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Philippians 4:6 (AMP) tells us, "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything, but in every circumstance and in everything by prayer and petition [definite requests] with thanksgiving continue to make your wants known to God."

Why does it say "with thanksgiving"? It's because—if you believe God heard your prayer and supplication, you'll be thankful.

You can tell which people are doing business with God on a regular basis because they're always praising Him. They always have something going with God to thank Him for. If there isn't a lot of praise in your life, step up your prayer life, and you'll have more reason to be thankful.

I believe that God is just waiting for us to ask something. He wants to hear from us all the time, and I want to keep Him busy. When He finds someone who'll pray, He'll give them something to praise Him for.

Paul not only gave us instruction about giving thanks, he gave us his own example as well. He must have been one of the most praying and praising men who ever walked on earth. We find examples of this throughout the New Testament.

According to 1 Corinthians 1:4, which states, "I thank my God always on your behalf, for the grace of God which is given you by Jesus Christ," Paul was always thanking God.

In Ephesians 1:16, Paul says, "[I] cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers." He wasn't praying just for the church at Ephesus; he was constantly giving thanks. We need to do the same thing. When you think of a body of believers, a pastor, or your friend, thank your heavenly Father for them.

In Philippians 1:3-4, Paul added, "I thank my God upon every remembrance of you, always in every prayer of mine for you all making request with joy."

One of the pitfalls praying people fall into is that they become heavy with the burdens of prayer, and it gets coupled with spiritual pride. "I'm a pray-er, and I'm just weighted down with it so heavily today!"

Well, you shouldn't be. You're not God, and you aren't carrying the world on your shoulders. You're just doing your part in prayer.

So what keeps the heaviness away? Worshiping God with praise and thanksgiving. It will keep you focused on God instead of on yourself. It will keep your prayers clean, and it will protect you from taking either the credit or the responsibility for doing God's part.

In Colossians 1:3, Paul said, "We give thanks to God and the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, praying always for you." Don't you love Paul? This man had to be continually praying! He communed with God all the time.

I like what a great preacher once said, "I never pray for more than 15 minutes, but I never go more than 15 minutes without praying." Like this preacher, if we believe God is with us all the time, then we'll be conferring with Him continually.

In 1 Thessalonians 1:2, Paul said, "We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers."

We need to follow Paul's example and make mention of people's names when we pray. If someone comes to your mind, lift them up to the throne of grace. "Father, I lift up...." Make mention of them in your prayers.

In 1 Thessalonians 2:13, Paul said, "For this cause also thank we God without ceasing." Paul was extreme in the very best sense of the word when you compare his prayer life with that of most Christians. He prayed without ceasing.

In 2 Thessalonians 1:3, Paul wrote, "We are bound to thank God always for you, brethren, as it is meet, because that your faith groweth exceedingly, and the charity of every one of you all toward each other aboundeth."

There will always be evidence of what the devil is trying to do in someone's life, but don't focus on that. Magnify what God's doing. "Isn't it terrible what's happening to So-and-So?"

Don't get into that. Sniff at the devil and talk about what God is doing about the situation. If you don't see evidence of it in their lives, go to the Bible. Remember that if they're born again, you have God's Word that He is working in them, both to will and to do His good pleasure (Phil. 3:13).

Grab hold of that and magnify it. Boast in the Lord! Even if you have to look at the situation under a magnifying glass, find something in it to thank God for and then open your mouth and let the praises fly.

Source: Secrets To Powerful Prayer
by Lynne Hammond and Patsy Cameneti.
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers

Author Biography

Lynne Hammond
Web site: Lynne Hammond Ministries
 
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”
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