Co urse G ui de

WELCOME
Throughout this guide, you’ll find reflective questions,
devotional content, and exercises. If you want to go deep-
er, be sure to pick up the Words with God book, which is
available in all formats and wherever books are sold.

You ready? Let’s begin this journey of practicing prayer as

a way of life.

With expectation,

ADDISON BEVERE
SESSION 1

REVISITING PRAYER
Each one of us possesses an innate desire to pray—to have words with God, to know the One who
measures the universe yet somehow still lives in our hearts.

For many of us, however, prayer has become a place of shame and disappointment. When we go to
pray, we think, I don’t do this nearly enough, or, I’m not doing this right, so why would God meet me
here?

But what if we’re viewing prayer through the wrong side of the telescope? What if prayer is more
about what God does in us and less about what we do for Him?

Prayer Is Purposeful
This section includes quotes and/or verses that will remind you of prayer’s purpose.

“Words are important, but there’s so much more to communication. Communion is what we’re
truly chasing: a confluence of places, peoples, purposes. This means we must stop looking for just
words and sentences and learn to pray with willing hearts and open eyes. Paul did say that this
communion is available to us all, so we mustn’t settle for just communicating. Prayer—words with
God—is our highest and best communion. Even when the prayer has no words.” (Addison Bevere,
Words with God)

Prayer Is Personal
This section contains questions and journal prompts that will help you to reflect on the lessons
you learn from each session.

What is your biggest struggle and frustration with prayer?

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Paul Tillich wrote that “the essence of prayer is the act of God who is working in us and raises our
whole being to himself.” Based on these words, who is doing the heavy lifting, and what should your
response be?

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In regard to prayer, are you just relying on your own efforts to engage with God? Are you resist-
ing His inner work because you’re defaulting to a formulaic approach that puts you in control of
prayer? How can you become more sensitive to what God speaks through Scripture and Spirit?

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Think about times when you experienced closeness to God. What was unique about those
moments?

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Prayer Is Practical
This section provides an activity or practice that will enhance your prayer life.

In his timeless classic, The Practice of the Presence of God, Brother Lawrence shared, “It isn’t neces-
sary that we stay in church in order to remain in God’s presence. We can make our hearts personal
chapels where we can enter anytime to talk to God privately. These conversations can be so loving
and gentle, and anyone can have them. Is there any reason not to begin?”

Your heart is a personal chapel where you can enter anytime to have words with God. Throughout
your day, take time to pause and acknowledge God’s presence within you and share words with
Him from your heart. This can be done anywhere—in the shower, driving to work, or during a walk
on a break. When you have some time, try strolling instead of scrolling.
SESSION 2

PRAYING IN THE PAIN

Life is painful. We live in a disintegrated world, full of broken people and broken things, so we
shouldn’t be surprised that pain—the thing that tells us something is broken—is a big part of
our lives.

If you dare, take a few minutes to gather an inventory of your most painful moments. Most like-
ly, these memories made you bitter or better, and sometimes a bit of both. The thing about pain,
though, is it never leaves us the same. When life breaks us, we have a choice: Will we deny the pain,
deflect the pain, or defy the pain?

Prayer Is Purposeful

“Prayer is not a mechanism to escape the moment; it is the pathway into and through the moment.”
(Addison Bevere, Words with God)

“As soon as we are alone . . . inner chaos opens up in us. This chaos can be so disturbing and so
confusing that we can hardly wait to get busy again. Entering a private room and shutting the door,
therefore, does not mean that we immediately shut out all our inner doubts, anxieties, fears, bad
memories, unresolved conflicts, angry feelings, and impulsive desires. On the contrary, when we
have removed our outer distraction, we often find that our inner distractions manifest themselves to
us in full force. We often use the outer distractions to shield ourselves from the interior noises. This
makes the discipline of solitude all the more important.” (Henri Nouwen, Making All Things New
and Other Classics)

Prayer Is Personal

One of the greatest temptations is to believe that God has abandoned us. Have you believed this
way before? If so, why did you believe this?

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God has a way of not delivering us from a thing when He knows that thing will deliver us to Him.
How have your trials and challenges caused you to seek God more? What pain have you yet to
surrender to God or invite Him into?

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Prayer Is Practical

Read these Bible verses:

I cry out to the Lord; I plead for the Lord’s mercy. I pour out my complaints before him and tell
him all my troubles. (Psalm 142:1–2)

God might kill me, but I have no other hope. I am going to argue my case with him. (Job 13:15)

Did you notice that both David and Job expressed their pain and frustration to God?

One could even argue that they complained to God. (There’s a big difference, though, between
complaining to God and complaining about God.) When we get real with God, He has a way of
showing us how real He is.

Using the space below, journal your complaints, frustrations, and doubts to God. As you do, pause
and listen to what crystallizes in your spirit.

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SESSION 3

OPENING THE CONVERSATION

We can have words with God anywhere and at any time—prayer shouldn’t be limited to a
specific time and place. This doesn’t mean that we abandon our prayer closet, that space of
private time with God. It means we let prayer spill out of our closet and into the most ordinary
moments of our lives.

Prayer Is Purposeful

Make your life a prayer. (1 Thessalonians 5:17 TPT)

“We need never shout across the spaces to an absent God. He is nearer than our own soul, closer
than our most secret thoughts.” (A.W. Tozer, The Pursuit of God: The Human Thirst for the Divine)

Prayer Is Personal

When you hear the words, “Pray without ceasing,” what comes to mind? What do you think it
looks like to pray constantly in your everyday life? How can your thought life become part of your
prayer life?

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The call to pray without ceasing is an invitation to be present to the heart of what’s happening
in each moment. How may this practice turn your mundane moments into meaningful ones?

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Prayer Is Practical

Begin opening the conversation with this simple yet robust prayer that consists of three words:
I am here.

No matter where you find yourself throughout your day, you can pause and whisper this prayer. As
you do, you’ll find three pathways that provide rest for your soul and align you with your purpose.

The first pathway is a surrender of place. The second pathway is a surrender of time. And the third
pathway is a surrender of reality, regardless of what you face, the great I AM is with you. You can
learn more about this prayer and these pathways within the Words with God book, pages 128 to
131.
SESSION 4

THE PRAYER OF CONFESSION

A prayer of confession has, for many, become a transaction, something that clears the ledger.
There’s a sense that God can forgive only what is confessed, so we rack our brains, searching
out any wrong done or right left undone. Once every item is confessed, we can be on our way
again, hopefully feeling bad enough to never do those things again. Of course, this doesn’t
work.

The truth is that God designed confession to be intimate and relational, a moment that builds trust
and mutual revelation. Its power lies in its ability to gather three things that seem to be incompati-
ble: the nature of God, who we are as children of God, and our sins.

Prayer Is Purposeful

“The only ones who were (and are) in danger of not participating in Jesus’s life are those who don’t
surrender their sin and brokenness to him.” (Addison Bevere, Words with God)

“So then, since we have a great High Priest who has entered heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let
us hold firmly to what we believe. This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he
faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin. So let us come boldly to the throne of
our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we
need it most.” (Hebrews 4:14–16)

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, we can boldly enter heaven’s Most Holy Place because of
the blood of Jesus. By his death, Jesus opened a new and life-giving way through the curtain
into the Most Holy Place. And since we have a great High Priest who rules over God’s house, let
us go right into the presence of God with sincere hearts fully trusting him. For our guilty con-
sciences have been sprinkled with Christ’s blood to make us clean, and our bodies have been
washed with pure water.” (Hebrews 10:19–22)

“But if we are living in the light, as God is in the light, then we have fellowship with each oth-
er, and the blood of Jesus, his Son, cleanses us from all sin. If we claim we have no sin, we are
only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful
and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. If we claim we have not
sinned, we are calling God a liar and showing that his word has no place in our hearts.” (1 John
1:7–10)
Prayer Is Personal

Contrary to what some may believe, God is not afraid of our sin. He encourages us to boldly come
to Him, with the assurance that we will not be turned away. Have you been afraid to go to God
with your failures? If so, explain why.

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As children of God, only the sins we retain hold power over us—giving the enemy permission to
keep us trapped in a cycle of accusation, shame, and condemnation. By humbling ourselves through
confessing our sins, we bring what we know about ourselves and what we’ve done into the Light,
surrendering ourselves to the Father’s power to heal and restore.

Using the space provided, write down anything that the Accuser is holding over your head. Satan
will tell you that you have to get yourself right before you get to God, but nothing could be further
from the truth. Read and pray Psalm 139:23–24 . . . listen for what God’s Spirit reveals to you.

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Prayer Is Practical

James 5:16 tells us, “Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may
be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful
results.” (NKJV)

Connect with a trusted friend and confidant to share your struggles with each other and to pray for
one another. Plan this time together in advance, and make this a regular practice.

If you struggle being vulnerable with others, use these questions as icebreakers to open the conver-
sation. My friend Jonathan Pokluda ( JP) shared them with me:

1. How did you feed your soul this week? (This question deals with input, what you’re investing in
yourself.)

2. How did you feed others this week? (This question deals with output, what you are giving to
others.)

3. How did you feed your flesh this week? (This question creates space for you to be open about
how or when you worshiped sex, stuff, or status instead of God—see 1 John 2:16.)
SESSION 5

THE HEART OF PRAYER

Prayer connects us with others in ways that don’t make sense. Because the kingdom of God
advances at the intersection of relationships, the Father designed prayer to bring us together,
helping us see the world and each other with a new perspective so we can navigate the difficult
relational dynamics that can fragment our relationships.

Prayer Is Purposeful

“Forgiveness is more like the air in your lungs. There’s only room for you to inhale the next lungful
when you’ve just breathed out the previous one. If you insist on withholding it, the kiss of life that
you may desperately need, you won’t be able to take any more in yourself, and you will suffocate
very quickly.” (N.T. Wright, Matthew: 25 Studies for Individuals and Groups)

Prayer Is Personal

If we’re honest, most of us don’t like to forgive. It feels like we’re letting someone off the hook when
what we really want is for that person to get what we think they deserve: judgment. Is there anyone
you feel this way about? Why have you struggled to forgive them?

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People’s behavior is often a reflection of them, not you. If you pull back the curtain of their heart,
you’ll see things that will soften your heart. With this perspective, how should you pray for those
who have hurt you?

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There are times when forgiveness requires us to withdraw from someone’s presence, because by
hurting us, they are hurting themselves. But, as we saw with the story of the man with autism, with-
drawal should be an act of compassion. Are there people and situations that require you to with-
draw? If so, how can you do this in a loving and compassionate way—without causing more trouble
for both you and them?

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Prayer Is Practical

Praying for those who have hurt you can be very difficult. But it’s the very thing that will set you
and them free.

This exercise will require discipline—praying because it’s the right thing to do, not because it’s easy
or comfortable. After a time of disciplined prayer, you’ll begin to experience the benefits that come
from praying for those who have hurt you, and you’ll start praying from a posture of delight.
But there is yet another level to reach: praying from a place of discernment. This is when prayer
becomes even more powerful—shifting the way you view those who mistreated you. You will no
longer view them as just an enemy; you’ll begin to see them as God does. At this level, you are given
clarity and insight into what’s really going on in their life and what role you play in their deliver-
ance.

So, today’s challenge is for you to pray for those who have hurt you. Follow the simple framework
of praying from a place of Discipline, Delight, and Discernment. Stay with it until you experience the
rewards of doing so.
SESSION 6

PRAYING IN THE NAME

Jesus told us to pray in His name. That’s why, for many of us, our prayers often end with the
words: “In Jesus’s name. Amen.” But beyond being a nice way to close a prayer, there’s so much
more to praying in the Name.

When we pray in “in Jesus’s name,” we are not using magical language that somehow ensures that
God hears and answers our prayers; rather, when we pray in the Name, we are surrendering our
prayers to the unfolding certainty of the name above every name.

Prayer Is Purposeful

“God wishes to give himself utterly to every creature that names his name.” ( Jeanna Guyon, Experi-
encing the Depths of Jesus Christ)

“To pray in the Name is to give the Voice, who has a name, the final Word.” (Addison Bevere, Words
with God)

Prayer Is Personal

Scripture states, “You do not have, because you do not ask” (James 4:2). What prayers have you
withheld from God? Why have you been reluctant to ask Him for what you need and want?

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God can do a lot with an imperfect prayer, but a vague prayer doesn’t do much for us because we
remain unaware of how God responds to us. Why do you think God wants you to be specific with
your prayers and to define your asks?

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Using the space provided, take a moment to define your requests. What do you want from God?
Allow yourself to be honest, specific, and brave enough to ask for what your heart desires most.

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How does praying “in the Name” embolden you to ask and receive from your heavenly Father?

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Prayer Is Practical
If you’ve been impacted by this course, take a moment to share it or lead some friends through it.
And if you would like to join thousands of others who are on a journey of embracing prayer as a
way of life, visit www.WordsWithGod.org.

Also, the book Words with God: Trading, Boring Empty Prayer for Real Connection is a great re-
source for going deeper.
Copyright © 2024 by Messenger International

Published by: Messenger International, Inc., P.O. Box 888, Palmer Lake, CO 80133-0888

All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any
form or by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or any other—except for brief quotations
in printed reviews, without prior permission of the publisher.

Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copy-
right © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.,
Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (NKJV) are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thom-
as Nelson. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Scripture quotations marked (TPT) are taken from The Passion Translation®. Copyright © 2017 by BroadStreet
Publishing® Group, LLC. Used by permission. All rights reserved. ThePassionTranslation.com

Edited by Chris Pace

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