Four Secrets For How to Pray

1) Base your requests on God's character.
         Nehemiah 1:5
When a prayer is based on God's character, you come with the expectation that God will answer the prayer because of who He is. God is faithful, loving, and all-powerful. He is big enough to handle any problem we can bring to him.

2) Confess the sin in your life.
         Nehemiah 1:6-7
Our sin is what separates us from God. If we decide to go our own way, God has no problem letting us face the consequences. But to turn back to Him, we need to acknowledge that we have messed up. Maybe we're burying something deep, or maybe it seems trivial, but we sin every day and we desperately need to work with the Spirit to sort it out.

3) Claim the promise of God.
         Nehemiah 1:8-9
God wants us to remember His promises because He is faithful and He always keeps His promises. He never forgets His promises, but we can often forget them if we're not reminding ourselves. He will never leave us, He is a very present help in times of trouble, He promises to provide... there are over 7,000 promises God has issued to us. "Where can I find them," you ask? Just try reading your Bible sometime ;)

4) Be very specific in what you ask.
         Nehemiah 1:10-11
A lot of times we may pray general prayers because we don't believe that God will answer a specific prayer. God knows what's best for us. Even if it doesn't make sense, even if it's not clear. And sometimes, God says no. But if we never ask specifically because we're afraid of a "no," we'll never know when He says yes.

For more on prayer and leadership, click here. If you have been touched by this message or what God is doing for you, we'd love to hear from you. Tells us here!