Praying Like A Prophet
Foundations for Effective Prayer #1
And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, “Lord, if you are willing, You can make me clean. Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, “I am willing; be cleansed. Immediately his leprosy was cleansed. Matthew 8:2-3
The foundation for confident (and effective) prayer begins with the simple knowing that God is willing to heal us, cleanse us, deliver us, and make us whole. And although I don’t claim to know why everyone doesn’t receive an immediate healing, I do know this - that God’s will has always been to see His children be made whole. Even when He brought forth the children of Israel out of Egypt God made sure it was noted “and there was none feeble among them.” And I stand in theological agreement with Bill Johnson, who said, God forbid that I should bring my theology down to the level of my experience.” And there’s the rub. Too many in the church today pray as if they were “hedging their bets” rather than raise their faith, hope, and expectation up out of the level of their as of yet experience. To protect themselves from hope deferred perhaps, but then their mustard seed measure of faith is never given room to grow, as it was always intended.
May we stop releasing the wrong “seeds” (via our prayers) that God cannot water; wrong words born of wrong thoughts and beliefs. Because out of the abundance of our hearts our mouths do speak. At best, we are healed by the words we speak; at worst we remain in discomfort, disorder and dis-ease. Therefore may we begin to align our prayers with the realities of abundant life, to speak and pray those “things that are not as though they were.” May we only speak forth those sweet words that bless, heal, and deliver. May we shift our hearts, our thoughts, and our words, so that we might “declare a thing and see it established” and enter into the abundant life God intends for us.
To conclude, God makes a razor sharp distinction in regard to the will of the enemy of our souls and the will of the One who is the lover of our souls. John 10:10 is the summary of two opposing resumes; one brings death, the other, life. Church, we must choose this day which side our words will serve, especially as we pray. May it be forever settled in your heart today that it’s God’s will for you and everyone you encounter and pray for to be healed and whole in spirit, soul and body, regardless of what you currently see - for as children of the Kingdom of light we are all called to walk by faith, not by our limited sight.
Meditative Scriptures
But I say to you, that for every idle word men may speak, they will give account of it in the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. Matthew 6:36-37
(As it is written, “I have made you a father of many nations”) in the presence of Him whom he believed - God, who gives life to the dead and calls those things which do not exist as though they did… Romans 4:17
The thief does not come except to steal, kill, and destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly. John 10:10
Beloved, I pray that you may prosper and be in health, just as your soul prospers. 3 John 2
Prayer:
Father, may we pray according to heaven’s blueprint, not our own. May we pray not according to our own understanding or anxieties, but according to Your perfect will, as modeled by Jesus when He walked the earth. Forgive us, Lord, for every instance of a faith that wavers. and grant us Your grace empowerment to pray with an ever-increasing measure of faith, and may we pray the desired outcome, the solution, just as Jesus did. In Jesus Name, Amen
If this message has transformed your thinking in any way, please consider sowing a one-time seed. Thank your for your support of New Covenant Triumphant, a Kingdom business bringing the Good News to the nations.
