Authentic prayer starts with faith in God.

“But without faith it is impossible to please Him: for he that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.”
Hebrews 11:6 KJV

Thus, authentic prayer begins with believing that there is a God and He is who He says He is. The author of Hebrews tells us that Father is a rewarder of those that diligently seek Him. Be assured that God hears you, and when you call out to Him – He will respond.

Secondly, authentic prayer occurs when we call upon the Lord, from our heart, in such a way that we are not putting on any type of facade. God is moved when we are being open and transparent with Him. We should speak to God like we would talk to our trusted best friend. Beloved, authentic prayer is authentic.

If we are honest with ourselves, we must admit that Father already knows everything about us, even our faults. He sees the negative attitude that we sometimes have. He is aware of the jealousy, selfishness, and even the loathing that we might experience in our hearts. God knows all that. We need to talk to Father about, and in the midst of, our weakness and sin. Because of His unconditional love, He still sent His Son for us.

“While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”
Romans 5:8

Thirdly, we have to grasp that if we want to move into the deep places in our prayer experience with the Lord, we have to get our focus off ourselves. We need to let go of praying so much about the things that we desire – that are typically from the world. Instead, we should be asking – “Father, what do You want to do in and through me?” Authentic prayer occurs when we transition from a prayer life that is centered on the things that we yearn for, to seeking what He wants.

When Jesus taught us how to pray, He started with, “Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven” (Matthew 6:10). Yeshua made it about His Father’s will. He was not pursuing the Lord in order to meet His personal needs. Authentic prayer is about praying for the Father’s will to be accomplished, rather than coming to Father so He can simply fill in the missing blanks in our life. The things that we often consider to be our dire needs are only temporary and earthly comforts.

Authentic prayer is about chasing after the real things that are above the natural. It is desiring intimacy and relationship with the Father. It is about discovering His will for our lives. Beloved, we need to constantly pursue and prioritize the eternal things of His kingdom.

“But seek first His kingdom and His righteousness, and all these things will be provided to you” (Matthew 6:33).