The prayers I hear from some believers are either unscriptural or the Bible has already given the answer.
I don’t have to ask God in prayer for something that the Word has already told me to do. I don’t have to pray if I should be a part of the local assembly of saints for training, fellowship, and accountability. God has already commanded me in Scriptures not to forsake the gathering of the saints.
When I was a young single Christian I did not have to pray about marrying a lost person. The Scriptures already command us to not be unequally yoked. We don’t need to pray about something that is already in the Word, we just need to hear, trust, and obey. Don’t try to believe God for something that is unscriptural or something which goes against the Character of God.
Prayer should not be a religious activity just so we can say that we did it. Prayer needs to be an activity of faith and not just a religious tradition. To do so we need to hear the “Rhema” Word or uttered Word. We can’t have faith for something beyond knowledge. We can’t have faith for something beyond the Word of God.
Ephesians 6:18 ESV praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication. To that end keep alert with all perseverance, making supplication for all the saints,
“All prayer” means all manner of prayer or all different kinds of prayer. We should pray how often? Always! We are always on call by the Holy Spirit.
We don’t need to see how long we can pray but how fast we can enter into prayer. Many stress how long they can be in prayer, that is two hours, four hours. But the key is how fast do we call on the name of the Lord in prayer? To pray is not the key! A small, short prayer in faith according to the Word is far more successful then thousands of hours of prayer that is prayer for prayers sake.
I have an assignment for you. Effective prayer is prayer in the Spirit. If you are not doing it, learn how to pray in the Spirit. Walking down the street or wherever you are or whatever you are doing and the Lord happens to lay someone on your heart, than pray for them. Get a day timer, or small book, or use your iPhone to keep dates and people you are praying for. Chart your prayer ministry.
If we are not living a life in the Spirit then we are a dull blade. I don't like trying to cut meat or tomatoes with a dull knife. A dull blade causes us to work harder.
It is not just important that we pray, but that we learn to pray correctly in agreement with the activity of God. Prayer is not an end in itself.