Asking involves making requests to God for definite needs in one's life (Matthew 7:7). The word "ask" (aiteo) means to crave, to desire, or call for something. Prayer is God's divinely ordained means of obtaining God's blessings (James 4:2).
3.There are two basic kinds of asking prayers: Supplications are requests made to God for personal needs (Philippians 4:6?7; Ephesians 6:18?19). Intercessions are prayers made on the behalf of others for their needs (I Timothy 2:1).
4. The answer to prayer is receiving (I John 3:22 "And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him."). We should receive the things we ask for because if we "ask bread, will be give him a stone? Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?" (Matthew 7:9?10).
For what can I ask?
1 Anything that is in accordance with God's will (I John 5:14-15).
2. Anything in the name Jesus acting as His representative (John 14:13-14; 16:24). Prayer is not me getting my will done in Heaven, but me getting God's will done in earth.
3. Anything that God has promised. There are many such things: salvation for yourself and others (Romans 10:13; 11 Peter 3:9; 1 Timothy 2:4), spiritual growth, the Spirit's fullness (Luke 11:13; Acts 4:31), protection from temptation and Satan (Matthew 6:13; 26:41;john 17:15), personal needs (Philippians 4:19), healing (James 5:13-16), wisdom (Proverbs 2:1-6), love (Ephesians 3:14-19), worries (I Peter 5:7), spiritual unity Uohn 17:20-21), revival (Palms. 85:6; 119:25).
4. Anything that your heart desires (Psalm 3 7:4-5; Mark 11:24; John 15:7). It's not wrong to ask it if it is not wrong to want it.
How do I ask? (Hebrews 11:6)
1. Make a written prayer list - daily and weekly.
2. Write down promises from God's Word beside the individual.
3. Claim the promises of God for that particular person or need.
4. Thank Him that He is going to fulfill His word.
YIELD 5 MINUTES
What is it?
1. Yielding is putting your life at God's disposal (Romans 6:13). It involves surrendering your life to God for that day. God expects us to live one day at a time (Matthew 6:11, 34).
2. It is a total reliance upon the leadership and plan of God for our life. This allows you to live by faith every day (Romans 14:23).
3. It is a surrender to the sovereignty of God in my life. God is the all-wise, all-knowing, all-powerful, everywhere present Lord. Therefore, I must rely upon Him for the ultimate control of my life.
What do I yield to God?
1. The members of my body (Romans 6:13; 12:1). God wants your eyes, ears, mouth, bands, feet, and mind to be used for His glory. This will guard you from giving your body over to sinful purposes.
2. Mg daily worries and cares (Philippians 4:6-7). This will allow me to enjoy the peace of God all day long.
3. The decisions and direction of my life (Proverbs 3:5-6). God promises to lead and bless those who walk in faith. I need to be willing to allow God to have the ultimate right to change my plans. My highest goal should be to fulfill His will.
How do I yield?
1. It is a one-time decision that has lifelong effects (Romans 12:1). Christ becomes the Lord over my life. He has been given the right to rule, and I am simply His servant doing His will. My dedication decision should lead me into a life of faith. If you have never fully yielded your life to the Lord, do it now!
2. Every day I must make an active decision with my will to yield to God. Tell God that you want His will for your life in every area. Give Him the things that you have to do for that day. Surrender yourself to the authority God has placed over you - (I Samuel 15-22--23; Ephesians 5:17). Ask Him to bless them.
3. Tell the Lord He has the right to bring into your life what He wants for that day. Give your schedule to God.
4. Be willing to accept and do the things you don't want to do. Even our Lord Jesus faced things that were very difficult for Him to do (Matthew 26:39).
5. If you sin, quickly confess it to God and put the Lord back on the throne of your life. Do not lose your spirit of surrender to Christ.
HELPFUL NOTES
Psalms of Praise -1 13, 118, 145-150, Also, 8, 9, 24, 34, 47, 48, 66, 84, 89, 92, 95100, 103-108, 111, 112, 136.
Examples of Areas to Focus on in Praise - God's character (holy, righteous, good, merciful, loving, etc.); the Person and Work of Christ (His death, burial, and resurrection for our sins; His second coming; etc.); God's practical work in my life (answered prayer, Christian growth, personal blessings, etc.).
Categories of Sins to Confess - Personal sins, sins of the family, sins of the church, sins of the nation.
Possible Wrong Attitudes - In my relationships (toward God, my family, my coworker, my neighbor, my Christian brother, my spiritual leaders, my governmental authorities, etc.); in my rejoicing (thankless, discouraged, etc.).
Possible Areas of Supplication (My Needs) and Intercession (Needs of Others) Personal, family, coworkers, neighbors, brethren in Christ, spiritual leaders, missionaries, national and local officials.
Possible Areas to Yield to the Lord - Mind (what I think), heart (my affections and emotions), bands (things I do), cars (what I listen to), feet (where I go), mouth (what I say), eyes (what I see), etc.
DAILY PRAYER TIME
PRAISE (10 Minutes)
Psalm of Praise Read to God Today:
One Focus of Praise Today:
REPENT (5 Minutes)
Sins Confessed and Forsaken Today:
A Wrong Attitude to Be Changed Today:
ASK (10 Minutes)
Specific Area of Supplication Today:
Specific Area of Intercession Today:
YIELD (5 Minutes)
Specific Area Yielded Afresh to God Today:
PRAYER REQUESTS:DATE ANSWERED
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