Strategies to Build Your Prayer Life

Prayer is an integral part of a believer’s life. Many people pray when they are dealing with a need in their life. Although we are encouraged to do that in the Bible, our needs should not be the main reason for our communication with God. God desires us to communicate with Him because He desires a relationship with us.

Introducing the TACOS Prayer Method

I did not coin this term, but I believe that it is very helpful. You can go to prayer and not follow this method, but if you want help developing consistency in your prayer life, this method provides a simple template so you can keep your prayers focused and intentional.

T – Thanksgiving

Jesus says that when we pray, we should “say” (Luke 11:2-4), meaning that we should verbalize our prayers. The first point in TACOS is to start your prayers with gratitude. Acknowledge and verbalize the blessings in your life, from health, family, and salvation, to the daily things the Lord has blessed you with.

When you do this, you focus on what God has done, rather than on what He hasn’t done yet.

A – Adoration

This step is about praising God for His nature and character, not just what He has done in your life. Take time to honor His attributes like His omnipotence, holiness, and righteousness. Doing this will also encourage you to memorize the Scriptures so you can praise God with His own words during your prayer time.

C – Confession

Next, take time to reflect on your actions and confess anything you may have done that displeased Him. As you do this step, you’ll begin to experience an unburdening of the weight of guilt and shame. The whole point of confession is to lead you to repentance, meaning that you then decide to forsake those sins once and for all.

O – Others

Another important step is to intercede for others in your life – family, friends, church leaders, and even strangers. Pray for those people that the Lord brings to your mind. Ask that the Lord would remove the veil from their eyes and that their hearts may be softened to the message of the gospel.

S – Self

Finally, pray for your own needs, whether physical, financial, academic, or spiritual. Present your needs to God. When you put your requests and desires at the end, you’ll notice that God will have already begun to strengthen you as you took the time to thank Him, confess your sins, and pray for others. It’s through those previous steps that God is equipping you to become more like Him. Don’t allow the worries of life to overwhelm you, surrender it all to God during this step.

Deepening Your Prayer Life

After completing your TACOS prayer, linger a little longer in God’s presence. During this time, listen for His voice. A practice I like to do is to start with reading the Bible even before I pray. I feel that this helps me to align my mind with God’s Word. Another enriching thing you can do during prayer is to practice praying in tongues. Often, if I feel discouraged I will pray in tongues until I feel a switch happen in my spirit. Doing this strengthens your spiritual faith and aligns your intercession with God’s will.

Final Thoughts

As Christians, we are in Jesus, and from this place of abiding faith, we pray.

The TACOS method is not just a routine but a way to add fire to your prayer life. I pray this helps you deepen your relationship with the Lord.

Read: How to Take Your Prayer to the Next Level