Understanding the necessity of prayer is not enough. In order for it to become a part of our life, it needs to become something we look forward to doing. I’m convinced most people don’t enjoy prayer because they have never ben taught how to pray. That’s where this simple online prayer webpage can help. Using several prayer models out of the Bible and having some guides to make prayer more personal, this booklet is designed to bring joy into your time with God. When you discover the beauty of daily conversation with Him, you’ll experience the presence of God that will change your life.
Once you learn how to pray, prayer can become a part of everyday life. And then…
Before the day begins –
Before you go to bed –
Before you go to work or school –
Before you send that text –
Before you eat, drive or travel –
When bad things happen –
Before bad things happen –
In every situation – PRAY FIRST!
Pray changes everything!
Pastor Jay Carney
Senior Pastor – Life At Tupelo
CREATING A LIFESTYLE OF PRAYER
Mark 1:35 And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, he went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed.
Prayer is most effective when it isn’t something we do every now and then, but when it’s a life style 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
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 in this guide. 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’s doesn’t always have to look the same; it just helps when we have a plan for connecting regularly with God.
Nehemiah 9:1-3 (NIV)
1On the twenty-fourth day of the same month, the Israelites gathered together, fasting and wearing sackcloth and putting dust on their heads. 2 Those of Israelite descent had separated themselves from all foreigners. They stood in their places and confessed their sins and the sins of their ancestors. 3 They stood where they were and read from the Book of the Law of the Lord their God for a quarter of the day, and spent another quarter in confession and in worshiping the Lord their God.
Matthew 6:16-18 (NIV)
16 When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show others they are fasting. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. 17 But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, 18so that it will not be obvious to others that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
Types Of Fasting
Fasting enables us to celebrate the goodness and mercy of God. It prepares our hearts for all the good things God desires to bring into our lives. When deciding on a fast, we encourage you to seek God in prayer and follow what the Holy Spirit leads you to do.
Complete Fast
In this type of fast, you drink only liquids, typically water with light juices as an option.
Selective Fasting
This type of fast involves removing certain elements from your diet. One example of a selective fast is the Daniel Fast, during which you remove meat, sweets, and bread from your diet and consume water and juice for fluids and fruits and vegetables for food.
Partial Fast
This fast is sometimes called the “Jewish Fast” and involves abstaining from eating any type of food in the morning and afternoon. This can either correlate to specific times of the day, such as 6:00 am to 3:00 pm, or from sunup to sundown.
Soul Fast
This fast is a great option if you do not have much experience fasting food, have health issues that prevent you from fasting food, or if you wish to refocus certain areas of your life that are out of balance.
For example, you might choose to stop using social media or watching television for the duration of the fast and then carefully bring that element back into your life in healthy doses at the conclusion of the fast.
