Prayer that Produces Spiritual Transformation

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"Prayer changes things" is good and correct. But "Prayer changes me" is better.

As we allow the Holy Spirit to bring us deeper in prayer, may we allow the him to change us through the process of prayer. (Exodus 34:29-30; 2 Corinthians 3:17-18) PRAYERS THAT DON'T PRODUCE DEEP AND LASTING TRANSFORMATION IN PEOPLE
  1. Praying as if I know prayer very well. 
    • There neither "experts" nor "professionals" in that supernatural realm of prayer.
  2. Treating prayer as if it's a quick, magical solution to your problems.
    • One of the major misconceptions about prayer is to it as a means of summoning the genie in the bottle. (Acts 8:17-21)
  3. Using prayer as a "crutch". 
    • Prayer is not a crutch. The most important thing is not that we pray. The most important thing is how we pray. Are we praying in fear or in faith?
  4. Seeing prayer as a chore. 
    • We fail to see that prayer is not a burden, but a blessing. Not just a discipline, but a delight. Not just because we "have to", but because we "want to".
  5. Praying without a right heart attitude. (Matthew 6:7) 
    • The best posture of prayer is the posture of the heart.
  6. Praying hurriedly.
    • To grow deeper in prayer. we must not be in hurry. This is exactly the radical re-orientation we need in our prayer life - staying in the presence of God and growing deep in Him!
HOW PRAYER TRANSFORMS ME
  1. Prayer transforms me by giving me the power to do what God wants me to do. (Acts 6:4)
    • It is spirituality instructive that prayer precedes the ministry of the Word. (1 Samuel 12:23) Intercession precedes instruction.
  2. Prayer transforms by bringing me close God.
    • Our ontological distinctiveness - our distinct personhood that sets us apart from the animal kingdom. We were oriented first as spiritual beings, then as physical beings. Prayer is theologically significant not for what it can do for us, but for what it can bring us back to! Prayer brings us back to a dependence on God. (Matthew 26:39)
  3. Prayer transforms me by making my ministry godly. 
    •  How then can we keep a ministry godly? The secret is in godly life cultivated through prayer. (Luke 11:13) The Lord has designed prayer to be a life-transforming habit. May you and I accept God's invitation and draw closer to Him through the regular practice of Biblical and Spirit-empowered prayer.