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Pray Out Loud

Pray Out Loud

When is the last time you prayed out loud? This is a practice I have been using recently. And, to be completely honest, it was pretty strange at first. But, the more I have been doing it, the more natural it has been feeling.

The first time I prayed out loud, it was quiet. Some might even have called it a whisper. It felt awkward and unnatural. It was almost as if I was worried someone else might hear or see me and think I was a little off and just talking to myself!

But I didn’t stop. Day after day, I kept praying out loud.

You know what happened?

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5 Ways to Jump-Start Your Prayer Life

I don’t know about you, but I can really struggle in my prayer life. It’s something I know I should do, and I really want to! But, sometimes I feel like Paul when he was struggling with following God’s instructions.

I do not understand what I do. For what I want to do I do not do, but what I hate to do…For I have the desire to do what is good, but I cannot carry it out.

Romans 7:15, 18 niv

I’m not sure what my hangup is, but I decided this was the time to overcome it! So, in order to do that, I started looking into a few ways to get into the habit of prayer. I hope (and pray) these tips will not only get my prayer life jump-started but yours as well!

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How Should I be Praying, Anyway??

Praying

I am the type of person who thrives on following rules, or systems, or plans.  Whatever you want to call them, that’s what I love.  If there is a checklist or guide for pretty much anything, I am a happy camper.  And, if there aren’t any lists provided, chances are I’ll create my own!

Lately, I have been working on improving my prayer life.  Now, some might say to just, ‘go ahead and pray.’  Trust me, I’ve tried that… But, I don’t feel like I really know HOW to pray.  After all, I have never actually been taught how to pray.  Even growing up in a Catholic elementary school, (where praying occurred every single day – multiple times a day), there was never a class on prayer.

And, while I know Jesus gave us an excellent example in Matthew, I was having some trouble translating that into my daily prayers.  So, after realizing I needed some extra help in this area, I decided to do some research and pick up a couple of books.

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