How to Pray: The Best Tips For a Stronger Prayer Life

February 22, 2024 - By Jaime

Don’t know how to pray? That’s okay; here are the best tips for a stronger prayer life! Prayer is essential to a Christian lifestyle, and we cannot forsake it! The Bible tells us to pray always; I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” It is God’s will for us to pray and give thanks continually! So, let’s learn how to pray as a Christian and learn the best tips for a stronger prayer life!

How to Pray

A lot of people actually don’t know how to pray and end up frustrated because of the lack of answered prayers. There is a way to pray that guarantees answers, so today, we are going to learn the best ways to pray for a stronger prayer life so you don’t have to be frustrated anymore! You can live in continually answered prayers and give glory to God! So, let’s get started!

How to Pray Using Scriptures

Learning how to pray can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be! So, let’s get into the first step that makes praying more exciting!

Nothing makes prayer stronger than using the Word itself! Isaiah 55:11 says, “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.” God will honor His Word, so it is in your best interest to pray His Word.

God sent His Word to us to be evidential in our lives; His Word becomes reality when we use it in prayer! So, for every prayer point you had, you need scripture backing it up! I would recommend obtaining at least two to three scriptures per prayer point. I like to use Matthew 4 as a reference point. Jesus used three scriptures when tempted by Satan, so I think we should, too! Now, if you want more, by all means go crazy! The more scripture, the better; I just think three is the minimum!

Praying in His Will

When we use the Bible to pray, we are praying in God’s will! I John 5:14-15 says, “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.” God’s Word is His will! So, when you pray Bible verses, you automatically know that God hears your prayers; when you know that God hears your prayers, you know they are answered! So, pray confidently because we will come boldly to the throne!

This will strengthen your prayers and faith because you’ll never have an unanswered prayer again. After all, God doesn’t allow His Word to return to Him void! Now, let me give you an example of how to do this!

How to Use Scripture in Prayer

Let’s use the scripture, I Peter 2:24, which says, “[Jesus] bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” So, if you believe in healing, let’s pray this! “God, I come to you believing to be healed because Your Word says, in I Peter 2:24, that by your stripes I was healed! So, God, I expect to be healed in Jesus’s Name, and I thank you for it in advance!” or “God, Your word says that by Jesus’ stripes, I am healed, so I thank you, God, that I am healed!” This is how to pray biblically, using the Bible and reminding God of His Word.

You Have it!

To go even further, let’s look at Mark 11:24, which says, “Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” When we pray initially, we have to believe we already have what we prayed for; that’s the only way we receive it by having it before seeing the physical manifestation. It’s not something you’re getting; it’s something you already have once you pray! Don’t look at it as something to come; look at it as something you have already obtained!

When you pray in faith, God will 100% answer! Once you pray that, know that it is yours! Anytime you feel the opposite of your prayer, for example, if you prayed I Peter 2:24 and feel sick, remind God of His Word. Tell Him, “You said I was healed, God, so thank you for my healing!” Don’t say anything that contradicts your prayers or the Word of God! As long as you remain in faith, your request is granted!

Pray in the Name of Jesus

John 16:24 says, “Until now, you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive that your joy may be full.” The only way for the previous tip to be in effect is to pray in the name of Jesus. There is no other name to pray in. We don’t pray to Mary, Joseph, Peter, etc.; they are dead, but Jesus is living! So we pray to God the Father through Jesus! It is pivotal that you always end your prayers with “in Jesus’ name.” Without that closer, you can count your prayer void.

Now, if you are not a Christian but you’re praying out of sincerity because you need God, I’m sure God will answer. However, if you want strong and life-changing prayers, you must use the name of Jesus. For the believer, it is different; we don’t end prayers with “in your name” or to anyone who isn’t Jesus. We must use and speak that name at the end of our prayers. John 14:14 says, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

Jesus Our Meditator

We pray in Jesus’ name because that is how God answers our prayers. I Timothy 2:5 says, “For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus.” Jesus is our go-between, so He is the one who presents our case to God. So, wouldn’t you want strong evidence if you’re making a case? That’s why we use the scriptures to pray. Think of praying as, “Why should God answer this prayer?” In the same way, in a court of law, we think, “Why should this person be proven innocent?” Everything is a case you’re building for Jesus to present to God.

It is pivotal we pray in Jesus’ name because if not, then who is speaking on our behalf to God? The answer is no one! No one else can get your prayers to God than Jesus! As I said previously, however, for people who don’t know Jesus and aren’t Christians, it’s different. If you’ve prayed as a cry for help, know that God heard you. God hears the sincere prayers of a sinner! But if you’re a born-again Christian, still not praying in the name of Jesus, you better start! Praying effectively will always include ending prayers with the name of Jesus!

Give Thanks in Prayer

Psalm 100:4 says, “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, And into His courts with praise. Be thankful to Him, and bless His name.” So, when you start your prayer, you should always begin with praise. Philippians 4:6 says, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.” When you pray, you also give praise and thanks to God! This is vital because it demonstrates the faith you have in God! Starting my prayers, I usually thank God for what He has done. At the end of my prayers, I thank Him for what He will do! Prayer should be a praise and thanksgiving sandwich. Praise and thanks, prayer requests, and praise and thanks in Jesus’ name! So start those prayers by thanking God!

Create a Prayer List / Use a Prayer Journal

This step helps with organization and knowing the specific things you asked God for. I do my best to write down my prayers and those I’m praying for in a journal. This way, I am reminded while praying to avoid those blank moments. Habakkuk 2:2 says, “Write the vision and make it plain.” So, making a prayer list and writing down your prayers will help you envision them being answered! For me, it really helps me bring my prayers into reality and builds my faith just thinking about my prayers being answered.

Check off When Prayers Are Answered

Since you created a prayer list, when God answers them, you can go back and check them off! I promise you that seeing a checkmark next to a prayer point builds faith! When the devil tempts you with unbelief, you can go to your prayer journal and say, “No, God answered this prayer and this prayer and that prayer, so I know He will answer the next one!” Proverbs 10:7 says, “The memory of the righteous is blessed, But the name of the wicked will rot.” Because you remember the prayers He answered, you will be blessed by another answered one because you hold onto your faith! Remembering the goodness of God and knowing He doesn’t change builds my faith! So start checking off the answered prayers, so you have proof of the goodness of God and won’t be tempted by unbelief!

Be Consistent in Prayer

None of these tips will be helpful if you aren’t consistent! Consistency is critical to everything we do! You don’t go to the gym once and have your perfect body! You go multiple times, so it is the same with prayer! Pray every day! I Thessalonians 5:16-18 says, “pray without ceasing,” So you must continually pray, especially if you want to see results.

Sometimes, when it comes to prayer, we don’t know where to start, so having a schedule can be helpful! Know what your daily life looks like; what time do you have class? Work? Gym session? And figure out the best times to pray! We all have at least 30 minutes we can dedicate to prayer. The time you spend mindlessly scrolling on TikTok, let’s pray 😉 Or skip that episode and pray.

Be more organized with your time so time with God doesn’t slip away. We dedicate all this time to other things, but let’s be more mindful and consistent about our time with God. I even get busy sometimes and can do a lot better when it comes to my personal time with God, so let’s make that change together!

Putting it All Together

Okay, with all of this advice, what does a strong prayer look like? Well, let’s use everything we learned and know how to pray properly! We know we must start with thanksgiving and praise. So, “God, I thank You for today and for waking me up this morning and the breath in my lungs. I thank You because You are good, mighty, and powerful, and I know You can do anything and everything! You are faithful, You are magnificent, and You are everything I need and more! Thank You, God, for being truly and utterly amazing!”

Prayer Requests

Now, let’s get into our prayer requests and how to effectively pray with the scriptures! “God, Your Word says in I Peter 2:24 that “[Jesus] bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness—by whose stripes you were healed.” So, according to Your Word, I am healed! Therefore, this pain I am dealing with is unscriptural, and I should not have to deal with it. So, God, I’m praying that this pain leaves now in the name of Jesus so that my body aligns with Your Word so that Your Word does not return to you void!” Using this method, you’ll know how to properly pray!

Salvation Prayers

You can insert any verse and problem in this format because God responds to His Word! It even works with people; for family, I say, “God, I am praying for ________’s salvation, because as it says in Joshua 24:15, “as for me and my household, we shall serve the Lord!” ________ is a part of my household so that they will serve the Lord in Jesus’ name. It is unscriptural for my daughter, son, cousin, uncle, aunt, etc., to not serve the Lord, so to be in accordance with Your will, I am praying for their salvation! I thank you in advance for it!”

For friends, I pray, “God, in Your Word, it says in Joel 2:28 that You will “pour out [Your] Spirit upon all people.” _________ is a part of all people, so I pray that Your Spirit is poured out on them and that will be saved! Your Word also says in 2 Peter 3:9, You are “not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” So I pray that ________ comes to repentance and be saved in Jesus’ name! Your Word also says in 1 Timothy 2:3-4 You, “[desire] all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.” So, I pray that _________ comes to the knowledge of the truth and be saved in Jesus’ name!”

Ending with Thanksgiving

You should have a good understanding of how to say a prayer; now, to top it off, we end our prayers with thanksgiving!

“God, I thank You for this time of prayer and for answering my prayers! I thank You that Your Word says, “Whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.” So, I believe I’ve already received these things, so I thank You, God, that I have them. I thank You for …. (list of things you prayed for). I thank You that Your Word says, “whatever you ask in [Jesus’] name, that [He] will do. So I thank You, God, that You are doing these things for me now, and I pray this prayer in Jesus’ name, amen!” This is how to pray effectively!

Faith Filled Words

With this formula, be prepared for the windows of Heaven to be opened upon your life with answered prayers! These are prayers of faith! But it’s not over once you say amen; in your everyday life, you must speak in alignment with these prayers! Don’t say anything that would contradict your prayers because “Death and life are in the power of the tongue” (Proverbs 18:21). You can make your prayers come to life or kill them all by your words. Even if you see something that is not aligned with your prayers, continue to remind God of His Word!

A Call to Salvation

You have all the tips now! Don’t believe me? Try it, and come back and testify about the amazing things God has done for you! If you don’t know Jesus but would like to experience His amazingness through prayer, let’s pray the most important prayer of your life. “Dear Heavenly Father, I repent of my sins and turn my back to them. I give Jesus my whole life, heart, mind, and soul by faith; I believe Jesus is the Son of God and that He died on the cross for my sins, and I accept Him into my heart now. I believe Jesus is Lord, and I give my life to Jesus! Amen!” If you said this prayer, go to the I Just Got Saved page for church recommendations, a Bible, and a journal!

I hope this advice helped you and that praying to God becomes more exciting and stronger! I can’t wait to hear about those answered prayers; just fill out the Contact form! Remember, prayer is powerful, and it will change your life! God bless you!