Prayer is powerful. It’s one of the strongest weapons for believers.

The Word of God encourages us to devote ourselves to prayer. It also narrates a lot of instances and parables where people prayed, and things shifted and changed.

Just to name a few:

• Hannah prayed for the blessing of a child. God remembered and blessed her with children
• Daniel prayed 3 times a day and fasted for 21 days, and God answered
• The early church met and prayed to God earnestly for Peter when he was imprisoned, and God sent an angel to rescue him
• King Jehoshaphat prayed to ask for God’s help when his enemies set to attack him, and God gave him victory
• Elijah prayed that it should not rain for 3 and a half years. Then prayed again, and rain came.
• David prayed heartfelt forgiveness prayers in Psalms 51.

We could go on and on. The is no instance where prayer was done fervently without producing an answer.

God promises that He will hear and answer when we pray.

In 1 John 5:14-15 the Bible says that, “we have confidence towards God, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us. 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.”

Having understood this, it’s important to cultivate and develop a strong prayer life.

In our last post, we shared 5 ways we can strengthen our prayer life. (Read part 1 under the resources tab on our blog)

In this article, we’ll continue to discuss a more ways we can use to strengthen our prayer life.

 Let's begin. 

#1 Have Faith in God

We can’t pray strong prayers without faith. We really can’t pray to God without believing In Him. Doing so defeats the very purpose of prayer.

Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. We must believe and know he will reward us if we seek Him, even in prayer.

Whatever we ask God from God, we must believe it shall be so, if prayed according to His Word.

Determine to pray in genuine faith and expectancy. You should not have doubt because it shows you do not trust God is able. Trust God to keep His Word. You should believe before the answer comes.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22)

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:12)

We build faith through reading the Word of God. The more we read the Bible, the more our faith in God builds up, which then strengthens our belief in Him.

#2 Give Thanks, Praise and Worship

Throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit encourages us to be grateful in everything. A thankful heart is a sacrifice of praise.

Always start your prayers with praise, thanks, and worship.

Praise demonstrates that we understand our position of submission to and thankfulness to God and should always be part of our prayers.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name (Psalms 100:4)

Praise and worship and thanksgiving are vital parts of strong prayers.

The Bible records Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God in prison when suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. The doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose (Acts 16:25-26)

In 2 Chronicles 20:21, king a Jehoshaphat appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against their enemies, and they were defeated.

Thank and praise God for His blessings and goodness before presenting your requests to Him. Thank Him for blessings that are yet to manifest in your life in prayer.

To learn more about prayer, talk to us at Westside Bible Chapel. You can reach us through the contact form on our website or message us through our Facebook page. 

Communicating with God through consistent prayer is important for every believer.  A strong prayer life is essential to help us abide in God and bear much fruit. 

The Bible says we are to pray consistently (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and we are to devote ourselves to prayer (Colossians 4:2) 

It’s important that prayers should not become a ritual but a fresh encounter with God. 

So, how can we develop a strong prayer life? Developing a powerful prayer life is within the reach of every believer. This post describes approaches that every believer can use to strengthen their prayer life. 

1. Always Make Time to Pray

To create a strong prayer life, we have to pray, there’s no other way around it. 

That means, one of the first things to do when you want to strengthen your prayer life is to set time and actually pray. 

The best way to do it is to always find a quiet and undisturbed place to pray. 

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:6) 

Gather your mind and heart and humble yourself before his presence. Make it a priority early in the morning to seek the face of the Lord before you start the day.

Jesus made time for prayer. 

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed  (Mark 1:35)

After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray (Matthew 14:23)

We should set a schedule for regular prayer times, make a prayer list and rely on the Holy Spirit of God to guide us on how to pray. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for; the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26)

Depending on the Holy Spirit during prayer strengthens our prayer since the Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us pray in accordance to God’s will. 

So, always ask the help of the Holy Spirit when getting in prayer. 

Also, we ought always to pray and not give up as Jesus taught his disciples in Luke. 

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1) 

It’s important to prayers alone with the Lord but equally important is praying with other believers. 

Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I with them (Matthew 18:20)

2. Cultivate Intimacy With God

When we develop intimacy with God, ultimately our prayer life becomes strengthened. 

The truth is praying strengthens your relationship and intimacy with God. And like a cycle, the more intimate you get with God, the more your prayer life becomes stronger. 

Building intimacy with God is thus important, if we are to strengthen our prayers.

We are to surrender to God absolutely and desire to have a deep relationship with him. Let him be the most important thing in your life.

We are to abide in Him and desire to know Him more. Spend time with Him by reading his word and worshipping Him.

Hunger to know him better, acknowledging and glorify Him.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8) 

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7)

By doing so, we grow not only in the Word but also get strong in prayers. 

3. Confess and Repent of your Sins

Unconfessed sins separate us from God and only when sins are dealt with by repentance do we get reconciliation back to God that makes our prayers strong.

This is because sins blocks our prayers and therefore access from God.

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)

As such, we should always confess our sinful acts, weaknesses, and shortcomings.

Repent known and unknown sins. Allow God to search you and cleanse you. 

4. Have a Forgiving Heart

If we want our prayers to be effective, we need to have a life of constant forgiveness. 

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16) 

When we are faithful to forgive others then God will forgive us and our prayers will not be hindered.

5. Pray According to the Word of God

It is impossible to develop powerful prayers without joining our prayers to the promises of God.

Set apart time to read God’s word and meditate, write down key insights that God speaks to your heart. 

Familiarize yourself with the word of God because it has power and should be our greatest spiritual weapon.

You should pray according to the scriptures. Jesus did the same when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. 

It is written “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:10) 

He was the Son of God, but he did not use his divine authority. Instead, he used the authority of the scriptures. God is faithful and committed to his word.

Make supplications; intercede before God according to his word.  His word is grounded on His promises and he is moved by his word, it reveals God’s will for His kingdom. 

If you want to know more about God and your relationship with Him and others, you can talk to us.

Contact us through a contact form on our website https://www.westsidebiblechapel.ca/index.php or through our Facebook Page.

Forgiving someone who has wronged you is never easy. However, forgiveness is a key command from God as we saw in our last blog article.

Our previous post discussed 5 amazing reasons why forgiveness is powerful for everyone. (Check it on our blog, under resources) 

In this article, we continue with the discussion by unpacking the remaining reasons why forgiveness is powerful - based on the Bible.  

Let’s get started!

1. Forgiveness extinguishes bitterness and resentment

Forgiving our offenders doesn’t mean excusing their actions, it means we refuse to use their actions as a weapon against us.  

For our own good, God exercises the same grace to us. When God forgives our sins, He does not dwell on our sins.

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25)

 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12)

God chooses not to remember our sins. When we repent and receive His forgiveness, He no longer holds sin against us but treats us with love and grace.

Similarly, we are not to dwell and hang on offenses done to us, but should forgive and be gracious. In our case, it helps us release the resentment and bitterness against those who offend us.

2. Forgiveness unblocks blessings

Forgiveness can result in great blessings. Unforgiveness, on the other hand, hinders our blessings.

In Mark 11:26, we see that, if you do not forgive, God will not forgive you.

Not forgiving also hinders our spiritual blessings because satan can easily take advantage of it as Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 below.

Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

3. Forgiveness leads to a peaceful life

It’s God’s desire that we lead peaceful lives.

One of the ways to do that is to forgive those who hurt us. Think about it, when we hold onto resentment, our hearts become bitter and we lack peace. 

Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” [Proverbs 24:29]

Through forgiveness, we are able to help let go of pain and find peace within our hearts.

Resentment and peace are mutually exclusive when we hold on to resentment, our peace goes down (and vice versa). 

If God can forgive us all the terrible things we have done, we can choose to forgive others. And when our hearts are pure, the Lord can find a place to fill with his surpassing peace and rest.

4. Forgiveness is freedom

There is a key that opens the door to joyfulness, healing, happiness and peace—that key is forgiveness.  

When we forgive in sheer obedience to the word of God, we experience amazing power and freedom.  

That said, forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself as it brings freedom from within and without.

If you still haven’t made peace with a person, or circumstance, the only option is to forgive.  Jesus forgave the very men nailing him to the cross.

“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” Luke 23:34

So lets us resist the trap of unforgiveness and make it a habit to forgive one another as demonstrated in the Lord’s Prayer.

If you want to know more about God and your relationship with Him and others, you can talk to us. Contact us through a contact form on our website or DM us on Facebook Page (Westside Bible Chapel) 

Prayer is powerful. It’s one of the strongest weapons for believers.

The Word of God encourages us to devote ourselves to prayer. It also narrates a lot of instances and parables where people prayed, and things shifted and changed.

Just to name a few:

• Hannah prayed for the blessing of a child. God remembered and blessed her with children
• Daniel prayed 3 times a day and fasted for 21 days, and God answered
• The early church met and prayed to God earnestly for Peter when he was imprisoned, and God sent an angel to rescue him
• King Jehoshaphat prayed to ask for God’s help when his enemies set to attack him, and God gave him victory
• Elijah prayed that it should not rain for 3 and a half years. Then prayed again, and rain came.
• David prayed heartfelt forgiveness prayers in Psalms 51.

We could go on and on. The is no instance where prayer was done fervently without producing an answer.

God promises that He will hear and answer when we pray.

In 1 John 5:14-15 the Bible says that, “we have confidence towards God, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us. 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.”

Having understood this, it’s important to cultivate and develop a strong prayer life.

In our last post, we shared 5 ways we can strengthen our prayer life. (Read part 1 under the resources tab on our blog)

In this article, we’ll continue to discuss a more ways we can use to strengthen our prayer life.

 Let's begin. 

#1 Have Faith in God

We can’t pray strong prayers without faith. We really can’t pray to God without believing In Him. Doing so defeats the very purpose of prayer.

Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. We must believe and know he will reward us if we seek Him, even in prayer.

Whatever we ask God from God, we must believe it shall be so, if prayed according to His Word.

Determine to pray in genuine faith and expectancy. You should not have doubt because it shows you do not trust God is able. Trust God to keep His Word. You should believe before the answer comes.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22)

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:12)

We build faith through reading the Word of God. The more we read the Bible, the more our faith in God builds up, which then strengthens our belief in Him.

#2 Give Thanks, Praise and Worship

Throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit encourages us to be grateful in everything. A thankful heart is a sacrifice of praise.

Always start your prayers with praise, thanks, and worship.

Praise demonstrates that we understand our position of submission to and thankfulness to God and should always be part of our prayers.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name (Psalms 100:4)

Praise and worship and thanksgiving are vital parts of strong prayers.

The Bible records Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God in prison when suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. The doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose (Acts 16:25-26)

In 2 Chronicles 20:21, king a Jehoshaphat appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against their enemies, and they were defeated.

Thank and praise God for His blessings and goodness before presenting your requests to Him. Thank Him for blessings that are yet to manifest in your life in prayer.

To learn more about prayer, talk to us at Westside Bible Chapel. You can reach us through the contact form on our website or message us through our Facebook page. 

Communicating with God through consistent prayer is important for every believer.  A strong prayer life is essential to help us abide in God and bear much fruit. 

The Bible says we are to pray consistently (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and we are to devote ourselves to prayer (Colossians 4:2) 

It’s important that prayers should not become a ritual but a fresh encounter with God. 

So, how can we develop a strong prayer life? Developing a powerful prayer life is within the reach of every believer. This post describes approaches that every believer can use to strengthen their prayer life. 

1. Always Make Time to Pray

To create a strong prayer life, we have to pray, there’s no other way around it. 

That means, one of the first things to do when you want to strengthen your prayer life is to set time and actually pray. 

The best way to do it is to always find a quiet and undisturbed place to pray. 

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:6) 

Gather your mind and heart and humble yourself before his presence. Make it a priority early in the morning to seek the face of the Lord before you start the day.

Jesus made time for prayer. 

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed  (Mark 1:35)

After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray (Matthew 14:23)

We should set a schedule for regular prayer times, make a prayer list and rely on the Holy Spirit of God to guide us on how to pray. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for; the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26)

Depending on the Holy Spirit during prayer strengthens our prayer since the Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us pray in accordance to God’s will. 

So, always ask the help of the Holy Spirit when getting in prayer. 

Also, we ought always to pray and not give up as Jesus taught his disciples in Luke. 

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1) 

It’s important to prayers alone with the Lord but equally important is praying with other believers. 

Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I with them (Matthew 18:20)

2. Cultivate Intimacy With God

When we develop intimacy with God, ultimately our prayer life becomes strengthened. 

The truth is praying strengthens your relationship and intimacy with God. And like a cycle, the more intimate you get with God, the more your prayer life becomes stronger. 

Building intimacy with God is thus important, if we are to strengthen our prayers.

We are to surrender to God absolutely and desire to have a deep relationship with him. Let him be the most important thing in your life.

We are to abide in Him and desire to know Him more. Spend time with Him by reading his word and worshipping Him.

Hunger to know him better, acknowledging and glorify Him.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8) 

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7)

By doing so, we grow not only in the Word but also get strong in prayers. 

3. Confess and Repent of your Sins

Unconfessed sins separate us from God and only when sins are dealt with by repentance do we get reconciliation back to God that makes our prayers strong.

This is because sins blocks our prayers and therefore access from God.

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)

As such, we should always confess our sinful acts, weaknesses, and shortcomings.

Repent known and unknown sins. Allow God to search you and cleanse you. 

4. Have a Forgiving Heart

If we want our prayers to be effective, we need to have a life of constant forgiveness. 

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16) 

When we are faithful to forgive others then God will forgive us and our prayers will not be hindered.

5. Pray According to the Word of God

It is impossible to develop powerful prayers without joining our prayers to the promises of God.

Set apart time to read God’s word and meditate, write down key insights that God speaks to your heart. 

Familiarize yourself with the word of God because it has power and should be our greatest spiritual weapon.

You should pray according to the scriptures. Jesus did the same when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. 

It is written “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:10) 

He was the Son of God, but he did not use his divine authority. Instead, he used the authority of the scriptures. God is faithful and committed to his word.

Make supplications; intercede before God according to his word.  His word is grounded on His promises and he is moved by his word, it reveals God’s will for His kingdom. 

If you want to know more about God and your relationship with Him and others, you can talk to us.

Contact us through a contact form on our website https://www.westsidebiblechapel.ca/index.php or through our Facebook Page.

Forgiving someone who has wronged you is never easy. However, forgiveness is a key command from God as we saw in our last blog article.

Our previous post discussed 5 amazing reasons why forgiveness is powerful for everyone. (Check it on our blog, under resources) 

In this article, we continue with the discussion by unpacking the remaining reasons why forgiveness is powerful - based on the Bible.  

Let’s get started!

1. Forgiveness extinguishes bitterness and resentment

Forgiving our offenders doesn’t mean excusing their actions, it means we refuse to use their actions as a weapon against us.  

For our own good, God exercises the same grace to us. When God forgives our sins, He does not dwell on our sins.

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25)

 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12)

God chooses not to remember our sins. When we repent and receive His forgiveness, He no longer holds sin against us but treats us with love and grace.

Similarly, we are not to dwell and hang on offenses done to us, but should forgive and be gracious. In our case, it helps us release the resentment and bitterness against those who offend us.

2. Forgiveness unblocks blessings

Forgiveness can result in great blessings. Unforgiveness, on the other hand, hinders our blessings.

In Mark 11:26, we see that, if you do not forgive, God will not forgive you.

Not forgiving also hinders our spiritual blessings because satan can easily take advantage of it as Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 below.

Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

3. Forgiveness leads to a peaceful life

It’s God’s desire that we lead peaceful lives.

One of the ways to do that is to forgive those who hurt us. Think about it, when we hold onto resentment, our hearts become bitter and we lack peace. 

Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” [Proverbs 24:29]

Through forgiveness, we are able to help let go of pain and find peace within our hearts.

Resentment and peace are mutually exclusive when we hold on to resentment, our peace goes down (and vice versa). 

If God can forgive us all the terrible things we have done, we can choose to forgive others. And when our hearts are pure, the Lord can find a place to fill with his surpassing peace and rest.

4. Forgiveness is freedom

There is a key that opens the door to joyfulness, healing, happiness and peace—that key is forgiveness.  

When we forgive in sheer obedience to the word of God, we experience amazing power and freedom.  

That said, forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself as it brings freedom from within and without.

If you still haven’t made peace with a person, or circumstance, the only option is to forgive.  Jesus forgave the very men nailing him to the cross.

“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” Luke 23:34

So lets us resist the trap of unforgiveness and make it a habit to forgive one another as demonstrated in the Lord’s Prayer.

If you want to know more about God and your relationship with Him and others, you can talk to us. Contact us through a contact form on our website or DM us on Facebook Page (Westside Bible Chapel) 

Prayer is powerful. It’s one of the strongest weapons for believers.

The Word of God encourages us to devote ourselves to prayer. It also narrates a lot of instances and parables where people prayed, and things shifted and changed.

Just to name a few:

• Hannah prayed for the blessing of a child. God remembered and blessed her with children
• Daniel prayed 3 times a day and fasted for 21 days, and God answered
• The early church met and prayed to God earnestly for Peter when he was imprisoned, and God sent an angel to rescue him
• King Jehoshaphat prayed to ask for God’s help when his enemies set to attack him, and God gave him victory
• Elijah prayed that it should not rain for 3 and a half years. Then prayed again, and rain came.
• David prayed heartfelt forgiveness prayers in Psalms 51.

We could go on and on. The is no instance where prayer was done fervently without producing an answer.

God promises that He will hear and answer when we pray.

In 1 John 5:14-15 the Bible says that, “we have confidence towards God, that if we ask anything according to His will he hears us. 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.”

Having understood this, it’s important to cultivate and develop a strong prayer life.

In our last post, we shared 5 ways we can strengthen our prayer life. (Read part 1 under the resources tab on our blog)

In this article, we’ll continue to discuss a more ways we can use to strengthen our prayer life.

 Let's begin. 

#1 Have Faith in God

We can’t pray strong prayers without faith. We really can’t pray to God without believing In Him. Doing so defeats the very purpose of prayer.

Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it is impossible to please God. We must believe and know he will reward us if we seek Him, even in prayer.

Whatever we ask God from God, we must believe it shall be so, if prayed according to His Word.

Determine to pray in genuine faith and expectancy. You should not have doubt because it shows you do not trust God is able. Trust God to keep His Word. You should believe before the answer comes.

If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer (Matthew 21:22)

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe you have received it, and it will be yours (Mark 11:12)

We build faith through reading the Word of God. The more we read the Bible, the more our faith in God builds up, which then strengthens our belief in Him.

#2 Give Thanks, Praise and Worship

Throughout the Bible, the Holy Spirit encourages us to be grateful in everything. A thankful heart is a sacrifice of praise.

Always start your prayers with praise, thanks, and worship.

Praise demonstrates that we understand our position of submission to and thankfulness to God and should always be part of our prayers.

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name (Psalms 100:4)

Praise and worship and thanksgiving are vital parts of strong prayers.

The Bible records Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God in prison when suddenly a strong earthquake shook the foundations of the prison. The doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose (Acts 16:25-26)

In 2 Chronicles 20:21, king a Jehoshaphat appointed singers to walk ahead of the army, singing to the LORD and praising him for his holy splendor. The moment they began their shouts and praises, the LORD set ambushes against their enemies, and they were defeated.

Thank and praise God for His blessings and goodness before presenting your requests to Him. Thank Him for blessings that are yet to manifest in your life in prayer.

To learn more about prayer, talk to us at Westside Bible Chapel. You can reach us through the contact form on our website or message us through our Facebook page. 

Communicating with God through consistent prayer is important for every believer.  A strong prayer life is essential to help us abide in God and bear much fruit. 

The Bible says we are to pray consistently (1 Thessalonians 5:17) and we are to devote ourselves to prayer (Colossians 4:2) 

It’s important that prayers should not become a ritual but a fresh encounter with God. 

So, how can we develop a strong prayer life? Developing a powerful prayer life is within the reach of every believer. This post describes approaches that every believer can use to strengthen their prayer life. 

1. Always Make Time to Pray

To create a strong prayer life, we have to pray, there’s no other way around it. 

That means, one of the first things to do when you want to strengthen your prayer life is to set time and actually pray. 

The best way to do it is to always find a quiet and undisturbed place to pray. 

But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you (Matthew 6:6) 

Gather your mind and heart and humble yourself before his presence. Make it a priority early in the morning to seek the face of the Lord before you start the day.

Jesus made time for prayer. 

Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed  (Mark 1:35)

After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray (Matthew 14:23)

We should set a schedule for regular prayer times, make a prayer list and rely on the Holy Spirit of God to guide us on how to pray. 

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for; the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us through wordless groans (Romans 8:26)

Depending on the Holy Spirit during prayer strengthens our prayer since the Holy Spirit teaches us and helps us pray in accordance to God’s will. 

So, always ask the help of the Holy Spirit when getting in prayer. 

Also, we ought always to pray and not give up as Jesus taught his disciples in Luke. 

Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up (Luke 18:1) 

It’s important to prayers alone with the Lord but equally important is praying with other believers. 

Where two or three are gathered in my name there am I with them (Matthew 18:20)

2. Cultivate Intimacy With God

When we develop intimacy with God, ultimately our prayer life becomes strengthened. 

The truth is praying strengthens your relationship and intimacy with God. And like a cycle, the more intimate you get with God, the more your prayer life becomes stronger. 

Building intimacy with God is thus important, if we are to strengthen our prayers.

We are to surrender to God absolutely and desire to have a deep relationship with him. Let him be the most important thing in your life.

We are to abide in Him and desire to know Him more. Spend time with Him by reading his word and worshipping Him.

Hunger to know him better, acknowledging and glorify Him.

Draw near to God and he will draw near to you (James 4:8) 

If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you (John 15:7)

By doing so, we grow not only in the Word but also get strong in prayers. 

3. Confess and Repent of your Sins

Unconfessed sins separate us from God and only when sins are dealt with by repentance do we get reconciliation back to God that makes our prayers strong.

This is because sins blocks our prayers and therefore access from God.

 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness (1 John 1:9)

As such, we should always confess our sinful acts, weaknesses, and shortcomings.

Repent known and unknown sins. Allow God to search you and cleanse you. 

4. Have a Forgiving Heart

If we want our prayers to be effective, we need to have a life of constant forgiveness. 

The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective (James 5:16) 

When we are faithful to forgive others then God will forgive us and our prayers will not be hindered.

5. Pray According to the Word of God

It is impossible to develop powerful prayers without joining our prayers to the promises of God.

Set apart time to read God’s word and meditate, write down key insights that God speaks to your heart. 

Familiarize yourself with the word of God because it has power and should be our greatest spiritual weapon.

You should pray according to the scriptures. Jesus did the same when he was tempted by the devil in the wilderness. 

It is written “Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only” (Matthew 4:10) 

He was the Son of God, but he did not use his divine authority. Instead, he used the authority of the scriptures. God is faithful and committed to his word.

Make supplications; intercede before God according to his word.  His word is grounded on His promises and he is moved by his word, it reveals God’s will for His kingdom. 

If you want to know more about God and your relationship with Him and others, you can talk to us.

Contact us through a contact form on our website https://www.westsidebiblechapel.ca/index.php or through our Facebook Page.

Forgiving someone who has wronged you is never easy. However, forgiveness is a key command from God as we saw in our last blog article.

Our previous post discussed 5 amazing reasons why forgiveness is powerful for everyone. (Check it on our blog, under resources) 

In this article, we continue with the discussion by unpacking the remaining reasons why forgiveness is powerful - based on the Bible.  

Let’s get started!

1. Forgiveness extinguishes bitterness and resentment

Forgiving our offenders doesn’t mean excusing their actions, it means we refuse to use their actions as a weapon against us.  

For our own good, God exercises the same grace to us. When God forgives our sins, He does not dwell on our sins.

I, even I, am He who blots out your transgressions for My own sake; and I will not remember your sins (Isaiah 43:25)

 For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their lawless deeds I will remember no more (Hebrews 8:12)

God chooses not to remember our sins. When we repent and receive His forgiveness, He no longer holds sin against us but treats us with love and grace.

Similarly, we are not to dwell and hang on offenses done to us, but should forgive and be gracious. In our case, it helps us release the resentment and bitterness against those who offend us.

2. Forgiveness unblocks blessings

Forgiveness can result in great blessings. Unforgiveness, on the other hand, hinders our blessings.

In Mark 11:26, we see that, if you do not forgive, God will not forgive you.

Not forgiving also hinders our spiritual blessings because satan can easily take advantage of it as Apostle Paul puts it in 2 Corinthians 2:10-11 below.

Now whom you forgive anything, I also forgive. For if indeed I have forgiven anything, I have forgiven that one for your sakes in the presence of Christ, lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.

3. Forgiveness leads to a peaceful life

It’s God’s desire that we lead peaceful lives.

One of the ways to do that is to forgive those who hurt us. Think about it, when we hold onto resentment, our hearts become bitter and we lack peace. 

Do not say, “I will do to him just as he has done to me; I will render to the man according to his work.” [Proverbs 24:29]

Through forgiveness, we are able to help let go of pain and find peace within our hearts.

Resentment and peace are mutually exclusive when we hold on to resentment, our peace goes down (and vice versa). 

If God can forgive us all the terrible things we have done, we can choose to forgive others. And when our hearts are pure, the Lord can find a place to fill with his surpassing peace and rest.

4. Forgiveness is freedom

There is a key that opens the door to joyfulness, healing, happiness and peace—that key is forgiveness.  

When we forgive in sheer obedience to the word of God, we experience amazing power and freedom.  

That said, forgiveness is the greatest gift you can give yourself as it brings freedom from within and without.

If you still haven’t made peace with a person, or circumstance, the only option is to forgive.  Jesus forgave the very men nailing him to the cross.

“Father forgive them, for they do not know what they are doing” Luke 23:34

So lets us resist the trap of unforgiveness and make it a habit to forgive one another as demonstrated in the Lord’s Prayer.

If you want to know more about God and your relationship with Him and others, you can talk to us. Contact us through a contact form on our website or DM us on Facebook Page (Westside Bible Chapel)