WARFARE PRAYER PRINCIPLES
By: Dr. Mike Jones
Keep in mind the highest calling of any believer is the challenge Jesus issued His disciples – COULD YOU NOT PRAY FOR ONE HOUR? Since PRAYER is so POWERFUL, what is it? Prayer is simply entering into agreement with the Word of God concerning what God has done for you through His Son, Jesus. What do I mean by ‘total dependency’ on God? An excellent example can be found in Luke 11:1-4, “And it came to pass, that, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples. And He said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil.”
This chapter is designed to give you various spiritual nuggets on three areas of effective warfare prayer:
· Learn to pray without ceasing
· Motives for consistent prayer
· Seven distinctive types of prayer
PRAY WITHOUT CEASING (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
· Highest calling of all believers is Jesus’ challenge to His disciples. In Matthew 26:36-41, the Bible states, “Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with Him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with Me. And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from Me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou [wilt]. And He cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed [is] willing, but the flesh [is] weak.
· We want to be like Jesus: He prayed at three intervals of His life, at the beginning (Mark 1:35 – And in the morning, rising up a great while before day, He went out, and departed into a solitary place, and there prayed), in the middle (And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, He was there alone.), and at the end (John 19:30 – When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, He said, It is finished: and He bowed His head, and gave up the ghost.).
· The Holy Spirit that is given helps us to pray (Romans 8:26-27 – Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what [is] the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to [the will of] God.).
· Be persistent in your prayers because a tender loving God hears your cries (Luke 18:6-8 – And the Lord said, Hear what the unjust judge saith. And shall not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though he bear long with them? I tell you that he will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless when the Son of man cometh, shall He find faith on the earth?).
· When you pray, don’t use meaningless repetition like the heathen do, who say a number of prayers, based on formulas, lengthy wording, time spent praying, etc.
· Effective church prayer is: (Bishop-to-Saints), (Saints-to-Bishop), (Saint-to-Saint), and (Saint-to-Jesus).
MOTIVES FOR CONSISTENT PRAYER
When you pray, what are your motives? In this section, I cover eight reasons why you should be an effective prayer warrior. They are:
· Desire for the Lord’s glory in your life and the lives of others.
· Desire for fellowship with God.
· Desire for your needs to be met.
· Desire for wisdom
· Desire for deliverance from trouble.
· Desire for relief from fear and worry.
· Desire to be free from guilt/sin.
· Desire for salvation for the lost.
SEVEN DISTINCTIVE TYPES OF PRAYER
· Prayer of consecration/dedication: waiting for the Will of God to be revealed concerning particular areas of ministry.
Prayer of binding/losing as outlined in Matthew, Chapter 18.
· Prayer of Agreement as outlined in Matthew 18:19 – Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in heaven. We also have God’s Word as stated in Isaiah 55:11 – So shall My Word be that goeth forth out of My mouth: it shall not return unto Me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper [in the thing] whereto I sent it.
· Prayer of Faith: Ephesians. 6:18 – Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints; and Mark 11:24 – Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them]. These scriptures show that like sports, prayers also have different rules.
· Prayer of Worship: Acts 12:1-4 – As they ministered to the Lord/fasted, there was much prayer and petition for the life of Peter.
· Prayer of Unity: Acts 4:23-30 – They lifted up their voices to God with one accord.
· Prayer of commitment: Psalms 37:5 – Commit thyself unto the Lord, trust in Him, He shall bring it to pass. 1 Peter 5:17 – Cast your cares on Him.
ALL THESE AREAS LEAD TO INTERCESSORY PRAYER!
(Adapted from Spiritual Warfare: Engaging the Enemy; all Scripture references are taken from the KJV unless otherwise noted.)