A strong relationship with God is the result of a consistent prayer life; which should be a priority for every Christian.

Why is a consistent prayer life so important? In order to have spiritual, mental, and emotional health and strength, you need a strong foundation. And that foundation is only found in God, through prayer.

No matter how much you try to seek stability in other ways, you will eventually always realize that without God as your foundation, it is impossible to live a truly balanced and fulfilling life. He created us to be in relationship with Him, and that relationship should be the foundation of our lives because, as our creator, only HE is strong enough to sustain us.

A consistent prayer life will only come about when you embrace the fact that you NEED GOD to live, and then choose to be intentional about making Him a priority. Like with any other goal, you will have to fight for it and use the right strategies!

If you have been struggling to pray and want to make a change TODAY, keep reading to discover 7 practical and clever ways to make praying a habit!

This post is all about clever ways to establish a consistent prayer life.

ESTABLISH A CONSISTENT

PRAYER LIFE

1. Understand Who God is and That He Alone Can Be Your Foundation

Before you can make a serious commitment to prayer, you need to embrace the concept that GOD ALONE is qualified to be the foundation on which you build your life on! God created us, so He alone knows and holds our past, present, and future. WE ARE SECURE IN HIS HANDS ALONE! Everything else is volatile, but He will always remain.

He is a strong, immovable rock that we can build our lives on without collapsing. Matthew 7:25 says that rain, floods, or winds can come to try and knock us over, but if we are founded on THE ROCK [Jesus], we will NOT FALL. Even when everything around us is falling, we will not fall if we are standing on Him.

Many times, we unintentionally build our lives on people, material things, dreams, careers, etc.; things that are unreliable. In fact, the world encourages us to find security in the things we can see rather than in the unseen. It seems that everything around us constantly looks down on our faith. The truth is, these things and even people will fail us at some point and they will never be strong enough to sustain us because ONLY GOD CAN.

In order to make Him your foundation, you must have a relationship with Him and it cannot be just any relationship; it has to be a strong one and the most important one in your life.

This will require KNOWLEDGE & FAITH. You must first understand who HE really IS. Not just who you feel He is to you, but rather, Who His word says He is: He is GOD, your creator, as well as your father and protector [and the list goes on].

Then, you need to believe that He is who He says He is and that You NEED to be in close relationship with Him to live. When you understand this, fully believe it, and long for it at your core, then, you will be ready to commit to a consistent life of prayer.

2. Ask the Holy Spirit For Help

The Holy Spirit is our helper; He helps not only guide our lives, but also empowers us. We need His help and power to do what God has called us to do, especially when our flesh is weak. Sometimes our desire to pray and seek God is there but we need an extra push, we need to be empowered, because, again, our flesh is weak. Matthew 26:41 says that “the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak.”

It will be a battle to pray, because it is NOT easy to overcome our flesh. It will actually be even harder to commit to than other habits. Why? Because you will be fighting not only against your flesh, but also against principalities.

Ask the Holy Spirit to help you win this battle. Ask Him to make your desire to pray greater than your desire for comfort. Ask Him to help you overcome the distractions and temptations that are keeping you from consistent prayer. Remember, it is a daily battle we all have to fight (not just you), so we need the help of the Holy Spirit to overcome it daily.

Start this journey of establishing a consistent prayer life by asking the Ultimate Helper (the Holy Spirit) for help with overcoming your flesh! You do not have to do this alone! Simply asking the Holy Spirit for help will propel you in the right direction. If you become intentional about taking a few minutes (seconds even) to daily ask the Holy Spirit to ignite (or reignite) your passion to seek God, to help you and empower you to pray, you will notice a difference.

3. Change Your Perspective of Prayer: Delight VS. Chore

Just as we need to understand who God is and embrace that He alone can be our foundation, we also need to understand that prayer is meant to be a delight, not a chore. We need to be willing and ready to change our perspective of prayer and replace any negative thoughts of prayer with God’s truth. God wants us to find delight in it rather than dread it and see it as something exciting, rewarding, and powerful.

You will find that the more you do it, the more you will delight in it. It’s like when you are first trying to eat healthy or workout, initially, it is really hard to break into it and see it as something you enjoy. When you are not used to living a healthy lifestyle, it can be uncomfortable at first - frustrating or overwhelming even - and this will naturally make you view it in a negative light. But if you commit to it even when you don’t feel like it, you will begin to long for it until it becomes essential for you. You see the positive results that it brings and you begin to understand why you need it so much.

Once our mentality and perspective has changed, we will realize that even more than delightful and exciting, prayer can truly be life-changing.

4. List and Evaluate Your Setbacks

Now it’s time to get practical. Get out a journal and a pen and take some time to brainstorm. Make two lists. In the first list, write down anything that is holding you back from committing to a consistent life of prayer. Ask yourself: What is holding me back? What am I spending the most time on?

Maybe you are snoozing too much, prioritizing sleep or other things, wasting too much time on your phone or TV, or you simply haven’t been willing to get super serious about it and decline other engagements in order to make time for God. Include literally anything or anyone holding you back.

In the second list, write down ways you think you can tackle those setbacks, along with any necessary changes you could make to be more effective from here on out.

5. Make a Schedule & Prepare Beforehand

Next, either get your planner out, print out a weekly schedule template, or use an online calendar, and go ahead and evaluate and schedule the days and times that are best for you to pray.

Be very realistic and start small if you need to. Be sure to only choose days and times you will ACTUALLY stick to. Start with 3 days a week if you need to, and then build it up from there until it becomes a daily habit.

Choose a time that you know you will be able to focus on prayer without constant interruptions. It could be early in the morning or late at night before bed. If you are already doing it daily but want to increase your time, plan what that would look like on a weekly basis. Again, it is important to be realistic so that you will actually stick with it rather than have superficial standards you will not be able to keep up with and then discourage you from it altogether.

Finally, go back to your journal and plan the place and supplies needed. Brainstorm the best place for you to pray that is distraction free and will help you stay focused. Then, make a list of supplies you need, if any, (i.e. Bible, journal, pens, blanket, tissues, etc). Go get those items and leave them in your chosen place of prayer; this way you limit excuses and everything is accessible and ready to go.

6. Seek Accountability

Ask someone in your life that you feel comfortable with and that is stronger than you in this area to keep you accountable. It is always helpful to have someone that provides support, encouragement, and motivation as it fosters a sense of commitment.

Ask them to check in with you either daily or weekly. Regular check-ins and discussions about prayer experiences create a space for reflection, allowing you to share challenges and victories alike.

Moreover, an accountability partner can help keep you accountable, ensuring that prayer remains a priority amidst life’s distractions. Together, you can deepen your life of prayer, encouraging a growth and resilience that nurtures a lasting habit of prayer.

7. Fuel Your Spirit More Than Your Flesh

I am extremely passionate about this part because I have witnessed the effects of feeding your flesh more than your spirit, and it is a dangerous territory that is not talked about enough. The more you feed your flesh, the more susceptible you are to not only fall into sin, but stay trapped in your sin and eventually distance yourself from God altogether (which is the enemy’s goal).

What are you spending most of your time listening to and watching?

Whatever you watch and listen to is what is filling you and thus determining the course of your life. Not only that, but you are fueling either your spirit or your flesh with everything that you fill yourself with.

What goes into your mouth affects your body, and in the same way, what goes into your eyes and ears affects your spirit and soul. The more you listen to The Word, the more you will want and be encouraged to continue to seek God because faith comes by hearing [Romans 10:17].

The stronger your flesh is, the harder it will be to establish a habit of prayer and seeking God will be a greater battle. Strengthen your spirit more than your flesh because the stronger your spirit is, the easier it will be to choose God’s will above your fleshly desires. Listen to and watch sermons or worship music that feed your spirit more than anything else so that you can conquer your flesh.

Do not let the enemy weaken your spirit by allowing him to distract you with shows and music that only feed your flesh and will debilitate your life of prayer in the long run. He is sneaky and before you know it your flesh will be stronger than anything else because of what you have allowed into your eyes and ears. Make choices that will ensure you are feeding your spirit more than your flesh habitually.

Overall, be very careful what you are filling yourself with continually, because it can become a habit without realizing. Do not take this lightly because, again, the enemy wants to deceive you any way he can. The more nonchalant you are about it, the easier it is for him to deceive you into thinking it’s not making any difference what you watch or listen to, but believe me, it makes ALL the difference!

CONCLUSION

Understanding who God is, asking the Holy Spirit for help, changing your perspective of prayer, evaluating your setbacks, preparing beforehand, seeking accountability, and above all, fueling your spirit more than your flesh are some of the ingenious ways you can set yourself up for a successful lifestyle of prayer.

If you follow these steps, you will achieve the consistency you’re looking for and forcing yourself to make it a habit will become easier - even when you don’t feel like it.

Remember that prayer should be more than another task on your list. It is meant to be delightful, rewarding, powerful and above all, life-changing.

This post was all about ways to establish a consistent prayer life.