Prayer is powerful, but prayer without understanding God's Word can become an expression of assumptions rather than faith. Young believers must learn that prayer is not an opportunity to tell God what to do according to our emotions. Prayer is fellowship with God, and Scripture gives us the foundation for understanding His character, His will and His ways. “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17. There are prayers people make because they have heard someone else pray them, without examining whether the prayer agrees with Scripture. Sometimes young people ask God for things that contradict His principles, then become frustrated when they do not receive the desired answer. The problem is not always that God has refused to answer; sometimes the believer has not learned what God's Word actually says about the matter. Scripture gives your prayer direction. You cannot build a strong prayer life while neglecting the Bible. If you only pray when ...

Prayer is more than constantly binding the devil. If you remove “binding the devil” from some young people's prayer vocabulary, what else is left to pray about? This question is important because prayer was never designed to be an endless battle cry without understanding God's will, promises, plans and purpose. Salvation is bigger than spending your entire prayer life rebuking Satan. Jesus did not save us merely to give us language for fighting demons; He saved us to bring us into fellowship with God, transform our character, reveal His will and make us useful in His kingdom. “And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent.” John 17:3. Young people must learn to pray for wisdom, understanding, character, direction, spiritual maturity, purpose, relationships, discipline, opportunities to serve and the courage to obey God. Pray about your decisions. Pray about your future. Pray for the ability to recognize God's vo...