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"Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." (1 John 5:14)

It should not come as a surprise to Christians that God has defined the principles of effective prayer, for He has set down commandments for all aspects of the faith. The Bible provides all the tools needed to make your prayer life more effective.

"You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures." (James 4:3)

The most common reason we don't receive what we ask for is because our request is a selfish one, and seeks to fulfill a lust of the flesh. Take a moment to examine the reason why you are asking God for something. He is not interested in fulfilling your worldly desires.

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." (James 5:16)

The effectiveness of your prayer is also dependent upon the condition of your soul. One must be righteous for prayer to be effective. God is righteous, and it is only possible for man to be so if they are obedient to God. Therefore, we must be living in accordance with God's will if we wish our prayers to have any effect. Peter supports this with the example of the husband-wife relationship:

"Husbands, likewise, dwell with them with understanding, giving honor to the wife, as to the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life, that your prayers may not be hindered." (1 Peter 3:7)

The intensity and feeling behind your prayers is also important according to James. Doubt weakens faith. "Whatever things you ask when you pray," Jesus says in Mark 11:24, "believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

The biblical principles of effective prayer are not limited to our attitude and spiritual state. Jesus taught about the form our prayers should take. The repetition of words was vanity, and no more effective than the heathen practices. (Matthew 6:7) Christ continues in verses 9-13 of Matthew 6 to provide his disciples with a model prayer. Based upon this model, an effective Christian prayer should contain one or more of these things:

- praise for the name of God
- a request for God's will to be done and His kingdom to increase
- the fulfillment of our basic physical needs (food, clothing, and shelter)
- forgiveness of our sins according to the forgiveness we have given
- the strength to overcome temptation.

A Christian must align their prayer life with biblical principles if they wish it to be effective. Our attitude, spiritual condition, and the form our prayers take all have an impact. The God of the Bible is a wise and loving God. He is also just and fair. He commands obedience, but provides His creation with all the tools they need to obey. Prayer is no exception.

Learn more about this author, Kameron M. Franklin.
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