When we pray properly, our prayers are set before God as incense.
Psalms 141:2: Let my prayer be set forth before you as incense
The entire heaven goes into silence to listen. See how to pray public prayers
There are don’ts in prayer (things not to do).
Prayer Don’ts
1. Do not pray loud standing in synagogues (churches) and corners of the streets
It is hypocrites who pray in such a manner.
And when you pray, you shall not be as the hypocrites are: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men (Mt 6:5)
See hypocrites pray standing in corners of streets and synagogues (churches)
God is in secret. He hears and sees in secrecy.
But when you pray, enter into your closet, and when you have shut you door, pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father who sees in secret… (Mt 6:6)
Go into secrecy to pray.
When you pray like hypocrites, you become a hypocrite and your prayer is not heard.
2. Do not use vain repetitions
But when you pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen do: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking (Mt 6:7).
It is heathens who use vain repetitions when praying thinking that they will be heard for their much saying.
When you pray like a heathen, you become a heathen and your prayers are not heard.
See do not use vain repetitions when you pray
3. Do not pray crammed prayers
In the article mentioned previously, see why not to pray crammed prayers.
To pray properly, there are important things you must have/do.
Important Prayer Requirements
1. Great faith
There are 3 main levels of faith; faithless, doubters and people of great faith. See the 3 main levels of faith.
Praying without great faith is flattering God and your prayers are not heard. See the importance of great faith
2. Body position
How we position our bodies to pray is important to God because it shows honor, respect, humbleness and lowers the body and soul to lift the spirit up to meet with the spirit of the LORD; the Holy Spirit.
See best body prayer positions and how to honor God
Jesus always positioned His body rightly every time He prayed to His Father. Why not us humanity?
3. Holy Spirit must be dwelling in you
There are 3 relationship of the Holy Spirit with humanity; with you, in you and upon you.
See the 3 relationship of the Holy Spirit with humans
If the Holy Spirit dwells in you, you are baptized with the Holy Spirit and thus you will be able to pray properly. It is the Holy Spirit who leads us in prayer; tells us how to pray, what to say and how to.
The Holy Spirit dwelling in us is constantly communicating to God the things we need reason before we even ask He knows the things we need.
Mt 6:8: for your Father knows the things you have need of, before you ask Him.
When Jesus was teaching how to pray, He did not tell us this is the prayer to cram and keep repeating it to Him but He said,
Mt 6:9: In this manner therefore pray: Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.
The word Jesus used is, ‘In this manner pray….’ He did not tell us to cram the prayer and keep repeating it to Him but to pray in that manner.
When a teacher teaches you how to solve a mathematical problem, you use the manner s/he has showed you to solve other mathematical problems but you do not copy and paste the example your teacher used to teach you because you will get all other mathematical problems wrong.
Those repeating the prayer Jesus Christ taught us with are not praying properly and obeying what Jesus said because He said, ‘In this manner pray’. He did not tell us to cram and keep repeating that prayer to Him.
Using the prayer which Jesus taught us in Mat 6 we are going to see how to pray properly; Manner in which to pray.
How to Pray Properly: – Manner in Which to Pray
When the Holy Spirit is dwelling in you, you will open your mouth and He will give you words, what to say and in what manner.
And this is how the Holy Spirit leads us to pray;
1. Acknowledge the dominion, power of God and who He is
In the example prayer which Jesus gave us, He started by saying,
Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name (Mt 6:9)
This is acknowledging who God is, His name, dominion and power.
When the Holy Spirit is leading you, the first thing He will make you do is to acknowledge who God is.
2. Pray for the will of God to be done
Tell God is will be done not your will/our will.
Mt 6:10: Your kingdom come. Your will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.
Many times our will is not God’s will or in-line with His will. God’s will is the best for you and me. His plan for us is the best. Our mind plans are not.
Therefore it is important to tell God that though I have this and that plan and I am asking this and that, since your will is the best and you have a designed plan and purpose for my creation, let your will be done not my will.
This is the stage were hypocrites and heathens who are not led by the Holy Spirit in prayer get it wrong by praying against the will of God or trying to force God do in accordance to their mind will.
Example;
God has decreed to judge Kenya, South Africa, Mexico, Japan, Cameroon, Nigeria, Sweden, Spain, etc if the people will not repent but you hear a person calling her/himself Christian pray and say, ‘do not let this happen’, ‘do not let your will be done’.
This is commanding/instructing God what to do. It is praying against the will of God. It is commanding God to do your will.
The person who fights against God’s will is only Satan. The time a person is speaking against/fighting God’s will is being used by Satan.
Reason when Jesus spoke of how He was to suffer and die which was God’s will and Peter rose to rebuke Him, Jesus spoke directly to the Satan who was in Peter fighting God’s will.
Mk 8:33: But when he had turned about and looked on his disciples, he rebuked Peter, saying, Get thee behind me, Satan: for you not mindful of the things that be of God, but the things that be of men.
A person praying/speaking against God’s will, is not mindful about things of God but things of men and this is Satan inside that person.
Who are we humanity to tell God what to do? Who are you human being to command and instruct God what to do?
Instead you should pray as Jesus prayed when His time come. He prayed,
Mt 26:39: …O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as you wilt.
Mt 26:42: He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, you will be done.
Jesus knew that it was decreed from the foundations of the earth that He must die on the cross for salvation of humanity. It was not His will but the will of His father.
Though He was facing death on the cross, Jesus did not pray against the will of God; He did neither commanded neither instructed God but we see Him asking but letting God’s will be done.
Nowhere do we see Jesus telling God ‘not to let this happen’ Him because that is a command. Look at His words careful, He said, ‘if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou will’, ‘if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, your will be done’.
If the Holy Spirit is leading you in prayer, you will never pray against God’s will neither command nor instruct God but you will ask His will be done.
God chastens us. He is the potter and He takes us who He loves through hard times to shape us.
Rev 3:19: As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent.
When many Christians face times of chastening, they pray against God’s will and start commanding Him what to do instead of asking His will be done and be given strength to go through the chastening process.
Stop commanding God, stop praying against His will. Let His will be done. Ask do not instruct neither command Him. He is God.
3. Ask for daily bread
Do not pray to ask for tomorrow’s bread or to save for tomorrow but ask for today’s bread. This is where many people make a mistake.
When you ask for tomorrow is a sign that you are worried about tomorrow because you do not trust that God who created you is able to provide for you today and tomorrow; you lack great faith.
Jesus said,
Look at the birds of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much better than they? (Mt 6:26).
Therefore do not worry about tomorrow: for the tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is it’s won trouble (Mt 6:34)
People who save large sums of food/money in barns (banks) are the biggest hypocrites. They save for tomorrow because they do not trust that the God who gave them for today is able to give them for tomorrow; hypocrites.
They have filled banks with large sums of money yet there are people with no food, clothes and shelter. Instead of helping God’s creation, they mount for themselves; Selfish hypocrites in name of Christians.
These are the rich fools. See the parable of the rich fool.
The money saved in the bank is not helping any person neither you. You are selfishly worried about tomorrow not trusting in God and ministering to His creation with what He has given you and Jesus will say to you,
Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food: I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink: I was a stranger, and you took me not in: naked, and you clothed me not: sick, and in prison, and you visited me not (Mt 25:41-43).
Then shall they also answer Him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison, and did not minister to You? Then shall He answer them, saying, ‘Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me’. And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal (Mt 25:44-46).
As much as you are saving in banks not feeding, clothing, proving shelter to Jesus Christ by helping those in need, you will perish because you are just a hypocrite claiming to be a Christian.
The children of Israel were instructed to collect Manna each man according to her/his needs for only that day not to keep it until the morning.
Ex 16:16, 19: This is the thing which the LORD has commanded, Gather of it every man according to his needs, an omer for every man, according to the number of your persons; take you every man for them which are in his tents. And Moses said, Let no man leave of it till the morning.
You are supposed to collect manner for only today but not to save until tomorrow. Because the God who provides today is the same God who will provide tomorrow and He is able.
The children of Israel ate Manna until they entered into the Promised Land. If you obey, you will never lack daily bread until you enter into the doors of heaven.
When you pray, pray God to meet your today’s needs because the same God who gives you for today will give you tomorrow. The same God of today is the same of tomorrow.
The excess you are given for today is for ministering to Jesus Christ by ministering to those in need; feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, giving shelter to the homeless etc.
4. Ask for forgiveness
Mt 6:12: And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.
But do not be a hypocrite who asks for forgiveness and does not forgive others because God will not forgive you also.
Mt 6:14-15: For if ye forgive men their trespasses, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.
5. Ask not to be led into temptations
The problem is not sin but being led into temptations. It is falling into temptations which make humanity sin.
Pray not to be led into temptations but to be delivered from Satan who is the source of temptations to humanity.
Mt 6:13: And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil
6. Finish prayer by acknowledging God’s kingdom, power, dominion and glory
Prayer starts by acknowledging who God is; His power, dominion and it ends in the same way.
For Yours is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen (Mt 6:13)
It is very important to end by acknowledging God’s kingdom, power, dominion and glory forever because this is acknowledging that ‘I AM’ is the true living God reigns forever.
Reason Bibles translated by the Roman Empire and other cults lack this ending line in the prayer because they do not want to acknowledge that ‘I AM’ is the true living God ruling forever.
Example; look at the Revised Standard Version, which was written by the Roman Empire lacks that ending line in Mt 6:13
See the History of Bible translation to English and the most accurate Bible version
The 6 points reveal the manner in which to pray as revealed by our Lord Jesus Christ. It is the manner in which to pray not to cram the prayer and keep repeating it to God.
We also have our personal needs which we need to present to God in prayer thus the manner in which to pray is not everything but a guideline.
Pray as the Holy Spirit leads you.
Because we pray and ask wrongly we receive not.
James 4:3: You ask, and receive not, because you ask wrongly
From today, let us ask correctly and live like true Christians not hypocrites.
Stop saving in banks and being selfish but let’s share with those who do not have like the early brethren did.
Acts 2:44-45: And all that believed were together, and had all things common. And sold their possessions and goods, and divided them to all men, as every man had need.
And the same God who has given you will multiply what you have for you to be able to help many people and your life will be saved because you have ministered to Jesus Christ Himself.
When you stop being selfish and mounting everything to yourself, you ask and God does not deny you.
See the richest people who God does not deny them earthly riches and blesses them more than others
If with the little you cannot minister to Jesus Christ, will you minster when you have plenty? No!
Lk 16:10: He that is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much
For if God does not trust you with the little, He will not trust you with the plenty thus you will never receive plenty from Him.
Let’s live as true Christians not hypocrites and pray properly in the right manner.
Jesus is Coming
Repent for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand
