Pray First: The Transformative Power of a Life Built on Prayer

by Chris Hodges

Overview

Prayer is the lifeblood of the Christian faith—but many followers of Jesus still struggle to make prayer part of their daily lives. In Pray First, bestselling author and pastor Chris Hodges shows us how to make prayer a first response instead of a last resort.

Why is it that so many Christians find it difficult to develop a vibrant and exciting prayer life? Even though prayer is foundational to the Christian life, many are intimidated or uncertain about how to talk to God. Prayer feels quaint and old-fashioned to some, sacred and uncomfortable to others. It's not a lack of inspiration—there's plenty of that. And it's not that we don't realize prayer is important—we know it is. So, what's the issue?

Pastor Chris Hodges has spent years studying the prayers of the Bible and the models of prayer that the scriptures provide for Christians. Now, he shares the teachings and methods he's used to successfully help hundreds of thousands of people understand how to spend time in conversation with God—and enjoy every minute.

Pray First will give you the tools you need to:

• Bring the joy back into your time with God
• Take a journey through the prayers of the Bible, which reveal how to make prayer more personal and powerful
• Learn about fasting, an often overlooked but powerful discipline that's a vital companion to prayer
• Follow proven, biblically grounded methods for making prayer a priority, not an afterthought

Written in the personable, relatable, and always biblically based style that has become Hodges's hallmark, Pray First is a revolutionary how-to manual for anyone seeking a more dynamic, intimate prayer life with God.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781400221295
Publisher:	Nelson, Thomas, Inc.
Publication date:	12/27/2022
Pages:	256
Sales rank:	171,840
Product dimensions:	5.50(w) x 8.30(h) x 0.70(d)

About the Author

Chris Hodges is the founding and senior pastor of Church of the Highlands. Under his leadership, Church of the Highlands has launched campuses all across the state of Alabama and has grown to more than 60,000 people attending weekly. He also cofounded the Association of Related Churches, launched a coaching network called GROW, and serves as chancellor of Highlands College, a two-year ministry training college. Chris and his wife, Tammy, have five children and eight grandchildren and live in Birmingham, Alabama.

Table of Contents

Introduction: Make Prayer Your First Response-Not Your Last Resort xi

Part 1 Learning about Prayer

1 The priority of prayer 3

2 The place of prayer 17

3 The plan of prayer 31

4 The power of prayer 45

5 The persons of prayer 59

Part 2 Prayer Models and How to Use Them

6 The prayer of Jesus 75

7 The prayer of Moses 91

8 The prayer of Jabez 107

9 The prayer of the sheep 119

10 The prayers for the lost 137

11 The prayers for warfare 149

12 The prayer for you 165

Part 3 Prayer and Fasting

13 This kind 179

14 Practical keys to fasting 191

15 Nine fasts in the Bible 205

16 21 days of prayer and fasting 221

17 Creating the prayer shield 237

Acknowledgments 249

Notes 251

About the Autnor 252