Here are some simple secrets you can use when you spend time talking to God. In Saudi Arabia, according to Arab custom, reinforced by a 1952 decree of King Abdul Aziz, every subject has the right of access to his ruler—whether the ruler is a tribal sheik, a governor, or the monarch himself—to present petitions of complaint or pleas for help. Even the poorest Saudi can approach his sovereign to plead a cause. Crown Prince Fahd, speaking about this custom said, “Anyone, anyone can come here. That gives them confidence in their government. They know they may look to us for help.” Every Christian has the right to approach an even greater monarch, the King of Kings.¹ Every believer has the right to spend time talking to God.

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Simple Prayer Secrets You Can Use When You Spend Time with God

Secret 1: When talking to God, be direct and straightforward.

• Use your everyday language.
• God is not Elizabethan.
• You don’t have to pray using King James.
• Some folks are just stuck here.
• They’ve gotten on to me over this issue.
• These King James purists are out there.
• Use your 21st century, lingo.
• The Lord will understand it just fine.
• People spend time talking to God from all over the planet.
• They do it in all different kinds of languages.

Secret 2: When talking to God, don’t beg.

• It’s your Fathers good pleasure to give you what you need for your everyday life.

Luke 12:32 (ESV) — 32 “Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.

• This next verse details in a perfect way how prayer works.

1 John 5:14–15 (ESV) — 14 And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him.

• You don’t have to beg because He hears you.
• The prayer receives God’s ‘yes’ before you utter it.

Secret 3: When talking to God, be open.

• Do not keep secrets from Him.
• Remember that one you are talking to is the one who searches the heart.

Romans 8:27 (ESV) — 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

• Again, don’t keep secrets from Him.
• Don’t hide wrong in your heart from the Lord.
• When you told the Lord about your sin is not when He found out about it.
• He already knows anyway so share it with Him.

Secret 4: When talking to God, pray earnestly.

• You do not need to be loud to show intensity.
  • Loud does not mean faith.
  • Being loud does not mean authority.
  • Loud does not mean fervency.
• So, what does ‘praying in an earnest manner3 mean?
• Look at this example in the book of Acts and note the word ‘earnest.’

Acts 12:5 (ESV) — 5 So Peter was kept in prison, but earnest prayer for him was made to God by the church.

• This same word ‘earnest’ used in 1 Peter 1:22.

1 Peter 1:22 (ESV) — 22 Having purified your souls by your obedience to the truth for a sincere brotherly love, love one another earnestly from a pure heart,

• The Greek word ‘earnest’ means to be persevering, eagerly, constantly.²
• That’s what earnest prayer is.
• It’s prayer that perseveres.
• Perseveres means to be persistent, or to refuse to stop.
• It refuses to stop or wallow in discouragement despite delays.

Luke 18:1 (ESV) — 1 And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not lose heart.

• Losing heart means giving in to discouragement over delays in answers.

Luke 18:7–8 (ESV) — 7 And will not God give justice to his elect, who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long over them? 8 I tell you, he will give justice to them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?”

Secret 5: When talking to God, be honest.

• Do not express things you do not feel.
• Don’t just say stuff because you think it’s what He wants to hear.
• Honesty is the best policy.
• Don’t tell God you are going to give something up if you’re not intending to do it.
• That’s just saying what you want Him to hear.

Ecclesiastes 5:4 (TNIV) — 4 When you make a vow to God, do not delay to fulfill it. He has no pleasure in fools; fulfill your vow.

Secret 6: When talking to God, pray out loud.

• Some people try to pray mentally.
• They talk to God out their mind.
• God is not a mind; He is a spirit.

John 4:24 (KJV) — 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

• Do you hear that?
• It’s a simple point, but people get away from the Bible.
• Worship is a type of prayer.
• Express it openly.
• Pray with your mouth, not your mind.
• When you pray with your mouth, it comes from your heart.

Matthew 12:34 (KJV) — 34 O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil, speak good things? for out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaketh.

Secret 7: When talking to God, don’t put on a show.

• Don’t try to impress God with big words.
• He is not impressed.
• You can trust that.
• Don’t use, what the scripture calls, vain repetitions.
• What are vain repetitions?

Matthew 6:7 (TNIV) — 7 And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words.

• The ESV translation has ‘heap up empty phrases.’
• That’s all one word in Greek.
• It means to chatter or babble.
• It means to utter many, and especially useless and purposeless, words.
• That’s what vain repetitions are.
• Some of the rabbis in Jesus day taught this kind of prayer where they said the same prayer’ over and over again.³

Secret 8: When talking to God, do not con Him.

• Do not ask God to do for you what He has said you should do.
• I learned this one day in my travels.
• I got fearful one day, and I said to the Lord, “Father, I bind that fear in Jesus Name.”
• At once the Lord spoke up and said, “What are you telling me that for?”
• Using God-given authority is your job, not God’s.
• Do your job.
• Many times, the reason we don’t qualify for an answer is that we haven’t done the part the Lord requires us to do.
• God is not your errand boy.
• Don’t be lazy – if the Lord asks you to do something – you do it.

Secret 9: When talking to God, share your life with Him.

• Pray about the needs of the day.
• Talk to the Lord about the battle you’re having.
• Pray about the temptations to be resisted.
• Let Him in on the work to be done.
• In short, put your life into your prayer.

Secret 10: When talking to God, act like He heard you.

• Acting like He heard you is faith.
• The following story illustrates the point.

The drought of the past winter threatened the crop in a village of Crete. The priest told his flock: “There isn’t anything that will save us, except a special litany for rain. Go to your homes, fast during the week, believe and come on Sunday for the litany of rain.” The villagers heard him, fasted during the week and went to the church on Sunday morning, but as soon as the priest saw them, he was furious. He said, “Go away, I will not do the litany. You do not believe.” “But Father,” they protested, “we fasted and we believe.” “Believe? And where are your umbrellas?”

Call to Action:

So, now you are in the know. You have ten simple secrets you can use when you come to the Throne room to talk to God. Having them on paper is one thing but using them in your everyday life is better.

Question: What simple secret have you found that helped you with your prayer life? Please share what has worked for you in the comments section below.

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