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What would happen if a church full of people would begin praying purposefully for a few specific things?

That’s what we’re going to find out!

But how do we begin with prayer?

First, it’s important to understand there are many means to this end. Our suggestions are not an end all be all, they are meant to be a strategy to reach the people around you with the Gospel of Jesus.

Begin with a prayer like – “God how do you want me to bless the people in the places you’ve sent me to?”

Three ways you can pray practically for your community:

<h3 “=”” style=”caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: rgb(0, 0, 0); margin: 0px 0px 0.5em; padding: 0px; border: 0px; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, Verdana, Tahoma, sans-serif; font-size: 21px; font-stretch: inherit; line-height: 1.3; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; text-rendering: optimizeLegibility;”>1. Prayer Walk

Prayer walking can be boiled down to this: walking the streets of your neighborhood and asking God to stir each neighbor’s heart for the Lord.

A few things you can pray during your prayer walk:

• That men and women would be drawn into a relationship with God
• That marriages would be Christ-centered
• That kids would come to know the Lord
• Pray scripture over your neighborhood

2. Pray Scripture

Praying scripture before or while you pray can be an effective way to set your attention and focus on the Lord.

Pastor and author John Piper describes praying scripture this way:

“For me it is absolutely essential that my prayers be guided by, saturated by, and sustained and controlled by the word of God. I’ve said to people, ‘You can pray all day if you pray the Bible.’” – John Piper

Here’s a list of scriptures to start with:

• Numbers 6:24-26
• Psalms 46:10
• Psalms 56:3
• 1 John 4:4b
• Colossians 3:23

3. Ask for prayer needs from people you know

This can be as simple as sending a text to a friend and asking how you can be praying for them.

This might feel like the most uncomfortable of the three strategies to try, but it might just make the biggest difference in someone’s day.

What other prayer strategies have you used? We’d love to hear your experience… feel free to share in the comments below.