6 Reasons you’re not Consistent in Prayer + The Right reason to Pray

Have you ever wondered why it’s so hard to be consistent in your prayer life?

Well I have.

And I want to help you understand what I found out. It could help you, if you read through. 

In a post I wrote about the secret to a consistent prayer life, I wrote extensively on why you should pray, but this post is not about that.

 This post is centered on ‘the wrong reasons we pray’ and why it’s affecting our consistency and productivity in prayer, and at the end I will give the right reason to pray that will help you to be consistent.

I will like to start this article with an excerpt of a post by Carey Nieuwhof i’m in love with; It says,

“Most people who say prayer works these days really mean God did what I wanted him to do. As if prayer was a button to be pushed to release exactly what they wanted from the vending machine.

Prayer is not a button to be pushed; it’s a relationship to be pursued.” 

This topic is important because a lot of people battle inconsistency in prayer everyday, but I believe adequate knowledge can change this inconsistency.

This is why I will be sharing six reasons why you’re not consistent in prayer and why you might never be if you don’t change your mindset.

Prayer is not a button to be pushed; it’s a relationship to be pursued

Carey Nieuwhof

1

You were Motivated to Pray

Motivation is an emotion and like every other emotion, it will fade away with time, and if you started praying because you were motivated, when the emotion dies down, your prayer life will die with it.

Stunning Motivation wrote, “Please understand that motivation is an emotion. It is a feeling that you feel inspired to take action.

And feelings come and go. You cannot feel motivated all the time. There will be times when you feel down, uninspired, and want to just get away or do nothing at all.”

   A great minister of God in Nigeria made a statement in a youth service one day. He said, “If you can pray in tongues for 30 minutes in 3 months, your life will change.”

What a profound statement he has made and do you know the effect of that statement? 

The effect is that several youths in different parts of the world will strive to pray 30 minutes daily, but some things might also happen along the way, which has nothing to do with what the minister said but more to do with the human mind.

The minister of God has great results which were obtained through prayer, so when he tells the congregation to pray, wise youths will pray. 

But the downside is they will get tired along the way. They were motivated, so even if they manage to pray for 3 months (which might be a struggle but is doable), they might not continue after that, because that is how far the motivation could carry them.

So, one of the reasons you might be inconsistent in your prayers is because you were motivated but the motivation feeling has gone down with time.

This is why you notice that after a fiery prayer meeting, you’re charged to pray, you feel fire in your bowels. But after some days (for some, it’s after the prayer meeting), you no longer feel like praying. 

Why? 

It was an emotion and it has faded away.

Can’t wait? Click here to go straight to what to do to be consistent in prayers and how to know the right reason to pray!

2

You are Praying to get Supernatural Powers

First, I must say this is not a bad prayer at all. I also pray for supernatural powers once in a while, but if this is the only reason you go to God in prayers, then this might be the reason you’re inconsistent. 

How?

Praying for supernatural powers is also a result of motivation. If you go to a prayer meeting and the minister tells you how he raised a dead girl after praying for 21 days. 

Let me ask you, won’t you feel motivated and fired up to go on a 21 days retreat?

Of course you will.

But I put it to you, if you don’t ‘feel’ powerful in 7 days, you will either stop praying or get tired of praying. And if after 21 days, you don’t raise the dead, it’s either you feel like God hates you or you stop praying for months just to spite God (lol). 

3

You Rely on Feelings to Pray

Are you the type that only prays when you feel like it? 

Please answer this question, when was the last time you felt like praying? 

Probably months ago or when something bad happens right? Or maybe even in church or prayer meetings.

You probably don’t like prayer meetings. Because, if you don’t like praying when it’s just you, you will get bored easily in prayer meetings.

Things that truly matter are not done based on feelings. No! They are done whether you feel like it or not, whether you like it or not.

So, one of the reasons you’re inconsistent in prayers is because you are waiting to feel like praying and that feeling might never come.

Things that truly matter are not done based on feelings. No! They are done whether you feel like it or not, whether you like it or not.

4

 You’re Looking for Quick Answers

In the past, when I prayed consistently for 7 days about one thing and I didn’t get it, I would get angry with God and stop praying for a while, till my anger calmed down.

What a joke I was!

But that was my reality. However, this changed when I realized something. 

God always answers our prayers. 

Why you’re not receiving the answer is because you are not patient enough. 

It’s either the man or woman God has sent to grant your request has refused to yield to the voice of God sending them (because God won’t come down himself to grant it) or God gave you instructions after praying and you didn’t carry out the instructions. 

Let me add this: A lot of people have missed answers to their prayers because they ignored God’s instructions or they didn’t carry out the ideas he gave them. Sometimes that is Him answering your prayer or that is the gateway to get your answers.

So, now whenever I don’t get quick answers, I know it’s not God’s fault, so I keep praying for God to change the person’s heart in my favor or I pray to patiently wait for God’s answer.

Therefore, if you’re waiting for quick answers and you’re not ready to wait on God, you might never be consistent in prayer.

A lot of people have missed answers to their prayers because they ignored God’s instructions or they didn’t carry out the ideas he gave them.

5 

You Pray only when you’re Afraid

As strange as this sounds, there are people like that, who pray only when they’re scared of some unknown forces, scared of falling sick, or scared of dying. These are wrong reasons to pray.

It is okay to pray when you’re scared but you should not pray only when you’re scared or worried. You should pray always.

 And the last wrong reason is :

6

When you don’t Get the Exact thing you Prayed for

There are times we pray to God concerning our desires and sometimes, these desires can be specific.

 Like when I pray for marital relationship, I’m not ashamed or afraid to tell God my desires (as opposed to people saying God should choose for you or you should pray without desires (Is that even realistic?) 

We are God’s children and he cares about what we care about. So it’s totally okay to tell Him your desires.

One thing that makes me happy and confident to tell God my desires (especially in terms of a spouse) is because I know He will grant them in His will. 

If it’s bad for me, He won’t grant it (God pays attention to the details of our life and He grants our heart desires in the right way). 

So, He will either make me wait for the right person, break off with the wrong person, or bring us together in His time.

This is something to note. You might not get the exact thing you prayed for, but this is because God loves you dearly and He wants to give you the best and right one for you.

So, wait and count on Him.

One word I will tell you is, “He that trusts in God will never be put to shame.” (Psalm 25:3, Psalm 125:1, Romans 10:11.)

The Right Reason to Pray

So, what is the right reason to pray? And how can you have a healthy mindset that will help you pray consistently?

“He that trusts in God will never be put to shame.”

Psalm 25:3, Psalm 125:1, Romans 10:11.

It is simple.

Fellowship

If you drop every other reason for praying and just focus on fellowshipping with God. Your prayer life will change.

Let me explain further.

God does not want you to come as a visitor. He is sincerely interested in speaking with you, gisting with you, and hearing your voice.

Is your goal to pray for 1 hour daily? Is all you do within that 1 hour just tongues? It’s not bad at all.

But sometimes, try to talk to God. Talk to Him about what bothers you, because what’s the point of praying when you’re not talking to God about everything or communicating effectively by also listening to Him?

I have noticed sometimes when I am not in a good mood and I go and pray, I come back from the prayer happy, hopeful, or light-hearted. 

Why is this?  

Because I can feel God asking me “Daughter, what troubles your heart.” 

I have also noticed no matter how I try not to say it and just focus on ‘praying,’ I end up talking to Him.

And I do feel better after.

This is fellowship. You talking to God, God talking to you.

This is why you will notice that after some time when you have prayed for a while, you start speaking in your own language (the language you can understand).

I explained more on this in this post.

God wants people who come to Him to hear Him, to stay, to enjoy His company.

And that is what happens when you fellowship.

Prayer is a fellowship.

It is not a one-off thing.

And you will only build consistency if you go to God as your friend, a father, and a confidant.

This is an assurance because you won’t feel forced to go. 

You’re not going to pray because you want to fulfill a religious mandate or carry out a religious activity (you will get tired, trust me), but you’re going because who else can you trust with your deepest secrets and desires?

 You are going because who else has the patience to listen to you? 

You’re going because if you don’t go you will miss ‘Father’s’ word for you for that day and you know your life is incomplete without His words.

So, beloved, to build consistency, come for fellowship not like a visitor or a guest, but like a Son. 

It will take discipline and sincerity at first, but gradually you’ll begin to love it.

 Even the days you won’t feel like it, you will still come because you know it will be worth it.

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Also, remember to take it one day at a time.

Don’t overexert yourself or dwell on ‘how you feel.’ It will be uncomfortable sometimes, tiring, weird too (if you haven’t spoken to God before), but never stop. 

Remember, it is worth it. Remember, everything you want (supernatural powers, heart desires, answers to prayers, and the grace to be consistent) is all rooted and can be found in fellowship. 

Fellowship is a buy one, get millions free package. 

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Have more to share on praying consistently? Comment below. I look forward to hearing from you.

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We won’t get tired. We will keep praying and waiting till our generation is filled with the fire of prayer.

Selah.