25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer
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About this ebook
This primer on prayer is big on information and inspiration. Aimed at those who struggle to spend time in prayer or have questions about its relevance to their lives, 25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer covers the essentials:
- What is prayer?
- Why is it so hard to pray?
- Why doesn't God answer?
- What does it mean to "pray without ceasing"?
- How do I know I'm praying in God's will?
Readers will encounter not only clear biblical teaching on prayer, but also practical insight from classic and contemporary writers. For anyone whose prayer life could stand a boost, 25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer is an invaluable aid.
Terry Glaspey
Terry Glaspey, PhD, has degrees in history and pastoral ministry and is the author of several books, including 75 Masterpieces Every Christian Should Know and Not a Tame Lion: The Spiritual Legacy of C.S. Lewis.
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25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer - Terry Glaspey
What Readers Are Saying
If ever you should read a book on prayer, this is it. Your prayer life will be ignited, your soul stirred, and your heart drawn into the relationship you’ve always wanted with God. This book is a treasure in my personal library that will continue to get underlined and tattered as I refer to it for years to come.
—LYSA TERKEURST, president of Proverbs
31 Ministries, national speaker, and author of
What Happens When Women Say Yes to God
"We all know there is power in prayer, but it’s not always easy to exercise that power. Terry Glaspey’s 25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer provides deep insights into how to pray and pray effectively in the power of God’s Spirit. This book is an excellent guide for making prayer your everyday practice."
—JOSH MCDOWELL, author of More Than a Carpenter
We all need to be inspired to pray more, and Terry Glaspey’s book on prayer does just that. It is delightfully written and entertaining to read. I have known Terry for many years and have seen that he has the talent of a true writer. He also has a heart that longs for a closer walk with God and the assurance that his life is being lived in an effective and fruitful way. And he knows that none of this happens without prayer.
—STORMIE OMARTIAN, author of The
Power of a Praying® series
"Writing with the winsome tone of an encouraging friend, Terry Glaspey uses a little book to explore a big topic: the often daunting challenge of prayer. 25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer is the perfect primer for someone new to prayer, and great inspiration for someone who desires to renew their prayers."
—GARY THOMAS, author of Sacred Marriage and
founder of the Center for Evangelical Spirituality
"Prayer has long been a mystifying, challenging, and laborsome process for me, but 25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer is like a lifeline. It is penetrating, concise, and uncommonly practical. Glaspey gives believers all the tools we need to cultivate a life of prayer. Read it. Apply it. And enjoy stepping into the presence of God."
—JEFF CROSBY, editor and compiler of
Days of Grace Through the Year
"Terry Glaspey’s 25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer unlocks the heart and opens the door to welcoming God’s presence into our lives moment-by-moment. Glaspey shows us that prayer is not about religious ritual but about a familiar friendship with God. This book is filled with simple yet profound steps that will help every reader move toward a more intimate relationship with God and begin to see the world through His eyes every minute of every day."
—SHARON JAYNES, international speaker and
author of Becoming a Woman who Listens to God
I’ve read quite a few books on prayer—from classic to contemporary— and this is the most practical and winsome book on prayer I’ve ever read. Rather than coming at me like a saint from the past whose prayer life and prayers are way outside my grasp, Terry Glaspey comes alongside and nudges me along, providing useful suggestions and illustrations that encourage me to be a much more purposeful and regular pray-er. How did he know I need this right now?
—STAN JANTZ is CEO of ConversantLife.com
and coauthor of Growing as a Christian 101
25 Keys to
Life - Changing
Prayer
TERRY GLASPEY
HARVEST HOUSE PUBLISHERS
EUGENE, OREGON
All Scripture quotations, unless otherwise indicated, are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV®. Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission of Zondervan. All rights reserved worldwide.
Scriptures marked NASB are from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)
Scriptures marked NRSV are from the New Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the USA. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Scriptures marked RSV are from the Revised Standard Version of the Bible, copyright © 1946, 1952, 1971 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
Cover design by e210 Design, Eagan, Minnesota
Cover photo © iStockphoto / drflet
25 Keys to Life-Changing Prayer
Copyright © 2010 by Terry Glaspey
Published by Harvest House Publishers
Eugene, Oregon 97402
www.harvesthousepublishers.com
ISBN 978-0-7369-2672-0
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, digital, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations in printed reviews, without the prior permission of the publisher.
Printed in the United States of America
10 11 12 13 14 15 16 / BP-SK / 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
Contents
Introduction
1. Remember That Prayer Is More About Relationship Than Ritual
2. Deepen Your Understanding of God’s Strength and Love
3. Recognize the Amazing Power of Prayer
4. Learn That the Best Way to Learn to Pray Is by Praying
5. Pray Boldly
6. Overcome a Naturalistic Mindset
7. Don’t Worry About Your Feelings— Just Pray
8. Pray Honestly
9. Experiment with a Variety of Kinds of Prayer
10. Don’t Be Afraid to Pray for Yourself and Your Needs
11. Confess Your Sin
12. Pray for Others
13. Don’t Just Talk, Listen
14. Learn the Power of Praise and Worship
15. Practice the Presence of God
16. Discover the Power of Contemplative Prayer
17. Learn the Discipline of Dart Prayers
18. Pray with Others
19. Use a Variety of Spontaneous and Written Prayers
20. Expose Yourself to What Inspires You to Pray
21. Pray the Scriptures, Especially the Psalms
22. Accept the Mystery of Unanswered Prayer…and Keep Praying
23. Use Distractions to Deepen Your Prayers
24. Learn to Become More Awake and Aware
25. Become Open to Being the Answer to Your Prayers
The Life-Changing Adventure of Prayer
Appendix: A Little Collection of Prayers
Introduction
This is a little book about a large topic…prayer. In one sense, prayer is one of the simplest things we can do—we are invited to just open our hearts and open our mouths, and talk to God.
A child can pray.
In another sense, prayer is one of the hardest things to do. Most people struggle with their prayers from time to time, often feeling them to be inadequate or irrelevant or foolish or ineffective. Prayer can seem like a strange and pointless endeavor. If prayer is a conversation, it is a conversation with someone we can’t see and we can’t hear…at least not with our eyes and ears. And it requires faith and discipline to have an effective prayer life. The greatest saints spent their whole lives learning how to pray.
Yes, prayer is a simple idea. But it is not a simple practice.
If we are honest, the vast majority of us don’t pray very much, very often, or with any strong sense that our prayers really matter or make any difference. We might say a prayer over our meal or intone an amen
at the conclusion of a prayer during the church service. If something awful happens—or we fear it might— we breathe a quick prayer, almost like a lucky charm against the danger. Other than