And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.  Matthew 21:22

 Today, I am so excited and wish to thank Christi B. author of “Women Who Inspire” for spotlighting Hisperfecttiming! Christi spotlights inspirational women who make a positive impact. This is what she wrote on Friday.

Isn’t that great!  Wow!  I’m so blessed that Christi thought of Hisperfecttiming! I wish that I could take the credit, but God works through my life and work.  I’m so thankful to Christi and all readers and followers!  I pray you are all blessed as much as I am and more!

I saw a Facebook post this morning that caught my attention.  It said “if you woke up this morning with all that you prayed for yesterday, where would you be.”  Where would YOU be?

I’ve noticed that many people get caught up in the “how to” of prayer.  I understand fully, because I’ve been there.  I have been to prayer classes, where books have been passed out on what to pray for in various situations.  I have read books trying to understand how to pray publicly and what to pray.  I’ve listened closely and memorized prayers that I thought were especially nice,  I’ve  asked for feedback.  While some of this was helpful, none was enough.  I would pray freely in private, but publicly I would choke.  My mind would go blank.  Have you ever been there?  I am still growing spiritually and I’m in no way an expert, but I have some ideas on the subject of prayer.

First, in order to pray effectively, you must have faith. Prayer is simply talking to God. I talk to God like I talk to you, my friends.  How can you effectively pray, or talk to God, if you don’t believe?  If you are praying and you don’t believe in God, to whom are you talking or trying to impress?  God knows your heart.  you must first trust and believe in him.

Second, as I stated above, prayer is talking to God.  No matter where you are, or what you are doing, you can talk to God.  It can be silently.  No one has to know your private conversations.  I pray throughout the day.  I can’t imagine going an entire day without prayer.  I’ve recently decided that instead of speaking privately to others, I would just begin and end with God.  I’ve also found it especially helpful to pray for people who are hurtful.  Ask God to bless them.  This sounds a little strange, but I promise it works every time.  I sometimes pray that the right people will be brought into a loved one’s or friend’s life, who will bring that person closer to God and help them to make good decisions.  We just can’t be all things to all people.

Third, when you pray publicly, just talk to God and don’t worry about impressing others.  That’s easier said than done when you are put on the spot, right?  Take the focus off of you, and put the focus on God and helping others.  Sometimes a brief pause to gather your  thoughts will help, too.  You should pray about something related to why you are with whoever you are with and what you are doing.  For example, are you at a mealtime meeting?  Pray about making good decisions and your thankfulness for the food.

I once saw a handy guide to prayer.  The guide used the word — BLESS.

B- Body

L- Labor

E- Emotional

S- Social

S- Spiritual

The way this works is, you think of at least one thing in each category to pray about.  If you know in advance that you will be leading prayer, you can write it down. If not, you will probably be able to come up with something quickly.  I also jot down names of people who are sick, so that I can include them in my prayers.

Fourth, I always thank God first.  I try not to just continuously ask for something.  I am truly blessed and thankful.  I pray regularly before each meal, in the mornings before work, and at night before I go to sleep.  From time to time I suffer from insomnia and talk to God until I doze off.  However, regular prayer does not keep me from talking to God throughout the day.  My husband reminds me every day to enjoy my present.  He means the present moment.  Living in the present is something to be thankful for, as well.

Fifth, I have heard that God loves to hear his word.  I think this originates from Jesus using God’s words when dealing with the devil.  So, I read and meditate on my Bible, and try to do the same.  It’s a great way to glorify God.  As Third Day sings “the grass will wither and flowers will fall, but the word of our God will last forever.”  I also pray before bible study, my classes, my blogs,  and church, because I want to have an understanding of God’s word and be able to reflect it in my life.

Sixth, don’t forget to repent.  Admit to and ask God for forgiveness of all the mistakes you made throughout each day, and then forgive others.  I usually ask for forgiveness after I thank God for my blessings, but you decide what works for you.  I also send up prayers as soon as I realize I’ve done something wrong, because by the end of the day I may forget.  I’ve decided that forgetfulness that comes with age is also a blessing sometimes.

Seventh, ask God to help you with temptations.  Trust me when I say, I have many. I pray for help with temptations all day long. Isn’t it great to know that we  don’t have to fight the devil alone!  God is always by my side.

Finally, the more you pray, the more comfortable you will be with praying.  Similarly, the more you pray publicly, the more comfortable you will be with leading public prayer.  There all types of tips, books and ideas to follow on how to pray, but I encourage you to keep it simple.  God loves you and knows where your heart is.

Take time to talk with God today.  God bless you.