Dedicating Yourself

"But behold, I say unto you that ye must pray always, and not faint; that ye must not perform any thing unto the Lord save in the first place ye shall pray unto the Father in the name of Christ, that he will consecrate thy performance unto thee, that thy performance may be for the welfare of thy soul."
2 Nephi 32:9

As I was reading this scripture yesterday, I was trying to think about how it applies to me, as I usually try to do when I read the scriptures. I believe that this scripture provides a great perspective on one of the reasons we pray, which is to consecrate (or dedicate) ourselves to following God's will.
Many, if not all of us do good things throughout our lives. But why? What is our reason? I do because I believe that it will help me come closer to God by becoming more like Him. I know that when I follow God, he blesses me. Just as I strengthened my obligation to do good as I took upon myself the name of Christ when I was baptized, we can strengthen our will to do good as we pray frequently throughout each day. It gives us a sense of accountability and accomplishment. We can ask for the strength to improve and then report on our improvement. I love it!
I know that whatever we ask for with a righteous heart, it will be given to us. I want to leave a challenge to dedicate yourself more fully to following God as you pray this week, and then share what you learned and/or felt!