We should learn to abide in the Lord's presence by speaking to Him in whatever condition or environment we find ourselves. In doing so, we should simply speak to the Lord in the most common, genuine expressions. We should not exercise any formality in our prayer. This is a basic lesson in coming to the Lord's presence.

If you don't practice coming to the Lord in this way, you will automatically fall into a form. I have been around long enough to be acquainted with all kinds of forms of prayer. I can pray on any topic; I don't even have to use my mind to think about it, let alone my spirit. I can pray the right words and everyone will say "amen," but the Lord will not be happy because I will not have touched Him at all. You have to learn to use the common, genuine spoken language without formality. I encourage you to walk as you pray. Lock yourself in a room and just walk, speaking to the Lord, opening yourself and your situation up to Him. If you pray like this for twenty minutes, you will become a different Christian.

Learn to speak to Christ exactly what is in your heart. And as you pray, do not try to work on the Lord for something. Don't even pray, "Lord, fill me with Your Spirit." Whoever has been a Christian for awhile is often blocked in praying because of such phraseology. This kind of prayer hinders us from really being able to open our real situation up to the Lord. We must learn to confess before the Lord in order to be vital or living. Many saints have difficulty even in this basic matter. They just cannot really confess their sins. Why is it that we have this problem? We are too full of phrases such as "fill me with Your Spirit." This kind of prayer often replaces what is genuine and thus we find it difficult to be genuine and real before the Lord.

In the military they train the soldiers in the most basic matters; even in how to get dressed, how to shine one's shoes, how to stand at ease, and so on. A good soldier is not one who merely can pick up a gun and shoot; a good soldier is one who has been trained in the fundamental things. In spiritual life it is the same. We need training in the matter of prayer.

Do you have the ability to practice prayer in this way? Can you walk in a room like this for twenty minutes? Gradually, through this kind of initial practice, you will progress. You will fmd that you do not need to walk to spend time with the Lord. You will be able to sit down. You will find that even after just a few minutes of praying over the word, memorizing or speaking to the Lord in prayer, your whole person will be cleansed and you will sense the Lord's presence. This is a basic learning.

You shouldn't just speak to the Lord in your room. Learn to speak to Him at any time and in any place. Speak to Him while you are driving or shopping. Speak to Him while you are at school or at work. Tell Him what is going on with you. Perhaps as you are driving you would be inspired to tell Him that He is your real "car," your real "gasoline," and your real "comfortable seat." Wherever you are, practice speaking to the Lord whatever is in your heart.

Some Christians shout in order to exercise and release their spirit, overcoming outward hindrances. Shouting can only last for a short while. Learn instead to begin with simple utterances and a very genuine attitude. I cannot tell you how often I have told the Lord that I am surprised that I am still following Him in His economy. I feel so weak and so crooked at times. I am so weak that I get nervous if I do not see that there is any tea for me to drink as I am speaking, for the sake of my throat. If someone brings me ice water instead of tea, I become so curt with that person. Then I just have to go to the Lord and admit to Him who I am, telling Him that all the credit goes to Him if the ministering brings any benefit.

If you are one who knows genuine prayer, most likely you have told the Lord that you feel that He has made mistakes towards you. Perhaps you have told Him, "You are responsible for this whole mess." Don't be afraid; the more genuine you are with Him, the better. Just speak to the Lord; talk yourself into the Lord's presence.

Many times when we pray, we take too much time to confess in a self-abasing way. Recall that the Lord is your Savior. He knows how weak you are. He sees our weaknesses more clearly than we do, yet He has decided to become our Savior. If the Lord exposed all your weaknesses, I am afraid that you would desire to jump into hell. Therefore the Lord does not expose all our weaknesses to us. Many times we exercise self-pity or regret out of our self-love. We think even that if we are able to weep in repentance, our tears will cause the Lord to have more mercy. Our tears are often only tears of self-pity. Therefore, even as Madame Guyon said, we have to repent for our tears of repentance. The Lord alone can keep us. Learn to come to the Lord in this way. He is our Savior. He must keep us.

g. Speak to the Lord to the point that we have the assurance that negatively ourselves, our needs, our condition, our frustration, or, positively, our joyfulness, our satisfaction, our encouragement, are all made known to Him.

Don't consider that prayer is something so high that it requires another form of speech. Prayer is just speaking normally. Your prayer is your speaking to the Lord as to any person. In your speaking, make yourself known to Him.

Speak to the Lord to the point that the elders don't even know what is wrong with you. Presently, most of us are all too clear, because we have not spoken to the Lord to that degree. Hannah (I1 Samuel 1:12-13) prayed to the point that Eli rebuked her for being drunk, and yet she was able to answer so sweetly. Her prayer was the top kind of prayer; she just spoke to God exactly what was bothering her to the point that she seemed to be out of her senses. When Eli looked at her, she seemed to be drunk. Suppose that all of us spoke to the Lord to the point that we all seemed drunk to the leading ones or elders. How good that would be!

We consider that this is contrary to being godly, but what does it mean to be godly? To be godly means that God comes out in our living and speaking. The mystery of godliness is God manifested in the flesh (1 Tim. 3:16). A brother was here praying in a way that didn't fit most of our concept of godly prayer, but, eventually as he prayed God came out. Godliness does not mean formality or outward piety. Exercise freedom before God. Tell Him exactly how you feel; whether it is negative or positive. Make yourself and your condition known to the Lord.

As you pray, petitions will come forth. Philippians 4:6 says, "In nothing be anxious, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God." These three things: prayers, petitions and thanksgivings, should become our practice.

Petition for whatever the Lord has put into your heart. Learn not only to pray yourself into the Lord's presence; learn to pray with a purpose, for whatever the Lord has put into your heart, whether spiritual or non-spiritual. We should pray regarding everything, ever our car or school, etc. However, we should not confine the Lord in His answer.

You may petition the Lord for a car that will never break down, and the Lord may give you one that breaks down as soon as you buy it. Why? Because as the verse says, "What father among you whose son shall ask for a fish will instead of a fish hand him a snake?" (Luke 11:11-12). Without realizing it, you asked for a "serpent" (an invincible car), but the Lord gave you a fish instead (something that turns you to Him). Often we ask for things that are "scorpions" or "serpents" without realizing it, and then wonder why the Lord gives us something else instead. It is because He knows what is really the best for us.

We should learn to pray for all things, whether big or small. To ask for a good spouse is a big thing. To ask for a good cooking pan is small. Whether big or small, pray. Learn to bring everything to the Lord. Pray for your haircut or for your doctor as he is about to do something for you. If you are buying a shirt, pray. Build up the habit of praying regarding everything that goes on in your life. Build up the habit of bringing every matter to the Lord.

On common shortage among Christians is that we remain independent in our thinking and our operation. Therefore, we must also learn to pray for the church. We should learn to pray for the elders' operation. The more you pray for the leading ones, the more you will love them. To criticize the elders is a serious matter. Do not say, "Our elders are not wise." To criticize the elders is to commit spiritual suicide. Don't touch the eldership in this way. Rather, thank the Lord for all of the elders and pray for them. The more you pray for them, the more you will appreciate them.

Furthermore, we should pray for your companions. The more you pray for them, the more you will be saved from being merely good buddies together in a natural way.

Can we learn to pray for the exercise of the New Testament ministry and those who exercise the New Testament ministry? We shouldn't just say in your prayer, "We pray for Brother so and so," but we should pray, "We pray for Brother so and so and we pray for the ministry you have committed to our brother." Pray for the ministry the Lord has committed to a person; don't pray just for the person. This kind of prayer is much higher.

There are many brothers that together bear such a ministry. There is only one work and one ministry in the Body of Christ which is called the New Testament ministry, yet due to geography the operation of the workers is limited to certain areas. We are all confined by geography. Satan would use this to divide the Body and to cause some to feel that they are not "part of the Body." As Paul said, however, we all walk in the same footsteps, we all are doing the same thing. We are all co-workers, bearing the New Testament ministry.

Our pray should match God's economy. It is important to leam to be in the Lord's presence when we pray and to pray for His economy, His household administration, to be carried out. Only in such a way can our prayers be answered by the Lord in order to carry out His desire on the earth.

Finally, in your prayer, leam to thank the Lord, and not just at the end of your prayer. Thanksgiving comes with your prayer and with your petitions. As you pray and petition, thanksgiving just spontaneously arises. When your prayer is normal in this way, your thanksgiving will also be normal. In nothing be anxious, but in everything, in prayer and petitions, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.