Prayer is as indispensible to the Christian as breathing. Failure to pray leads to spiritual death in short order. However, unlike breathing, prayer does not come naturally. Prayer takes practice, comittment and perserverance. As with much in your relationship with Christ, prayer is individualized. You will find it necessary to work out your own prayer life. Never fear, the Holy Ghost is here to help.

      This little column is meant only as advise. It's a place to start. Use what you find useful and discard that which does not help. Ultimately, it is your prayer life. I reccommend that you read On Prayer by E.M. Bounds and follow the advise given to musicians wishing to play Carnegie Hall...practice, practice, practice.

      As you set out to pray, think of being CLAD in the armor of God.
      "C" is for Closet. As in Matthew 6:6. "But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly." Everyone needs a prayer closet. A prayer closet is any private place where you may be alone with God. Solitude is the essential element here. The closet must be free of distractions, noise, hearers and especially telephones. If you cannot part with your phone long enough to prayer; turn off the ringer and the vibrator. Who is it you wish to hear from? God? or the devil? Because you may be sure whoever is on the other end when you are praying was sent by the devil. The closet is a place where you can be free to pour out the deepest well of your heart to God. You may move your lips silently as did Hannah or cry out like Peter sinking into the waves. Whichever you choose, you'll want privacy. That place may be beside your favorite stream or in your bedroom. Where ever it may be it is your place to go to talk to God.

      "L" is for the Lord's Prayer. This is Jesus' model for His disciples. There is nothing wrong with reciting the Lord's Prayer, but it was not given for that purpose. It is a model for how to pray. Volumes have been written on the Lord's Prayer and endless sermons preached on the subject. We leave experience to flesh out your understanding. Here are the bare bones.