Be inspired in your prayer life by the wisdom of and guidance from two of SHINE Ministries’ great intercessors…
The Bible has a prayer for every occasion and situation: praise and worship, thanksgiving, petition, and intercession are but a few. These are both weapons and ways to talk to and hear from God. However, we must know how to pray the right kind of prayer for any given situation to obtain the right results and, above all, to be in union with the Holy Spirit.
Prayers of praise should be a regular part of our prayer life because they give God the honor and praise He is due. Our God wants to be thanked and praised, but He also loves being worshipped and blessed. Psalms 95:6 says: “Oh come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker” (KJV). Worship involves surrendering and humbling ourselves before God. He loves it when we seek Him, not asking anything of Him, but lavishing Him with our love, simply getting lost in His presence—worshipping Him for His holiness, awesomeness, and wondrous works.
Some prayers of thanksgiving give thanks to God for what He has already done in our lives—for prayers that have been answered. It is common for us to praise and thank God after He answers our requests. However, when we thank and praise God before the answers are manifested, we tell Him that we trust Him to deliver us from our circumstances. This is exactly what Paul and Silas did after they were beaten and thrown into prison by Roman officials (see Acts 16). They chose to give thanks and to praise God, rather than blame Him or complain. As a result, God shook the prison walls and set them free. Psalms 100:4 instructs us to “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name” (NIV). We were created to fellowship with Him—to daily thank, praise, and worship Him.
Prayers of petition and supplication ask God to supply our needs. We then apply scriptural principles and faith to get the results we requested. These are the most common types of prayers. They involve knowing and confessing the will of God. Through them, we make specific requests to God regarding specific needs, praying in faith and confidence that He hears and will answer. In John 14:13, Jesus encourages us: “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son” (NKJV). Further, He assures us that He already knows our needs and has the answer. The outcomes of our prayers of petition and supplication depend on our confession and belief within our hearts that God will answer. Be aware, however, that although God promises to answer our prayers speedily, He sometimes uses divine delays to purify our faith or correct our prayers. You may think you need one thing, but the Father knows best.
We should not confine our prayers of petition and supplication solely to our own needs. Instead, we should also pray, like Jesus did, petitioning and interceding on behalf of others. Intercessory prayer is used to intervene for family, friends, pastors, coworkers, etc. God designed intercessory prayer as spiritual warfare that changes people and circumstances and tears down Satan’s deceptive strongholds. During intercessory prayer one joins forces with the Holy Spirit to travail and change the life or circumstance of another person.
For example, parents are called to intercede for their children, especially those who are too young to pray for themselves—to protect them from or to deliver them out of darkness. God desires us to be intercessors for those in our spheres of influence and especially for those who need to receive Jesus as their Savior. It allows us to put spiritual pressure on the forces of darkness that have spiritually blinded the minds of those being prayed for; it simultaneously makes a demand on God and His forces to intervene. In intercession, we allow the Holy Spirit to bring forth life for others through us.
Prayer brings Jesus’ finished work out of the heavens. Through it, we as God’s children yield to Him and strive with Him, fulfilling our responsibility to pray. The manifestation of God’s plans and promises depends on our willingness to pray His will out of the heavens into the earth.
Someone once asked me, “How did you learn to pray?” I simply responded, “By praying His Word, and watching and listening to others pray.” Remember it doesn’t matter if you have little or no experience praying, God did not leave you helpless. He gave you the Holy Spirit to come alongside you to help, teach, lead, guide, and direct you. He loves you and desires to communicate with you! So, if you don’t know how to pray, here are some practical steps to inspire you:
Build Your Foundation
- Identify your needs: are they financial, physical, medical, spiritual, emotional, etc.?
- Research the Scriptures according to your need.
- Read the Word of God and confess it out loud.
For instance, if you need healing, look up scriptures on healing. Take advantage of technology; simply Google “scriptures on healing,” or go to one of the many available Bible applications for more information. You can use a Bible concordance or dictionary as well. There are many resources to help you become more effective in praying God’s Word.
Personalize and Pray God’s Word
Begin to confess your scriptures out loud (using our example of the need for healing), and then personalize them according to your specific need. For example; Psalms 107:20 says: “He sent His word, and healed them, and delivered them from their destructions” (KJV). First Peter 2:24b says: “…by whose stripes you were healed” (NKJV). To personalize these verses, I would pray: “Thank You, Father that Your Word says in Psalms107:20 that You sent Your Word and healed me (Paula) and delivered me from my destruction.” Then I would name whatever the destruction is. If you are battling cancer, for example, you can say: “You delivered me from cancer, and by Your stripes I am healed!”
Begin to speak His Word to your circumstances and command your body to align with the Word. Agree with God’s Word and praise Him despite your situation. As you hear God’s Word spoken aloud, your faith will be activated not only by what you hear, but by what you say. Romans 10:17 says: “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the Word of God” (KJV). Are you speaking words of fear, doubt, and unbelief because of your circumstances? Begin today to speak what His Word says. Watch as your fears dissipate and your circumstances are changed by faith. Even the atmosphere around you will change. Confront the situation and speak life to your circumstance.
In the first chapter of Genesis, God said “Let there be light” and there was light. When God spoke forth His Word, everything He said was manifested. There is power in the spoken Word of God and that power resides in you!
Believe and Receive
When you pray, it is God’s responsibility to perform His Word; not your words, but His Word. Isaiah 55:11 says: “So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; it shall not return to Me void, but it shall accomplish what I please, and it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it” (NKJV). The only thing God cannot do is fail. So, if God is for you who can be against you?
Matthew 21:22 says: “And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive” (NKJV). You have to do more than think it; you have to ask. You have to open your mouth and say what God’s Word says. Then, you must believe you can have what His Word says according to His will. As you begin to see God’s faithfulness in your life, it will build your faith. As you believe and receive answers to your prayers, your faith and confidence in prayer will grow.
Truly you are created to fellowship with your heavenly Father. He is drawing you unto Him. He longs for you to come to Him in prayer. Just talk to Him, He is your Abba, Father!
Recommended Reading:
The Deborah Company: Becoming a Woman Who Makes a Difference by Jane Hamon
The Breaker Anointing by Barbara J. Yoder
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