Prayer is a very powerful tool given to us by God for regular communication with Him. As powerful as this tool is, it is rather unfortunate that many people don’t use it at all while some who do, fail to make the best of it.

The first thing that must be in place for you to pray effectively is focus; all distractions must be done away with. The devil knows that you need to be completely focused to get the best out of your prayer time, and this is why you usually remember some not-too-important things that can distract you during prayers. One of the reasons you see many men of God praying when everyone is asleep is that they don’t want to be distracted. In Mark 1:35, Jesus Christ woke up before daybreak to pray while others were asleep. He went to a secluded place to pray. You must try to remove distractions. Find a secluded place where you can always go to pray. That secluded place could be your closet or any other place without distractions.

Anyone who does not regularly go to a secluded place to pray will eventually grow cold spiritually; I am saying this from experience. Many years ago, God pointed my attention to the fact that I was growing cold. He asked me, “When last did you spend quality time in my presence? Do you remember when you used to worship me in your car so much that my presence will fill the car, and you will have to park by the roadside because tears would have filled your eyes?” I responded, “Yes Lord, I remember, but that was before I had a driver. If I worship you that much now and my driver sees tears in my eyes, he will think something is wrong.” He responded, “Oh, it is now my fault that I gave you a driver?” I quickly apologised. That night, I left the house when everyone had slept to pray in the auditorium. The moment I started worshipping, the tears came rolling down. I had been praying all the while, but the major difference was that I had not been going to a secluded place to pray, and that had made me grow cold. Now, I have made it a habit to pray in secluded places, and my fire has increased greatly as a result.
Written by Pastor E.A. Adeboye.