New Believers Bible - Flipbook - Page 111
FIRST STEPS
page
A38
The idea of talking to God can be intimidating. But it doesn’t have to be. In
fact, prayer can be a wonderful experience if we know how to do it God’s way.
Fortunately, we have God’s Word to teach us how to pray. The Bible instructs us to
pray at all times, in any posture, in any place, for any reason. In addition, it does
not matter whether you pray in King James English or the most contemporary
jargon. God only desires that you pray from a pure and sincere heart.
The disciples observed the profound effect prayer had in Jesus’ life and
ministry. They witnessed how Jesus would often go off by himself to spend
time in prayer with his heavenly Father. They saw the power, peace, and
tranquility that emanated from his life, giving him the ability to stay calm in
troubled circumstances. Jesus’ prayer life so impressed these men that they
asked him to teach them to pray (Luke 11:1-13). Certainly if the perfect Son of
God often took time to pray during his life here on earth, how much more do
we, mere men and women, need to pray?
Because prayer is an essential ingredient to walking with Jesus Christ, we need
to examine its elements found in God’s Word.
1. Prayer Was Modeled for Us by Christ. Jesus took the time to show his
followers how to pray (see Matthew 6:5-15, page 843).
2. Prayer Is Not a Solitary Experience. God has given us his Holy Spirit
to aid us in prayer, even when we do not know what to pray (see Romans
8:26-27, page 1011).
3. Prayer Allows Us to Voice Our Requests to God. Prayer is God’s
appointed way for us to relate our concerns and present our needs to him
(see James 4:2-3, page 1127).
4. Prayer Enables Us to Seek Forgiveness. When we pray sincerely for
forgiveness, God will hear our prayers and restore us (see Hosea 14:1-7,
page 781).
5. Prayer Helps Us Overcome Worry. In the midst of troubles, we can
receive God’s peace through prayer (see Philippians 4:6-7, page 1077).
6. Prayer Increases Our Spiritual Knowledge and Maturity. God will
give us greater spiritual understanding through prayer (see Jeremiah 33:3, page
683).
One of the essential building blocks of spiritual growth is fellowship with other
believers by becoming part of a local church. The church (meaning the entire
body of Christians) is not really an organization so much as an organism. It
