What is a prayer
In Christianity, prayer is a dialogue between man and God. According to the Bible, the believer can speak to God as to a father, "in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ". With the help of the Holy Spirit.
Christian prayer can be done alone, in a group, anywhere and anytime. It takes different forms in different churches. Because each church denomination has its way of praying to God.
Prayer is the breath of our soul:
Because praying is the breath of the soul so as not to cut off this breath which makes our soul live, we must therefore pray without ceasing, as the Bible tells us.
Praying is also having a loving relationship with God:
Our spirit remains in communion with him whatever we do. You should know that praying is also giving time to God. Remember that if you share your time with God, God will also share his time with you.
Prayer is a proof of the submission of your heart to the will of God. As a man, you are free to make whatever decision you want in your life and do whatever you want, but asking God to guide you through prayer is the best way to show God that your life depends on him. And that makes God happy to hear that.
Should I pray silently or out loud?
First of all, I will say that it may depend on the types of prayers you do. For example, if you deliver someone or you are doing the prayer of deliverance and authority you cannot do it silently because you are not spiking to your self or God but you are spaking to devil and demon and you must speak loudly to them so they can hear your voice and to command them to Go.
Some people like to pray in silence, which is not bad, but as an evangelical church, we encourage people to open their mouths and pray a little loudly to help others learn through their prayers how they can pray.
It is therefore important when praying in church to make sure the person nearby can hear your prayer, this can help them learn to pray using the words that come out of your mouth.
(John 11.1-57) Prayer of Jesus in the tomb of Lazarus:
And he said: Where did you put it? Lord, they answer him, come and see. 35Jesus wept. 36 Then the Jews said, See how he loved him. 37And some of them said, Could not he also that opened the eyes of the blind, that this man not die? 38Jesus, trembling within himself again, went to the tomb. It was a cave and a stone was placed in front of it.
39Jesus said, Take away the stone. Marthe, the dead man's sister, said to him: Lord, he already felt, for he had been there for four days. 40Jesus said to him, “Did I not tell you that if you believe, you will see the glory of God?
41So they removed the stone. And Jesus looked up and said, Father, thank you for hearing me. 42 As for me, I knew that you always answered me; but I spoke because of the crowd around me, so that they would believe that you sent me. 43 Having said this, he cried out with a loud voice: Lazarus, come out!
44And the dead man came out, his feet and hands bound with bandages, and his face wrapped in a cloth. Jesus said to them: Untie him and let him go.45Many of the Jews who came to Mary and saw what Jesus did believed in him.
The lesson we learn from this prayer:
In this prayer we learn two things, first Jesus prays to his father for the miracle of the resurrection. Then he shouted very loudly to tell the dead man, Lazarus, to come out.
You may notice a slight difference in tone of voice between the two prayers Jesus said at the same place. In the first prayer, Jesus spoke softly but in the second phase of the prayer, Jesus shouted loudly.
Why did Jesus shout loudly instead of speaking softly?
Jesus prayed aloud in the tomb of Lazarus because he speaks to the spirit of death to vomit out the soul of Lazarus, so he must speak loudly with great authority so that his voice will be heard and obeyed by the spirits that control the Dead Zone in order to free and unleash Lazarus' soul so he can come back to life.
This compelled me to teach you how you can conduct your prayer:
For Your Prayer to Be Successful As a practicing Christian, you must clearly understand the role and involvement of these three people in your prayer life to help steer your prayer in the right direction. It is about God, the devil and man.
So in the different prayers that you will learn in the Christian life there are prayers that you will make to God, there are prayers that you will make for men, there are also prayers that you should make against the works of the devil .
So there are three main categories of prayer that you should know and you should know that each category requires a particular attitude to learn for your prayer to be effective.
1) (God )
You pray directly to God:
It can be adoring and praising Him for what He has done in your life. It could also be something you ask him to do in your life or about his forgiveness or grace in a case you want to win in court, etc.
You can do this type of prayer silently if you are home alone so as not to disturb others when it is late, but you can also pray out loud if you want to stay awake during the prayer. You must understand that sometimes praying out loud is more beneficial for your prayer life as it will help you to be more focused and avoid sleeping during prayer time.
2) (Man )
Second, you are praying for someone who is in the same room as you:
It may be intercession on their behalf as the person is going through a difficult time and asks for your help in prayer. It could also be a blessing prayer if you are in a leadership position. It could also be a prayer of deliverance, healing or miracle etc...
NB: This direction of prayer must be done aloud and not in silence because the person for whom you are praying must hear and understand what you are saying to him in your prayer to say Amen at the end of the prayer.
Accepted if the person is not with you in the same room, you do not need to speak loudly. Also, if you want to do it secretly, you don't let him know you are praying for him, you can also do it silently.
Also, if he told you to pray for him and he wants the matter to be kept secret in this case, you can pray silently to avoid others hearing what you are saying in your praye
3) (Devil )
Prayer of authority,
it means prayer to destroy the snare and work of satanists, wizards, demons and satan against your life, home, church, family, etc.
We call it prayer of authority because you must pray with power and authority so that satan and his demons, as well as satanists and sorcerers, can be burned by the fire of God and destroyed.
Also, this type of prayer will help you to free yourself from the traps of your enemies and from the slavery of the devil. When you pray this type of prayer you shall by the power of the holy spirit command the evil spirits to leave you and release your house by the mighty name of Jesus Christ and send them fire from the power of God to destroy them. Also, do not forget to order them to go to arid or desert places.
What I need to do to be successful in my prayer:
1)For your prayer to be effective, it must be based on the promises of the Bible. This is very important because the Bible is a fundamental book of the Christian faith, so everything we do, including prayer, must respect what the Bible says. also because God manifests his power in us through his word. And we believe the Bible is the word of God.
2)A prayer that comes from the heart is effective.
Your prayers don't have to be long or have the correct vocabulary. The key to effective prayer is sincerity of heart. The prayers that God hears are prayers full of passion, in which you put your whole heart.
3)Pray without ceasing:
It means praying continuously without stopping, praying with perseverance. Because praying is the breath of the soul so as not to cut off this breath which makes our soul live, we must therefore pray without ceasing, as the Bible tells us.
Praying is also having a loving relationship with God:
Our spirit remains in communion with him whatever we do. You should know that praying is also giving time to God. Remember that if you share your time with God, God will also share his time with you.
4)Pray with faith,
faith is the key that makes your prayer heard in the presence of God. Faith allows you to connect with God so He can hear your prayer. Faith makes your prayer powerful before your enemies.
5)Always remember these four characters of God
One of the secrets that will make your prayers successful, you must always remember that God is faithful, God is loving, God is merciful and God is powerful These 4 characteristics of God will let you know that the person you are approaching is faithful. , full of love, full of mercy and powerful.
Because he is faithful God what he said he would do, he will never let you down because he is a faithful God. He is full of mercy, no matter your sin or the crime committed if you come to him, he is full of compassion and mercy to forgive you and justify you. He is also a God of love, who loves us beyond the love of men. God is powerful, that means there is no situation that God cannot solve, so everything is possible with God.
How to know that God hears your prayer.?
The Bible scriptures teach us that God always hears our prayers and will answer them if we pray to Him in faith and with good intention. We will feel confirmation in our hearts that God hears us through a sense of peace and quiet that the Holy Spirit will generally bestow upon us.
Some 22 Bible verses on prayer:
1 Peter 4:7
The end of all things is near. So be wise and sober, to devote yourselves to prayer.
Colossians 4:2
Persevere in prayer, watch over her with thanksgiving.
Ephesians 6:18
Make at all times by the Spirit all kinds of prayers and supplications. Watch over this with all your perseverance and pray for all the saints.
Romans 12:12
Rejoice in hope. Be patient in affliction. Persevere in prayer.
Luke 21:36
So watch and pray at all times, so that you will have the strength to escape all these things that will happen, and to appear standing before the Son of man.
Luke 18:1
Jesus addresses them a parable, to show that it is always necessary to pray, and not to slack off.
Daniel 6:10
When Daniel heard that the decree was written, he retired to his house, where the windows of the upper room were open toward Jerusalem; and three times a day he knelt down, he prayed and he praised his God, as he had done before.
1 Thessalonians 5:16-17
Always be happy. 17Pray without ceasing. 18 In all things give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.
Philippians 4:6-7
Do not worry about anything, but in everything make your needs known to God by prayers and supplications, in an attitude of gratitude. And the peace of God, which passes all comprehension, will guard your heart and your mind in Christ Jesus.
1 John 5:14
We have this assurance with him: if we ask something in accordance with his will, he listens to us.
Mark 11:24
This is why I tell you: whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it and it will be granted to you.
Jeremiah 29:12
So you will call me and you will leave, you will pray to me and I will hear you.
Psalm 145:18
The Lord is near to all who call on him,
of all those who appeal to him with sincerity.
Jeremiah 33:3
Call on me and I will answer you. I will reveal to you important and inaccessible realities, realities that you do not know.
Acts 16:25
By midnight, Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, and the prisoners were listening.
Psalm 18:7
In my distress I called on the Lord,
I cried out to my God; from his palace he heard my voice,
my cry reached his ears.
1 John 5:15
And if we know that he listens to us, whatever our request, we know that we have what we have asked of him.
James 5:16
So confess your faults to each other and pray for each other to be healed. The prayer of the righteous works with great force.
James 1:6
But let him ask it with faith, without doubting, because he who doubts is like the waves of the sea that the wind raises and agitates on all sides.
John 14:13
Whatever you ask in my name, I will do so that the glory of the Father may be revealed in the Son.
James 4:2
You desire and you do not possess; you are murderous and jealous, and you can achieve nothing; you have struggles and conflicts. You don't own because you don't ask.
Luke 6:27-28
But I say to you, to you who listen to me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.