If you want to go higher places, special times of prayer are
vital to a healthy connection to the Lord. Reading his Word and
praying to him are two things that build those oh-so-important
closer and higher bonds with the Father. We need to be faithfully
committed. Romans 12:12 says, "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction,
faithful in prayer:' The more faithful we are in prayer, the
more power we have to stay joyful and to show patience. Here are
a few things to remember as you think about prayer power and
your quiet time with the Lord.
    Find the Right Time and the Right Place. Set a time that will
work best for you. Sometimes schedules get crazy and we have
to be flexible. And that's okay. But keep in mind that consistency
can help build good habits of faithfulness into your special prayer
times. The time and place you choose for your prayer time should
be as distraction-free as possible. It may need to be during the kids'
nap time or early in the morning before the kids are up or before
you get ready for work. And you may need to shove any petty
distractions (like that way-tight skirt) out of sight, out of mind,
during this time.
    Praise Him, Thank Him, and Pray through His Word. Your
prayer time should include praying through Bible passages, praising
the Lord for who he is, and thanking him for what he's done.
We need to be careful that our prayer time doesn't become a big
to-do list that we hand the Father. It should be about him, not
us. When we're praying through Scripture, we know we're praying
in his will.
    Confess Sin, Ask for and Accept His Forgiveness. As we think
about who he is and his amazing holiness, our unholiness becomes
all too clear. Ask the Lord to reveal to you any sin you
need to confess. Give your sin a good dose of 1 John 1:9: ((But if
we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us
and to cleanse us from every wrong" (NLT). Confess your sin
and accept his gracious forgiveness (and you can look again at
confessing sin in chapter 7).
    Ask Him to Meet the Needs of Others. ((Me-centered" prayer
is not a higher places kind of prayer. Paul gives us some pretty
ambitious prayer direction in 1 Timothy 2:1 when he tells us to
pray for everyone. ((I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people.
As you make your requests, plead for God's mercy upon them"
(NLT).