How to Pray Effectively

➤ by Pastor Andy Fulson

The 'how to pray' approach

A born-again believer (Jn 3:3; 5; 7) has many life-adjustments to make for changing old habits and learning to recognize the inward prompting of the Holy Spirit.

When it comes to the question of 'how to pray effectively', or making 'prayer requests', it all too often leads to the Old Testament. People were used to wailing, holding on to the horns of the altar, or crying out to God with: Bow thy heavens, O LORD, and come down… Send thine hand from above; rid me, and deliver me out of great waters, Psalm 144:5-7.

However, since the time of Jesus, that kind of pleading will no longer bring help.

Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, Philippians 4:6

Jesus brought an end to the Mosaic laws and introduced the beginning of grace and mercy.

Instilling something new while uprooting old habits can be overwhelming. This was the case as Jesus instructed Nicodemus, a recognized teacher of Israel (Jn 3:10), regarding the need to “be born again” (Jn 3:12).

Nikodemus had no insight into the 'renewal' of which Jesus spoke: Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God, John 3:5.

What Jesus taught was foundational and yet controversial.

In speaking to His disciples (Lk 6:20-49; Mt 5:2-48), He taught them what they needed to know: For He taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes, Matthew 7:29, even calling God His Father (Jn 12:49-50).

And regarding prayer, He spoke: Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full, John 16:23-24.

Verily, verily is important

The double emphasis of “verily, verily” draws attention to important points that need to be followed.

Jesus instituted God's grace as the free and undeserved favor of God, ending the Mosaic laws. Since then, every 'born again' believer (Jn 3:3) has entitled access to the immeasurable fullness of God's will (Jn 16:24).

Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them, Mark 11:24 [Bolded for emphasis].

However, praying to receive has conditions:

  • the need to be born again (Jn 3:5;7)
  • the need to renew one's mind (Rom 12:2)
  • the need to use faith (Heb 11:1). Nothing is achieved without it (Jam 1:7)

These are foundational concepts emphasized by New Testament Scripture.

How to pray effectively since Christ Jesus

The prayer-instruction of Mark 11:24 only became valid after the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. It mandated the confession of Jesus, (Rom 10:9-10), as a 'MUST be born again believer' and 'to believe which is FAITH'.

The Lord's Prayer (Mt 6:9) was in force at the time of the Old Testament (O.T.), i.e. before Jesus' crucifixion. Since Pentecost, it is no longer valid as a prayer to receive for New Testament believers.

As a model prayer, it was subject to O.T. conditions for making demands, such as “give us this day our bread” – “forgive us our trespasses” – “lead us not into temptation” (Mt 6:11-13).

After Jesus took his place of honor, the Holy Spirit was sent by Him (Lk 24:49), introducing the beginning of grace. Now anyone, having professed Jesus as Lord (Rom 10:9-10), is entitled to access the fullness of God's promises – but only by personal faith, calleth those things which be not as though they were, Romans 4:17.

Doubt and unbelief restrict what is received by prayer: But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord, James 1:6-7.

1 – Forgiveness of sins

Jesus became the final sacrifice of sin-atonement for all mankind. Yet only granted to those who have professed Jesus as the risen Son of God: That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation, Romans 10:9-10.

Asking for forgiveness, as in the Lord's Prayer, accomplishes nothing (Mt 6:12).

Being born again (Jn 3:3) came by confession (Rom 10:9-10), providing remission of all sins (meaning past, present, and future): For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast, Ephesians 2:8-9.

2 – Healing made available

Healing is available to everyone through Jesus' wounds inflicted on Him before His crucifixion, which Isaiah prophesied 800 years before Christ (Is 53:5). To this, Peter testified (1Pet 2:24), fulfilling Isaiah's prophecy.

Again - who is entitled to it? Everyone! And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: And heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, The kingdom of God is come nigh unto you, Luke 10:8-9 [Bolded for emphasis] ... revealing God's will to heal by GRACE.

Praying “Jesus heal me” doesn't achieve anything. Notwithstanding, that nothing is impossible for God (Lk 1:37) and neither is it for him who believes (Mk 9:23).

Healing from sickness, as well as release from fear and anxiety, are not prayer requests. Rather, they rely on using the empowerment of the assigned authority allotted to every believer: Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you, Luke 10:19.

As a joint heir with Jesus (Rom 8:16-17), every reconciled believer has been given the same authority to overcome Satan's power. Use that authority!

Being intimidated not to use that authority only gives Satan an extension to continue tormenting the hesitant believer.

How to pray effectively by choosing appropriate prayers

People are often unaware about how to pray effectively for oneself or for family members and others. Paul's prayer for the Colossians church is also suitable for oneself and for others.

His prayer reads as follows:
For this cause we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you, and to desire that ye might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son In whom we have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Colossians 1:9-14 [Bolded for emphasis].

All pronouns in bold can be replaced with 'I', 'we', 'he', 'she', 'family', 'children', 'woman', 'man', 'Tom', 'name' or other variants.

Inserting a pronoun replacement, such as 'Sue', would be as follows:
For this cause I also, since the day I heard it, do not cease to pray for Sue, and to desire that Sue might be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; That she might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; Strengthened with all might, according to his glorious power, unto all patience and longsuffering with joyfulness; Giving thanks unto the Father, which hath made her meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: Who hath delivered her from the power of darkness, and hath translated her into the kingdom of his dear Son In whom she has redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness of sins, Colossians 1:9-14 [Bolded for emphasis].

- Paul's prayer for the Ephesians

Paul makes his prayer request for the Church as follows:

Cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:16-20 [Bolded for emphasis].

As before, any bold pronoun or name can be replaced ...

Cease not to give thanks for Karen's family, making mention of them in my prayers; That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto them the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him: The eyes of their understanding being enlightened; that they may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to them who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, Ephesians 1:16-20 [Bolded for emphasis].

- more from the Epistle to the Ephesians 3

In the same epistle to the Ephesians, chapter 3, Paul prays as follows:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God, Ephesians 3:14-19 [Bolded for emphasis].

... and as before, any bolded pronoun or name can be replaced ...

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant Jake, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in Jake's heart by faith; that Jake, being rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that Jake might be filled with all the fulness of God, Ephesians 3:14-19 [Bolded for emphasis].

Prayer direction for oneself...

As in the previous prayer (Eph 3:14-19), the same exchange of pronouns can be introduced for a personal direction of prayer:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant me, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in my heart by faith; that I, be rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that I might be filled with all the fulness of God, Ephesians 3:14-19 [Bolded for emphasis].

Prayer direction for others...

And how to pray effectively for either your own family or someone else’s like 'Mary's family', it would be as follows:

For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, Of whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, That he would grant Mary's family, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man; That Christ may dwell in Mary's family's hearts by faith; that they, be rooted and grounded in love, May be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; And to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that they might be filled with all the fulness of God, Ephesians 3:14-19 [Bolded for emphasis].

Names or personal pronouns can be inserted into the original text as before, without altering the intent of the prayer. The above quoted Bible verses are from the KJV Translation and are used for reason of copyright permission. Other translations, such as the 'Amplified' or 'New King James' in today's English, would be advantageous.

Prayer Limitations

Scripture prompts every prayer request to be made with thanksgiving, i.e. Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus, Philippians 4:6-7.

God's provision through the finished work of Jesus Christ is now available through grace and being a joint heir with Him. Identify the promises contained in God's will and consigned to you.

Appropriate them (Rom 4:17) and thank God the Father for them, in Jesus' name!

Important is to understand that the will of the person praying can never dominate the will of the person being prayed for: And he could there do no mighty work, save that he laid his hands upon a few sick folk, and healed them. And he marvelled because of their unbelief, Mark 6:5-6 [Bolded for emphasis]. If the one who is being prayed for does not agree with the prayer, there will be no results (Mt 18:20).

But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind, James 1:6

As in all things related to the redemptive life, the authority of empowerment of Jesus' name, and the expectancy of the upward call at Jesus' 2nd coming, are all based on faith.

But let him ask [receive] in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways, James 1:6-7 [Bracket added].

Be in harmony with God's promises and fulfill Jesus' prophecy: And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it, John 14:13-14.

Make prayer work for you!

Know your entitlements through the finished work of Jesus. Use the New Testament prayer approach... that your joy may be made full (Jn 15:11).

Learn how to pray effectively, in Jesus' name!


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Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God, Philippians 4:6

Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.

Matthew 28:19-20

Unless stated otherwise, all Bible passages quoted in orange are from the KJV translation.

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