
Foundation 2: Prayer and Bible Study
The most important thing you can do if you are going to live the overcoming, victorious life God desires for you to live, you must spend time every day with the Lord in PRAYER and BIBLE STUDY. As you talk to Him (PRAYER) and He talks to you (BIBLE STUDY), your daily quiet time spent with the Lord will become the anchor of your soul and the source of your greatest joy in life (Psalms 16:11).
Part I: PRAYER
Helpful hints to establish an effective prayer life:
• PRAY early in the morning (Psalms 5:3). PRAYING before you start your daily work is often best because the mind is uncluttered and the body is refreshed. This also gives you an opportunity to PRAY over the situations you will face during the day.
• Find a place where it is quiet and flee from distractions (Matthew 14:23).
• Find the position that is most effective for you - kneeling, standing, lying on your face before God, or even sitting in a chair.
• Concentrate on what you are doing, and try not to let your mind wander aimlessly.
• You may wish to PRAY out loud as this will help you keep your mind from wandering (Psalms 3:4; 27:7).
• Be sincere. Be real and pray from the heart (Matthew 6:5-7).
• Listen to God. Learn to distinguish His voice from all others. Jesus, your Shepherd, said that His “sheep” would hear His voice (John 10:2-5). Hint: He is usually the still, small voice inside you.
• Pray over the WORD as you read it and Pray over what God speaks to your heart through the WORD.
• Pray in your understanding (native language), and Pray in the Spirit (“Tongues”) (1 Corinthians 14:15).
• Pray to the Father in the Name of Jesus (John 15:16).
• Pray in faith (Mark 11:24).
• Pray from a clean heart and a pure conscience (Psalms 66:18).
• Pray the will of God as it is revealed in His Word (1 John 5:14).
• Humble yourself before God (James 4:10).
• Be bold in your approach before God as He wants to give you mercy, grace, and help (Hebrews 4:16).
• Sing unto the Lord (Psalms 100:2).
• Don’t give up in your praying (Luke 18:1).
The Lord’s Prayer, a model to pray
Jesus was asked by His disciples to teach them to pray. His reply to them has come to be known as “The Lord’s Prayer” (Matthew 6:9-13; Luke 11:2-4).
Jesus was instructing His disciples to PRAY “after this manner.” We believe that Jesus was giving a model prayer guide, showing the basic elements that should be contained in your PRAYER life.
Here are 6 basic parts of PRAYER:
Praise and Thanksgiving- “Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be thy Name.”
Submission to His will - “Thy Kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth as it is in Heaven.”
Petition for your own personal needs - “Give us this day our daily bread.”
Cleansing of relationships (between self and God and between self and others) - “And forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors.”
Spiritual Warfare - “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
Worship - “For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever.”
Part II: Bible Study
Practical reasons to study the bible are:
• The Bible shows you the way of Salvation (Romans 1:17).
• The Bible shows you what God is like (Psalms 119:15).
• Through the Word of God you learn what your benefits in Christ are (1Corinthians 2:12; Psalms 103:2-3).
• The Bible gives you insight on how to have godly relationships in your family, in your church, and in your job (Ephesians 5:22-6:9).
• Regular Bible study keeps you from error, extremes, and instabilities (2 Timothy 3: 16-17).
• God’s WORD feeds your spirit (your inner man), causing it to grow and be strong (1 Peter 2:2).
• The WORD brings success when it is obeyed (Joshua 1:8).
• The SCRIPTURES are your source of wisdom and guidance (Psalms 119:105).
• The BIBLE teaches you how to get to Heaven (John 14: 6).
Tips for Effective BIBLE STUDY:
Give regular BIBLE STUDY top priority.
Set a definite time every day.
Get mentally awake.
Ask God to open the meaning of the SCRIPTURES to you.
Read the book of John 3 times then the rest of the New Testament.
Read at least two chapters or fifteen minutes each day.
Mark passages in your BIBLE that especially speaks to you.