The Time Is Now - Developing A Lifestyle Of Prayer

On one day, set aside thirty minutes, using part of your time for Scripture reading, part for praying about what you have read, and part for praying as you do on other days. If you need some passages to start with, tiy Psalm 42-43, 63 or 77. This would be a good time to pray through all the lists you have written over the last several weeks. Consider also using the sug­ gestions in Lesson 6, "What to Pray for People." Ideas for Extended Prayer While some people may have no trouble praying the same way for long periods of time, many of us need variety in order to keep our interest. Here are several ideas to consider: 1. Pray aloud, standing, moving around or with eyes open. 2. Sing a praise song or listen meditatively to recorded music, agreeing with and directing a song's ideas toward God. 3. Use visual reminders besides your prayer list, such as pictures of people, prayer letters, or news headlines. 4. You might find it helpful to structure your prayer time, as with the ACTS acrostic (Ado­ ration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication [requests]). 5. Use prayers in Scripture (such as Ephesians 1:17-19) as guides for some of your prayers, reciting a passage to God and inserting the names of people where appropriate. 6. Prepare ahead for your prayer sessions by gathering names, needs, and other informa­ tion. Some time this week, set aside an hour for prayer and prayerful Scripture reading (con­ sider using Psalms 86, 91, 92, 95-97). Pray through lists from the past several weeks. Pray on a variety of topics, including those listed under Step 5. Allow times of silence, submitting your heart to God's guidance, simply recognizing His presence, accepting His love. Especially during silent times, you may think of possible steps of action and obedience you could take in your life (some as simple as, "Apologize to Fred," some as substantial as, "Begin lifelong Bible memory program"). Start writing these down as possible goals as they come to mind. Make this a regular habit during praye1; creating a fresh list each day or week. Don't stop to evaluate your goals as you pray; keep praying. But come back to them at least one day late1; and reconsider which, if any, of these would be important for you to pursue. When the time comes to take action, start with short, easy-to-reach goals. Allow yourself much more time (weeks) to evaluate long-term goals. Step 11 Continue praying fiveminutes every day, one day with your prayer partner.