Nine Principles for Powerful Praying
Preface- Prayer is a mystery- Almighty God does NOT need our help but He gives us the joy of partnering with Him! (Father/Son mowing grass or Mother/Daughter baking a cake)
Prayer is the foundation for all life changing ministry with eternal results- Pray the price
The devil is terrified of God's power released through prayer- not our human abilities!
Our confidence is NOT in our ability to pray, it is in GOD’s ability and faithfulness to answer!!!
1. Proper POSTURE- A visit to the Oval office/Have a sense of awe
Remind yourself who you are addressing/who you are praying to:
Yahweh- the Great I AM
Jehovah Adonai- LORD and Master of the Universe
Jehovah Jireh- the Lord God who is my provider
Jehovah Rapha- the Lord God who is my healer
Jehovah Shalom- the Lord God who is my peace
Jehovah Perazim- the God of the breakthrough
El Shaddai- the God who is more than enough
El Elyon- the God of the FINAL word
When I have the proper posture and exalt Him to His rightful place above all else then I develop the proper perspective.
2. Proper PERSPECTIVE- Seeing things from God’s point of view
“Then the LORD said to Moses, Go to Pharaoh and say to him, this is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews says: Let my people go!” (Exodus 9:1) When Moses approaches Pharaoh he was reminded of a GOD that can make a bush burn and not be consumed!
“And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. Come here, he said, and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and wild animals! Then David said to the Philistine, You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the Name of the LORD Almighty, the GOD of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a GOD in Israel. All those gathered here today will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and He will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Samuel 17: 43-47)
David had a confident faith and was reminded of God’s faithfulness from the lion and bear!
God sees Goliath not as an obstacle too big to overcome but as a target too big to miss!
God is NOT the least bit concerned with humanly impossible odds- in fact He relishes the opportunity to do something so great and so mighty that ONLY He gets the glory!
The size of the giant doesn’t matter! Judges 7- Gideon and 32,000 Israelites are facing 300,000 Midianites. (10 to 1 odds) “The Lord said to Gideon, You have TOO MANY men. I cannot deliver Midian into their hands or they will boast it is our own strength that saved us. Now announce to the army, anyone who is afraid may go home.” (Judges 7:2-3) Only 300 soldiers remain to face the 300,000. (1000 to 1 odds) God is supremely confident in HIS power and ability and so should we!
“I am the LORD, the God of all mankind. Is anything too hard for me?”(Jeremiah 32:27)
“Behold the Lord’s arm is not too weak to save you, nor is his ear too deaf to hear you call” (Isaiah 59:1)
My circumstances say this BUT GOD says this! (And HE will have the Final word on this matter!)
3. Proper PRIORITY- Don’t Stand up the King of the Universe!
“Then you will call on me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:12-13)
“If my people who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sins and heal their land.” (2 Chronicles 7:14)
4. Pronounce PRAISE- God inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3)
Praise is a weapon- it routs the enemy! (Psalm 149:6)
“About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was such a violent earthquake that the foundations of the prison were shaken. At once all the prison doors flew open, and everyone’s chains came loose.” (Acts 16:25-26) Praying and praising always brings God’s power on the scene!
5. Practice PURITY- Clean hands and a pure heart (Psalm 24:4) Don’t choke off the power!
If we allow the air filter in our car to clog with dirt the engine won’t run very well and has no power!
“If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear my prayer.” (Psalm 66:18)
Regarding iniquity= wallowing in known sin like a pig in the slop/rebellion/hardening your heart
As a good parent you want to train your child to do right because you love them and want what’s best for them. You discipline in love because you cannot reward bad behavior!
“Dear children if our hearts do not condemn us, we have confidence before God and receive from Him anything we ask, because we obey His commands and do what pleases Him.” (1 John 3:21-22) We are like a garden hose allowing God’s power and blessing to be channeled through us. If we are clogged up with impurities/sin then it restricts the full measure of God’s blessing/power from being released.
Our purity and righteousness does not come from within ourselves but only comes from abiding in Christ. (2 Corinthians 5:21)- “We have become the righteousness of God in Christ.”
6. Persevere with PERSISTENCE- Lock on the target and just keep coming!
Darn the torpedoes- FULL Speed ahead! (Admiral Farragut)
“Then Jesus told his disciples a parable to show them that they should always pray and not give up. In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared what people thought. And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, Grant me justice against my adversary. For some time he refused. But finally he said to himself, Even though I don’t fear God or care what people think, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will see that she gets justice, so that she won’t keep wearing me out! And the Lord said, Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not GOD bring about justice for his chosen ones, who cry out to Him day and night? Will He keep putting them off? I tell you, He will see that they get justice, and quickly. However when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on the earth? (Luke 18:1-8)
“Let they who call upon the Lord give Him no rest until He comes and establishes Jerusalem and makes her a praise in all the earth.” (Isaiah 62:6-7)
“And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and pray without ceasing for all the saints.” (Ephesians 6:18)
“The devil was a murderer from the beginning, not holding to the truth, for there is no truth in him. When he lies he speaks his native language, for he is a liar and the father of lies.” (John 8:44)
When the devil tells you your prayers aren’t working tell him he is a liar and pray even harder!
The answer/breakthrough you seek may be closer than you think! (Rev 5:8 and Rev 8:3-4)
The faith of the Canaanite widow (Matthew 15:21-28)
If you have faith the size of a mustard seed (Matthew 17:20)
The closer you get to the target, the heavier the anti-aircraft fire!
Sometimes when we pray circumstances get worse before they get better- why?
a. It is a test- how bad do you want it
b. The devil panics and pulls out all the stops to get you to turn around and go back
Does God always answer our prayers the way we pray/think they should be answered? NO!
I prayed for healing for my Dad’s Parkinson’s disease for 18 years- don’t throw in the towel
He is too wise to be mistaken, too good to be unkind, when you don’t understand- trust his heart! “For I know the plans I have for you, declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future.“ (Jeremiah 29:11)
God answers EVERY prayer that we pray. He doesn’t always answer the way that we think he should but He answers one of two ways!
Sometimes God’s answer is “yes”- here is a blessing for you my child
Sometimes God’s answer is “no” or “not right now” When God answers this way:
a. Sometimes the timing is just not right- Your 5 year old “Daddy may I have the keys to the car?”
b. Sometimes what we are asking for would be harmful for us or others (see above)
c. Sometimes God has something far better for us!
7. Pray with PASSION- the desperate prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective
(James 5:16)
When our desperation factor exceeds our embarrassment factor then we are a candidate for God to move on our behalf!
“There was a woman there who had been subject to bleeding for twelve years. She had suffered a great deal under the care of many doctors and had spent all the money she had, yet instead of getting better she grew worse. When she heard Jesus was passing by, she came up behind him and touched his garment, because she thought, If I can just touch him I will be healed. Immediately her bleeding stopped and she felt in her body that she was freed from her suffering” (Mark 5:25-29) She was desperate to touch Jesus so she could be healed!
(Genesis 50:24)- “Then Joseph said to his brothers, I am about to die. But GOD will surely come to your aid and take you up out of this land to the land he promised on oath to Abraham”
When I humbled myself and became desperate enough God sent the breakthrough!
(John 11:32-38) Jesus was so deeply moved by the love that Mary and Martha had for their brother Lazarus who had just died, that the Bible records that he wept twice in the span of 6 verses!
8. Claim the PROMISES- God is fanatical about keeping His Word! He is Truth and cannot lie!
“God is not a man that He should lie nor a son of man that He should change His mind. He does not speak and then not act. He does not promise and then not fulfill.” (Numbers 23:19) The King James version words it this way: “hath He said and shall He not do it? Or has He spoken and shall He not make it good?” This is one of the most powerful verses in the whole Bible!
“I will never break my covenant with you.” (Judges 2:1)
“You have seen correctly for I the Lord am watching over my word to perform it.” (Jeremiah 1:12)
Underdog- Sweet Polly Purebread "When Polly's in trouble I am not slow, it's hip, hip ,hip and away I go!"
“You shall decree a promise (in prayer) and it shall be established for you.” (Job 22:28)
“All God’s promises are yes and amen in Jesus Name.” (2 Corinthians 1:20)
“Let us hold fast to our profession of faith without wavering, because He that has promised is faithful.” (Hebrews 10:23)
“Faithful is He who calls you who also will bring it to pass” (1 Thessalonians 5:24)
“This is the confidence that we have in Him that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us and if He hears us we know that we have what we asked of Him.” (1 John 5:14-15)
“And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. You may ask us for anything in my Name and I will do it.” (John 14;13-14)
“If you abide in me and my words abide in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you.” (John 15:7)
“In the beginning God CREATED the heavens and the earth. Now the earth was formless and empty, darkness was over the surface of the deep, and the Spirit of God was hovering over the waters. And God said, let there be light, and there was light.” (Genesis 1:1-2) The Hebrew word for created in this passage is "BARA" which translates to bring forth something out of nothing How? He spoke it into existence through the power of His Word. He declared it to be so even before it had taken place! (Romans 4:17) God calls things that are not yet as though they already are!
“For the Word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword.” (Hebrews 4:12) God’s Word is supernaturally powerful especially when we speak or declare it out loud! When we declare God’s Word over situations it is GOD’s authority not ours!
A Policeman can stop traffic by simply putting up his hand- why? He has AUTHORITY backing him!
Ezekiel 37- Hear the Word of the Lord dry bones and come to life! Prophesy- to declare the Word of the Lord. God allows us to use our notes during a test. We can open our Bibles! Not only is it powerful but it causes faith to rise up in us. “Now faith comes from hearing, and hearing from the Word of God.” (Romans 10:17) Soak up God’s Word like a sponge/marinate/memorize 1 verse a week.
Sometimes when we pray, God is just waiting for us to declare His Word and His promises over situations and command them to line up with the Authority of His Word! Exodus 14:15-16 "Why are you crying out to me? Tell the Israelites to move on. Raise your staff and stretch your hand over the sea to divide the water so that the Israelites can go through the sea on dry ground."
Three things we don’t know when we pray:
a. WHAT God is going to do
b. HOW God is going to do it
c. WHEN God is going to do it
BUT we DO know this: that GOD promised to work everything out for our good and His glory!
(Romans 8:28) We try to figure everything out in our own wisdom and strength. God could do A, B, C or D. That is not our job to figure everything out- that is God’s job!! Our job is to pray and trust/believe! “Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to Him, and He will direct your path.” (Proverbs 3:5-6)
9. Engage your PARTNERS- both Human and Divine
“Again I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven.” (Matthew 18:19) The power of agreement-Greek word for symphony- 2 instruments playing exactly the same note!
We need prayer/accountability partners to pray and agree with us in prayer!
God himself (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit) is also your prayer partner! Prayer is SO important that ALL three members of the Trinity are actively involved in it 24/7/365!!
God the Father
“This then is how you should pray: Our Father in Heaven, hallowed be your name” (Matthew 6:9)
The Lord Jesus
“The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of His being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he provided purification for our sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in Heaven.” (Hebrews 1:3)
“Now there have been many of those priests, since their death prevented them from continuing in office; but because Jesus lives forever, He has a permanent priesthood. Therefore He is able to save totally and completely all those who come unto God through Him, because He ever lives to intercede for them.” (Hebrews 7:23-25)
The Holy Spirit
“In the same way, the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us in wordless groans. And he who searches our hearts knows the mind of the Spirit, because the Holy Spirit intercedes for God’s people in accordance with the will of God.” (Romans 8:26-27)
Closing:
The faithfulness of the few is enough to obtain the blessings for the many- The Brooklyn Tabernacle
“I looked for someone who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” (Ezekiel 22:30)
God is looking for a few faithful people to stand in the gap and partner with him in prayer- He will open the heavens and rain down His Holy Spirit and blessings on this church and on this city! Will you answer the call?
