I was going to edit this some, but I heard The Lord say, "if you're sharing 'authentic stories' then share them authentically" so needless to say it's not edited.

Prayer edifies you- Jesus' Blood made you holy so you can come into The Lord's presence. You learn to forgive yourself and others. It strengthens your trust in God Hebrews 10:22-29 Galatians 5:22
Prayer prepares you- Pray the whole armor of God over you. Ephesians 6:10-18
exercise self-control
Prayer equips you- The Holy Spirit will tell you about the future. John 16:12-14 The Spirit will lead you. Galatians 5:25

Prayer is communication with God- Reading the Bible is how you learn God's voice, it teaches you how to pray. Matthew 6:9-13

Side note: when I said, "fasting is the easiest way to exercise self- control" I did not mean fasting is easy- ya girl likes to eat. If it were easy, it wouldn't be disciplining.. what I really meant was its the most efficient, result producing way.