Developing a Consistent Prayer Life

When my niece, Valerie was teaching the Teens class, she called and asked me to write something she could share with her class on how to develop a prayer life. I thought it may be of interest to others, so here it is as I wrote it for her class. Hope it may be of help to someone.

Be encouraged to know that there is a God that longs to communicate with you.
Donna Madden

How I Think You Develop a Consistent Prayer Life

The ultimate breakthrough in prayer comes when you seek God for the initial experience of the Holy Ghost. For me, it was repentance, saying I am sorry and I want to live my life for you. Then it was the seeking for deeper experiences. One of which, I wanted to speak in a fluent tongue when I broke through in prayer. It seemed my initial experience was more of a stammering lips rather that a clear tongue, although I knew without a shadow of a doubt I received the Holy Ghost by the joy and peace that came to me.

While kneeing down besides my by husband’s awesome prayer warrior Grandmother, I listened to her fervent prayer. I took a leap of faith, prayed out loud in an unusual unknown phrase that came to me, then I too suddenly began to speak in a distinct unknown language. This accelerated my prayer life to a new level.

I was one to have spiritual dreams, and angel experiences. I think this came as a result of a sold out consecrated life lived for God. When I woke from a stirring dream, I yielded myself seeking God through prayer to help me see what ever it was he was trying to talk to me about. God can use a young person who is sensitive and will respond to Him.

As a young person, I would never go to bed at night without first kneeling beside my bed and praying. I would visualize my life as I wanted it to be. Sometimes I would listen to music that would usher me in to prayer and consecration and even a deeper level of prayer. Sometimes, I would enter in a spirit of prayer by playing the piano, playing my feelings, singing then to my knees in an awesome prayer meeting. I had my corners in the living room well after my parents were in bed and sought God and His presence.

All of these times laid the foundation that now support an ongoing, always in tune type of prayer life. Now...it is as though I always have a pilot light going, a continual instant prayer that in a moment’s time, I don’t have to dig the well, but it is already flowing and I can enter in to His presence instantly. I guard what I hear and indulge myself in because this can block me from the presence of God.

Now, the last thing I do as I go to sleep on my bed at night is talk to God and when I wake, I begin to find something to be grateful about. I keep the victory by forcing myself to think of the positive in every situation and minimize the negative. I am not perfect, I have some bad days and some times that I am weak, but all of the victories I have won behind me gives me the strength to keep pressing on.