I. How to Pray the Way Jesus Taught
Jesus taught us how to pray in Matthew 6:9-13:
“Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name.”
This means you can start prayer by praising God and thanking Him. Praise Him for the things He has made. Praise Him for who He is: He is faithful, good, loving, kind, wise, powerful, and strong. Thank Him for what He has done for you. Praise Him because you get to know Him personally. Worship Him.
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”
Pray for God to help you do His will. Pray for other people too. Ask God to help others to also know Him.
“Give us this day our daily bread.”
Ask God to help you with your daily needs, and provide for you and your family. Be specific about what you need today. Don’t hesitate to ask for His help for things big or small. Practice trusting Him for everything.
“Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors.”
Confess any sins to Him and ask Him to cleanse and forgive you. God does not want sin to become a wall between you and God. Ask God to help you to not sin against Him.
Forgive anyone who has wronged you so that your sins would be forgiven too. Jesus said, “For if you forgive others for their transgressions, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive others, then your Father will not forgive your transgressions.” (Matthew 6:14-15)
“Do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil.”
All of us have been tempted in one way or another. Ask God to help you overcome temptation. Ask God to help you keep away from sin.
Talk to God using your own words
You can talk to God about anything that’s on your heart. “Cast all your anxiety on Him, because He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).
Remember, prayer is not about reciting the verses in Matthew 6, but using your own words to talk to God. At least once a day, try using Jesus’s model for prayer as a guideline. You will find greater peace and joy in your life, and grow much closer to God!
II. How to Read the Bible
You can read the Bible in a straight-forward way. Don’t treat the Bible as if it is very difficult and mysterious. God wants us to understand His word. So we should read it, expecting God to help us understand it.
Do you have any questions on any passage in the Bible?
You can search for an answer to many Bible questions at Got Questions. And see answers to FAQ and Questions Christians Ask.
But most importantly, you can ask God directly. The Holy Spirit will help you as you read the Bible to give you understanding. So before you read His word each day, you can pray a simple prayer for God to help you understand the passage you are about to read.
God wrote a book for you to read, and will also provide help so that you can understand it. So don’t be discouraged and keep reading. He will help you, and you will understand a lot more over time.
Anything worth pursuing takes effort. Who has gotten a good result in school or work or any other pursuit without practice and perseverance? Understanding the Bible is worth the effort, because God has the words of eternal life (John 6:68).
Resources
There are many English versions of the Bible with some translation variations. I recommend the New International Version (NIV) or the New American Standard Bible (NASB) for English readers. You can also find translations into many different languages so you can read the Bible in your native tongue.
To read about Jesus in the Bible, please see:
Gospel of Matthew in an online Bible
To understand the format of the Bible and get a brief Bible overview, see Brief Bible Overview.
Jesus’s Parable
Jesus told a parable regarding His words:
“Therefore everyone who hears these words of Mine and acts on them, may be compared to a wise man who built his house on the rock. And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and yet it did not fall, for it had been founded on the rock.
Everyone who hears these words of Mine and does not act on them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. The rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and slammed against that house; and it fell—and great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
It is important to act on and take to heart what you learn. What is God saying to you through His word? Pray and ask God to help you apply His principles to your life. Don’t be just a hearer but be a doer of His word (James 1:22). Be a person who frequently practices what God says in your own life.
If you act on His words and keep applying it to your own life, you will experience the faithfulness of God just like the people of the Bible did. Test it out for yourself!
See the next lesson: Bible Overview.