Sermon Central
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We Need More Hannah's - Prayer Warriors Series
Contributed by Charles Jones on Apr 11, 2013 (message contributor)
Summary: Although the phrase “prayer warrior” is not found in Scripture, a prayer warrior is generally thought of as a Christian who prays continually and effectively for others in the manner of praying taught in Scripture. Therefore prayer warriors pray to Father
King James Version (KJV)
18 Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
English Standard Version (ESV)
18 Where (A)there is no prophetic vision the people (B)cast off restraint,[a]
but blessed is he who (C)keeps the law.
New International Version (NIV)
18 Where there is no revelation, people cast off restraint;
but blessed is the one who heeds wisdom’s instruction.(A)
English Standard Version (ESV)
The Lord Calls Samuel
3 (A)Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli. (B)And the word of theLord was rare in those days; there was no frequent vision.
English Standard Version (ESV)
11 Then Elkanah went home (A)to Ramah. (B)And the boy[a] was ministering to the Lord in the presence of Eli the priest.
English Standard Version (ESV)
18 (A)Samuel was ministering before the Lord, a boy (B)clothed with a linen ephod.
Definition of REVELATION
1
a : an act of revealing or communicating divine truth
b : something that is revealed by God to humans
2
a : an act of revealing to view or making known
b : something that is revealed; especially : an enlightening
Although the phrase “prayer warrior” is not found in Scripture, a prayer warrior is generally thought of as a Christian who prays continually and effectively for others in the manner of praying taught in Scripture. Therefore prayer warriors pray to Father God (Matthew 6:9) in the power of the Holy Spirit (Ephesians 3:16; Jude 1:20) and in the name of Jesus (John 14:13). To be a warrior in prayer is to engage in the spiritual battle and fight the good fight of faith wearing the full armor of God and “pray[ing] in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests (Ephesians 6:10-18).
While all Christians are to be prayer warriors, there are some people who feel they have a special and unique ability to pray and have been called by God to pray as their special ministry. The Bible never specifies certain people who are to pray more often, more diligently or more effectively than other Christians, but there are diligent pray-ers who are known for their emphasis on prayer. Paul commands that “requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone” (2 Timothy 2:1), and he says nothing that would indicate some people are exempt from doing so. All believers in Christ have the Holy Spirit who helps us communicate our prayer requests (Romans 8:26-27).
All believers are to be praying in the name of Jesus, which means that Jesus Christ is our Lord and Savior, that we trust in Him for everything, including His interceding with the Father for us in all things, and that we live and pray in accordance with God's will. Praying in Jesus' name does not mean merely adding “in Jesus’ name” to a prayer. Rather, it means praying in submission to His will.
As prayer warriors, we rejoice in all things and have a spirit of thankfulness for what God is doing in our lives and the lives of others, and our own spirits grow day by day as we come to realize the magnitude of our blessings. We know with certainty that God provided the breath we just took (Isaiah 42:5); that He has forgiven our past, present and future sins (1 John 2:12); that He loves us with an eternal love (Ephesians 2:4-7); and that we have a place in heaven with our Lord (1 Peter 1:3-5). Our hearts, then, are filled with joy and peace and overflow with love for God, and we want others to have this same love, joy and peace. Therefore we work for them by praying.
Effective prayer is indeed work. We have to learn to walk with God, so we meditate daily on Him and His ways in order to become more and more humble, an essential for effective prayer (2 Chronicles 7:13-15). We also study Scripture thoughtfully every day to learn what is pleasing to God and therefore what constitutes acceptable prayer. We learn to eliminate hindrances to prayer (Mark 11:25; 1 Peter 3:7; 1 John 3:21-22) and not to grieve the Spirit of God (Ephesians 4:30-32). We learn that we are in a spiritual battle with Satan so we must pray for our own spiritual well being to maintain our strength and focus in praying for others (Ephesians 6:12-18).
Prayer warriors have a heart for God, a heart for prayer, a heart for people, and a heart for Christ's church.
Therefore we pray continually and trust that God answers each prayer according to His perfect will and in His perfect timing.
A Prayer Warrior
Hannah lived in a time of great lawlessness. The book of Judges described the times over and over again as a time when “everyone did as he saw fit” Judges 21:25. There was no king and no rule of the land. I just got finished reading through Judges and it is amazing what went on. The only explanation that the author had was everyone did for themselves.
