Learning How to Pray
Prayer is us talking to God based upon the sound grace doctrine built up in our inner man, and His word (rightly divided) is God talking to us.
Prayer is also a form of worship. John 4:24 says, "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." So, we are to pray and worship in the spirit which means that we have God's Spirit in our spirit as believers, but it also means that we are to pray based upon spiritual matters, not carnal things. God wants us to grow up spiritually by having His word dwelling in us. We pray in the truth by understanding God's word rightly divided, understanding God's will for us today as believers in the dispensation of grace, and having His word dwell in us richly. This pleases God and leads to rewards in heaven.
Colossians 3:16 "Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord."
After being saved and then coming to understand God's word rightly divided, you might notice your prayer life has changed. Many people in Christendom will pray most often about earthly, carnal things like about money, careers, having a "soulmate", asking for healing and protection, physical appearance, finding a place to live, getting a parking spot, asking God for signs, asking for special dreams, etc. This is most praying after the lusts of the flesh instead of praying in the spirit and has nothing to do with what God is doing today in the mystery program, where He is more focused on us maturing spiritually through the word in Christ.
We are to learn, rather, how to pray about spiritual things like regarding the edification of fellow believers, being thankful for our salvation and our spiritual blessings in Christ, thankful for our family and fellow believers, how much we look forward to the rapture, etc. It might take awhile for your prayer life to improve. Just be patient with yourself. The more that you read and study God's word rightly divided, the more your prayer life will improve. Give yourself grace. We don't have to pray "perfectly". God knows our hearts and we can just pour out our hearts to him at anytime and about anything. God understands that we are all learning!
If your prayer life changes as you are learning sound grace doctrine, this is completely normal and shows spiritual maturity. It might take you awhile, but just give yourself time and grace. As you get God's word built up in your inner man by daily reading and studying the Bible rightly divided, your prayer life will improve.
We are also NOT to pray to anyone but God. We pray to the Father in Jesus's name. We are not to pray to "saints, angels or Mary" either. We do not pray rosaries, novenas or any kind of vain (empty, meaningless) repetitive prayers. Paul is our ensample [a pattern or model for imitation] and so we can learn from his epistles how we are to pray today. Here's one example:
Ephesians 1: 15-23
"15 Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints,
16 Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers;
17 That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:
18 The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,
19 And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power,
20 Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places,
21 Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come:
22 And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church,
23 Which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all."
Now that's a prayer!
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