Prayer does not change God. Prayer changes us. God is always in a good mood. He has been in a good mood since the universe was born. You do not have a problem with God’s mood or God’s heart. We have a problem with our own hearts. So often we come to pray for a specific situation and think the only factors are God and the person. Yet Satan is real. There is baggage that person is carrying. There is a world influencing them. And there is the very heart with which we pray. Jesus said if you speak to the mountain and do not doubt in your heart, it will be removed. Often there is work that needs to be done in our own hearts before God can do what He already wishes, wills and wants to do.

Here are three keys that will change the way you pray for others.

Establish Your Heart in Righteousness

There is something we do not completely grasp, yet we can grasp it both biblically and experientially: the righteousness of Jesus Christ. When you are clothed in righteousness you are bold in the Lord. Remember Esther. She wanted to intercede, not for herself, but for the Jewish people before King Xerxes. She knew that if she came into his presence without approval she could die. Either he raised the sceptre in welcome or she perished. She came in and the sceptre was raised.

The sceptre of God’s kingdom is a sceptre of righteousness. Jesus has gone into the presence of the Father and raised that sceptre. I have a right to pray, not based on my good works. So often people think God will answer because they gave to the poor, read the Bible, went to church, or paid their tithe. That actually hurts your prayers, not helps them. Many pray from a place of shame and guilt. We cannot look God in the face because we know we do not deserve what we are asking for. The point to grasp is this: Jesus deserves what we are asking for. We stand in Christ Jesus. As written in Hebrews 4:16, “Let us therefore come boldly to the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to help in time of need.”

Assuming you are walking with the Lord and walking in repentance, you are washed in the blood of the Lamb. That is how God sees you. The question is how you see yourself. You need to establish your own heart in righteousness. When we plead the blood we are not helping God out. We are helping ourselves and removing the influence of Satan, the accuser of the brethren. When accused we do not plead guilty or innocent. We plead the blood. Do not pray from a place of sin and shame. Establish your heart in righteousness as an ongoing way of life.

Pray the Word, Not the Need

If you are praying for somebody else, so often we pray from sympathy, compassion or empathy. Those are not bad. Yet there is often no authority and little faith. A real key is this: come to the Lord first and ask Him for a word for that person. Give us this day our daily bread. Ask the Lord for a rhema word—a now word, a direct word from Him for that person or situation. Then when you pray you are not praying the need or your emotional response to the need. You are praying what God has said.

Declare it as a finished work, something done in heaven that will be done on the earth. It is like Jesus saying, “It is written.” If the Lord has told you that young man will serve Him, even while he is still far from God, or that the person will be healed, or that the provision will come, come every day and say, “Lord, I thank You. You have declared this. I declare it right back to You. I thank You this is true.” Pray the word, not the situation.

Daniel, after seventy years, opened the scroll of Jeremiah and read that after seventy years of captivity the people would be brought home. He did not say, “God has decreed it; it is going to happen.” He began praying the word of God. He came before the Lord and said, “Lord, You said this.” While Daniel prayed for twenty-one days there was a battle between Michael the archangel and the prince of the kingdom of Persia. After twenty-one days Michael broke through and said, “I have come because of your words.” As written in Daniel 10:12, “Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words.” The word we declare causes the war to be won.

Let the Spirit Intercede Through You

Paul writes in Romans that at times we do not even know what to pray for, nor how to begin. As written in Romans 8:26-27, “Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God.”

There is a place of intercession where you simply do not know. You have no word. You do not know what good looks like. It is like a pilot who has lost all sense of up or down, who cannot see the horizon. At times we are like that in prayer. What we can do is pray in the Holy Spirit. I believe that is primarily praying in other tongues, which every Christian can do. Yet it is more than tongues. At times you can get on the floor and allow God to groan with you. It is the heart of God. God is Spirit. The heart of the Spirit of God is praying through your spirit. Paul says if I pray in the spirit my mind is unfruitful—my mind does not know what is going on. There is a place in intercession where a burden comes, you pray through it, and you know that the deal is done, that the thing is broken. I find that a very effective way of praying for somebody else.

Establish your heart in the righteousness of Christ. Ask for a specific word and pray that word. When you do not know how to pray, let the Spirit Himself intercede through you. These keys will change the way you pray for others.

Selah.

Scriptures for Study
Hebrews 4:16, Romans 8:26-27, Daniel 10:12, John 4:24, Hebrews 1:8, Psalm 45:6, Isaiah 54:14, Romans 8:16, 1 John 1:7, Revelation 12:11, Mark 11:23, Matthew 6:11, Jeremiah 29:10, Ephesians 6:18, Jude 1:20, 1 Corinthians 14:14-15, Romans 5:17, 2 Corinthians 5:21, Hebrews 10:19-22, Esther 4:11, Esther 5:2, Genesis 15:6, Philippians 3:9, Romans 3:22, Galatians 3:27

10 Questions for Reflection

1. Am I praying from a place of my own performance or from the righteousness of Christ?
2. Where has shame or guilt been silencing my boldness before the throne?
3. What would change if I asked the Lord for a specific rhema word before praying for someone?
4. Am I praying the need and my emotions, or the word God has spoken?
5. How consistently do I declare back to God what He has already said?
6. In what situations do I feel like a pilot who has lost the horizon in prayer?
7. Have I made room for the Spirit to intercede through me with groanings?
8. Do I treat praying in the Spirit as only tongues, or also as allowing God’s heart to move through mine?
9. How can I establish my heart in righteousness as an ongoing way of life?
10. Which of these three keys do I most need to practise this week?

Intercession is simply praying for other people. Most of us have prayed for others at times and seen answers. Yet most of us have also been challenged or disappointed by the lack of answers we have experienced when praying for others. Many treat prayer as the last resort. When all else fails, pray. I once heard someone say, “Let’s pray,” and the reply came, “Has it come to that? Is prayer all we have left?” People pray in foxholes. They pray when they are about to die. Prayer should be our first resort, not our last.

I believe God wants to bring us to a place where we actually pray a little less, yet we pray more effectively. We should not be like a child with a machine gun, firing scattershot prayers all over the place and hoping one hits the target. We should be more like a sniper. Take the time to set up the shot. There have been many times in my life where I have spent a week praying and fasting—not praying that God would do something, but praying that God would help me get my heart ready so I could pray one prayer lasting ten seconds that actually changes something. I needed the week, but I did not need the week to talk God into doing something.

Prayer Changes Us, Not God

Prayer does not change God. As written in Malachi 3:6, “For I am the Lord, I do not change; Therefore you are not consumed, O sons of Jacob.” Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever. Prayer changes us. When our hearts are prepared, a short, focused prayer can shift things.

Make Praying for Others Normal

It should be normal, a regular part of Christian life, that we pray for others around us each day. I do not mean a long rosary-bead list we must grind through. I want to pray for my family. I will pray for my family more than I pray for yours, and I expect you to pray for your family more than you pray for mine. That is okay. Do not let your prayers only be about yourself.

Pray for your family. Then pray for a wider circle—friends, people you interact with, church family, community. There is a place to pray for the nations, for your own nation, for kings and those in authority. We should also pray for Israel and for the peace of Jerusalem. As written in Psalm 122:6, “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: ‘May they prosper who love you.’” This does not mean you agree with everything any nation does politically. It means recognising that God chose the Jewish people and that we carry a debt to pray for them.

Make it normal. Make it natural. It is good to have a specific time to sit down and pray through some things. It is also good, as you go through the day, to see who the Lord draws your attention to and simply pray for them.

Learn to Pray Simple Prayers

God is not impressed by complicated prayers. In fact, it is harder to pray a complicated, high-sounding, weird prayer without becoming religious than it is to pray something simple. When you pray in simplicity you have nowhere left to hide. When you pray in simplicity there is nobody left to impress. Keep the ingredients pure. There is something powerful about pure ingredients rather than a long list of things nobody can pronounce.

At times people commit the same sins as the Pharisees when they pray. They pray horizontal prayers—monologues really meant for the hearing of others in the room. They phrase it as if they are talking to God, yet they are venting or communicating to people around them. Learn to pray simple, effective, fervent prayers that come from the heart.

Stand in the Gap and Cover

Why pray for something when God already knows it? Jesus said your Father knows what you need. Yet there is something powerful about pouring your heart out for somebody else before the Lord. There is a connection you get with that person.

Satan loves to get us offended at other people. We want to come before the Lord and say, “Look what they did. Look at the gap between where they are and where they should be.” What God wants us to do is stand in the gap. Love covers a multitude of sins.

Remember the story in Genesis. Noah planted a vineyard, made wine, and one day became drunk. He lay naked in his tent. One son mocked and pointed the finger. The other sons walked in backwards, not looking on their father’s shame, and pulled a covering over him. In intercession that is often what we are doing. We can come and say, “Lord, look what they did to me.” Or we can come and say, “Lord, they are a sinner like I am. I do not look at their sin. I look at the blood of Jesus. I cover their sin with Your love. I cover it with Your blood.”

There is a way you can pray and, especially when you have a connection with someone, help bring their sins into an experiential place of forgiveness for a season. Imagine you are a parent and a child in the household is rebellious, not walking with God. As the priest of that household you can come before the Lord and say, “Lord, my child is far from You. In one sense they are worthy of judgment. Yet I want to repent on their behalf. I ask You to cleanse them. Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” As written in Luke 23:34, Jesus Himself prayed, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.”

Listen carefully. They still need to repent of their own sin. You are not bringing them into an eternal relationship with God through your vicarious repentance. What you can do is pull the covering of your relationship with God over them. Through your prayer, your repentance, and your application of the blood of Jesus, you can close down access points into their hearts and lives. At an experiential level, at least for a season, they can live not under the judgment, guilt and shame of that sin. They live under the grace of God. It is the goodness of God that leads to repentance. As written in Romans 2:4, “Or do you despise the riches of His goodness, forbearance, and longsuffering, not knowing that the goodness of God leads you to repentance?”

Pray for others. Do not be discouraged. Have a go. Learn to pray simple prayers. Watch what happens as God answers those prayers.

Selah.

Scriptures for Study
Malachi 3:6, Hebrews 13:8, Psalm 122:6, James 5:16, Luke 23:34, Romans 2:4, Genesis 9:20-23, 1 Peter 4:8, 1 Timothy 2:1-2, Matthew 6:7-8, John 17:9, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 4:12, Romans 8:26-27, Hebrews 7:25, Ezekiel 22:30, Isaiah 53:12, Job 42:10, 1 Samuel 12:23, Acts 12:5, Philippians 1:9-11, Colossians 1:9-11, 2 Corinthians 5:18-19, 1 John 1:7, Galatians 6:2

10 Questions for Reflection

1. Have I treated prayer more as a last resort than a first response?
2. In what ways am I still praying scattershot rather than focused, prepared prayers?
3. How regularly do I pray for my own family before praying for others?
4. Where have my prayers become complicated or horizontal rather than simple and from the heart?
5. Is there someone whose sin I have been pointing out to God instead of covering with the blood?
6. What would it look like for me to stand in the gap for a rebellious child or family member this week?
7. How can I apply the blood of Jesus over someone without replacing their own need to repent?
8. Am I more focused on changing God’s mind or on allowing prayer to change my heart?
9. Who is the Lord drawing my attention to as I move through ordinary days?
10. What one simple intercessory prayer will I offer, believing God hears and answers?

I have done this hundreds of times. At the beginning of a gathering I will ask how many people have pain in their body right now. Usually ten to twenty percent stand. I ask them to lay hands on their own bodies. I pray. I tell the pain to go. I thank the Lord. Then I carry on. Ten minutes later I stop and say, “If you stood earlier, check yourself. Move that shoulder. Is the pain still there?” I ask how many are now instantly healed. Satan always lies and says no one will be healed. You will look stupid. Yet I have never done this without at least a third of the people, usually eighty or ninety percent, being instantly healed. Sometimes they do not even notice the absence of pain until I ask. My point is simple. God answers prayer.

God Answers Prayer

Our biggest challenge is not to persuade God to answer. I think that is easy. What we have actually got to do is let go of all the baggage of unanswered prayer. We pray. Nothing happens. We carry around the emotional entanglement, the emotional baggage of those bad episodes, those pieces of history. As written in Proverbs 13:12, “Hope deferred makes the heart sick, But when the desire comes, it is a tree of life.” With the heart man believes. How can you believe if you do not have hope, or if you have bad hope rotting on the inside of you? It is vital that we get healed. We get set free from that. Let go of it.

What Intercession Really Means

Intercession basically means to pray for somebody else. It is legitimate and good to pray for yourself. You should pray for yourself. You should pray for kings, rulers, those in authority. There are specific things we are told to pray for. Yet it is really important that we also learn to pray effective, fervent prayers for other people. As written in 1 Timothy 2:1, “Therefore I exhort first of all that supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men.”

I want to focus on how to pray for people near and dear to you—your children, parents, grandparents, siblings, family, neighbourhood, the people you actually know. Sometimes the rules of engagement get a little different when we stop praying only for ourselves. There are things I can pray for myself with one hundred percent certainty that I cannot pray for you with the same certainty. Yet there are many things I can pray for you with seventy or eighty percent certainty. I can shift the landscape in your life by doing that. It is really important we learn to pray effective prayers for others.

Reject What Replaces the Cross

In the body of Christ you will often find streams of thought around how to pray. People take a biblical word like intercession and produce a whole bunch of teaching you would never get if you read the Bible a thousand times over. They sell it saying, “This is intercession, and the Bible says we should intercede.” If you question the teaching they immediately say, “You do not believe what the Bible says about intercession.” Do not be hoodwinked. If anybody teaches you something you cannot clearly see Jesus do or teach in Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, something you cannot see the apostles do in the book of Acts or teach in the epistles, throw it out or at least treat it as third-grade speculation.

It is okay to have ideas. If I told you God likes sneakers more than formal shoes, it would be hard to prove from the Bible. A lot of people are selling ideas. Intercession and spiritual warfare often become places where people develop weird, highly structured theories of how to pray. You have to organise this. You have to go into the courts of heaven. That is complete and utter nonsense. Nowhere in the Bible does it say you need to go into the courts of heaven and fight your case. Nearly all of these teachings replace the cross of Jesus with a methodology, an effort, specialised secret knowledge that only they know. They try to replace the blood of Jesus and the work of the cross with some system. Do not go down that road. If you have fallen into some of those pathways, come back. Open your Bible. Let the Bible be the litmus test. Sola Scriptura. Let the Bible be the test of what we believe.

If someone says we must pray to the saints, remember we are all saints if we are believers, and nowhere does the Bible tell us to pray to saints. Jesus said do not call anyone on earth father, yet some still do. We do not go to a man to have our sins forgiven. We go to God through Jesus. If someone is weak in faith and living under condemnation, I can pray with them and help them step into what is already theirs. I will take them to the Father. I will not forgive their sins. When somebody teaches something outside of Scripture, throw it away. Come back to the simplicity that is in Christ Jesus. As written in 2 Corinthians 11:3, “But I fear, lest somehow, as the serpent deceived Eve by his craftiness, so your minds may be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ.”

Keep It Simple

What is intercession? Intercession is praying for somebody else. End of. It does not mean shouting and screaming all night long. It does not mean rolling on the floor—though I am not against the odd roll depending on the circumstance. It does not mean adopting some weird methodology that is not in the Bible. To intercede means to pray for somebody else.

Imagine a man eating his lunch. I simply say, “Lord, would You bless this man? Would You touch him? Would You reach out to him? Send the right person across his path. Bless him in the name of Jesus.” I have just moved into intercession. It does not have to get any more complicated than that. God wants you to pray effective prayers for other people. As written in James 5:16, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”

Let go of the baggage. Come back to the simplicity that is in Christ. Pray for those near and dear. Shift the landscape in their lives by faith. Keep intercession simple. Keep it biblical. Keep it rooted in the finished work of the cross.

Selah.

Scriptures for Study
Luke 11:1, Matthew 6:6, Proverbs 13:12, Romans 10:10, 1 Timothy 2:1, 2 Corinthians 11:3, James 5:16, John 14:13, Hebrews 7:25, Romans 8:26, 1 John 2:1, Matthew 5:44, Ephesians 6:18, Colossians 1:9, Philippians 1:9, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Jude 1:20, Acts 12:5, Genesis 18:23, Exodus 32:11, Job 42:10, Psalm 106:23, Isaiah 53:12, 1 Samuel 12:23, Ezekiel 22:30

10 Questions for Reflection

1. Where am I still carrying emotional baggage from times I prayed and nothing seemed to happen?
2. How does hope deferred affect my ability to believe with the heart?
3. What does it look like in practical terms for me to pray for those nearest to me?
4. Have I allowed any teaching on intercession to replace the simplicity of the cross?
5. Can I clearly see the practice I follow in the life of Jesus or the apostles?
6. What would change if I treated intercession as simply praying for someone else?
7. In what areas can I shift the landscape in another person’s life through prayer?
8. Am I more focused on methodology or on the finished work of Jesus?
9. How can I help someone step into what is already theirs without taking the place of the Holy Spirit?
10. What one simple intercessory prayer will I offer for someone near to me?

The disciples came to Jesus and said, “Lord, teach us to pray.” They were good Jewish young men. They had gone to synagogue. They had learned the prayers for every occasion. The culture and background had taught them how to pray. But when they got around Jesus, He prayed differently. When Jesus prayed, stuff happened. Bondages left people. Blind eyes opened. Provision came. After a while the disciples began to notice. He does not pray like we pray. When we pray we mumble our words. Nothing really happens. When Jesus prays, stuff happens.

Stuff is a theological term. It comes from the Greek stuffadocious.

I once heard the testimony of a Jewish rabbi who worked in a concentration camp during the Second World War. Every day they kept him alive so he could stand over the pile of bodies and read a Jewish prayer: “I will lift up my eyes to the hills—from whence comes my help? My help comes from the Lord, who made heaven and earth.” In his heart he was crying out, “Yahweh, where are You? There is no help.” Then two young Christian girls from the Red Cross arrived. They invited him to pray with them each morning. He was starved for fellowship, so he joined them. These girls got on their knees and worshipped. They sang. They prayed specific, accurate prayers in the name of Jesus. The rabbi began writing down their requests and noticing that they prayed and God answered. At times a knock came at the door with the very thing they had asked before they finished praying. In the end the rabbi went to them and said, “You know something about Yahweh that I do not know. He listens to you.” They answered, “We pray in the name of Jesus.” Jesus never said, “Whatever you ask I will do.” He said, “Whatever you ask in My name.” As written in John 14:13, “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.”

I want us to love our prayer life. I want us to be satisfied with it. Is it perfect? That is not the question. Does it work? Am I glad I have it? Most things in life will not be perfect. The goal is not perfection. The goal is to show up. My ambition is to pray badly. I do not mean I want to pray badly. I mean I want to show up and pray. I do not want a perfect prayer life. I want to actually pray. I do not want to live in tomorrow-land where one day I will float around with an amazing prayer life. Learn to pray badly and then keep improving. How do you learn to ride a bicycle? You have a go. How do you read your Bible? You open it and start. The more you read, the more you understand.

Be Real with God

God is not mad at you. God is not disappointed in you. Any shame comes from Satan or from yourself. Let us get rid of the shame and build a prayer life that works. When Jesus teaches about prayer He tells people to be real. The Pharisees came with special clothes and funny voices. Have you ever heard anyone pray with a funny voice? We all have a little Pharisee in us. The key is not to hide it. See it and slap yourself. Sometimes I am praying for someone who is sick and I start saying words that are not connected with my heart. I stop. If my heart is not connected with God I am only mumbling. People talk about God like He is not in the room. There used to be a British radio programme called “Does He Take Sugar?” The idea was that people would speak about someone with a handicap as if the person were not present. People do that with God. We want to keep pressing into reality. God is real. We do not need to pretend.

I love the book of Psalms. David is real with God. At times he is raw. He brings everything out. Look at the wicked. They are prospering. What about me? He does not hold it in. Then he does not stay there. He moves into praise. Even though this is true, You are my God and I will praise You. You will have the last word. Let us learn to be real with God. Get a list of things you are praying for and use your faith. As written in Psalm 34:8, “Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good; Blessed is the man who trusts in Him!”

Throw Out Religious Ideas About Prayer

If there is one thing I want you to grasp, it is this. God wants fellowship. What do you want from your children? You want to enjoy being with them. Philosophers have asked for thousands of years, “What is the meaning of life? Why are we here?” God is not looking for you to serve Him. Service is the outworking of relationship. God is looking for relationship with you. There was a Father who had one Son and wanted more. The dream of God was to have billions of children. He loves them all equally. He can know them all equally. He longs to spend time with you. He longs to enjoy you. He wants you to enjoy Him. Until we get that—not as a fact but as a practice—our prayer life is a waste of time. We will be ticking boxes and going through religious practices that mean nothing. God does not want you coming into His presence mumbling words whether traditional or charismatic if there is no heart connection. God does not want you yabbering in tongues if your heart is not connected. It is just noise.

I am convinced that most Christians know this in their heads but it is not how they lived yesterday. There is a Father who loves you and says, “Come into My throne room. Come into My presence and spend time with Me. Learn to fellowship with Me as a much-loved son or daughter.” We were created by a Father. We were created for a Father. We were created for fellowship and union with Him. He is the only thing that will ever satisfy us. Amazon will never bring enough boxes. You will never climb enough mountains. Your soul will stay empty until you are fellowshipping with your Father.

A lot of the charismatic church has what I call transactional Christianity. We develop methods and teaching. Do this and God will do that. The Lord wants you to spend time with Him. End of story. You do not earn it. Jesus already earned it. The Lord said to Moses, “Come up the mountain and be there.” Every day the Lord is saying the same. You do not need to climb a mountain. The gates are open. The veil is torn. Every day you can come in and sit down with Father, Son and Spirit. You are accepted in the Beloved. Fellowship with Him.

Step into Your Identity as a Child of God

We have to step into that identity. I am a child of God. I am not a sinner saved by grace. I am not a cleaned-up project. I am a child. I belong here. Satan does not belong here. The God of heaven came to the orphanage of sin and chose me and chose you and adopted us. You need to know that and anchor your soul in it because the accuser will say, “Why are you here? You are not worthy. Remember what you did.” Throw all of that away and come in like a little child. “Father, I love You. I belong here.” The angels cry, “Holy, holy, holy.” We can do that too. We can also come right up and jump on His lap and say, “Father, I love You.”

Learn to sit in the reality of what God’s Word says you are. Take a truth—“My Father loves me”—and sit quietly in the experience of Him. Everything in God’s Word is true in the spirit. It is a description of who I am and what I have in heavenly places. I want it here on the earth. Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength. As written in Isaiah 40:31, “But those who wait on the Lord Shall renew their strength; They shall mount up with wings like eagles, They shall run and not be weary, They shall walk and not faint.” You wait on God. You do not wait for God. Like a servant to his master, so my soul waits on the Lord. We need to wait on the Lord. Sit in a truth from God’s Word. Your mind will go crazy. Your mind will give you a list of twenty-seven things you need to do. Ignore it. Keep refocusing on the Lord. If you get distracted, gird up the loins of your mind and come back. If you will sit in a truth of God’s Word you will begin feeling it in your soul. Go to the Word first and sit in that Word until it begins overflowing in your soul and in your body.

Sit in the Finished Work Until Peace Overflows

If the average Christian would spend three or four minutes just sitting and being with God, abiding and letting the overflow come, such a peace would enter the soul and the body that everywhere you go it would push out fear, strife and tension. Practice your peace. It will linger. You are not trying to be religious. You are abiding with Him. As written in John 14:20, “At that day you will know that I am in My Father, and you in Me, and I in you.” He who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with Him. You cannot get any more of the Holy Spirit. You can experience more by allowing Him. God does not have revival to pour out on a region. He has revival to pour out of His people. Out of your innermost being will flow rivers of living water. Learn to sit and be with God. Learn to sit in the “I am.” There is no work to do. No performance. He has done it all. Sit in the finished work of Jesus and let it mark your soul. You will feel it, but the feeling comes because the truth is established on the inside. Everything coming from the outside will not be able to touch you. You have greater internal pressure than external pressure. When the pressure on the inside is greater than the pressure on the outside, what is around you will change but it will not touch you.

The peace of God is powerful. Jesus is in the storm yet in perfect peace. He stands up and says, “Peace, be still.” Greater was He that was in Him than that which was around Him. As written in Isaiah 26:3, “You will keep him in perfect peace, Whose mind is stayed on You, Because he trusts in You.” All the other things we pray for become a to-do list and transactional until we find that place of fellowship. I give you permission to pray badly. Grace. God’s not mad at you. It would be a breakthrough for some if you did it for three minutes at the beginning of the day and enjoyed it. Those three minutes will become four because you enjoy it. Have fellowship with your Father. Put the to-do list away. Close your mouth at times. If you really have to speak, say, “Father, I love You.” Learn to listen. Learn to ask, “What is going to happen today?” If we would shut up we would hear His voice.

You already have the relationship. You were given a relationship with God. You inherited Jesus’ relationship with the Father. Your mission is to enjoy it. You have been adopted. You are part of the family. Do not sit outside saying, “I am the ex-orphan. I am not worthy.” Those lies will keep you out. The greatest danger of sin in most of our lives is the effect it has on us in keeping us away from God. It is not about keeping God away from us. If there is sin, repent. As written in 1 John 1:9, “If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Run to God quickly. Do not sit in it. Do not let it touch your soul. Run to Him. Whoever has been born of God does not sin. That is who I am. I am born of God. I have been made a slave of righteousness. I am set free from sin. But if I sin, I have an advocate with the Father. Run to God. If you catch yourself starting to sin, repent. Keep moving the bar. You can repent before you ever sin.

Lord, teach us to pray. Let us develop and step into fellowship with the Father, the Son and the Spirit. Let us sit with You and fellowship. Wipe away any sense of failure or shame. This one thing we do: we forget what is behind and we step into a new season of prayer, a new season of grace and joy in prayer.

Selah.

Scriptures for Study
Luke 11:1, John 14:13, Psalm 34:8, Isaiah 40:31, John 14:20, Isaiah 26:3, 1 John 1:9, 1 John 3:9, 1 Corinthians 6:17, John 7:38, Hebrews 6:12, James 1:22, Romans 10:17, Matthew 24:35, Psalm 121:1-2, Matthew 3:17, 1 John 2:1, Exodus 24:12, Psalm 23:3, John 15:5, Romans 8:15, Galatians 4:6, Ephesians 1:6, Hebrews 4:16, Revelation 3:20

10 Questions for Reflection

1. What would it look like for me to “pray badly” and simply show up this week?
2. Where have I been talking about God as if He were not in the room?
3. How can I step more fully into my identity as an adopted child rather than a cleaned-up project?
4. What single truth from God’s Word will I sit in quietly until it begins to overflow?
5. In what ways has my prayer life become transactional instead of relational?
6. When pressure comes from the outside, is the pressure of God’s peace greater on the inside?
7. How quickly do I run to the Father when I sense sin or shame, rather than hiding?
8. What three minutes of simple fellowship with the Father could I protect each day?
9. Am I waiting on the Lord or merely waiting for the Lord?
10. What would change if I believed that revival flows out of me rather than needing to be poured onto me?

Prayer raises many practical questions. How do we align our praying with the will of God? What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? How can we move beyond begging or crying for help into confident faith? These are good questions. The disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray because they saw results in His life. We can learn the same way. 

**Do We Need to Pray “If It Be Thy Will”?**  

This phrase often appears because of Jesus’ prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane. Facing unimaginable suffering, He said, “Nevertheless, not My will, but Yours, be done.” Many have made this a standard ending to every prayer. The answer is both yes and no. 

As it is written in 1 John 5:14-15 (NKJV): “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, 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 the petitions that we have asked of Him.”  

If you do not know God’s will in a matter, it can be appropriate to seek it. Yet the better starting point is to discover His will first from Scripture. The Bible clearly reveals many things. God’s will is that people be saved. His will is healing. His will is not sin. For matters clearly stated in the Word, we pray with confidence on the basis of what He has already said. For specific guidance not detailed in Scripture, we can seek the Lord. 

In Gethsemane, Jesus faced a unique moment. He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. His soul shrank from the cross, but He submitted to the Father. In situations where emotions cloud discernment, leaning on God’s will is wise. However, this phrase is often overused as a way to cover lack of faith or lack of knowledge of Scripture. Find God’s will in the Word, then pray accordingly. 

**Is It Wrong to Pray “Lord, Help Me”?**  

“Lord, help” is not wrong. Peter cried out exactly that while sinking on the water, and Jesus rescued him. There are seasons when this cry is appropriate. Yet it is not God’s best for maturing believers. 

Jesus taught the disciples to pray, “Lead us not into temptation.” One translation brings out the idea of being led away from danger and traps. Rather than repeatedly crying for rescue after falling into trouble, we can ask the Lord to order our steps and keep us from the pitfalls of the enemy. 

I used to live in cycles of need, fear, faith, and temporary relief in areas like health and finances. Then I saw a better way. Instead of always believing for healing after sickness comes, believe for health. Instead of pleading for provision in each crisis, believe that God has supplied all my needs according to His riches in glory. When a need arises, I simply thank Him. Think and thank. The need is already met. 

“Lord, help” has its place, but faith-filled prayers grounded in promises are better. Grow in this. 

**What Does It Mean to Pray in the Spirit?**  

To pray in the Spirit is to pray prayers inspired by the Holy Spirit from our spirit man rather than merely from the intellect. It includes praying in tongues, but it is more than that. We can pray in our known language and still pray in the Spirit when the heart is fully engaged. 

Paul wrote that he would pray with the spirit and pray with the understanding. The same is true for singing. The outward words matter less than the connection of the heart. We can repeat phrases in English or in tongues without heart engagement, and it profits little. True prayer in the Spirit flows from the innermost being. Rivers of living water come from our spirit. 

This is not noise or mere repetition. It is communion. The Spirit helps us pray according to the will of God. 

**How Do You Stop Begging in Prayer?**  

The problem is rarely the words we use. The issue is identity. If we see ourselves as unworthy slaves or beggars, we will pray like one. The prodigal son returned intending to ask his father to treat him as a hired servant. The father restored him as a son. 

Many believers spend most of their prayer time begging, then walk away frustrated. The solution is to spend time putting on the new man. Remind yourself who you are in Christ. You are a new creation. You are a child of God. You are a partaker of the divine nature. Put on the Lord Jesus Christ. Then pray from that place of sonship. 

Look at Jesus at the tomb of Lazarus. He fellowshipped with the Father, then spoke with authority. We can do the same. Identity releases inheritance. Pray as a son or daughter, not as a slave. 

**How Do You Pray for Health and Healing?**  

It is not wrong to see doctors or receive prayer from anointed believers. James speaks of the elders praying over the sick. Yet God’s best is that we learn to receive directly from Him through His Word. 

Faith does not deny symptoms. It acknowledges a greater reality. When pain speaks, the Word speaks louder. Fix your attention on what is eternal. The seen is temporary. The unseen is eternal. Believe you receive when you pray, according to Mark 11:24. Stand in thanksgiving. Speak the promises over your body. 

Every symptom becomes an opportunity to declare what God has said: “I am the Lord who heals you,” “He sent His word and healed them,” “By whose stripes you were healed.” Thank Him. Hold fast to the finished work of Jesus. 

Selah.

**Scriptures for Study**  

1 John 5:14-15, Matthew 26:39, Romans 12:2, James 1:5, Exodus 15:26, Exodus 23:25, Psalm 103:2-3, Psalm 107:20, Proverbs 4:20-22, Isaiah 53:4-5, Matthew 8:17, Mark 11:23-24, 1 Peter 2:24, John 7:38, 1 Corinthians 14:14-15, Ephesians 5:18-19, Romans 8:26-27, Galatians 4:6-7, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Corinthians 4:18, Philippians 4:19, James 5:14-15. 

**10 Questions for Reflection**  

1. How often do I tack “if it be Thy will” onto prayers instead of searching Scripture first?  

2. In what areas am I still praying desperate “help” prayers instead of standing in promises?  

3. Do my prayers flow more from my head or from my spirit man?  

4. How does my identity in Christ shape the way I approach God in prayer?  

5. What symptoms or needs tempt me to focus on the seen rather than the eternal?  

6. Am I believing for healing after problems arise or for ongoing health?  

7. How can I spend more time putting on the new man before I pray?  

8. What specific promises am I standing on for my current situations?  

9. In what ways can I grow in praying in the Spirit with heart connection?  

10. How will I adjust my prayer life this week based on these answers?  

Developing a prayer life that works requires honesty, vision, and practical steps. The disciples saw results when Jesus prayed, and they asked Him to teach them. We can follow their example. Rather than settling for patterns that produce little fruit, we can build a lifestyle of prayer that brings change and glorifies the Father. 

This is a journey. We never fully arrive, yet steady progress yields glorious results. If we are willing to examine where we are and align with how Jesus prayed, transformation follows. 

**Honest Assessment of Our Current Reality**  

The first step is being brutally honest about our actual prayer life. Many believers, especially in charismatic circles, paint an idealized picture of their walk with God. We speak of praying without ceasing or spending hours in the Word, yet our daily reality often tells a different story. This is not usually intentional deception but self-deception. We describe where we wish to be rather than where we truly are. 

As it is written in Psalm 139:23-24 (NKJV): “Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”  

God already sees everything. The question is whether we will see it too. Take time to evaluate honestly. How much do you actually pray? Do you enjoy it? Are you satisfied with the results? Does guilt or shame surround your prayer life? Most importantly, does it produce fruit? Do mountains move? Do situations change when you pray for people? Over time we should see evidence that our prayers make a difference. 

Jesus rebuked the Pharisees for loving long, showy prayers to be seen by others. Length is not the measure. Smith Wigglesworth captured this well when asked how long he prayed. He said he never prayed more than fifteen minutes, but he never went more than fifteen minutes without praying. The quality of communion with God matters far more than the clock. 

**Gaining Vision from the Example of Jesus**  

Next, look closely at how Jesus prayed. Read through the Gospels as if watching a real-life story unfold. Jesus spent time in fellowship with the Father. His prayers were not primarily shopping lists of requests. When needs arose, He often spoke with authority and acted in faith. The multiplication of the loaves and fish, the coin in the fish’s mouth, the healing of the sick—these flowed from relationship and command rather than lengthy pleading. 

Jesus separated fellowship from petition. He touched people, spoke to conditions, and released the power of God. We think He prayed for every miracle, yet the text often shows declaration and action. This challenges many of our patterns. When we see the distance between our prayer life and His, we gain fresh motivation to grow. 

**Four Key Areas of a Balanced Prayer Life**  

A healthy prayer life includes distinct areas. Most of our time, perhaps eighty to ninety percent, should focus on the first. 

**Fellowship with the Father**  

This is the heart of prayer. Jesus frequently withdrew to be with His Father. This is not asking for things but enjoying relationship. Many believers experience real fellowship mainly in corporate settings. Learning to do this personally in the secret place changes everything. Cultivate communion. Listen. Worship. Rest in His presence. This becomes the foundation for everything else. 

**Praying for Yourself**  

It is right and biblical to bring your own needs to God. Some suggest this is selfish, yet Scripture encourages us to ask. Present your concerns, desires, and struggles. He cares about the details of your life. 

**Praying for Others**  

Intercession flows naturally from fellowship and personal prayer. Lift up family, friends, leaders, and those in need. Learn to pray effectively for others with faith and specificity. 

**Taking Authority Over the Enemy**  

This is not prayer to God about the devil but exercising the authority we have in Christ. Resist the enemy. Stand against his attacks. Pray as Jesus taught: lead us not into temptation but deliver us from the evil one. Rebuke, bind, and stand firm in the finished work of the cross. 

**Building the Life You Were Meant to Live**  

Begin with honesty before God. Compare your prayer life with the example of Jesus. Allow the Holy Spirit to give you a vision for growth in each area. This does not need to be complicated or take decades. Consistent steps yield fruit. Resources like E. W. Kenyon’s books, *The Two Kinds of Faith* and *In His Presence*, offer helpful insights for this journey. 

I encourage you to take these steps. Be willing to let go of unhelpful ideas. Embrace the roadmap Jesus modeled. A fruitful prayer life is available. It changes you and impacts the world around you. Come on this journey. The results will be glorious. 

Selah.

**Scriptures for Study**  

Psalm 139:23-24, Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 14:23, Mark 1:35, Mark 6:46, Luke 5:16, Luke 6:12, Luke 9:18, Luke 11:1-13, John 15:7, John 17:1-26, Philippians 4:6-7, James 5:13-18, 1 Thessalonians 5:17, Ephesians 6:10-18, 2 Corinthians 10:3-5, James 4:7, Matthew 18:18-19, 1 Peter 5:8-9, Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 63:1-8, Psalm 27:4, Isaiah 40:31. 

**10 Questions for Reflection**  

1. What is the honest reality of my current prayer life?  

2. In which areas do I tend to paint an idealized picture rather than face truth?  

3. How does the example of Jesus’ prayer life challenge my patterns?  

4. What percentage of my prayer time is truly fellowship with the Father?  

5. Am I comfortable bringing my own needs to God without guilt?  

6. How effectively do I pray for others?  

7. In what ways am I exercising authority over the enemy?  

8. What small steps can I take this week to grow in honesty and vision?  

9. Which resources or practices might help me build a stronger prayer life?  

10. What vision is the Lord giving me for a more fruitful prayer life?  

Many begin the Christian life with a simple, childlike expectation that God answers prayer. Then lived experience and the wisdom of others often lead to a more cautious realism. Yet Jesus invites us into something deeper: a mature confidence that aligns with His own promises and example. 

The disciples watched Jesus pray and saw results. They wanted to learn His way. We can do the same. Rather than settling for a middle ground where answers feel uncertain, we can press into the kind of prayer life that flows from the finished work of Christ and the authority of His name.

**Childlike Faith Meets Reality**  

When many of us first come to the Lord, we believe with open hearts. Prayer seems straightforward. God heals. God provides. God answers. This childlike faith carries beautiful simplicity. I remember my own early days as a believer. At fourteen years old, it never occurred to me that God might not answer prayer. The Bible showed healing and miracles, so I expected Christians to walk in health and see God move. 

One Sunday my youth pastor missed church. When I saw him later, he mentioned a bad cold. I felt devastated. If he could not receive healing, what hope did I have? The next day I became ill myself. Reality hit my naive expectations. Many believers experience something similar, often in far more serious circumstances. We pray for loved ones, and the outcome brings deep pain. We hear explanations that God sometimes says no. Over time this shapes a common conclusion: God answers prayer sometimes, but we never quite know when. 

I believe we need to examine this carefully. Jesus never taught His followers to expect unanswered prayer. Again and again in the Gospels He gives astonishing promises. 

**The Third Zone of Mature Expectation**  

As it is written in John 14:13-14 (NKJV): “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”  

There is a first zone of childlike naiveté. There is a second zone of disappointed realism where many believers settle. I want to suggest there is a third zone. It looks similar to the first but flows from maturity rather than ignorance. In this place we believe God answers prayer. We learn to pray in alignment with His will and the authority of Jesus’ name. We expect results, not because we lack understanding but because we have come to know the heart of God and the power of the cross. 

This is not presumption. It is faith that takes Jesus at His word. The Bible is filled with promises about prayer. When we abide in Him and His words abide in us, we can ask what we desire and it shall be done. These are not occasional hopes but foundational truths. Jesus lived in this reality. His prayers produced fruit because they flowed from perfect fellowship with the Father. 

**A Testimony of God’s Faithfulness**  

My wife shared a story from her childhood that marked her deeply. As a little girl of seven or eight she prayed earnestly for a pink bicycle. She wrote the request in her Bible and carried it with her. She never received the bike at that time. Years later, after we had known each other only a few weeks, she told me she had never prayed a prayer that God did not answer. Later that same day she remembered the pink bike and felt she had spoken incorrectly. 

When she arrived home, a package waited at the door with her name on it. Inside was a brand new pink child’s bicycle. She was in her early twenties and far too tall for it, so she gave it away. Yet God had answered. He marked her life with the truth that He hears and responds. Even delayed answers demonstrate His faithfulness. This experience shaped her conviction that God always answers prayer. 

I tried to offer the usual explanations. God sometimes says no for our protection. Yet she held firmly to Scripture. That famous phrase about God answering but sometimes saying no appears nowhere in the Bible. Her simple trust challenged my more cautious approach. We can learn from such examples. God desires to build in us a mature faith that expects Him to hear and respond. 

**Learning from the Prayer Life of Jesus**  

Jesus did not pray as many of us do. He spent time in fellowship with the Father. When needs arose, He spoke with authority and results followed. He did not beg or strive. He released the will of God into situations. We would do well to study the four Gospels and watch how Jesus prayed. 

T. L. Osborn often said that if we come as they came, do what they did, think as they thought, and believe as they believed, we will get what they got. This principle applies powerfully to prayer. We are disciples of Jesus. We follow His example above all others. When we learn to pray as He prayed, things happen. 

I encourage you to let go of the middle ground of uncertainty. Come on this journey through the Gospels. Examine the promises. Watch the example of Jesus. Cultivate a prayer life grounded in relationship, faith, and the name of Jesus. There is a place of mature confidence where we see consistent answers because we have learned to align with the heart of God. 

This is not a return to childish naiveté. It is growth into the fullness of what Christ has provided. Every believer can step into this reality. The Holy Spirit helps us. The Word guides us. The blood of Jesus gives us access. Let us press in by faith. 

Selah.

**Scriptures for Study**  

John 14:13-14, John 15:7, John 16:23-24, Matthew 7:7-11, Matthew 21:21-22, Mark 11:22-24, Luke 11:9-13, James 1:5-8, James 5:13-18, 1 John 5:14-15, Hebrews 11:6, Ephesians 3:20-21, Philippians 4:6-7, Psalm 37:4-5, Isaiah 65:24, Jeremiah 33:3, 1 John 3:21-22, Matthew 18:19-20, Acts 4:29-31, Hebrews 4:16, Psalm 91:15, 2 Chronicles 7:14, Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 18:1-8. 

**10 Questions for Reflection**  

1. Where am I currently living in my prayer life: childlike faith, realism, or mature expectation?  

2. What experiences have shaped my view of whether God answers prayer?  

3. Which of Jesus’ promises about prayer am I ready to believe more fully?  

4. How can I move from striving to fellowship in my time with God?  

5. What “pink bicycle” prayers from my past might God still answer in His timing?  

6. In what areas do I need to release cautious realism and embrace biblical confidence?  

7. How does the example of Jesus challenge my current patterns of prayer?  

8. What would change if I truly expected God to answer every prayer offered in His will?  

9. Who are the mature examples of prayer I can learn from in Scripture or in life?  

10. How will I study the Gospels this week to learn how Jesus prayed?  

What does it mean to pray prayers that actually produce results? Many of us have learned forms of prayer that feel familiar yet leave us wondering why little seems to change. The disciples faced a similar moment. They watched Jesus pray and saw heaven move in response. This led them to come to Him with a direct request: teach us to pray as You pray.

In the Gospel of Matthew we see Jesus begin His ministry by preaching the gospel of the kingdom, teaching in the synagogues, and healing every kind of sickness and disease among the people. Miracles followed Him. Then the disciples observed something deeper. They saw not only His teaching and power but also the authority in His prayer life. They wanted that same reality.

**The Authority That Draws Disciples Near**  

As it is written in Matthew 21:23-27 (NKJV): “Now when He came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, ‘By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?’”  

The religious leaders questioned the source of Jesus’ authority. The disciples saw something different. They witnessed prayers that brought tangible change. Heaven and hell recognized the authority in His words. This was no empty ritual. The disciples, raised in a culture saturated with prayer, knew the forms well. Yet they saw in Jesus something that actually worked. They came to Him because His prayer life produced results. I believe we have the same invitation today. We can learn to pray in a way that aligns with the finished work of Christ and releases the power of His name.

**Learning from Those Who Obtain Promises**  

Hebrews 6:12 (NKJV) encourages us: “that you do not become sluggish, but imitate those who through faith and patience inherit the promises.”  

We have a biblical right to examine the fruit of any teaching on prayer. If someone teaches on this subject, it is fair to ask what their prayers have produced. Have they obtained promises? Has anything shifted on earth because of their communion with God? The disciples saw this in Jesus. They had prayed according to tradition, but they hungered for more. Many of us find ourselves in the same place. We have been mentored in prayer patterns that often yield little. We hear sermons that sound good, yet the unspoken message suggests God may not always answer. This creates a quiet resignation. We lower our expectations to protect our hearts from disappointment. Can I suggest to you that this is not the biblical pattern? Jesus invited His followers into a life of effective prayer.

Consider the story of the rabbi in the concentration camp. Day after day he stood over piles of the murdered and recited words of Scripture about help coming from the Lord. In his heart he cried out in anguish because that help seemed absent. Then two young Christian women arrived. They prayed simple, specific prayers in the name of Jesus. They believed those prayers would be answered. Resources came. Obstacles moved. Favor appeared. The rabbi could not stay silent. He asked why Jehovah listened to their prayers when He seemed silent to his. The answer was clear: the name of Jesus. This is not a formula but a revelation of relationship. It is access to the Father through the Son.

**Letting Go of What Does Not Work**  

We must be willing to deconstruct ideas about prayer that have failed us. Many believers have learned by painful experience to expect little. We pray, nothing visible happens, and we withdraw our expectation to avoid further hurt. In effect we solve the problem of unanswered prayer by never truly expecting answers. This is an emotional exit strategy, yet it keeps us from the fullness God offers. The reality is that we can step into a different way. We can release forms of godliness that deny the power thereof. 

The disciples knew how to pray. They grew up with prayers for everything, as the old stories from Jewish life illustrate. Yet they saw in Jesus a prayer life marked by authority and results. They wanted to learn His way. I encourage you to join this same journey. Hold loosely to patterns that have not produced fruit. Embrace instead the biblical invitation to pray in the name of Jesus with expectation.

**The Power of Praying in His Name**  

John 14:13-14 (NKJV) records these words of Jesus: “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”  

This is no blank check for selfish desires. It is an invitation into alignment with the heart of God and the finished work of the cross. When we pray in Jesus’ name, we come on the basis of His authority, not our own merit. The young women in the camp understood this. Their prayers were specific and faith-filled. They expected God to move, and He did. We too can cultivate this kind of prayer life. It flows from relationship, not ritual. It draws near to the Father through the Son by the Spirit. 

Simply put, prayer that works flows from knowing God and trusting His promises. We press into the secret place. We release our concerns into His hands. We believe that He hears and that He answers. This does not mean every request is granted exactly as we first imagine. It does mean we can live with genuine expectation because we pray according to His will as revealed in Scripture.

I have seen this pattern across years of ministry in many nations. Prayers offered in simple faith in the name of Jesus have opened doors, provided resources, and brought freedom. The key is not eloquence or length but alignment with the heart of God and confidence in the blood of Jesus and the authority of His name.

**Entering into Effective Prayer**  

Let me challenge you to examine your own prayer life. Are you holding onto forms that no longer serve? Are you willing to let go of the proverbial monkey with its hand stuck in the peanut jar, clutching something that brings no life? The disciples modeled the better way. They saw results in Jesus and asked to learn. We can do the same. 

It is vital that we cultivate a lifestyle of prayer grounded in the New Covenant. We are not earning answers through effort. We are receiving by faith what Christ has already provided. This shifts everything. Prayer becomes a place of rest and authority rather than striving. We draw near, we listen, we release, and we expect God to act.

Take time today to come before the Father in the name of Jesus. Bring specific needs. Believe His Word. Watch and see what He will do. This is the glorious privilege of every believer. Hallelujah.

Selah.

**Scriptures for Study**  

Matthew 6:5-15, Matthew 7:7-11, Matthew 21:21-22, Mark 11:22-24, Luke 11:1-13, John 14:12-14, John 15:7, John 16:23-24, Ephesians 3:20-21, Philippians 4:6-7, Hebrews 4:16, Hebrews 11:6, James 1:5-8, James 4:2-3, James 5:13-18, 1 John 3:21-22, 1 John 5:14-15, Psalm 37:4-5, Psalm 91:15, Isaiah 65:24, Jeremiah 33:3, Matthew 18:19-20, Acts 4:29-31, 2 Chronicles 7:14. 

**10 Questions for Reflection**  

1. What forms of prayer have I held onto even when they produced little fruit?  

2. How does the example of the disciples challenge my current prayer life?  

3. In what areas have I lowered my expectations to avoid disappointment?  

4. What specific needs am I willing to bring before God in Jesus’ name today?  

5. How can I cultivate greater confidence in the authority of Christ’s name?  

6. Where do I see the difference between religious form and relational prayer?  

7. What promises from Scripture am I believing God to fulfill through prayer?  

8. How might letting go of ineffective patterns open me to fresh encounters with God?  

9. In what ways can I imitate those who through faith obtain promises?  

10. How will I make prayer a daily lifestyle of expectation rather than routine?  

Many of us who have walked with Jesus for any length of time know the reality of seasons when our hearts burned with passion for Him and other times when we felt we were barely making it through. Yet I believe it is possible to live a Christian life where you maintain that place of fire and devotion. You do not have to swing from one extreme to the other.

The Power of Repentance

Repentance stands as the first key. As Peter declared in the Book of Acts, “Repent therefore and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, so that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord” (Acts 3:19, NKJV). Times of refreshing will come. This is not a maybe or a perhaps. It is a promise.

It is vital that we make repentance more than a one-time event. Make it a lifestyle. Every day get on your knees and say, “Lord, search my heart and know me.” Ask Him to cleanse you afresh in the blood of Jesus. Jesus dealt with our sin completely at the cross of Calvary, yet we still need to live with clean hands and a pure heart. Who may ascend into the hill of the Lord? He who has clean hands and a pure heart. There is something glorious about knowing nothing stands between you and the Lord.

Surrounding Yourself with the Things of God

The second key flows directly from the Psalms. David said, “My eyes are ever toward the Lord” (Psalm 25:15, NKJV). He declared, “Your lovingkindness is before my eyes, and I have walked in Your truth” (Psalm 26:3, NKJV). You are the product of your environment. What you set before your eyes shapes your soul.

We can come to church, receive prayer, rejoice in the moment, and then return to filling our minds with the things of the world through television, social media, and endless distractions. I am not suggesting every form of entertainment is sin. I am saying your soul becomes filled with whatever you feed it most.

Create a personal culture where you surround yourself with the things of God. Put great teaching on your phone. Sit down every morning with your Bible. Be deliberate about the company you keep. Walk away from constant criticism and negativity. God gave Israel a culture saturated with reminders of His presence and His Word. We can do the same.

Philemon 1:6 speaks of acknowledging every good thing which is in you in Christ Jesus. Surround yourself with truth until it becomes the atmosphere you breathe.

The Practice of Think and Thank

The third key transformed my own life many years ago. An older preacher taught me to “think and thank.” When a need or temptation arises, instead of spiraling into guilt or striving, stop and thank God for the truth of who you already are in Christ.

As a young man I learned this first in the area of finances. A bill would arrive, and I would think of the need and immediately thank God that it was met. I began to apply the same principle to temptation and weakness. When a thought or desire tried to pull me, I would declare, “Lord, I thank You I am a new creation. Thank You that my old man is dead. Thank You that I am alive unto God. Thank You that whom the Son sets free is free indeed.”

This works powerfully in the realm of healing as well. When pain or symptoms appear, they become a reminder to declare the truth. “I am the Lord who heals you” (Exodus 15:26, NKJV). “He sent His word and healed them” (Psalm 107:20, NKJV). “By whose stripes you were healed” (1 Peter 2:24, NKJV).

Every signal that comes into your life can become an opportunity to thank God for who He is and what He has already accomplished. This practice displaces doubt and shame with the reality of finished work.

Living in the Light

These keys work together to produce a walk that is steady and passionate. Repentance keeps the heart clean. Surrounding yourself with the things of God fills the soul with heaven’s culture. Thinking and thanking releases faith into every circumstance.

You can walk in the light as He is in the light, and the blood of Jesus continually cleanses you. Cultivate this lifestyle day by day. Let your affections be set on the things above. The day will come when our time on earth is finished. Let it be said of us that we walked with passion and consistency because we chose the things of God over the passing pleasures of the world.

Selah.

Scriptures for Study:
Acts 3:19, Psalm 25:15, Psalm 26:3, Philemon 1:6, Psalm 24:3-4, 1 John 1:7, Exodus 15:26, Exodus 23:25, Proverbs 4:20-22, Psalm 107:20, 1 Peter 2:24, 2 Corinthians 5:17, 2 Peter 1:4, John 8:36, Romans 6:6, Romans 6:11, Colossians 3:1-2, Ephesians 4:22-24, Psalm 119:11, Psalm 16:8, Psalm 27:4, Psalm 73:28, Hebrews 12:1-2, James 4:8, Psalm 51:10.

10 Questions for Reflection:

1. In what areas of my life have I experienced the ups and downs Graham described?
2. How consistent is my daily practice of repentance and heart-searching before the Lord?
3. What am I setting before my eyes most often, and how is it shaping my soul?
4. Who do I spend time with, and does it draw me closer to the things of God?
5. Where in my life do I need to begin practicing “think and thank” today?
6. Am I living with clean hands and a pure heart, or is something hindering fellowship with God?
7. How can I build more of heaven’s culture into my daily environment?
8. When temptation or need arises, do I default to guilt or to gratitude for the finished work?
9. In what practical ways can I acknowledge every good thing that is in me in Christ Jesus?
10. What would a consistently passionate walk with God look like in my current season of life?