Prayer Hacks

When we pray, most people just pray in their head, silently. There is nothing at all wrong with praying that way. But there are some extremely valuable benefits to praying out loud—even if you are praying by yourself. Here are 3 benefits to consider: Praying out loud stops your mind from wandering! Many of us

I have never been an overly social person. So the idea of connecting with neighbors was never a high priority with me. I like the garage-door culture that is middle America. But a number of years ago, when my wife and I built a home, things changed. Our home was the second one completed in

Don’t you just love it when a plan comes together? Isn’t it awesome when you try something and it actually works? I have little ability when it comes to fixing things—and, unfortunately, all five of the people in my household are gifted at breaking things. Being the dad, I am the first one called upon,

Since we want to grow in our prayer life, maybe a good model for us is Jesus. What did He pray about while He was on earth? If we know what He prayed over, perhaps it would be good to include those areas in our own prayer life as well! Let’s take a quick look.

The BLESS acronym is an easy way to remember five important ways to intercede for others. Use this pattern to pray for family members, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. B Body—(pray for health, protection, strength, fitness) “Seek first [God’s] kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well” (Matt. 6:33).

Join the Army of Intercessors Seeking to Reclaim a Generation! By Cheryl Sacks Perhaps, like me, you are deeply concerned about what you see happening in schools around our nation. You want to make a difference. The truth is that no matter what we see with our natural eyes, we can be confident the Lord

The first area of prayer most of us develop is praying for ourselves—or prayers of petition. Even there we can learn to pray God’s will for our lives. Here is a simple list developed by Alvin VanderGriend that presents 26 scriptural items on which to focus our prayers for ourselves. You can petition God for

3 Simple Insights on How to Do It By Jonathan Graf We know from the Scriptures, that to receive an answer to prayer we are supposed to be praying God’s will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we

When my granddaughter Gabrielle was three years old, she lived with us for a time. Many times in the evening she played near me while I sat in my chair working on my computer. She would often interrupt me, wanting attention (which Grampy, of course, gave her). She loved to play a game where she

My six-year-old grandson Jack cracks me up! Recently my daughter (his mom) doodled some plans in pencil for a house they are thinking of building. When she finished, she set the plans and the pencil on the coffee table and walked away to do something else. When she came back later, she was amused to

One of the most important assignments believers have is to pray family and friends to Christ. Jesus interceded for future converts when he said to the Father, “I pray also for those who will believe in me through their (disciples) message” (John 17:20). Paul interceded for the salvation of fellow Jews with heart-felt prayer: “Brothers

Longtime Presbyterian minister, Dr. Wilbur Chapman (early 1900s) was 26 when called to be pastor of Wanamakers Church in Philadelphia. His first Sunday, an old gentleman came up to him and said, “you’re much too young to be the pastor of such a fine church as this.” Chapman thought the guy was a kook. But

When we enter a new year, many believers look for ways to deepen their relationships with Jesus. Taking steps to grow in your prayer life are a key to spiritual growth. One step we can take is to begin practicing the spiritual disciple of fasting. Over the next two Prayer Hacks we will look at

By David Chotka We say it without thinking much about it. In fact, we say the words as a rote memory prayer to close the Wednesday prayer meeting or the small group time. If you are in a liturgical tradition, it is likely that you say it every time you gather for worship. In fact,

Personal revival starts with thirst. God uses the desert to create an unquenchable thirst for Jesus. Nothing this world offers will satisfy. Nothing. Only Jesus. It’s in the crucible of the desert that God brings you to a point of insatiable thirst and holy desperation for Him. It’s here He shows you there is more—much,

As we begin a new year, taking stock of our prayer life can be a good thing. How can we improve? In what ways can our prayer times become more dynamic? Are there weaknesses in our prayer life we can ask God to help us overcome? One of the biggest deterrents to effective prayer is

In an earlier “Prayer Hacks” I wrote about the purposes for prayer. (To read click here.) The primary purpose is to grow a relationship with God and the other purpose is to “release God’s will on earth.” As we develop in our prayer life, usually one of these purposes dominates. Those of us who crave

One of my favorite passages in Scripture is Luke 2:22-31, the account where Mary and Joseph took Jesus to the Temple for circumcision and to offer a sacrifice. In the account we see a godly priest, Simeon, and an elderly widow, Anna, who came every day to the Temple to worship and pray. Both of

One of my favorite quotes on spiritual warfare comes from The Kneeling Christian: “There is nothing the devil dreads so much as prayer? His great concern is to keep us from praying. Someone has wisely said, ‘Satan laughs at our toiling, mocks at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray.’” (p. 17). The phrase I

By Alvin VanderGriend Have you ever thought about all the different ways that God has at his disposal to answer prayer? He can work naturally or supernaturally. He can use people, angels, or natural forces. Being eternal he can shape history and arrange circumstances over many years so that they converge in an answer that

By Dave Butts In every election cycle, American Christians face both amazing opportunities and grave dangers. We are privileged to be a part of those who can choose their own leaders. As people who believe that godly leaders are a source of blessing to a nation, this provides us with great opportunity. The dangers arise,