Having a strong prayer life is critical to being the leader you are predestined to be.

Many men struggle with knowing how to pray and it is our goal to come alongside and provide you with a simple guide to make the most of your prayer time.  We are not born knowing how to pray so it is something that we must learn along the way.  The good news is that Jesus recognized that left alone we would struggle and being the wonderful teacher, He taught us how to pray.  

The Lord’s Prayer

The model He provided is often referred to as the “Lord’s Prayer”.  It is found in the book of Matthew and some of the most well-known verses in the Bible.  It is often memorized and even used without the consideration of what Jesus was showing us.  Here is that scripture: 

⁹ “This, then, is how you should pray: 

“‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, ¹⁰your kingdom come, your will be done,     on earth as it is in heaven. ¹¹ Give us today our daily bread. ¹²And forgive us our debts,     as we also have forgiven our debtors. ¹³And lead us not into temptation,     but deliver us from the evil one.’  

¹⁴For if you forgive other people when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. ¹⁵But if you do not forgive others their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.  

Matthew 6:9-15 

This is a powerful model, and our goal is to help you simplify and apply this to your daily prayer life.  This prayer can be broken down into three areas that will greatly impact how you pray.    

#1 Praise Him

Looking at verse 9 the best way to start your prayer is by recognizing Him as the God of the Universe.  The word “hallowed” is not something we hear regularly.  The definition means to make holy and honor. He is the Creator and all things come from Him.  A simple way to begin your prayer is by saying “God you are everything. I praise You and love You”.  You can go as deep as you want here and for some praise may include some form of worship.  The key is to enter your time of prayer by starting with praise to God the Father.  After your time of praise, you can move to part two of what Jesus modeled.   

#2 Humble Yourself

Working down the Lord’s Prayer you find that verse 10 acknowledges subjection to His will.  What does that mean exactly?  Simply defined it means you are to accept His ways over yours. The only way to accept His will is by humbling yourself.  An easy way to do this is by praying “Lord many think “I got this” but I acknowledge that I do not. I come to You seeking Your will as I cannot do this on my own.”  God knows our hearts, and this is a heart item.  As you work your way through this part of the prayer make sure you are coming from a place of sincerity and genuineness.  There is one final area of prayer that Jesus taught, and it has to do with our petitions.   

#3 Simply Ask

Verses 11-13 show us three areas of consideration.    

1. Provision – daily bread refers to the necessities we need to survive.  Think about your “Needs” not your “Wants”.  God is going to provide for your needs however in our humanness we often miss this.  What we feel we deserve can cloud our view of the blessings that He provides.  When you go to Him with asking for your needs come from a place of humility and it is okay to ask God for provision.  A word of caution would be to not camp out on this section of the prayer too long. Many think prayer is only about asking God to give you something.  That is not accurate and be aware of this when entering this part of your prayer.   
2. Forgiveness – verse 12 can be one of the hardest parts of the prayer.  Asking Him to forgive is something that comes naturally to most.  However, forgiving others can be challenging.  This is the heart of how a Christian should walk out their daily life.  Think about the 2 commandments that Jesus gave – 1. love God 2. Love others.  You cannot obey those without having forgiveness in your life.  Many times, true forgiveness can only occur with help from the Holy Spirit.  The main thing to remember here is that while you are seeking His forgiveness you cannot omit the importance of forgiving others.  
3. Protection – verse 13 is critical as we are under constant attack from the evil one.  Satan is going to do all he can to steal, kill and destroy.  He is going to use the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes and the pride of life to make you stumble.  Staying out of the lanes of temptation is key as you want God to shut the doors that need to be closed in your life.  You also need His heavenly protection against the attacks that will come.  Coming to Him with a heartfelt plea for protection is key.  As a side note remember the one offensive weapon we have as Believers is God’s Word.  As you pray for protection make sure you are devoting time daily to consuming His Word to be ready for the battles that will come.  

There you have it guys – a simple model to follow that will greatly impact your prayer life. 

God wants to hear from you and making this a priority in your life will make a tremendous impact.  You cannot be the leader you are predestined to be without spending quality time with the Father every day.  This is not something designated just for Sunday.  Make your prayer life a priority and watch the impact that it will have on your life. That is how you truly unleash the Lion Within!