Prayer Strategies From War Room

Prayer is an important part of your Christian life, but it can be difficult to know how to pray effectively. If you want to improve your prayer life, consider these 11 strategies from the War Room:

Prayer is not getting what you want, but getting what God wants.

Prayer is not a means to get what we want. It’s a way to grow in our relationship with God and help others. When you pray, you’re opening yourself up to God so that he can work in your life. You’re trusting him for your needs and trusting that he knows best for you and your situation, whether or not it aligns with what you want (or think you need).

That doesn’t mean that people who pray don’t experience difficulties or receive negative outcomes sometimes—but it does mean that those people trust God to be able to work through those circumstances in ways they cannot see or understand yet. In other words, they believe things will turn out well regardless of how they feel about them at the moment.

We pray to worship and adore God, not just to get answers to our prayers.

• Prayer is a way to bring God’s presence and power into our lives.
• Prayer is a way to express our love for God.
• Prayer is a way to express our gratitude for what God has done for us.
• We pray because we need help from God, not because He needs anything from us (Philippians 4:19).

Our prayers should be the overflow of gratitude for the huge blessings we already have in our lives.

Prayer is a powerful tool. Not only does it strengthen our relationship with God, it also helps us to remember what we have and be grateful for all the blessings in our lives. When you start your morning with prayer, you are reminded that God is still there for you, even if things don’t go as planned or the people around you aren’t behaving exactly how they should. If this isn’t enough to get your heart singing in gratitude for what you have been given (and who knows how much more He has yet to give?), then maybe these words from Rick Warren’s book The Purpose Driven Life will help:

“The Bible says that every good gift comes from God (James 1:17). You may not think of yourself as a “gift,” but that’s exactly what Jesus said about us when He made us new creations through His death on the cross.”

We should pray with a humble and repentant heart.

While you’re reading Scripture, consider the ways God has answered your prayers. How did he answer your prayers? Did it feel like he was being a bit of a jerk about it or did he really come through for you? Think about how you prayed and what wasn’t said in prayer that should have been said.

Next, think about some of the things that aren’t working out in your life right now. Do they need to be prayed over? Is there anything else happening in your life that needs prayer? Are there people who are struggling with sin and need our intercession on their behalf? Be specific with your requests—don’t just say “I want help.” Instead, ask God for specific things: “Help me overcome this temptation,” “Strengthen my resolve against this sin,” “Save others from falling into this same trap.”

Be specific and intentional in prayer.

Prayer is a conversation with God. You need to be specific in what you pray for and how you pray, because God doesn’t know what’s best for your life unless you tell him. He won’t just know that it would be really great if this one person got saved or that one couple could reconcile their differences and start over, but he won’t necessarily be able to do anything about it without your specific request.

Prayer is also an opportunity for us to learn about what God wants us to do with our lives. It gives us an opportunity to ask him questions about His purposes and plans for our lives, as well as give Him praise, thanksgiving and worship (Romans 12:1-2).

Prayer is not just something we do when we feel like it or because someone told us we should; rather, it should be the natural response of a relationship between two friends who care deeply about each other (James 1:5).

Be patient in prayer; it’s not always God’s will to answer our prayers immediately.

Sometimes we don’t get the answer to our prayers right away. This is not because God isn’t listening or doesn’t care, but it might be that He has another divine plan other than what we are praying for (Romans 8:28).

Sometimes God’s timing is perfect, and sometimes it isn’t. For example, if you ask God to give you a promotion at work tomorrow morning at 9:00 AM and then get fired from your job later that day—that doesn’t mean God didn’t hear your prayer; He just answered it in a different way than what you had asked for. Sometimes when people ask for something they really need (like health), their prayers are delayed until after some crisis has passed so that they can receive the blessing with more gratitude and faithfulness in their hearts (James 5:16-18).

Pray for strength and wisdom when you are facing hard times.

Pray for strength and wisdom when you are facing hard times. God will give you the strength to endure, but He also desires that we seek His wisdom in our decisions. Asking God for wisdom allows Him to guide us through any situation or circumstance.

Praying for God’s wisdom is something I do often because I am constantly learning new things about the world around me or even about myself! You never know what kind of situation might be thrown at your feet that requires a decision from you, so always ask God for guidance before making any decisions.

The enemy will use any distraction to keep you from praying.

Praying strategically is the best way to make prayer work against the enemy. The enemy will use any distraction to keep you from praying. It’s not that he doesn’t have any power, it’s just that he has a lot less power than God does. That’s why we need to learn how to fight back with prayer!

It’s not a silver bullet or quick fix; it’s not an instant gratification, but it works according to God’s timetable—and His timetable isn’t always ours!

Pray for yourself, your spouse, your children, family members, friends, church leaders and church members, government leaders and pastors around the world.

Prayer is not a one-sided conversation. God wants you to pray for yourself, your spouse, your children, family members and friends. In addition, pray for the leaders of your church and pastors around the world:

• Pray that God will strengthen them in their calling and helping them run their churches effectively.
• Pray that they would be free from all kinds of spiritual attacks (like witchcraft) so they can communicate with God clearly.

God will accomplish His plan through your faithful prayers.

Prayer is one of the most powerful weapons in your spiritual arsenal. Your prayers are an essential part of God’s plan for you and for the world around you. As you pray, God will answer your prayers and accomplish His plan through them:

• He will help you achieve victory over sin, temptation, and spiritual enemy attacks (1 John 5:4). When we pray to our Father in Heaven, He will give us victory over sin in our lives so that we can obey Him even when it is difficult or painful to do so (Matthew 6:13).
• He will provide guidance for your life and direct you on the right path (Nehemiah 1:11). The Lord gives us guidance through His Word and His Spirit if we ask Him to lead us into all truth (John 16:13–15).
• He will give wisdom to meet every challenge or difficulty with strength from above (James 1:5). When we are faced with difficult situations in life—whether they are personal challenges such as temptation or professional ones like finding a job—we can pray for wisdom from above so that we make wise decisions based on God’s Word rather than human reasoning alone.

Pray effectively by following these tips

Prayer is an incredibly important part of our lives. It’s the way we communicate with God, ask Him to meet our needs, and express our love and gratitude to Him. But sometimes it can be difficult to know exactly what you should pray for, or what kind of prayer is most effective. The War Room offers a number of tips on how to pray effectively so that you can get the most out of your time spent with God.

One thing we’ve learned is that prayer doesn’t always have to be private—it can also involve others! Pray with your family members during meal times each day, or set aside some time each week when everyone gathers together for worship around God’s word (and don’t forget about family devotions!). Praying together helps build unity within families and strengthens relationships between parents and children because each person learns how his or her own prayers fit into the bigger picture: serving God as a family unit rather than individuals apart from one another

The Bible is the best source of advice on how to pray effectively. We can always rely on God’s word to guide us in our prayers, and we should take advantage of this resource by reading it daily. But there are also many other kinds of resources available today that will help us become better at praying as well! For example: podcasts, meditations, books like this one…there are so many ways you can learn how to pray more effectively and grow closer in your relationship with God through prayer.