How Can I Become A Prayer Warrior?
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” (1 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, which is 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.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Jesus Wants You To Know...
"When you’re feeling sad, I want you to anticipate feeling joyful again. This takes the sting out of your sorrow, because you know it is only temporary. Sadness tends to duplicate itself along the timeline - convincing you that you will always be unhappy. But that is a lie! I urge you to turn away from the lie, choosing rather to trust Me and all I have promised you. The truth is, all My children have infinite Joy ahead of them: reserved in heaven, guaranteed throughout eternity! No one can take this away from you."
"He will yet fill your mouth with laughter and your lips with shouts of joy." - Job 8:21
- "Jesus Lives" by Sarah Young
How Can I Have My Prayers Answered By God?
Many people believe answered prayer is God granting a prayer request that is offered to Him. If a prayer request is not granted, it is understood as an “unanswered” prayer. However, this is an incorrect understanding of prayer. God answers every prayer that is lifted to Him. Sometimes God answers “no” or “wait.” God only promises to grant our prayers when we ask according to His will. “This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him” (1 John 5:14-15).
What does it mean to pray according to God’s will? Praying according to God’s
will is praying for things that honor and glorify God and/or praying for what
the Bible clearly reveals God’s will to be. If we pray for something that is
not honoring to God or not God’s will for our lives, God will not give what we
ask for. How can we know what God’s will is? God promises to give us wisdom
when we ask for it. James 1:5 proclaims, “If any of you lacks wisdom,
he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it
will be given to him.” A good place to start is 1 Thessalonians 5:12-24,
which outlines many things that are God’s will for us. The better we understand
God’s Word, the better we will know what to pray for (John 15:7). The better we
know what to pray for, the more often God will answer “yes” to our requests.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Jesus Is Praying For You
“Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him,
because he always lives to intercede for them.”
because he always lives to intercede for them.”
Hebrews 7:25 (NIV)
I can’t pray anymore.
I tried, but it felt like my prayers were hitting the proverbial ceiling.
Does God even hear me? Does He still care?
Perhaps you’ve gone through seasons like that, too, where you’re discouraged by your inability to pray or you feel like you don’t know what to say. Maybe you’ve tried to make a new habit of praying this year, but you keep getting distracted as your thoughts Ping-Pong from prayer to your grocery list to that unpaid bill - and it’s so discouraging that you just give up.
Many things keep us from praying. But here’s one good reason to pray anyway: Jesus is praying for and with us.
A few years ago I stumbled on this quote from Robert Murray M’Cheyne: “If I could hear Christ praying for me in the next room, I would not fear a million enemies. Yet distance makes no difference. He is praying for me.”
The first time I encountered that idea, I felt shocked. Really? Praying for us? That’s a lovely idea, but that’s not in the Bible … is it?
So I searched the Scriptures and was surprised by what I discovered. Hebrews 7:24-25 says: “Because Jesus lives forever, he has a permanent priesthood. Therefore he is able to save completely those who come to God through him, because he always lives to intercede for them”.
And again in Romans 8:34, the Bible affirms: “Who then is the one who condemns? No one. Christ Jesus who died - more than that, who was raised to life - is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us”. It seems clear that Jesus is praying for His people every moment of every day.
I don’t know what Jesus is praying, but we glimpse His tender heart in His high priestly prayer in John 17. The Bible also says even in our sorrow, heartache and darkness, and even when we don’t feel Him, Jesus strengthens us and protects us (2 Thessalonians 3:3).
Even when we don’t know what to say, Jesus is praying for us.
Even when we don’t feel like praying, Jesus is praying for us.
Even when we think our prayers don’t make a difference, Jesus is praying for us.
This one conviction has brought such comfort to my heart on hard days: believing Jesus understands what it’s like to be human and He knows exactly what to pray - even when we don’t.
So let us confidently approach the throne of grace, knowing Jesus Himself is waiting and praying for you, for me and for us.
Precious Jesus, thank You for loving us so much that You care about the details and You pray for us, even now. We join You in our prayers and surrender to You all the hard and heavy burdens in our lives. You are able, and we trust You. In Jesus' Name, Amen.
- Asheritah Ciuciu
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"
Provided by "Proverbs 31 Ministries"
What Is The Proper Way To Pray?
Is
it best to pray standing up, sitting down, kneeling, or bowing down?
Should our hands be open, closed, or lifted up to God? Do our eyes need to be
closed when we pray? Is it better to pray in a church building or out in
nature? Should we pray in the morning when we get up or at night before we go
to bed? Are there certain words we need to say in our prayers? How do we begin
our prayers? What is the proper way to close a prayer? These questions, and
others, are common questions asked about prayer. What is the proper way to
pray? Do any of the above things even matter?
Far
too often, prayer is viewed as a “magic formula.” Some believe that if we do
not say exactly the right things, or pray in the right position, God will not
hear and answer our prayer. This is completely unbiblical. God does not answer
our prayers based on when we pray, where we are, what position our body is in,
or in what order we word our prayers. We are told in 1 John 5:14-15 to
have confidence when we come to God in prayer, knowing He hears us and will
grant whatever we ask as long as it is in His will. Similarly, John
14:13-14 declares, “And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the
Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and
I will do it.” According to these and many other Scriptures, God answers prayer
requests based on whether they are asked according to His will and in the name
of Jesus (to bring glory to Jesus).
So, what is the proper way to pray? Philippians 4:6-7 tells us to
pray without being anxious, to pray about everything, and to pray with thankful
hearts. God will answer all such prayers with the gift of His peace in our
hearts. The proper way to pray is to pour out our hearts to God, being honest
and open with God, as He already knows us better than we know ourselves. We are
to present our requests to God, keeping in mind that God knows what is best and
will not grant a request that is not His will for us. We are to express our
love, gratitude, and worship to God in prayer without worrying about having
just the right words to say. God is more interested in the content of our
hearts than the eloquence of our words.
The closest the Bible comes to giving a “pattern” for prayer is the Lord’s
Prayer in Matthew 6:9-13. Please understand that the Lord’s Prayer is
not a prayer we are to memorize and recite to God. It is an example of the
things that should go into a prayer - worship, trust in God, requests,
confession, and submission. We are to pray for the things the Lord’s Prayer
talks about, using our own words and “customizing” it to our own journey with
God. The proper way to pray is to express our hearts to God. Sitting, standing,
or kneeling; hands open or closed; eyes opened or closed; in a church, at home,
or outside; in the morning or at night - these are all side issues, subject to
personal preference, conviction, and appropriateness. God’s desire is for
prayer to be a real and personal connection between Himself and us.
- Provided by
"Got Questions Ministries"
What Is The Purpose Of Prayer?
Prayer is
an important part of the Christian life. It is the way we communicate with the
Lord and praise Him. To understand the purpose of prayer, it is important to
first understand what prayer is not. There are many wrong views in the world
and culture about prayer, even among Christians, and these should be addressed
first. Prayer is not:
• bargaining with God.
• making demands of God.
• only asking God for things.
• a therapeutic, meditation-type exercise.
• bothering God and taking up His time.
• a way to control the Lord.
• a way to show off one’s spirituality before others.
Many people believe that prayer is only about asking God for things. Although
supplication is a part of prayer (Philippians 4:6), it is not the sole purpose
of prayer. Praying for the needs of ourselves and others is needed and
beneficial, but there is so much more to prayer. A. W. Tozer warned,
“Prayer among evangelical Christians is always in danger of degenerating into a
glorified ‘gold rush’” (Mornings with Tozer: Daily Devotional Readings,
compiled by Gerald Smith, Moody Publishers, 2008, entry for Feb. 26). But God
is not a magical genie who answers our every wish, nor is He a weak God who can
be controlled by our prayers.
The best way to learn about the purpose of prayer is studying the example of
Jesus during His earthly ministry. Jesus prayed for Himself and for others, and
He prayed to commune with the Father. John 17 is a great place to see
Jesus’ use of prayer. He not only prays that the Father be glorified but also
prays for His disciples and “for those who will believe in me through their
message” (John 17:20). Submitting to the Father’s will was another aspect to
Jesus’ prayer life, highlighted in His prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane: “Yet
not as I will, but as you will” (Matthew 26:39). With any request we have, we
must submit to God’s will.
In addition to interceding for others, prayer is also a way to strengthen our
relationship with God. Jesus set the example, as He prayed to the Father
throughout His earthly ministry (Luke 6:12; Matthew 14:23). Those in
relationships will naturally seek to communicate with each other, and prayer is
our communication with God. Other good examples in the Bible of those who spent
time in prayer are David, Hezekiah, and Paul.
Ultimately, the main purpose of prayer is worship. When we pray to the Lord,
recognizing Him for who He is and what He has done, it is an act of worship.
There are many examples of prayer being an act of worship in the Bible,
including 2 Kings 19:15, 1 Chronicles 17:20, Psalm 86:12–13, John
12:28, and Romans 11:33–36. How we pray should reflect this purpose; our
focus should be on who God is, not on ourselves.
Interestingly, the model of prayer that Jesus gave the disciples in Matthew
6:9–13, known as the Lord’s Prayer, has all these elements. The first part
includes praise and worship of God (Matthew 6:9), and then the second part
moves on to praying for God’s will to be done (Matthew 6:10). After this, there
is supplication for ourselves and others (Matthew 6:11–12), as well as asking
for strength to deal with temptation (Matthew 6:13). Jesus modeled this prayer
for His disciples, and it shows all the reasons for prayer with the central
focus of worship.
Prayer is an important part of the Christian life, and one’s prayer life should
be developed. Not only does prayer affect our lives and the lives of others,
but it is also a way to communicate with the Lord and grow in our relationship
with Him. At the heart of prayer is an act of worship to the Lord. God’s Word
places an emphasis on the power and purpose of prayer, and, therefore, it
should not be neglected.
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
Application of God's Word: Matthew 17:16-17
Verse: Matthew
17:16-17So I brought him to Your disciples, but they could not cure him.
Then Jesus answered and said, “O faithless and perverse generation,
how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to Me.”
Application:
The disciples had been given the authority to do the healing, but they had
not yet learned how to appropriate the power of God. Jesus' frustration is with
the unbelieving and unresponsive generation. His disciples were merely a
reflection of that attitude in this instance. Jesus' purpose was not to
criticize the disciples but to encourage them to greater faith.
Jesus gave His disciples the power to cast out demons and to
perform miracles of healing (Matthew 10:8). He gave them His authority to
minister to people, yet they became so self-centered that they lost the power
to do the work of God. When God sent a father with his epileptic son to them
for healing, they failed miserably. They were so concerned with position and
status (Mark 9:32-35) that they lost their focus on what God wanted to do
through them.
Jesus’ response to His disciples included some of the
harshest words ever to come from His mouth. He called His own disciples
“unbelieving” and “perverse” and questioned how much longer He had to endure
them! Why? Because they were supposed to be on mission with Him to bring
salvation to others, but they had become so disoriented to Him that they were
spiritually powerless, lacking the faith to bring physical and spiritual
comfort to those God had sent to them.
God ought to be able
to send hurting persons to any child of His and expect that they will be
helped. Like the disciples, we can become so preoccupied with our own ambitions
and distracted by the busyness of our lives that we become ineffective in
ministering to those whom God sends to us. It is even possible to become so
involved in religious activity that we are of no help to anyone. Regularly take
inventory of your life to see if you are being a faithful steward of every life
God sends to you.
Jesus Wants You To Know...
One of My names is Wonderful Counselor. I understand you far, far better than you understand yourself. So come to Me with your problems and insecurities, seeking My counsel.
"For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6
"For a Child will be born to us, a Son will be given to us; And the government will rest on His shoulders; And His name will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Eternal Father, Prince of Peace." - Isaiah 9:6
- "Jesus Always" by Sarah Young
What Is Prayer?
The
most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” Prayer is not meditation
or passive reflection; it is direct address to God. It is the communication of
the human soul with the Lord who created the soul. Prayer is the primary way
for the believer in Jesus Christ to communicate his emotions and desires with
God and to fellowship with God.
Prayer can be audible or silent, private or public, formal or informal. All
prayer must be offered in faith (James 1:6), in the name of the Lord Jesus (John
16:23), and in the power of the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26). As the International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia puts it, “Christian prayer in its full New
Testament meaning is prayer addressed to God as Father, in the name of Christ
as Mediator, and through the enabling grace of the indwelling Spirit” (“Prayer”
by J. C. Lambert). The wicked have no desire to pray (Psalm 10:4), but the
children of God have a natural desire to pray (Luke 11:1).
Prayer is described in the Bible as seeking God’s favor (Exodus 32:11), pouring
out one’s soul to the Lord (1 Samuel 1:15), crying out to heaven (2 Chronicles
32:20), drawing near to God (Psalm 73:28, KJV), and kneeling before the Father
(Ephesians 3:14).
Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by
prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the
peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus” (Philippians 4:6–7). Worry about nothing; pray
about everything.
Everything? Yes, God wants us to talk with Him about everything. How often
should we pray? The biblical answer is “pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians
5:17). We should keep a running conversation going with God all day long. Some
find the ACTS
formula of prayer helpful, but there is really no special formula
for how to pray in the Bible. We should just do it. We can pray under
any and all circumstances. Prayer develops our relationship with God and
demonstrates our trust and utter dependence upon Him.
Prayer is the Christian’s way of communicating with God. We pray to praise God
and thank Him and tell Him how much we love Him. We pray to enjoy His presence
and tell Him what is going on in our lives. We pray to make requests and
seek guidance and ask for wisdom. God loves this exchange with His children,
just as we love the exchange we have with our children. Fellowship with God is
the heart of prayer. Too often we lose sight of how simple prayer is really
supposed to be.
When we make petitions to God, we let God know exactly where we stand and what
we would like to see happen. In our prayers, we must admit that God is greater
than we are and ultimately knows what is best in any given situation (Romans
11:33–36). God is good and asks us to trust Him. In prayer, we say,
essentially, “Not my will, but your will be done.” The key to answered prayer
is praying according to the will of God and in accordance with His Word. Prayer
is not seeking our own will but seeking to align ourselves with the will of God
more fully (1 John 5:14–15; James 4:3).
The Bible contains many examples of prayer and plenty of exhortations to pray
(see Luke 18:1; Romans 12:12; and Ephesians 6:18). God’s house
is to be a house of prayer (Mark 11:17), and God’s people are to be people of
prayer: “Dear friends, by building yourselves up in your most holy faith and
praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in God’s love” (Jude 1:20–21).
- Provided by "Got Questions Ministries"
