The supposed life of a Christian is one dependent on God. Yet sometimes, as believers, we wonder why it is difficult to maintain a steady relationship with God. More so, the question of how we can develop consistent prayer life dominates other pressing issues about a personal relationship with God.
Sometimes, you may suspect that the devil is after your prayer life. Yes, you are absolutely right; the devil is not a fan of prayers. Perhaps, this is why even when you commit to improving your prayer life, you return to your former state for reasons you can’t really explain.
This is a common occurrence for most believers; you’re not the only one on this ship. However, as Christians, prayer is not an option! It is not what you may choose to do or not, it is necessary to keep you sustained.
Therefore, we must explore all there is to have a consistent prayer life. Aside from affecting your spiritual growth, you’ll miss out on many blessings without a consistent prayer life. Praying regularly is essential for Christians to assume their position in God’s creation.
Perhaps, you’re finding it difficult to maintain a consistent and powerful prayer life that will unlock the supplies of the spirit; here, I have created this timely article: consistent prayer life: 17 ways to develop. It highlights ways to build a consistent prayer life.
Benefits of a Consistent Prayer Life.
Since it’s easy to lose faith and give up on prayers, it’s worth discussing some of the benefits that make pursuing a consistent prayer life worthwhile.
So, in this section, we’ll consider seven benefits of consistent prayer life that I hope will encourage you in building up a steady prayer life.
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An Increased Passion for Prayer:
In an ideal situation, not observing a particular thing regularly will make you lose interest in it. Therefore, if you want to be passionate about prayer, pray often.
Try as much as possible to overcome distractions that always keep you from communing with the Lord.
When you overcome these barriers and start to see what God has done for you, then the fire in you will fuel your prayer life. Being passionate about prayer will lead you to various spiritual dimensions capable of breaking chains and spiritual upliftment.
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The Strength to Avoid Temptation:
The devil is always there to tempt us. The most potent weapon against this is prayer. Even Jesus once counseled His disciples, saying; Watch and pray so that you do not fall into Temptation – Mathew 26:41 (NIV).
Therefore, we can surmount the urge to commit sin through constant prayers.
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The Power to get Revelation:
Each time you pray to God, your eyes will be opened to serious decisions about your life. Prayer helps you in finding direction in your life. God always listens to prayers and provides the specific directions and guidance we seek.
Even if not immediately, prayer is a solution to the answers we seek. Praying consistently as well opens your eyes to understanding the ways of God.
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You Develop a Steady Relationship with God :
God is always willing to hear from us. Prayers are easily answered when we are consistent. The Holy Spirit dwells in the heart of an individual who is consistent in prayer, feeding the spirit with the love of God.
Likewise, if you maintain a steady relationship with God, good things will come your way because God watches over those who call upon His name.
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Helps You Understand God’s Love:
The Scripture teaches us that God is Love. (1 John 4:8). We experience this love when we communicate with Him daily. Through constant prayers, our eyes are opened even more to experiencing His Love as well as His plans for us.
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Provokes Divine Intervention:
There’s never a situation where a believer who is dedicated to prayer is left without help. So, if you want to open the doors of heaven, pray without ceasing.
Prayer attracts the attention of the Heavens, making it easy for us to tap from the abundant graces available.
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Aligns You with God’s Will:
This is similar to the third benefit of a consistent prayer life shared earlier. Except, in this case, you will better understand God’s plans for your life and His ways, getting yourself into complete alignment with his will.
Also Related: Prayer Apps: 15 Apps to Improve Your Prayer Life.
Consistent Prayer Life: 17 ways to Develop.
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Schedule a Prayer Time-
To do this, create a particular time of the day to pray and be determined to stick to it at all costs. Having an hour of prayer will go a long way in helping you develop a consistent prayer life.
Take Peter and John as motivations for this habit; One day, Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer-at three in the afternoon. – Acts 3:1 (NIV).
Mind you; it’s best to choose a realistic time of the day. Pick a time when you’re normally less busy and less likely to get distracted.
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Start Small-
Every great thing starts small. Therefore, allow your prayer time to grow naturally. Do not rush yourself into praying for long. For instance, don’t start by deciding to pray for 90 minutes in a stretch.
You’ll easily weary out, especially if you’re a beginner, and eventually feel discouraged to keep up. It’s okay to start from as small as 10 minutes and allow yourself to improve with time.
Do not allow yourself to be cajoled into praying like someone else. And gradually, you’ll see yourself going from 10 to 15, 25, and 30 minutes until you begin to lose track of prayer time.
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Create a prayer List-
This is just like making a grocery list before shopping. This will help you to be attentive to what to buy, the quantity, and the necessary items needed. By doing this, we get most of the things we need.
Likewise, a prayer list is as important for the same reason we create a grocery list. This will help you in praying more effectively. Your prayer list should be created in advance of your prayer time.
In addition to praying about what matters to you, a prayer list can help you pray longer and effectively. You can even decide to tick the answered prayers, which will help you in becoming conscious of God’s faithfulness in your life.
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Get a Prayer Partner–
In every aspect of life, two are always better than one.
Even the Bible says; Two are better than one because they have a good return for their work: if one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up! – Ecclesiastics 4:9 (NIV).
The above Scripture also talks about getting greater results in collaboration. We become more encouraged when performing tasks with loved ones.
Having a prayer partner with like desire will help you in developing a habit of prayer which in turn will make you develop an effective and consistent prayer life.
Your prayer partner could be your friend, spouse, colleague, or even your neighbor.
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Pray without Ceasing-
This is a popular saying in the Bible. However, we sometimes confuse it with praying without Both are actually correct with deep reasoning.
We are advised to pray continuously, which in a way means praying in all seasons. In essence, pray every time!
This, however, doesn’t imply that you should abandon every other activity and keep praying for 24 hours non-stop for the rest of your life.
The meaning of this advice is that prayer should become a part of you. Such that you pray while performing other activities.
The consciousness of the presence of God should make you mutter words of prayers to Him every now and then.
You can simply say “God help me” while working on a project or just say “Thank you, Jesus” after giving a great speech. However, this should not replace your normal time of prayer.
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Make Prayer a Priority–
In most cases, one of the reasons we fail to improve on our prayer life is our inability to put prayer first. If you place prayer as the least in your daily schedule, you’ll become too discouraged to pray at all.
To have a consistent prayer life, you must place prayer as the first and most important aspect of your daily activity.
It should be what you observe first in the morning. O LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning, lay my request before you and wait in expectation. – Psalms 5:3 (NIV).
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Create a Prayer Journal –
One of the easiest ways to remain steadfast in prayer amidst challenges is to constantly remind yourself of what God has done for you in the past.
Recording prayers you made and the answers you received will give you the chance to reflect on what the Lord has done for you.
Nothing will boost the level of your faith than looking back on what weighed you down for long and how God uplifted you through prayers. Then you’ll be conscious of the fact that prayers work!
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Surround Yourself with Believers –
You should surround yourself with people who are vibrant in prayer if you want to get in-tuned with praying constantly. You can join a prayer group or intercessors who will constantly remind you to pray.
They’ll also help you to devote yourself to prayer, being watchful and thankful – Colossians 4: 2 (NIV).
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Find a Visual Reminder–
As you aim at opening an effective prayer life, it can be helpful if you create a visual reminder of whom or what you’re praying for. It could be a family picture, a project, or maybe a contract proposal.
This doesn’t mean you’re praying to that item. Rather, it serves as a point of contact. This will help you to be more eager and focused during prayer.
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Seek Divine Intervention-
Plead with the Holy Spirit to teach you how to pray consistently. Remember that you can do anything through prayers- learn how to pray, notwithstanding.
The Holy Spirit will create a form of consciousness in your heart that even when you forget to pray, you’ll instantly get a reminder.
More so, the Holy Spirit will deliver you from the laziness or unwillingness to pray. Just ask Him for help today.
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Set Prayer Reminder on Your Phone–
Just as you set reminders for important meetings or alarms to wake you up for work, set a reminder for the time you need to pray.
You can start small by setting reminders to pray every three hours or for ten minutes after waking up daily. Whichever form you choose, just make sure you fulfill the reminder.
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Study Your Bible Constantly –
A good way of developing a consistent prayer life is by reading the Bible consistently.
You need to hear from God to grow your faith, as written in Romans 10:17 (NIV) – Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ.
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Make a Prayer Closet–
It mustn’t be a real closet. It could be your bedroom, porch, office, or couch in your living room. Just create a place where you will find comfort in praying.
Make this place a permanent closet for prayer, and do all you can to go there for prayers daily.
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Be Accountable–
To do this, find a reliable prayer partner or group. Call or text them regularly to know how their prayer life is faring and also give a report about your prayer life.
Meet up for dinner weekly and discuss your prayer life. Do whatever works for you but just find a trustworthy believer to monitor your prayer life.
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Make Prayer a Habit–
When you want to create a healthy eating habit, you’ll need more than one vegetable recipe, right? You will need a plan for eating out, varieties, and ways to overcome distractions.
This is the same with prayer. Learn to create strategies for effective prayer as well as ways to maintain your prayer life. You may just be diagnosed as being a prayer addict in the end.
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Don’t Get Discouraged–
You should not allow situations surrounding you to dissuade you from praying. Things might not be going well for you, but that doesn’t mean you should give up. Keep up with the faith and be expectant of a breakthrough.
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Get Rid of Distractions–
Distractions may come from unnecessary activities that will pull your attention away from prayers. You need the discipline to become consistent in prayer.
Cut down on the time you spend online surfing the net, the time for movies, and the time for idleness. Use that time to improve your prayer life instead.
Conclusion
Consistency in prayer may be a little difficult, but it is necessary. Likewise, the benefits of consistent prayer are unending blessings.
Therefore, I hope that as you have digested this article on Consistent Prayer Life, you will reignite your prayer life and enjoy the blessings attached to it.
Additionally, don’t forget to be your brother’s keeper; share this article with loved ones who you feel are inconsistent in their prayer life.
More so, this article can encourage those who are already in the act of consistent prayer to keep it up.
