Pray and Read your Bible

"You have not because you ask not...Until now you have asked nothing in my [Jesus'] name; ask and you shall receive, that your joy may be full...In everything...let your requests be made known to God...all the promises of God are in Him [Jesus] 'Yes,' and 'Amen.' Pray without ceasing [in other words, discuss your life with God. talk to Him as a friend]. [Moses] talked with God face to face, as a man does with his friend. When you pray, don't use empty repetition, for your Father [in heaven] knows what you need before you ask."

Didn't I just write about this? No. I wrote about reading your Bible.  This one is about prayer. Prayer and Bible reading go hand in hand, and both empower and beautify the spiritual life. Prayer is just as important as Bible reading, and in some ways more so, because it's you acknowledging you need Him, and opening the line of communication with Him on your side.
Prayer is asking--and then receiving.  If I pray, I am asking for something. That's the literal meaning of the word. So when you need something, ask. God is there to hear you, and He wants to answer you.  Strange, isn't it? He's not like someone you just met, who looks at you as one often looks at a homeless person begging for money or food--He's your "Father in Heaven." When you pray, you fulfill a definite command, because He [Jesus] tells you to say things like, "Give us this day our daily bread;" and, "Deliver us from evil." Prayers, though, are usually more specific than that--"Lord, I can't afford these glasses for my son--HELP!!." They can be that short.  You don't have to tell God all about the world, how wonderful He is, and how much you love to worship Him each time you pray. There's room for that, and you should do it , but not each time you pray, like it's a preface to what you really want.  When you come to Him asking for something, you should ask. Otherwise, you sound like the child who comes to you, saying "Mom (Dad), you're really nice to me, and I really love you...can I have a new bike?"  Sometimes this "prefacing" gets so lengthy that Mom and Dad stop the youngster, and say, "All right--what do you want?" I am sure that is how God sometimes feels about us, since he already knows the things we need before we ask Him. He commands us to ask, however, so we should always keep in touch (every day, every hour, every few minutes), and discuss things with Him, much as you would an earthly Father or best friend.  I know I used to call my Dad for advice when I needed it.  You can talk to Him just like that. God loves self-reliance, but he doesn't love pigheadedness, so ask when you need help, advice, direction, a miracle...He does all that for His children.