The Power of Prayer Based on Scriptures

Prayer sits at the center of the Christian life. It connects you to God and helps you build a deeper relationship with Him. It guides you in your day-to-day life and can transform it.

What Research Reveals About Christian’s Prayer Habits

Teleios studied the prayer habits of adolescents and millennials through a survey shared on the Christian Instagram accounts InstaPray and GodsHolyScriptures.

Out of 428 respondents, most were female (76%), <35 years old (77%), from the United States (54%), and evangelical (69%). The survey found that:

• Approximately 80% pray every day.
• Most people pray to express personal concerns (92%) and gratitude (91%).
• Many believe that the prayer topics the Bible emphasizes are about praise (87%) and thankfulness (86%).
• 93% prefer to pray at home and alone.
• 82% prefer praying at night (about 2/3 indicating morning or intermittent prayers throughout the day)
• 62% pray spontaneously, while 19% follow a structured or written list
• 77% believe that Christians should pray in faith, while about half each agreed that the Holy Spirit and Christ pray for believers.
• When praying for somebody else, 42% indicated that they keep the information confidential, and 40% pray for a while over time before stopping.
• 40% noted that native language should be used at least sometimes in praying, and 40% expressed that praying in tongues makes no difference. 20% believe that tongues should be used at least sometimes when praying.
• Interestingly, those who frequently praise God, especially in their native language, reported higher levels of well-being. This suggests that clear, heartfelt, and biblically grounded prayer can positively impact your Christian life.

All study results are found here.

Where Christians Need to Grow: The Gaps in Prayer Habits

While it’s good that the study found that many Christians pray daily, it also revealed gaps in understanding of biblical teachings on prayer. Generally, the participants lack knowledge of the following:

• The Holy Spirit and Christ intercede for believers.
• Christians should pray according to Scripture.
• God calls believers to pray for all people and government leaders.

This gap creates an opportunity for pastors and youth leaders to teach a more complete and powerful approach to prayer.

What the Bible Says About Prayer: Bridging the Gap

The Bible calls you to pray faithfully, frequently, and persistently. Through prayer, you can approach God with confidence and receive mercy in times of need (Hebrews 10:19–22).

What Should You Pray For?

Align your prayers with what glorifies Jesus Christ (John 14:13,14, 15:7).

• Thankfulness for God’s blessings and others  (Philippians 1:3-4, Colossians 1:3)
• Praise to God is (Hebrews 13:15)
• Petitions for your needs and the needs of others (Philippians 4:6)

Follow a Scriptural Prayer Model

The apostle Paul provides 3 model prayers in which he emphasizes what God desiress for us to attain by our prayers, no matter the situation (Ephesians 1:15ff, 3:14ff; Colossians 1:9-15). His prayers focus on spiritual growth, asking God for:

• Knowledge of our salvation and the Bible
• Wisdom and understanding
• Hope and spiritual strength
• Awareness of God’s love
• Service to God
• Patience, joy, and perseverance

Trust That God Answers Prayer

God promises to answer your prayers when you ask according to His will (John 14:13-14; 1 John 5:14-15). To pray effectively, you must know the Scripture and align your requests with it.

How Prayer Improves Your Life

Prayer does more than connecting you to God. It transforms your wellbeing and your life because it:

• Releases stress and anxiety by casting your cares on God (1 Peter 5:7).
• Reminds you that you are not alone, as God listens and cares, and that the Holy Spirit and Christ Himself pray on our behalf (Hebrews 7:25; Romans 8:26,34).
• Encourages biblical thinking, helping you process challenges wisely
• Builds gratitude, shifting your focus from problems to blessings.
• Strengthens relationships, as praying for others softens your heart.
• Keeps life in perspective, reminding you of God’s greater purpose.

Prayer drives spiritual maturity as a Christian. It seeks God’s guidance, strengthens your faith, and anchors your life in truth, praise, and gratitude.

When you commit to a consistent and biblical prayer life, you don’t just talk to God—you grow, change, and experience deeper peace and purpose.

Start today. Pray with intention. Pray with faith. Let God change your life through prayer.

Join us again next time as we discover the truth and benefits of the Bible together.

William C. Stewart, MD

——

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice nor recommendation for any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

PRAISE: Is It Good For You?

 

We often think of praise as something we do for an hour on Sunday mornings. But what if it’s actually the key to a more joyful, grounded daily life?.

Teleios recently surveyed over 300 young Christians—mostly female and from the U.S.—to see how they approach praise. The results were eye-opening: 74% of participants praise God every day with reasons because it is due to Him (79%) and it also makes them feel good (79(%). More importantly, those who did reported significantly higher levels of personal well-being than those who praised less (P<0.001).

Participants indicated different ways that they praise God, including expressing gratitude for blessings (85%), singing hymns (78%), and recognizing His character and actions (65%). Full findings are available here: https://teleiosresearch.com/do-young-christians-praise/.

What Exactly is Praise?

While the dictionary defines praise as "favorably judging" or "glorifying" someone, the Bible gives us a much richer roadmap. True biblical praise involves:

1. Acknowledgment of God’s perfect character (Ephesians 1:6)
2. Acknowledgment of God’s righteous actions (Psalm 139:14; Psalm 148)
3. Thankfulness (Hebrews 13:15)

Why We Need It (More Than We Think)

Praise isn't just a religious tradition; it is a vital practice that transforms our daily walk with Christ. Here are three core reasons why we praise:

1. The Bible commands us to praise. It is our duty as Christians to praise. But God never gives a command without a beautiful purpose behind it, as explained below (Psalm 150; Romans 15:11; Hebrews 13:15).
2. Because He is Worthy. Our Father is the Almighty Creator who has provided us with salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ. This is a free gift of eternal life that serves as a sure hope and a steady anchor for our souls in a chaotic world. Quite simply, He deserves every bit of the glory and thanks we can offer. (1 Peter 4:11; Hebrews 6:19).
3. It is for our good. As our Creator, God knows that praise is actually good for our well-being.  It helps us be reminded of God’s ordained order, fosters humility in us, and teaches us thankfulness and reduces expectations.

Make praise part of your daily life and reap the benefits while giving God what He deserves.

William C. Stewart, MD

------ 

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice nor recommendation for any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

 

 

Beliefs about the Holy Spirit

 

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We are exploring relevant research findings from Teleios! More compelling findings are on our website.

 

Teleios examined the important role of the Holy Spirit in Christians’ lives in visitors to the Instagram account, InstaPray. We had 475 participants, 68% were adolescents (<18) as well as millennials (18-34), 78% evangelicals and 71% female. Wow, we received some amazing answers! See full results here - Holy Spirit influence on Christians’ lives.

 

The Holy Spirit is a very important yet controversial and often emotional topic. Opinions vary widely about the role of the Spirit, from traditional orthodox to charismatic beliefs. However, in all groups there is often a general lack of knowledge of what scripture teaches. Let's cover some pertinent topics over the Spirit examining what scripture says and perhaps we can all better shape our own thinking based on the truth of God. 

 

I generally breakdown scriptures handling of the Spirit for the New Testament Church into three basic realms: 

• The Spirit’s work in salvation 
• The Spirit's role in our Christian walk 
• The Christian’s duties to the Spirit

 

Let's examine what our participants said regarding the Spirit and salvation (please see table).

What the Bible says

 

Indeed, the Spirit in salvation in scripture is key. He performs the following vital functions.

• Convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment (John 16:8) - This role is vital because left to our own resources, as fallen man both physically and mentally, we would not come to faith and salvation by our own reckoning (Romans 3:10-12). Therefore, the Spirit is central to help unbelievers recognize their faults, coming judgment and God’s demand for righteousness.
• Baptizes (Romans 6:2-3,9; Ephesians 2:4-7; Colossians 2:12-13) - In the epistles the word ‘baptism’ signifies spiritual baptism which occurs at our salvation by the Spirit. The actual meaning of the word baptism (βαπτιζω, baptizoo) is ‘to identify with’. Therefore, the Spirit baptizes us by identifying us with Christ’s death and resurrection. 
• The Spirit accomplishes this by putting to death our old person and resurrecting us to a new living person. ‘Regeneration’ and ‘born again’ are other concepts in Scripture signifying this important event (Titus 3:5; John 3:3). These wonderful verses demonstrate to us the profound importance of the resurrection because there is no eternal life without the resurrection and regeneration (1 Corinthians 15:13-19). The incredible fact of spiritual baptism (which water baptism may symbolize) gives us surety for our great salvation as a new creature that cannot be slain and re-created our old dead self. 

• Seals to Redemption (2 Corinthians 1:20; 2 Corinthians 5:5; Ephesians 1:13-14) - This great promise indicates that each of us has the Holy Spirit from our time of belief in salvation until the day we die and go to be with God. Indeed, one of the definitions of a Christian is that we have the Holy Spirit for we if do not have it we are not yet a Believer (Romans 8:9).
• Places us into the church (1 Corinthians 12:13) - The spirit graciously has placed us at salvation into the universal church of Christ for which he is the head.

 

As you can see, the Spirit is integral in bringing us to salvation, completing salvation and bringing us to our eternal life. What a fantastic blessing that we have such a gift from God as the Holy Spirit!

 

Please join us next week as we continue the scriptural discussion of what the Spirit does for us. Thank you for reading my blog. I hope it is an assistance to you.

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

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Disclaimer – This blog and its content are provided only as information and are intended for visitors 18 and older. No content on the website should be taken as advice or recommendation to any personal or institutional situation. The views expressed are those of the author alone and not necessarily either shared or endorsed by Teleios. Both the blog and the contents are subject to change at any time without notice. Although I endeavor to ensure that the blog and the content are current and accurate, it may contain errors. I do not represent that the blog or the content is current, accurate or complete, or appropriate for your specific requirements. I do not accept any liability from any person for the blog, the content or any other information (or the use of such information) I provide. I do not have a seminary degree, but I have trained myself in the scriptures to teach and provide this information. For any specific question, I suggest you contact experts in that field and/or do your own research into the scriptures.

Faith comes by hearing

 

Welcome back to my blog. Thank you for visiting today. We are in the midst of an exciting series on exploring relevant research findings from Teleios! See all our research on our website - Bible Benefits.

 

In a past survey about salvation, we received 244 responses. We asked what someone must believe to be a Christian, and how they explain this to others (full report here Belief survey: Understanding the gospel). Wow, we received some amazing answers!

 

Last week we discussed what extra beliefs many people add to salvation. This week, let us explore how people share the gospel. When asked ‘What is sharing the Gospel?’ the answers were:

·       Verbally telling a nonbeliever the specific message of salvation - 39%

·       Living as a good example - 35%

·       Encouraging others - 9%

·       Inviting others to church - 7%

·       Praying for others - 8%

 

Fortunately, directly sharing the plan of salvation was the most popular (39%), but as you can see there were many other answers.

 

We are fortunate that our gracious God has entrusted to us to be involved in other people's lives by telling them they can spend eternity with God. What a wonderful truth to impart to others!

 

However, we have to tell them! If you discover a good recipe or sport site on the internet or social media, and are excited about it, do you verbally tell someone else or text them to let them know? My guess is you do not depend on a wordless lifestyle that would somehow magically transmit to your friends information about your new favorite site. You must verbally relay this message specifically, of course.

 

Unfortunately, people cannot interpret our lifestyle, as important as this is for a framework in sharing the gospel. Romans 10:15-17 is very clear, that for person to come to faith, they must hear the explicit plan of salvation and believe. Here is a simple direct ‘ready to use’ gospel message.

 

1. Man sinned.
2. God is just, requiring a punishment for sin.
3. But out of love God sent His Son, Jesus Christ, who by dying on the cross provided forgiveness of sins in taking man’s deserved punishment.
4.  By faith alone in Christ’s sacrifice for our sins and His resurrection, man can gain eternal life.

 

(Ephesians 2:8-9, Romans 10:9-10, 3:21-26)

 

Teleios examined why people are resistant to sharing the explicit plan of salvation at a Midwest bible-believing Church. We found the most common reason was not only social rejection, but also not knowing how to say the gospel itself. 

 

In the hundreds of Bible studies we've been blessed to teach no student could tell us clearly the gospel, even non-succinctly. This not only prevented them from sharing with others, but also at times caused doubt in their own minds because they could not coherently tell themselves that they were forgiven and really saved.

 

Unfortunately, the hesitancy sharing the gospel is one of the greatest hurdles of believers advancing in their knowledge of God (Colossians 1:9-10). Further, this hesitancy is associated often with fear on one side while creating internal guilt on the other side. This self-defeating battle is unfortunate as sharing the gospel does not need to be this way. It is actually quite easy and next week we'll discuss exactly how to do it!

 

Thank you for joining us today. I consider it a privilege that you would read my blog.

 

William C. Stewart, MD

 

For questions or to view more of our research…

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