“My own soul’s conviction, is that prayer is the grandest power in the entire universe, that is has more omnipotent force than electricity, attraction, gravitation, or any other of those other secret forces which men have called by name, but which they do not understand.”
– Charles Spurgeon (1834-1892)
As Spurgeon wrote, prayer is the most powerful weapon in our spiritual arsenal. I have seen and continue to see God change lives through the power of prayer. In the spirit of offering what God has taught me about prayer (and there is much I still don’t know), the following is a picture of what a life of prayer can look like.
Seconds after I wake up, I begin with gratitude; those early moments set our tone for the day. “Thank you God, for the blessing of another day, for forgiveness of all my sins through the blessing of the blood of the cross, the gift of prayer and your word, my wife, my family, for providing our needs, for good health.” I may run off the names of others I know, ministry blessings, and more. Gratitude rewires the brain; there’s a chemical and emotional benefit to thanking and praising God, and, giving thanks is a major blessing to Him. (Conversely, turning on the smartphone at first light is detrimental to our mental and spiritual health).
“The one who offers thanksgiving as his sacrifice glorifies me;
to one who orders his way rightly I will show the salvation of God!”
Psalm 50:23
“In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:18
I also thank Him for every drop of suffering in my life, how He’s used it to burn off pride and fear, torch sin, taught me to trust Him, equip me for spiritual battle, and teach me about prayer. It’s better to embrace suffering and move into it versus running from or medicating it with pleasure or distractions. When going through a hard time, asking God to teach us what He wants us to learn opens the door to blessing in the midst of pain.
“Be thankful for the thorns and thistles which keep you from being in love with this world and becoming an idolater. I would never have known the Savior’s love half as much if I had never been in the storms of affliction.”
– Charles Spurgeon
Yesterday morning as I was reading Scripture I got hit with warfare, and prayed as follows:
“In the name and authority of Jesus Christ, I command any evil spirits coming against me to stop and leave my presence. In Jesus’ name, I renounce and cancel all assignments of the enemy against me, including any curses, hexes, vexes, incantations, spells, or any witchcraft. I renounce all work of the enemy against my home, family, work, and domain.”
Maybe you’re wondering “What’s all this about canceling assignments and curses, etc.?” We’ve had Satanists post on our Facebook feed and on my personal page. In addition to the sexual sin that many are in bondage to, I’ve talked openly about the dangers of the occult that many, including some in the church, are dabbling in. We’ve had an ex-witch and Greg Reid, who came out of the occult on BG Radio. I’ve had plenty of intense spiritual warfare, to the point of encountering a demonic presence that was so thick it could be felt physically, multiple times. With a ministry like this I’m aware that we’re on the enemy’s radar, thus the prayer renouncing their attacks at that level.
Every blood-bought believer will have to deal with spiritual warfare and the assignments of the enemy that are formed against them, especially those who are serious about their faith, prayer, and making an eternal impact. Regardless of whether witchcraft is involved, the battles are real and intense. Cancelling the assignments and specific attacks of the enemy is a way of neutralizing them and standing on your authority as a believer to do so. There may be much more involved, such as when there is a stronghold that needs to be broken, a lie that needs to be renounced, or a wound that needs healing, but if we don’t stand against the enemy he will keep hitting those areas until they are resolved.
Then I prayed on the armor of God:
“I pray on the helmet of salvation; Lord, may you protect my mind today. I pray on the breastplate of righteousness; may it protect my heart and my emotions today. I pray on the belt of truth; may Your truth gird me and strengthen me. I pray on the gospel of the shoes of peace; may I walk with You in Your peace today. I take up the shield of faith in a mighty God who can crush the enemy. I take up the sword of the Spirit, the word of God. Lord, help me to pray continually today.” (See Ephesians 6:10-18).
The enemy attacks the mind, heart, and emotions with lies, fear, anxiety, discouragement, depression, anger, and other ways. He also attacks the wounds of the heart. Praying the armor on this way provides covering in these critical areas.
After praying the above, I moved on with reading Scripture and more prayer. I often pray warfare prayers like these in the mornings before launching into the day knowing that we live in a time when darkness is on rampage. Ministering to the Wife’s Heart
Earlier this morning I got hit with some bad news that I knew the enemy was using to try to back me into a hole of discouragement. After several minutes of confusion, I prayed “Lord, I trust you. I release this situation into Your hands. Give me your strength and the wisdom I need.” Trust is the antivenin to fear and discouragement. Allowing ourselves to fall into a hole of discouragement takes our focus off God, from whom our help, strength, and guidance comes from, and puts it squarely on our problems. Spend enough time in that hole, and we risk falling into depression or even obsession of our circumstances, which gives fear and anxiety a wide open door to wreak havoc.
Moments after praying, the cloud lifted and I moved forward.
In a time when we’re immersed in a culture of strife and violence, a 24/7 news cycle where the headlines blast fear and anxiety to draw their readers in, ongoing wars and the resulting devastation, churches and Christians coming apart and falling away, and the struggles and sorrows of life, it’s critical that we walk with a light load and don’t attempt to carry it or immerse ourselves in the madness.
So we release it all to Him, often.
“Lord, I release everything to You, my marriage, family, health, friends, everything that people are saying or doing, good or bad, (by the good I’m referring to compliments—we receive them but don’t hold onto them so that pride doesn’t get a grip), all of what the outside world is doing. I refuse to carry any of this and give it all to You to work out. I surrender my life into Your hands.”
“Cast your burden on the Lord, and he will sustain you; he will never permit the righteous to be moved.”
Psalm 55:22
“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.”
Matthew 11:28-30
Let’s take it a little deeper. Some of you may be carrying the wounds of how others have hurt you, fear, bitterness, sin, or a heavy weight of guilt of shame from sins that Jesus died for covered at the cross. Acknowledgement and release in these areas can provide healing too. You may need another believer, Jesus with skin on, to help you work through some of these issues. We’re here for you.
Sometimes when I say a prayer of release I’ll name people who are going through difficult times, in bondage to sin—or playing games with it. Then I may move into intercession.
If there’s someone I know who’s dancing with sin, which is spiritually dangerous, I may pray something such as “Lord, whatever it takes, whatever pain they need to go through, please bring them to You. Bring them to their senses just as you brought the prodigal son to his senses as he was sitting with pigs in the mud.”
“If your religion does not make you holy—it will damn you! It is simply painted pageantry to go to Hell in!”
– Charles Spurgeon
For others who are in bondage I might ask Him to break the strongholds in their heart and set them free. Some have wounds that need healing, and I’ll petition Him for healing and strength. For those who have their walls up and are doing everything they can to thwart the healing process, I might pray something like “Lord, please open their hearts to Your love and healing. Bring their walls down. Touch their fears, and grant them peace and rest.” I have a list of people I pray through and intercede for in the mornings. I also pray for my country and its leaders, for repentance, and that God would make His churches houses of prayer and His people prayer warriors.
I don’t trust my flesh or its wisdom, and will often pray “Lord, please crucify my flesh that I might walk in the power of your resurrection. Please cleanse this earthen temple with your precious blood. Align my life and prayers to Your desires. Your will be done. Please make my life a blessing to You. Please give me Your eyes to see, a heart to understand, ears to hear. Please give me Your strength, wisdom, discernment, and understanding, and order my way today.”
I’ll often ask for fruit from what little time I have left on this earth. “Help me to set my mind and heart on the eternal. Please give me spiritual fruit! Open the doors You want opened, close the doors you want closed, and keep me from distractions and rabbit trails. Make clear to me what You want me to do moving forward.”
Last night I got hit with some vile, evil dreams that were followed up by an attack of fear minutes after I woke up. I prayed in the same manner that I described above, which shut it down, and kept moving. The enemy is provoked when we equip believers on how to become prayer warriors and openly discuss and provide answers in the areas that many are in bondage to, such as sexual sin, the occult and other areas. Satan may have little reason to fear most churches as these issues are rarely addressed or dealt with effectively. When is the last time your church spent 20 minutes in prayer on a Sunday morning? 20 minutes in corporate prayer would have more spiritual firepower than the average sermon.
During this Christmas season and beyond, I encourage you to weave more prayer into your life. The spiritual battles won’t let up. We need His power, strength, and wisdom continually, and there many distractions and sirens striving to choke us spiritually.
”Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.”
1 Thessalonians 5:16-18
May you make your life count for eternity.
“Jesus is the chief among ten thousand, and the altogether lovely One! I could not live without Him. To enjoy His company is bliss to me—for Him to hide His face from me is my midnight of sorrow. Oh, for the power to live, to die, to labor, to suffer as unto Him, and unto Him alone!”
– Charles Spurgeon
