In part one of ‘Praying Powerful Prayers‘ we covered the importance of a few aspects of our identity in Christ when it comes to how we pray. Now let’s take a deeper look at the power and authority we have because we are a part of God’s family.
2 Timothy 1:7 tells us that we have received a Spirit of power, love, and a sound mind from God, this should lead us to pray bold prayers.
Luke 10:19-20 “Look, I have given you the authority to trample on snakes and scorpions and over all the power of the enemy; nothing at all will harm you. However, don’t rejoice that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.”
This was said to the 72 followers of Christ when they returned from their missionary journey, and applies to all believers because a part of the great commission was “teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you.” (Matthew 28:20) The authority of Christ is more powerful than all the power of the enemy, and we are hidden in Christ! Christ now lives in us!
“I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” Galatians 2:20
Additionally, Jesus Christ himself told us that we would do “greater works” than he would. Now, there are many theories as to what these “greater works” could be – but I believe that the “greater works” are in line with what Jesus did – healing the sick, raising the dead, casting out demons, and cleansing the lepers, sharing the good news of salvation, and seeing miracles, signs, and wonders in Jesus’ name!
All the things Jesus did are now possible in us and through us because the Holy Spirit is living inside of us! The Holy Spirit is the very presence of Christ – 1 Corinthians 2 tells us that we have received the mind of Christ! This is a big deal!
We must stop and make sure that we are in alignment with God, submitted daily to the Holy Spirit. God gives spiritual gifts for the building up of the body of Christ. Our gifts are not for selfish gain or self-promotion. Prayers of power are not for us to show off, but to showcase God’s work in us and through us.
The one who prays powerfully is informed by God’s Words as found in the Bible. They do not live in isolation as rogues, or operate alone as a kind of spiritual ‘lone ranger.’ Powerful prayers live in healthy community. They are connected to and serving in a local body of believers.
At times God may call us to pray powerful prayers alone in our own prayer closets, and at other times we must pray those prayers in agreement with other believers who also feel the burden in that area. We must remain sensitive to the leading of the Holy Spirit in all of this. This is paramount.
Now is also a good time to say, if you do not have a daily time of Bible reading and prayer, I encourage you to establish this practice. This is a discipline, and it takes intentionality to grow deeper in intimacy with God. This must not be a “going through the motions” situation. Each time you read the Word, make sure you’re seeking to meet the Author!
“But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth. He will not speak on his own; he will speak only what he hears, and he will tell you what is yet to come. He will glorify me because it is from me that he will receive what he will make known to you. All that belongs to the Father is mine. That is why I said the Spirit will receive from me what he will make known to you.” John 16:13-15
The Holy Spirit is our teacher – so we must prayerfully read the Scriptures, asking the Spirit to teach us. This is also why a healthy local community is crucial – not every voice you hear is the Lord – there are deceiving voices also, the enemy is alive and active – living in a healthy community with mature believers helps to catch anything that might come up that is out of alignment with the Lord.
God wants us to press into intimacy with Him. He also wants us to pray with power and boldness. We must press in. This is imperative if we want our prayers to have power. Then we must pray in faith without any doubting at all.
James 1:5-8 “Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God—who gives to all generously and ungrudgingly—and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith without doubting. For the doubter is like the surging sea, driven and tossed by the wind. That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord, being double-minded and unstable in all his ways.”
John 15:4-5; 16
“Remain in me, and I in you. Just as a branch is unable to produce fruit by itself unless it remains on the vine, neither can you unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. The one who remains in me and I in him produces much fruit, because you can do nothing without me.”
“You did not choose me, but I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce fruit and that your fruit should remain, so that whatever you ask the Father in my name, he will give you.”
Mark 11:22-24 “Jesus replied to them, “Have faith in God. Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, everything you pray and ask for—believe that you have received it and it will be yours.”
When we are in alignment with the Lord and spend time waiting to hear him in the quiet place, the prayers we pray will be in alignment with His will and we will see them come to pass. Praying bold audacious prayers is exciting! The Lord is delighted to answer prayers that are in alignment with his character.
Now, there is definitely more to be said about praying powerful prayers, but for today, I encourage you to dig into the many Scriptures referenced in this post. The Lord is waiting to meet with you in the secret place and teach you more.
Now to wrap up.
We have power from God to obey God. (2 Corinthians 8:9)
When the Spirit prompts us to pray bold audacious prayers, we must obey in faith. (James 1:5-8 & Galatians 5:25)
The Holy Spirit is the one who flows through us when we are in alignment with God. (Galatians 5)
Being in alignment with God is imperative – a daily time in the word and prayer is crucial! (Matthew 6:33)
Our bold prayers fall flat when we don’t have a righteous life to back them up. (James 5:15-18)
James 5:15-18 “The prayer of faith will save the sick person, and the Lord will raise him up; if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is very powerful in its effect. Elijah was a human being as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and for three years and six months it did not rain on the land. Then he prayed again, and the sky gave rain and the land produced its fruit.”
We shouldn’t expect prayers prayed from the fleshly or soulish realm to yield any fruit – those are prayers inspired by our own minds and desires, not inspired by the Holy Spirit.
We must pray the prayers that are from the Father’s heart – he is waiting on people to say “yes” to him to move more mightily on the earth. Yes, we can limit God’s movement on the earth. “Do not quench the Spirit.” (1 Thessalonians 5:19)
Our disobedience robs people and ourselves of blessings from God.
Stay in humility. Ask Jesus to cloak you in his humility. (Philippians 2:1-11)
When we are yielded, then Christ moves through us powerfully. If he asks us to do something we think is outrageous or silly, or too bold, or illogical – no matter what, our obedience is crucial.
When we are yielded, we don’t care if we look like fools. We don’t care if we are undignified. We are dead to ourselves and alive to God. (Galatians 2:20)
If you want to pray powerful prayers, spend time with Jesus, study the word, read good books, and most importantly, PRAY!!! – always being led by the Holy Spirit.
What do you think?
Are your prayers powerful? Or do you need to increase your intimacy with Jesus in order to pray prayers of power?
And check out this post to see six practical tools to increase your intimacy with Jesus through a daily practice of prayer.
Sarah Louise 