Download the Pray First Prayer Guide.

Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a lifestyle we cultivate. To understand how to have a lifestyle of prayer, we can look at the example Jesus gave during His life on earth.

HAVE A CERTAIN TIME

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed. MARK 1:35

Jesus got up early in the morning to spend time with His Heavenly Father. Make a daily appointment with God—whether it’s first thing in the morning, at lunch, or in the evening—and faithfully keep it.

HAVE A CERTAIN PLACE

Jesus had a specific place He went to pray. Having a designated place to pray helps us remove distractions and frees us to worship and pray out loud.

HAVE A CERTAIN PLAN

When Jesus taught His disciples how to pray, He gave them a prayer outline. We call it “The Lord’s Prayer.” This outline, along with several other tools, is available on this page, or you can download the full prayer guide here. As we pray every day, our plans for our prayer time can vary, maybe including worship music, Bible reading, and quiet time to listen to God. It doesn’t always have to look the same; it just helps when we have a plan for connecting regularly with God.

Our Father in heaven,
Hallowed be Your name.
Your kingdom come.
Your will be done
On earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
As we forgive our debtors.
And do not lead us into temptation,
But deliver us from the evil one.
For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.

MATTHEW 6:9-13 NKJV

The Lord’s Prayer is often recited in churches or at religious events, but there’s so much more to this prayer. Jesus provided this model as an outline to teach us how to pray in a way that connects us to God and empowers us to accomplish great things through Him. This model takes us through each part of The Lord’s Prayer, showing us how to pray the way Jesus instructed.

1. CONNECT WITH GOD RELATIONALLY

“Our Father in Heaven”

Proclaim your intimate relationship with God, addressing Him lovingly as your Father and thanking Him that you are His child.

Prayer: “Father, I come to You in prayer today thankful that I am Your child. I know I am a sinner, but You have forgiven me and adopted me as Your own, and I am so grateful to call you my Father. Thank you for loving me. I love you.”

2. WORSHIP HIS NAME

“Hallowed be Your Name”

Speak God’s Names out loud. When we proclaim who He is, we not only worship Him, but we also remind ourselves how powerful and great our God is.

Prayer: “God, I am in awe of You. Your Name is a strong tower, a place of protection and safety for me. I praise You as my Healer, my Shepherd, and my Banner of Victory. You are my Peace, my Provider, my Righteousness, and my Sanctifier. Your Name is great, and I worship You.”

3. PRAY HIS AGENDA FIRST

“Your Kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in Heaven”

Spend time focusing on what God is focused on. His priorities include: • Saving the lost • Wisdom and guidance for those in authority – parental, spiritual, governmental, work-related • Accomplishing His purpose in our lives

Prayer: “God, I recognize there is no better plan on earth than Yours, and I pray for Your will to be done in my life (name the areas of your life where you need more of God’s presence today) and in our world. This world is lost and needs You desperately, and I pray for every person to know You as their personal Lord and Savior. I pray for the leaders in my life (pray specifically over parents, spiritual leaders, government leaders, employers, and any other leaders in your life), that you would give them supernatural wisdom and discernment as they lead. Give them a revelation of Your will and Your purpose for them. And I give my life to You again today; have Your way in my life! Anything You want to do in me or through me, I will do. I ask today for wisdom and clarity as You show me my next steps.”

4. DEPEND ON HIM FOR EVERYTHING

“Give us this day our daily bread”

Ask God for what you need today. It may help to write down the concerns weighing on your mind or the desires of your heart. You can bring them to God, and trust Him enough to hand them over to Him fully. It may help to open your hands before God to physically show your surrender to Him. Problems can either be ours or God’s; they can’t be both.

Prayer: “Father, I acknowledge that everything I need today will come from You. You made the heavens and the earth; You are more than capable of handling any situation I’m dealing with, so I give it to You completely (specifically talk to God about what is on your mind and heart right now and give it to Him). I look to You to help me, sustain me, and give me Your peace. Remind me of Your hope and power today. Thank You in advance for taking care of my needs.”

5. FORGIVE AND BE FORGIVEN

“Forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors”

Ask God to check your heart and life and show you areas where you might need to ask for forgiveness from Him. Then, it is your turn to forgive those who have offended you. We can even choose to forgive people in advance. Ask God to forgive you and to help you forgive others.

Prayer: “God, thank You so much for offering me the gift of forgiveness. Show me any areas in my life that I need to bring before You in order to receive forgiveness and healing. I confess that I have been struggling with sin (talk to God about any areas of sin in your life), and I know that You want me to be clean again. Please forgive me for my sin. Thank You for showing me unfailing grace. As You have so freely forgiven me, I also want to freely forgive others. Please help me let go of all of my offenses. I release to You those who have hurt me, and I trust You to handle those situations according to Your perfect will.”

6. ENGAGE IN SPIRITUAL WARFARE

By recognizing that the enemy wants to destroy you, you can shed light on his lies and claim God’s truth over your life. Ask God to show you any lies you’re believing or areas of warfare happening in your life. Ask Him to expose the enemy and to help you understand and receive His truth. Simply speaking the Name of Jesus has great power in the spiritual realm. The Bible tells us in James 4:7 that if we resist the devil, he will flee from us. Through prayer, we can resist him and walk forward in freedom.

Prayer: “God, I recognize that my struggles today aren’t against the people or circumstances around me, but against the enemy. Please help me to see how the enemy is lying to me. Help me to recognize his lies, take them captive, and make all of my thoughts obedient to the truth of Your Word (list out any specific areas God shows you where you have believed a lie that needs to be replaced with His truth). While the enemy wants to destroy me, I know that You came to give me life to the fullest. I speak the name of Jesus over my life and declare that no weapon formed against me will prosper. I don’t have to fear the enemy because the One who is in me is greater than the one who is in the world.”

7. EXPRESS FAITH IN GOD’S ABILITY

“For yours is the Kingdom and the power and the glory forever.”

God is more than able to move in every situation, and ending our prayer time claiming His authority and power focuses our minds on the truth and hope of who He is and what He can do.

Remind yourself of God’s limitless power and then return to praising Him and declaring your faith in Him:

• “Yours is the Kingdom” – all authority belongs to You
• “Yours is the Power” – all mightiness flows from You
• “Yours is the Glory”–Your victory will be complete

Prayer: “Father God, nothing is too hard for You! Through Your great power, all things are possible. All authority is Yours, all might is Yours, and I know that Your victory will be complete. You are amazing, and I worship You. I praise You for Your power and presence in my life. You are my God, and You are worthy of all praise.”

God desires everyone to know Him. He says in His Word that He would leave the ninety-nine to go after the one who doesn’t know Him. As followers of Christ, we are called to partner with Him, praying for those who don’t know Him to come to know Him.

1. ASK THE FATHER TO DRAW THEM TO JESUS

God draws people to Him. It’s not something we can make happen out of our own efforts, so we need to be faithful in praying that the Father would draw those He’s placed on our hearts to Jesus.

No one can come to me unless the Father who sent me draws them… JOHN 6:44

Think about the people you know who are far from God. Let your heart be open to God and anyone He may bring to your mind. It may help to write down their names as you focus on praying for them.

Prayer: “Father, I pray for the people around me (list specific names), that You would supernaturally draw their hearts to You. Send Your Holy Spirit to them, and give them the desire to give their lives to You. Help them to recognize their longing for more in life as a spiritual thirst only You can quench. Open their ears to hear Your voice.” 

2. BIND THE SPIRIT THAT BLINDS THEIR MINDS

The truth can be right in front of some people, and they still can’t see it because something is in the way blocking their view of God.

The god of this age has blinded the minds of unbelievers, so that they cannot see the light of the gospel that displays the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. 2 CORINTHIANS 4:4

We can pray against whatever is in their way so that they can see the light of God. We can pray that they would see the truth without any obstacles or distractions interfering.

Prayer: “Father, bind the evil spirits that are blinding the minds of the people around me. In the name of Jesus, I pray that they would be able to see clearly, to recognize who You are, and to give their hearts to You. Remove all hindrances the enemy would use to distract them from Your truth. Open their eyes, Lord, that they might see Jesus.”

3. PRAY THAT THEY MAY HAVE A PERSONAL RELATIONSHIP WITH GOD

Many people think Christianity is just another religion. They only see God through the lens of the organization and institution of the church. They may even feel frustrated, angry, or betrayed by people in churches they have encountered or by religious legalists and their hypocrisy. But God didn’t come to build an organization. He came to have a relationship with His children.

The Spirit you received does not make you slaves, so that you live in fear again; rather, the Spirit you received brought about your adoption to sonship. And by Him we cry, “Abba, Father.” ROMANS 8:15

God wants His beloved sons and daughters to come home. Praying for people to have personal encounters with the living God makes a huge difference.

Prayer: “Father, I pray that people will understand how much You love them. Loose the Spirit of adoption for the people around me, so that they come into a meaningful relationship with You. Stir in their hearts a longing to come home, to hear Your voice, and to see You welcoming them with open arms. Let them know You are always running to meet them and hold them close.”

4. PRAY FOR BELIEVERS TO CROSS THEIR PATHS

This is twofold: we can pray for other Christians to influence the people around them positively, and we can also look for opportunities to influence others positively ourselves. God’s plan to reach people is worked through those who already know and love Him. Jesus asked us to pray for people to go into the world to be salt and light. He came to bring the good news of the Gospel to all people, and His desire is that everyone would know and love Him.

Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into His harvest field. MATTHEW 9:38

As His “spiritual farmers,” we should be attuned to opportunities to plant spiritual seeds in the lives of the people we encounter each day. We may have no idea who has already been praying for them and the culminating impact our kind word, compassionate act, or loving attitude can have to draw someone to Christ.

Prayer: “Father, I pray for the lost around me to meet believers who will influence them in a positive way. Lord, let my life shine in such a way that people want to know the God I serve. Allow others to see my genuine love and concern for them in all that I say and do. Let me be Your hands and feet to serve them and let them know just how much You love them.”

5. RELEASE THE SPIRIT OF WISDOM AND REVELATION ON THEM, SO THEY MAY KNOW GOD BETTER

It’s that “eureka” moment, that “aha!” when it finally clicks. The most important moment to have this kind of revelation is when the lights come on spiritually. People need to see their own sin, see what Jesus did on the cross, and see the hope that comes from giving their life to God.

I keep asking that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the glorious Father, may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation, so that you may know him better. EPHESIANS 1:17

People need wisdom, not just knowledge, of spiritual things and insight into how spiritual realities directly impact them. We can pray for this kind of supernatural revelation that only comes from God.

Prayer: “Father, I pray for the people around me to experience the Spirit of wisdom and revelation. I pray that they would truly understand their spiritual condition and see what Jesus did for them on the cross. Help them to have the information and experiences needed to come to You, so they can understand all You have for them.”