So many of us have good intentions when it comes to ‘praying more.’ Prayer is both a natural and supernatural way for Christians to directly connect with God, and committing to developing a prayer-life can bring about incredible changes.
Neil Johnson was joined by Brian Pickering, leader of the Australian Prayer Network, to talk about the reasons for prayer, and practical tips on how to develop a healthy and fulfilling relationship with prayer – and in turn, God.
“A prayer-life, of course, is of major significance,” Brian shared, “I believe it’s what drives life and changes life.”
“There are are number of different aspects to prayer, one of which is of course the personal relationship that prayer allows us to have with our Heavenly Father,” Brian explained to the audience when discussing ‘types’ of prayer. “Then there are those who tend to go a little bit deeper, there are those that begin to pray for other people and situations…it’s important to understand at what level you need to plug-in to.”
“When I pray, and when I spend time in prayer, I like to think that I’m entering into what I call the, ‘prayer meeting in heaven,’ that’s going on continuously,” Brian said, “…I see myself sort of joining that prayer meeting, and so I am expecting God to speak to me and to show me things, and to feel the presence of God.”
“The focus of your prayer is to engage with God and listen to God…I think that any time you interact with anyone, whether it be God or someone in your family, there is something that interacts between you – body, mind and spirit.” Brian expanded. “The more you engage with that person, the more you engage with God, the more you will begin to feel [His presence].”
When asked about prayer ‘not working,’ Brian explained that this is often due to prayer being considered a one-way conversation.
“Many Christians unfortunately believe that prayer is us talking to God, but I actually happen to believe that prayer is not something we engage in – it’s an activity of God and we listen to it, we connect to it…certainly, it’s a two-way situation.”
Brian and Neil continue to discuss the supernatural power of prayer, and practical tips on developing a prayer-life and connecting with God throughout the interview. To hear more, press ‘play’ on the audio-file below.
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