Some of the most powerful prayers come from praying God’s words in the Bible. Jesus teaches us to pray for blessing on our enemies, not cursing. 

At the same time we must remember prayer is a “two-way street.” Prayer is not only communicating with our Heavenly Father, it is also taking time to listen to what He may want to say to us.

Seven Kinds of Personal Prayer

1. Thanksgiving – We should be in the habit of thanking God not only for the good things that happen to us and for us, but to others as well. Philippians 4:6 “With thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.” Psalms 100:4 “Enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise; be thankful to Him and bless His name.”
   
   
2. Praise – Is a joyful recounting of all that God has done for us. It the truthful acknowledgement of the righteous acts of another. Since God has done many wonderful deeds, He is worthy of praise. Psalm 18:3 “I will call upon the Lord who is worthy to be praised, and I will be saved from my enemies.” Luke 19:40 “He (Jesus) answered them, if these (who are praising me) should be silent, the stones would immediately cry out."
   
   
3. Worship – This prayer is about focusing on who God is in contrast to thanks-giving which focuses on what He has done. It is the art of losing oneself in the adoration of another and goes beyond praise. Worship should be reserved for God alone and not simply for His acts. John 4:24 “God is Spirit and those who worship Him must worship Him in Spirit and truth.” Psalm 95:6 “O come let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker.”
   
   
4. Petition or Supplication – Prayers of petition are when we ask God for things we need, both spiritual and physical. When we petition with the knowledge of what God’s will is, we can pray with certainty. We also acknowledge that God’s plans for us are more important than what we desire.  Matthew 21:22 – “And whatever you ask in prayer, if you believe, you will receive. John 14:13,14 – “I will do whatever you ask in My name, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”
   
   
5. Repentance – In the Bible, the word repent means “to change one’s mind. ”The Bible also tells us that true repentance will result in a change of actions. Prayers of repentance can be personal or corporate where we identify with the sins of our city or nation. (Personal - Apathy, Fear Of Man, Selfishness, Ingratitude, Greed), (Corporate - Drug Abuse, Domestic Violence, Abortion, Homelessness)  Acts 3:19 " Repent therefore, and turn back, that your sins may be blotted out."  Acts 26:20 - The Apostle Paul declares, "I preached that they should repent and turn to God and demonstrate their repentance by their deeds."
   
   
6. Intercession – (“Standing in the Gap” with the knowledge of God’s will in a matter)  Ezekiel 22:30 “I sought for a man who might rebuild the wall of righteousness that guards the land. I searched for someone to stand in the gap in the wall so I wouldn’t have to destroy the land but I found no one.”  Romans 8:26 - “Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weaknesses, for we do not know what to prayer for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself intercedes with groanings too deep for words."
   
   
7. Imprecation – Imprecatory Prayers are used to invoke God’s judgment on the wicked and thereby avenge the righteous. Psalms 5:10 - “Make them bear their guilt, O God; let them fall by their own counsels; because of the abundance of their transgressions cast them out, for they have rebelled against you."  Galatians 1:8 - "But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed."