23301 How to Use This Prayer Guide

This Lord’s Prayer Guide has been designed to help jump-start and inspire new believers in their prayer life. But it is also a tool for other believers to deepen their relationship with God through prayer.

Don’t let the structure of the guide get in the way of the Holy Spirit’s prompting as you explore new ways of seeing yourself and God during your prayer time. Let the Spirit guide your heart and mind as you express verses and other truths in your own words to your Heavenly Father. Allow the Spirit to direct your time and make your prayer spontaneous and meaningful.

This guide is to help facilitate that practice and does not need to be strictly followed to achieve results.

This is to serve as a pattern of prayer topics, a springboard for prayer ideas, and a resource of truth for your prayer affirmations. Scan the content in each section and focus on what best fits your current prayer needs.

Three Different Uses

1. Use the “Overview” page.

The overview page provides a concise summary of the Prayer Guide. It may also be the primary tool that you use to stimulate your thoughts during short devotional prayer times.

2. Use the section overview pages.

You can scan the overview pages of the eight prayer sections during your prayer time and allow the Holy Spirit to use these summaries as stepping stones for your prayer conversation with God.

3. Use the unabridged pages.

The unabridged pages can also be used all together for long extended times of prayer or for prayer retreats.

Schedule Time for Prayer

The amount of time you have for prayer will dictate how to best use this Prayer Guide.

Consider the following suggestions as you formulate your prayer strategy.

Plan at least one hour for a weekly extended prayer time.

During this weekly time:

• Mark or highlight verses that are especially meaningful.
• Pray Scriptures back to God.
• Worship God leisurely in song and in proclamation.
• Thankfully review your record of God’s faithful past involvement in your life.
• Prayerfully think about your needs for the upcoming week.
• Update your prayer lists as you review your situation and think about others.
• Talk with God about the things on your prayer lists.

Plan at least ten minutes for daily prayer times.

During this daily prayer time:

• Consider each of the eight prayer topics as you scan the overview page or the section overviews.
• Talk to God about the things the Holy Spirit brings to mind as you focus on these prayer topics.
• Sing a worship song to God.
• Pray through a portion of each list or rotate lists for different days of the week depending on your available time.
• Update lists with items that would be difficult to remember during your weekly extended time.

For example:

• Did someone ask you to pray for them about a special need? Record it in your prayer list.
• Did an insight, impression, counsel, or circumstantial sign make an impact on you as possibly being God trying to guide your steps? Record it on the Recognizing Directional Signposts list
•  Did God do something else for you that was special? Record it on the My Observations of God’s Love and Goodness list.

Plan a day alone with God periodically during the year.

During your day alone with God:

• Devote a portion of your day to each of the eight prayer topics.
• Select songs that topically fit each prayer section and sing them to God during that portion of your prayer time.
• Read topically related portions of Scripture during each prayer segment.
• Pray back verses to God and talk to Him about your impressions and the implications.
• Praise God for His goodness and faithfulness as you think about His past involvement in your life.
• Prayerfully think about your needs for the upcoming months.
• Update your prayer lists as you review your situation and consider the needs of others.
• Talk with God about the things on your prayer lists.
• Patiently wait on God for scriptural insights or impressions for guidance, and “next step” directions and needs.

Why use this Prayer Guide?

It is a motivator for prayer.

This Prayer Guide has been designed to be a tool that can help you in your adventurous journey of discovering God and all He has planned for you.

It has been designed to help you:

• Grow closer to your Heavenly Father.
• Worship your magnificent, Almighty Creator.
• Dedicate your will and being to your Sovereign King.
• Discover God’s guidance and will for you.
• Thank God for His provision of your needs.
• “Get right” with God and others.
• Seek God’s protection from evil.
• Pray for others more effectively.

Allow the Holy Spirit to use this guide to deepen your relationship with your heavenly Father and discover His purpose for your life. Enjoy the adventure.

It is a springboard to prayer.

Because life is so hectic, it can be difficult to concentrate on God when you do finally spend time in prayer. It is difficult to focus your thoughts because your mind is preoccupied with activities and concerns. If you do succeed in clearing your mind of distractions, often the other extreme occurs – your mind goes blank and you can’t think of a thing to talk to God about.

It is a reminder in prayer.

By following this prayer progression, you begin by acknowledging who you are in Christ and how great and magnificent your Heavenly Father is. You are also reminded of His eternal purposes and plan for you. As you pray through passages of scripture, you are reaffirming God’s truth and gaining His perspective on life.

As you once again submit your will to Him, the Holy Spirit can guide you through a decision-making process and help you identify the legitimate needs that God wants you to pursue in prayer. The Holy Spirit can use the many Bible verses throughout the sections to guide you, to point out your disobedience, and to equip you to resist Satan’s schemes of deception and manipulation.

These prayer topics and numerous Bible passages are also great resources to help you pray more effectively for others.

It is a record of prayer.

Throughout the prayer guide, there are different lists to help you record your prayer requests and remember what God has done. As you periodically review those lists you will be reminded of God’s faithfulness and blessings, through many personal examples. They will be your memorial for thanksgiving in this prayer adventure with your heavenly Father.

It is a pattern for prayer.

Prayer for many Christians consists of little more than asking God for help or things. And while petitions are certainly one of God’s objectives for prayer, He never intended for prayer to just be a spiritual “give me” session.

This guide will help bring balance to your prayer life. It has been organized according to the topics Jesus used in the Lord’s Prayer (Matthew 6:9-13).

Remember to whom you are talking:

“Our Father in heaven,”

You are a child of a heavenly Father. He is your Abba Father — daddy. You have a very special, personal, family relationship with God because of Christ’s sacrificial death in payment for your sin. This is to be your primary view of God. So, approach Him as a child goes to a loving father. Enjoy the family relationship.

“hallowed be your name,”

Yes, God your heavenly Father but He is also your Creator. So give Him the reverence and awe He deserves. Think about His majestic, magnificent, unlimited abilities. Your heavenly Father is truly AWESOME! Give Him your respect.

“your kingdom come,”

Not only is God your heavenly Father and Creator, He is also the Sovereign Ruler of the Universe. He is the King and expects obedience. Pledge your allegiance to your King and remind yourself that He rules a Kingdom that will never be shaken or defeated.

Seek God’s plan for you

“your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

Your heavenly Father has a master plan for the world and for your life. God knew what He wanted you to accomplish with your life before you even came into being. He has a specific plan in mind and wants to seek it in prayer.

This prayer guide can help you discover God’s unique plan for our life. What id God’s will for you? What does He want you to do?

“Give us today our daily bread.”

The Bible promises that God will meet all your needs (Philippians 4:19). But your needs are related to what God wants you to do. Once you have the assurance of God’s will, you can pray with confidence regarding your needs to accomplish what He desires.

All too often we are praying for things God knows will only get in the way of His plans for us. And we mistakenly label what we want and desire as a need.

Avoid what can make you ineffective

“And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”

Our disobedience of God creates a barrier in our communication with Him. So does our bitterness and lack of forgiveness of others. God wants us to be transparent and confess our sins to Him. He already knows about it but wants us to admit our wrongdoing and have a change of heart so our fellowship with Him can be restored.

“And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.”

Prayer is also a time to remember that we live on a spiritual battlefield with an enemy committed to our destruction. We can only be victorious with God’s supernatural protection.