Are you aware that life is a battle and our weapon of spiritual warfare is fervent prayer? All Christians need to know how to pray and how to pray effectively.
The simple definition of prayer is communicating with God, and like every communication process involves sending information and feedback.
Communicating with God in prayers requires us to listen to God’s will for our lives and receive feedback from him. Prayer is more than asking God for help in times of trouble and crisis. It is a daily appointment with God.
Five Types Of Prayer
According to the Bible, there are at least five types of prayer, and each of them has its peculiarity.
Knowing what each prayer is about will enable you to choose the best one particular to your situation. Therefore, if you want to know how to pray to God effectively, you should know the types of prayers there are.
1. Prayer Of Thanksgiving
An example is the prayer of Hannah in 1 Samuel chapter 2, where Hannah thanked God for giving her a child after many years of ridicule and embarrassment.
The prayer of thanksgiving is a prayer of appreciation. In this prayer, all you do is worship and thank God for all he has done without asking for anything else.
2. Prayer Of Confession
A prayer of confession is the prayer of a broken and contrite spirit. If you want to know how to pray to God for forgiveness, you should pray a prayer of confession.
This type of prayer involves confessing your sins and asking God for forgiveness and for him to extend his grace and mercy.
An example of the prayer of confession is David’s prayer in Psalm 51 after killing Uriah and taking his wife.Â
3. Prayer Of Intercession
To intercede is to intervene on behalf of someone else. It might be your friend, a family member, or your country.
Prayer of intercession is praying on behalf of another person. In John 17, Jesus prayed for us and interceded on our behalf.
“I pray not only for these followers but also for those who will believe in me because of their teaching. Father, I pray that all who believe in me can be one. You are in me, and I am in you. I pray that they can also be one in us. Then the world will believe that you sent me. John 17:20-21 ERV
4. Prayer Of Supplication/ Petition
This type of prayer involves laying your heart desires and requests before the Lord and asking him for what you wish. The prayer of petition is how to pray to God for help.
You might wonder why the God that knows all; wants you to ask first even though he knows your heart desire. It is because God gives us a choice in everything we do.
We are not minions. He provides us with the ability to make decisions that affect our lives. Therefore you have to ask first before you can receiveÂ
 Matthew 7:7-8 GNBUK says, “Ask, and you will receive; seek, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks will receive, and anyone who seeks will find, and the door will be opened to those who knock.Â
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5.  Prayer Of Deliverance
This type of prayer is a battle against the devil, his demons, and the kingdom of darkness.Â
Ephesians 6:12 GNBUK says For we are not fighting against human beings but against the wicked spiritual forces in the heavenly world, the rulers, authorities, and cosmic powers of this dark age.
There is more to this world that we can see; just as the bible verse said, we are fighting against evil beings in dark places. On many occasions in the Bible, Jesus healed demon-possessed people;
these demons caused physical and mental ill-health, and these demons are still working till today, causing harm, sorrow, and ill-health in the life of many people. Therefore, the prayer of deliverance is a prayer of command.
Whenever Jesus spoke to a demon, he would say, Be quiet! Come out of him! Go! If you noticed, there is an exclamation point behind each phrase.
Unlike the prayer of confession, where you plead with God for forgiveness, there is no pleading, begging or negotiation here.
Instead, you have received power and authority as a child of God. You command these demons with authority and rebuke them, and they will flee immediately.
Satan: A Payer Blocker
The devil/ Satan is one of the reasons why Christians pray without receiving answers; he is a significant reason for ineffective prayer.Â
2 Corinthians 2: 11 says So that we should not be outwitted by Satan; for we are not ignorant of his schemes.
The devil has many tricks, gimmicks, and strategies up his sleeves, and one of his strategies is by weakening your prayer life.
When you find yourself relaxing, making excuses, and missing your daily appointment with God, watch out! It’s the devil’s way of destroying the plans of peace, hope, and future God has in store for you.
Another one of his strategies is standing in the way of your prayer. Let’s examine this story of Daniel in the book of Daniel Chapter 10: 2-14
Daniel was engaging in a fast for the deliverance of his people; he fasted for 21 days before receiving an answer.
Then, an angel appeared to Daniel in a vision that God had heard his prayer since the first day, but the prince of Persia, the devil, opposed him and prevented him from going to Daniel.
Look at that! God had answered Daniel’s prayer from the first day, but the devil delayed him from receiving the answer to those prayers for 21 days.
We have one adversary, the devil; he is our one true enemy as children of God. As you confess your sins and receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, he becomes your enemy.
Our Christian life is a battle and not a walk in the park. You have to put on the armor of God so you can be ready for battle in prayer. This means war!
1 Peter 5: 8 NKJV says, “Be sober, be vigilant because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour.”
Your enemy is not a frustrating boss or colleague at work or your landlord that keeps hounding you for rent; your real enemy preventing your prayers from being effective is the devil.
You cannot fight this war without knowing who your enemy truly is. Therefore, we should know some things about the devil and his strategies to effectively pray and fight this enemy.
1. The Devil Has Limited Time To Spend On EarthÂ
The devil knows he has a short time to spend; this is why he is working tirelessly to take as many people down with him. Rev 20: 1 saysÂ
And he took hold of the dragon, the serpent of old, who is the devil and Satan, and bound him for a thousand years; and he threw him into the abyss and shut it and sealed it over him so that he would not deceive the nations any longer until the thousand years were completed; after these things, he must be released for a short time.Â
2. He Has Received Condemnation And Judgment From God
And the devil who deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are also; and they will be tormented day and night forever and ever. (Rev 20:10)
3. He Has His Plans For You (John 10:10)
The devil plans to steal, kill and destroy. He wants to steal your joy, peace and happiness, kill you and finally destroy your soul in hellÂ
4. The Devil Is A Deceiver And LiarÂ
In John 8:44, Jesus says that when the devil lies, he speaks his language, lying is second nature to Satan, he is the father of deceit and a great deceiver, he can appear in many forms even as an angel of light. (2corithians 11:4)
The devil is a deceiver and a liar, he appeared as a serpent to Eve and caused her to disobey and sin against God, and he sowed the seed of doubt in her heart; he still does this to us now.
So whenever He tries to plant thoughts of failure, guilt, shame and fear into your heart, remember that he is a liar, and the father of liars don’t give him the attention. He is a LIAR.Â
5. We Have Victory Over HimÂ
Hallelujah! In Romans 16:20, God promises to crush Satan under our feet; these are great words of promise that we should hold on to. The power of darkness has no hold over us. Â
Jesus said in Luke 10: 18-19. “I saw Satan fall like lightning from Heaven. Behold, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and overall, the power of the enemy. Nothing will harm you
Now that we know the culprit hindering our prayers and his devices and strategies to make our prayer ineffective, we should also know the steps we should take to pray to God so our prayers can be effective.
How To Pray To God Effectively
There is a difference between effective and ineffective prayer; effective prayer brings results and opens the heavens. In Luke 11: 1-4. One of the disciples studied Jesus praying, and he asked ‘Lord teach us how to pray.”
The disciple was a Jew and had been praying before, but he noticed that whenever Jesus prayed, there would be answers immediately. The prayer from Jesus was effective, so he asked.
Lord, teach us how to pray. In these verses (Luke 11: 1-4) and Matthew 6: 9-13, Jesus provides us with a pattern of prayer called the Lord’s prayer that we can follow, and he gave us instructions on how to pray effectively.
Matthew 6: 9-15 After this manner, therefore, pray ye: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. 10Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in Heaven, so on earth. 11Give us this day our daily bread. 12 And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13 And bring us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
These ten steps have been coined from the pattern Jesus gave us in the Lord’s Prayer and the instructions given to us in the scriptures.Â
With these steps, you will know how to pray according to the Bible. Â
1. First Step: Give Thanks To God
Whenever you find yourself in the presence of the Lord, the first step to take is to revere and honor him. Thanking God is a way of showing how to pray in faith. Psalm 100: 4 says, “Enter his gates with thanksgiving; go into his courts with praise.
“It is important that whenever we are in the presence of the Lord, we are there with a grateful heart.
In the Lord’s Prayer, the pattern Jesus gave us when we pray Jesus starts with “Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be your name.” He did not begin with mentioning his prayer request, but by worshipping God, we should follow the manner.
Note that when praying, thanksgiving should not be a ritual you do for the sake of doing, but thank God sincerely and from the bottom of your heart. There are so many reasons to thank God, thank God for the gift of life, for salvation and the Holy Spirit.Â
2. Second Step: Confess Your Sins And Repent Genuinely
“When you lift your hands in prayer, I will not look at you. No matter how much you pray, I will not listen, for your hands are covered with blood. Wash yourselves clean. Stop all this evil that I see you doing. Yes, stop doing evil-Isaiah 1:15-16 GNBUK
 If you want your prayers answered and you want them to be effective, you have to repent genuinely. God knows his sheep and his sheep knows him. To become one of his people, you have to confess your sins and genuinely give your life to Christ.
It is the prayer of the righteous that is powerful and effective. (James 5:16) not the prayer of the unrighteous. But, if you confess your sins, no matter how grave. God is faithful enough to forgive you and cleanse you of all unrighteousness.
One of the gimmicks of the devil is to make you believe your sins are too terrible for forgiveness — that’s a lie. If your sins are as red as scarlet, he will make it as white as snow. (Isaiah 1:18)
3. Third Step: Ask For The Presence Of The Holy SpiritÂ
In the same way, the Spirit also comes to help us, weak as we are. For we do not know how we ought to pray; the Spirit himself pleads with God for us in groans that words cannot express. Romans 8:26 GNBUK
After thanking God and confessing your sins, the next step is to ask for the presence of the Holy Spirit. Aside from baptism with water, every believer should be baptized in the Holy Spirit.Â
The Holy Spirit guides and directs you in your prayer and gives you the right utterances for you to say. When you are weak and fainting because your prayer seems to be taking too long to be answered, the Holy Spirit gives you the strength to carry on.Â
One of the evidence of the baptism of the Holy Spirit is the ability to pray in tongues which the devil does not understand.
Someone once said that when you face situations, you do not understand, pray in a language that the devil does not understand. The Holy Spirit is our comforter, helper, teacher and intercessor that pleads with God on our behalf.
4. Fourth Step: Lay Your Request To God In Faith
 For this reason, I tell you: when you pray and ask for something, believe that you have received it, and you will be given whatever you ask for. Mark 11:24 GNBUKÂ
Faith is the catalyst that spurs our prayer to action. You need faith if you want your prayer to be effective or know how to pray for a miracle.
Jesus, when he was on earth, performed many miracles. He healed the sick, raised the dead, and delivered those in captivity.Â
In Matthew 21:21, Jesus tells us that if we have faith, we will do even greater things than he has done. Imagine that! You don’t need any supernatural power to produce mouth-opening miracles for your prayers. With faith, fasting and prayer, you will surely overcome the devil.Â
5. Step Five: Pray With The Right Motive
 “When you pray, do not be like the hypocrites! They love to stand up and pray in the houses of worship and on the street corners so that everyone will see them. I assure you, they have already been paid in full. Matthew 6:5 GNBUK
If you want your prayer to be effective, do not pray with the wrong intention, don’t pray for praise and attention from men.
If you do that, you have already received your reward. Instead, focus on God and God alone; the only person that should receive all glory is God.
If the only reason you want to heal the sick or perform miracles is for men to praise you, God will not answer your prayer. So if you want to know how to pray effectively, focus on God alone.
6. Step 6: Pray In A Secret Place
But when you pray, go to your room, shut the door, and pray to your Father who is present in that secret place. Your father, who sees what you do in secret, will reward you. Matthew 6:6 (CEB)
There are many occasions where Jesus separated himself from everyone to pray. For example, mark 1:35 says,”In the early morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house, and went away to a secluded place, and was praying there.
“Another example is in Matthew 14:23, “After He had sent the crowds away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray; and when it was evening, He was there alone.”
You should have a quiet time separate from any other person, where you can fellowship with God and hear clearly from him. It does not mean it is wrong to pray with people or that it is wrong to pray in a church.
But if the only time you pray is when you are in the church, then you are doing something very wrong.
Sometimes all you might hear from God is a still quiet voice in your Spirit, but if you are not focused and concentrating on him alone, you might not hear that voice.
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7. Step 7: Pray In The Name Of Jesus
Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in Heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. Philippians 2:9-11 NLT.
This might seem apparent, but for you to know how to pray effectively, you have to pray in the name of Jesus. It is common to see people praying to the universe or Mother Nature.
The only person who answers prayer is God (Psalm 65:2), and the way to come through the father is through Jesus Christ. The name of Jesus is mighty and has authority in it.
It is a name above every other name, and just by mentioning the name of Jesus, every knee will bow. That’s amazing! There is mighty power in Jesus’s name, which is why we end each prayer in Jesus’ name.
There is something to note; you cannot use and dump the name of Jesus. If you want the name to work for you and you want to be a true terror to the kingdom of darkness, you must be a genuine child of God.
So in Acts 19: 13-16, we are told of the seven sons of a chief priest, that wanted to deliver a demon-possessed man in the name of Jesus.
“Some Jews who went around driving out evil spirits tried to invoke the name of the Lord Jesus over those who were demon-possessed. They would say, “In the name of the Jesus whom Paul preaches, I command you to come out.”
“Seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, were doing this. One day the evil spirit answered them, “Jesus I know, and Paul I know about, but who are you?” Then the man who had the evil spirit jumped on them and overpowered them all. He gave them such a beating that they ran out of the house naked and bleeding.”
The name of Jesus can only work for you if you believe in him and have received him as your Lord and savior.
8. Step Eight: Pray With The Word Of GodÂ
When you pray, confess, and proclaim the promises in the Bible upon your life. This is how to pray effectively. The Bible is not a mere book. It is the word of God.
Matthew 24:25 tells us that heaven and earth shall pass away, but God’s word shall not go unfulfilled. God’s word is living, and it has power in it. It is his word that created the whole world.
Immediately God speaks, his word has the power to fulfill itself. There are many promises for you in the Bible. Here are some of them.
- Â In Jerimiah 29: 11, God promises you peace, hope, and a future.
- Â In Exodus 14:14, God promises to fight for youÂ
- Â In Psalm 50: 15, God promises that he will deliver you in the day of trouble.
- Â In Isaiah 54: 17, God promises that no weapon fashioned against you will prosperÂ
- Â In Philippians 4:19, God promises that he will meet all your needs according to the riches of his glory in Christ Jesus.
- Â In Job 22:28, he promises that if you decree a thing, it shall be established
- Â In Matthew 16:19, God promises that whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in Heaven.”
These promises go on and on in the Bible, and they are living and true. God is not a man, so he does not lie; it will come to pass if he promises a thing. So remind him of his word, and your prayers will be answered.Â
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9. Step Nine Fix Your Relationship With Others
Your relationship with others can hinder prayers and prevent them from being effective. In Peter 3:7, Peter tells men to honor their wives and treat her with understanding because their prayer will be hindered if they do not.
You have a responsibility to treat everyone with love and compassion. One of the commandments given to us is to love our neighbors as we love ourselves. Another thing you should fix in your relationship with others is unforgivenessÂ
And whenever you stand up to pray, if you have something against anyone, forgive so that your Father in Heaven may forgive you your wrongdoings.” Mark 11:25 CEB
If you want your prayers to be effective, you make sure you are at peace with everyone.
10. Step Ten: Pray Without Ceasing
Jesus gave us a parable in Luke 18: 1-8. It was the story of a widow and a judge who did not fear God or care about the opinion of others.
The widow would knock on the door of the judge every day, pleading for him to give her justice over her adversary. She did this constantly until the judge grew tired of her persistent pleading and answered her.Â
God cannot be compared to the unjust judge because he is merciful and just, we can learn something from this parable about praying without ceasing and praying continuously.
The Bible says in Luke 18:1, Men ought to pray and not grow faint. To grow faint is to give up. Keep asking, keep seeking, knocking and you will receive your testimony soon. This is how to pray effectively
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Conclusion
To become a prayer warrior and fight this battle in prayer against the devil and his demons. You need to put on the whole armor of God. These includeÂ
- The Helmet of SalvationÂ
- The Breastplate of righteousnessÂ
- Shield of FaithÂ
- Sword of the Spirit (which is the Bible)
- Belt of truthÂ
- Shoes to spread the gospel of peace.
Satan and his kingdom will have no power over you and your prayer when you are clothed fully in God’s armor.
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