Following Jesus is a relationship. In all the most important relationships of life, communication is vitally important. No relationship stays the same. A relationship improves as two persons come to know each other and share the things that are important to them. People can't get to know each other if they don't talk. Prayer is simply talking and listening to God.

You can pray to God anytime you choose. Prayer is a conversation, involving both talking and listening. God is everywhere and always hears when you talk to Him. You don't have to be in a special place like church. You can pray when you want to thank Him for what He has done for you, to tell Him how much you love Him, or to ask Him for help with a problem.

In your new life of following Jesus, you will need to talk with God each day. A wonderful thing about God is that He is everywhere. You can talk to Him and He can speak to you anytime and anywhere.

When you pray, talk as you would to your best friend. You can't even tell your best friend some things, but you can tell God anything.

Thank God for what He has done, especially for what He has done in your life. Thank Him for bringing you to the time and place where you received Jesus, for forgiving your sins and for your new life. God will help you in many ways and you will have much to thank Him for. Confess your sins to God and ask Him to forgive you. We all sin, even after we receive Jesus as our Savior. He is freeing us from sin and changing us. But we still sin, and when we do, we must confess our sins to God and He will forgive us.

Ask God for help for others and for yourself. We can ask Him to change something in us, to keep us safe, or to give us the food and clothing we need. Remember, "... God will give you everything you need, by His riches in glory in Jesus Christ" (Philippians 4:19). Asking Jesus to help others is a very important part of praying. Jesus prayed for others more than for himself.