Excerpt from Uncommon
by Carey Scott
Has your prayer life become ordinary? Stale? Downright common? The power of Jesus is anything but common and our communication with him shouldn’t be either. Here are some ways you can step out of the ordinary and start having an uncommon prayer life.
- Confess Your Sins
We don’t want anything to block the blessing, and unconfessed sin can be an issue. Psalm 66:18 (TLB) reads, “He would not have listened if I had not confessed my sins.” If we are willfully living in sin and disobedience, it could be a barrier.
- Ask with the Right Motives
James 4:3 (Voice) says, “And when you do ask, you still do not get what you want because your motives are all wrong—because you continually focus on self-indulgence.” Be careful that you aren’t asking for all the wrong reasons. If I ask for my book sales to soar, it better be because I want women to live uncommon rather than because I want fame or fortune. Motives matter. And since He knows our heart, it means He also knows what’s in it.
- Use the Precedent Set in Scripture
If God has done it before, He will do it again. I’ve pleaded with God, asking Him to deliver me from my enemies like He did when the Israelites crossed through the Red Sea. I’ve asked Him for ministry partners like Aaron was for Moses. I’ve asked God to remove the scales off of eyes like He did for Paul. It’s not that He needs the reminder. It’s that we do. It helps us to remember that God is able and willing.
- Show Gratitude and Respect
Tell God how thankful you are He is in the details, and for all He has already done in your life. I often thank Him for going before me and clearing the path. I tell God how much I love Him and how much I appreciate who He is in my life. Thank Him for being faithful, loving, trustworthy, kind, and capable. . .like Psalm 100:4 (CEB), “Enter his gates with thanks; enter his courtyards with praise! Thank him! Bless his name!” This sets your heart right because you’re focusing on more than what you need and want. You are focusing on who He is.
- Ask Away, but Be Prepared to Accept His Answer
We see Paul demonstrate this in 2 Corinthians 12:8–10 (Voice):
I begged the Lord three times to liberate me from its anguish; and finally He said to me, “My grace is enough to cover and sustain you. My power is made perfect in weakness.” So ask me about my thorn, inquire about my weaknesses, and I will gladly go on and on—I would rather stake my claim in these and have the power of the Anointed One at home within me. I am at peace and even take pleasure in any weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and afflictions for the sake of the Anointed because when I am at my weakest, He makes me strong.
We are invited to ask for anything, but like Paul we trust when God’s answer is different than we had hoped. He knows exactly what we need, when we need it, and always has our best in His sights.
Let’s choose to be men and women who thrive because of uncommon prayer. Let’s remember that it is a powerful defense from the Enemy’s schemes. We don’t have to fall into his trap—or stay there—anymore. Let’s recognize the ways it strengthens our resolve when the storms of life hit with a vengeance and never excuse it away again. Let’s remember the five ways we can position ourselves for powerful prayers that set us up for powerful results. And let’s remember to recognize God for His majesty rather than set our expectation that He is our personal genie in a bottle. When we know these things and practice them in our prayer life, it will help us live uncommon for sure.
Taken from Uncommon by Carey Scott with permission of Barbour Publishing.
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