How to Pray Effectively

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CURRENT TEACHING SERIES The Keys to a Blessed Life

How to Pray Effectively By Rick Warren — Oct 24, 2015 “Please remember what you told your servant Moses: ‘If you are unfaithful to me, I will scatter you among the nations. But if you return to me and obey my commands and live by them … I will bring you back to the place I have chosen for my name to be honored.’” (Nehemiah 1:8-9 NLT, second edition) Here are four secrets to answered prayer from the life of Nehemiah: Base your request on God’s character. Pray like you know God will answer you: “I’m expecting you to answer this prayer because of who you are. You are a faithful God. You are a great God. You are a loving God. You are a wonderful God. You can handle this problem, God!" Confess the sins of which you’re aware. After Nehemiah bases his prayer on who God is, he confesses his sins. He says, “I confess that we have sinned against you. Yes, even my own family and I have sinned! We have sinned terribly by not obeying the commands, decrees, and regulations that you gave us” (Nehemiah 1:6b-7 NLT, second edition). It wasn’t Nehemiah’s fault that Israel went into captivity. He wasn’t even born when it happened; he was most likely born in captivity. Yet he’s including himself in the national sins. He says, “I’ve been a part of the problem.” Claim the promises of God. Nehemiah prays to the Lord, saying, “Please remember what you told your servant Moses” (Nehemiah 1:8a). Can you imagine saying “remember” to God? Nehemiah reminds God of a promise he made to the nation of Israel. In effect, he prays, “God, you warned through Moses that if we were unfaithful, we would lose the land of Israel. But you also promised that if we repent, you’d give it back to us.” Does God have to be reminded? No. Does he forget what he’s promised? No. Then why do we do this? Because it helps us remember what God has promised. Be very specific in what you ask for. If you want specific answers to prayer, then make specific requests. If your prayers consist of general requests, how will you know if they’re answered? PLAY today’s audio teaching from Pastor Rick>> Talk It Over What is a request you’ve recently made of God but for which you haven’t received an answer? Pray again for that request, and follow the steps above. How does your prayer change? What are the promises of God that you need to claim?

Today’s Scripture “There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out fear...” (1 John 4:18, NIV) SHARE WITH YOUR FRIENDS Perfect Love God is love. He is perfect, and His love for us is perfect. There is nothing you can do right now to make God love you more, and there’s nothing you can do to make Him love you any less. His love toward you is steadfast; it’s unchanging. His arms are always stretched out toward you. He’s always ready for you to come to Him. Sometimes people aren’t sure how God feels about them. They think He might be mad at them, but Scripture tells us just the opposite. God’s not mad at you; He’s madly in love with you! It doesn’t matter what you’ve done or where you’ve come from, God’s arms are open to you. He’s longing to show you His goodness and grace. Today, meditate on the truth that it is His kindness that leads us to repent and change our ways. Open your heart and receive His love. Let it give you confidence and make you new. Trust His perfect love and let Him transform every area of your life! A Prayer for Today “Father, I humbly come before You, giving You all that I am. I invite You to show me Your perfect love which casts out all fear. Fill me with Your peace and joy today and always in Jesus’ name. Amen.”