Praying with Purpose : How to Accomplish God ’ s Plan for Your Life
Do you struggle experiencing God ’ s power in your life ? Do you feel like your prayers are ineffective ; you ’ ve prayed for years , and nothing changed ? Have you given up on your dreams because you just can ’ t win ? Be encouraged ! I ’ m assigned to remind you that you are the beloved daughter of the Most High God . And He holds all power in His hands !
Your Heavenly Father has a plan to prosper you , not harm you ; a plan to give you hope and a future ( Jeremiah 29:11 ). Jesus did not give His life so you could barely get by , settling to be happy only when you get to Heaven . Jesus came to give us life more abundantly on Earth ( John 10.10 ). That doesn ’ t mean we won ’ t experience pain or difficulties . That means we need God ’ s power operating in our lives .
We access God ’ s power through prayer , which is communication with God . The essence of prayer is a deep , abiding trust and reliance on God in every situation , and – importantly – aligning your will with God ’ s .
By Tashena N . Middleton
The more intimate your relationship with God , the greater access you have to spiritual resources including peace and joy in the midst of challenges , as well as the ability to overcome challenges to accomplish God ’ s plan for your life .
Intentional prayer is about passionately pursuing intimacy with God . This happens when we set aside dedicated time to connect with God ; pray with a focused purpose ; deliberately bring specific needs , worries , and desires ; and ask God to work it all out for good according to His will . Purposeful prayer ultimately seeks to align your will with God ’ s so He may equip you to accomplish the good and perfect plan He has for your life .
Here are a few tips to help you practice purposeful prayer :
1 . Activate faith . Praying with purpose begins with having faith in God . The Bible declares it ’ s impossible to please God without faith ( Hebrews 11:6 ). Faith is believing God is whom He says He is and expecting Him to act in response to your prayer because He loves you . Faith is also believing YOU are who God says YOU are regardless how you feel or your present circumstances . You must believe that God ’ s promises are for YOU . Ask Him to help your unbelief ( Mark 9:23-24 ).
2 . Approach God with a humble and grateful heart . Have you heard the phrase “ posture of prayer ”? While that phrase can refer to the physical position you take when praying , the more important aspect is the attitude of your heart . We are instructed to give thanks in all circumstances ( 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 ). When you give God thanks in the midst of trials , you are humbly submitting to His Sovereignty to remove the trial or give you the strength to get through it in order to accomplish His will .
3 . Pray with specificity . The Bible encourages us to pray with clarity and specificity ( e . g ., Habakkuk 2:2 and Philippians 4:6 ). When you pray , speak the details of your specific needs , concerns , and desires . Specificity is not for God ’ s benefit ; it ’ s for yours . God knows what you need before you do . But He gave us free will . Being specific invites God to move in your particular situation . Specificity also requires you to focus , be humble , and be honest with God .
4 . Pray the Word . It is important to know and include scripture in your prayer ( Isaiah 55:11 ). Paul calls the Word the “ Sword of the Spirit .” It not only connects us with God and fortifies our faith ( Romans 10:17 ), but the Word is our most potent weapon against the enemy . Wielding the “ Sword of the Spirit ” during prayer transforms your mindset and opposes the enemy ’ s schemes . ( Ephesians 6:18 ). I love how Priscilla Shirer explains it : “ When we speak God ’ s Word into the atmosphere , we are clothing ourselves in the promises of God .”
5 . Pray with fervor . Praying with fervor means praying with authenticity , urgency , and persistence until you receive an answer from God . Authentic and passionate prayers move God . The heartfelt and persistent prayer of the righteous can accomplish much ( James 5:16 ).
6 . Listen for God to speak and then act . Genuine prayer is a dialog with God . God is eager to hear from you ( Psalm 116:2 ). Are you eager to hear from Him ? After you pray , take time to sit in silence , and ask God to speak to you . Then act on God ’ s instructions .
Don ’ t . give up ! Stir up your faith and start praying on purpose to see what God will do !
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