Do you pray once, or without ceasing?

Question: When you are praying for something, do you pray for it once, or do you pray without ceasing?

Answer: This kind of prayer is called the prayer of supplication, where you are requesting something specific. Whenever you need something from God, you go to him in prayer; Php.4:6, “…..in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” When you pray for a specific thing, the key is to believe while you are praying; Mt. 21:22, “…..whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.” You cannot doubt when you pray; Mt. 21:21, “….. If ye have faith, and doubt not….. it shall be done.” If you request the same thing over and over again, then you did not believe when you prayed; therefore you are in a state of doubt every time you ask. The key is to ask once in faith; believing that you receive.
Scripture also tell us to pray without ceasing; 1 Th. 5:17, “pray without ceasing.” This is referring to everyday things is life. Some examples would be praying that your car start in the morning, praying that you have a safe journey to work, praying over your food before you eat. Notice, all of these things continue to occur repeatedly. We never stop praying for these things, but when praying for the desires of your heart, like a new car, you only pray for it once; without doubt. If you have doubt, you will not receive; James 1:6-7, “…..let him ask in faith, nothing wavering….. he that wavereth….. let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.”
One final thing concerning praying and receiving, we do not ask for things contrary to God; James 4:3, “ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.” As long as your desires are not lusts of the flesh, you can expect to receive whatever you request; 1 John 5:14-15, “…..this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us….. if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.”