The Prayer that Prevails
God doesn't send a prophecy to us, then reinforce it with another prophetic word, if He didn't mean for us to fulfill it. The Lord often emphasizes the prophetic word through another source, so there's no mistaking what He wants us to do.
When God does this, it's almost as if He's saying, "Yep, that's it child." While He does that occasionally, it doesn't lessen the enormity of the task He has in mind. This is especially true if you've tried to fulfill the word through the flesh, and failed. Then the next prophetic word comes, and there it is again; God invites you to do something you know you can't do.
You begin to wonder if God has days when He says to the angels, "What was I thinking?" Of course, God isn't like that. But we wonder, why He still pursues us with the charge. Didn't the Lord see what happened? Doesn't He know how we feel? How many hoops must we stumble through before He's satisfied?
If you've felt that way, you're not alone. This lesson will focus on the prayer that prevails. We'll examine how to take two practical steps to fulfill our prophetic destiny. They are:
- Acting on our word.
- Warring for our word (or prevailing through difficulty).
Acting On Our Word
First, we must take realistic steps to fulfill the prophetic word. And we need to involve ourselves in that process on a continual basis.
I want to make it very clear here what I'm saying, and what I'm not saying. I am not encouraging you to follow Abraham's example, where he took steps to help God's promise when God didn't specifically tell him to do so. Abraham's steps were pushed by impatience, when he sired Ishmael through Hagar. Abraham's ideas were immensely practical, but they led him outside of the prophetic word. Perhaps the Patriarch felt that "God helps those who help themselves." Many Christians believe that's a verse found in the Bible; but it isn't.
No, instead I am pushing you to place yourself in a position where only God's supernatural intervention can bail you out. For example, what Abraham did with Hagar took no faith. He slept with her, and she had a baby. There was no supernatural element to that equation. Any fleshly person could figure that out. If there is no need for supernatural intervention to make a prophetic word work, there's no place for God to get the glory.
Next, we must be careful not to infer that Abraham directly disobeyed the prophetic word when Sarah used Hagar to get a child of her own. I initially thought that might be the case. But, look at the passages where God speaks to Abraham before his escapade with Hagar. Nowhere does God promise that Sarah would bear the child. If anything, Abraham was guilty of how many Christians approach prophetic words.
For instance, Sarah read into the prophecy things that weren't there. Have you ever listened to a word from the Lord, seeking justification for something you already planned to do? We shouldn't put words in God's mouth. We must not undertake any long-term obligation that blames God for what blinds us. That takes courage and self-discipline. Such decisions are best made earlier than later. In Abraham's case, he could have said no when Sarah first suggested the idea. But, once Abraham agreed to Sarah's plan, it was harder to back out. As Abraham's night with Hagar began, the forces of the flesh made it difficult to, "Just Say No."
So, when we press into God to fulfill a promise, we must be careful that we do not manipulate the circumstances to do God's work for Him. We might be able to engineer the results that are promised in the prophetic word. But, where is God glorified in that? When will we give God a chance to prove who He is to us personally, if we don't give Him the chance to act supernaturally on our behalf? That's why our head knowledge about God seldom becomes a heart knowledge of God.
Warring For Our Word
Second, we must be wary of thinking that, when God promises to do something, that we won't encounter any problems. We often feel things will fall into place, and our destiny is fulfilled. We expect it to be like the song from the musical Annie, called, "Easy Street." If you're in the perfect will of God, things come easy.
Just the opposite is true. As we pursue God's promise, failures and miscarriages happen along the way.
Pursuing God's destiny doesn't occur in a vacuum. When you try to claim ground in the invisible world, it's usually occupied. Taking that ground doesn't come easy. And sometimes, you don't seize the ground on the first attempt. Like the Marines that invaded Iwo Jima, every inch of territory you claim only comes after prolonged struggle. Often, you end up fighting several battles over the same portion of your inheritance, before it finally belongs to you.
God promised the Children of Israel the whole of Canaan. But, they didn't possess the land until they overcame those who first lived on the land. Some of Israel's enemies never vacated the land, because the Israelites gave up on trying to drive them out.
Next, casualties of war happen. Faith and fear divides people. When Jesus followed His destiny, it drove a wedge between he and his family (John 7:3-5). We chide the disciples for their absence at the crucifixion. But, where were his brothers? As we put on the whole armor of God, we avert many causalities, but not all (Eph. 6: 10-19).
Then, the neglect of others can affect us. Reaching our destiny is a joint effort. For example, if an intercessor doesn't pray for us, we can get hit. Or, if God has laid a burden on another person's heart for you, and that person ignores the burden, there are delays. Some delays cause more havoc than others do.
A key point mustn't be forgotten here. We need to share our specific prayer requests with others. Sometimes, the rugged individualism of American society puts a high value on those who can handle their challenges by themselves.
But, if you take steps to fulfill God's destiny, the attempts to accomplish that feat through the flesh will fail. Our pride slows our ability to learn that lesson. Part of the message is to humble ourselves before others and ask them for their help through prayer.
I don't want to spend more space on the issues. I do want to properly lay the blame for setbacks. If we incorrectly blame God, it can paralyze our efforts to realize our destiny.
Conclusion
Now, let's return to our original point. We must behave our beliefs. We must pursue God's promises, without falling back on the flesh. We must be engaged with God, pursuing His promises in such a way, that only His intervention can deliver our destiny.
I know of two instances where famous figures, Heidi Bakker of IRIS Ministries and John Wimber, late of the Vineyard churches, had to behave their beliefs before God fulfilled His promise to them (Rodney Hogue, Community of Grace, Message, "The Believer's Authority," 8/19/2007).
God promised Heidi Bakker that she would see blind eyes opened when she prayed for them. And the Lord promised John Wimber that he would see people healed when he prayed for them. But, in both instances, the promised result didn't happened overnight. John Wimber had to pray for people for months before God started to actually heal them. In fact, John had developed a good canned speech that he used to explain to people why they weren't healed. John was delivering the speech the same night God healed someone through him for the first time.
The same pattern occurred with Heidi Bakker. She prayed for hundreds of blind people, and they stayed blind. The one day, she the prayed for a blind woman named Heidi. God healed that person sight. From that day forward, Heidi had much better success when she prayed for the blind to see. But she had to stick it out. Time after time, she faced seeming failure. But she kept praying until God delivered on His promise to her.
Our challenge--and I'm including myself in the group--is to keep on pushing, to keep on placing ourselves at God's disposal until He comes through. For some, it's simple but not so simple. Praying for someone is easy. But, John Wimber lost church members as he pursued God's promise to him. How many people would you and I prayed for, before we gave up, and decided the prophetic word was amiss, or we didn't hear from God?
We can't let our self-estimations become God's limitations. My thoughts towards myself are tainted. His thoughts toward me are true. God knows more about me than I do. He sees more in me than I see. I cannot deny the destiny God is prodding me towards. Why would God put the DNA in us to follow a destiny, without giving us the means to fulfill it? That is the challenge. I have to come to the place, where I believe my experience will catch up with God's words over me.
How to Increase the Effectiveness of Your Prayer Life
Self-help books are the bread and butter of publishers. You can improve your golf game, your financial picture, your marriage, your job performance, your dancing, your pet's obedience, and a myriad of other things. All you have to do is follow an author's ten easy steps, and you too, can experience their success. These books give you a "before and after" picture so you can evaluate the degree to which you have improved yourself.
Is there such a thing as a, "before and after," picture of a person's prayer life? Have you attempted to apply the tenets of speed dating to prayer, only to find that 3-minute sound bites aren't enough time to get to know the Lord? Have you attempted to substitute quality time for quantity time with God and later, felt yourself estranged from Him?
In this lesson, I'd like to address two ways to enhance the effectiveness of your intercession:
- By operating in the prophetic.
- By avoiding condemnation.
Prophetic Intercession
One way to increase your intercession's effectiveness is to seek the gift of prophecy. Why you may ask? Let me refer you to a specific promise of God concerning those who are prophetic: "Surely the Lord God does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets" (Amos 3:7).
I know that there is an office of the prophet (Ephesians 4:11), and that God hasn't called everyone to fill that job. God anoints such prophets to speak to geographic and institutional macrocosms with authority. Their spheres of influence can include international, national, regional, states and cities.
But I do believe that as we ask God to teach us how to operate in the prophetic, and we seek opportunities to practice the gift, that we condition and position ourselves to receive more of His revelation. As you function in the prophetic, God give you insights in the microcosms He holds you accountable for: your church, office, family and friends. And that's where the promise of Amos 3:7 begins to benefit your intercessory work. As God grants us insight about something He wants to do on earth, that revelation becomes the basis for effective prayer. In effect, you are bringing into agreement your prayers on earth with Jesus' intercession in heaven. When heavenly and earthly intercession agrees, God gets done what he wants to on earth:
"Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth shall have been bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth shall have been loosed in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you agree on earth about anything that they may ask, it shall be done for them by My Father who is in heaven" (Matthews 18:18-19).
Is it possible for most Christians to prophesy? Paul, who wrote the handbook on spiritual gifts, seems to say yes: "Now I wish that you all spoke in tongues, but even more that you would prophesy; and greater is one who prophesies than one who speaks in tongues, unless he interprets, so that the church may receive edifying" (1 Corinthians 14:5).
Paul indicated that, as it is possible that all could speak in tongues, many people could function in the prophetic. Of course, that doesn't mean that everyone is going to operate at the same level. And it's not necessary to, "pray in tongues," in order for your intercession to be effective. But I've personally seen people who didn't consider them- selves, "prophetic," nevertheless operate in an overflow of that gift, in the presence of a person with a heavy prophetic anointing. If you've ever personally attended one of Teresa Seputis' prophecy seminars, you've seen this. And if you practice prophesying at every opportunity, or when a gifted prophetic person is around, some of the overflow lodges in your own gifting reservoir.
In practice, many intercessors often operate in the prophetic. They just call it something else. Being, "led by the spirit," or, "as the Spirit leads," are examples of God's prophetic insights seeping into your prayers.
As you operate in the prophetic on a regular basis, you prime yourself for God's revelation to percolate into your intercession in greater measure. You are homing in on God's guidance. You won't feel like you're praying so blindly. And as you align your will on earth with God's will in heaven, your prayers availeth much.
Avoiding Condemnation
A second way to make your intercession more effective is to avoid majoring on the minors. We must avoid two extremes, or our prayers will be rendered impotent.
- We must not allow ourselves to be defined by a negative self- image. Instead we need to allow God to define us.
- Avoid needless self-examinations. Don't condemn yourself when God is not condemning you.
Let's look at both of these in more detail.
1. LIVE IN GOD'S REALITY.
First, we should prayers according to how God sees us versus how we see ourselves. God's opinion of us is truth, while our self-opinions can be warped. Such distortions can compromise our desire to pray.
I'd like to use an illustration from the gem world to explain my point. All natural diamonds contain flaws to some degree. Often, those inclusions consist of a tiny speck of carbon. They appear as black flecks in the otherwise sparkling gem's presentation. Other blemishes look like grains of sand. If a gem-cutter tried to rid the stone of its flaws, it might shatter the diamond.
In the same way, we are like a diamond. We are so close to our imperfections, so aware of our flaws and sins, that we get overwhelmed. Our imperfections rub us the wrong way, like sand in a shoe. We literally ruminate over the darkness we see in ourselves. And we lose sleep over our faults and weaknesses.
After all, as conscientious believers, we want to please God, not displease Him.
Self-condemnation doesn't exist in a spiritual vacuum. Religious spirits, which infect much of Christianity, are quick to point out our deficiencies. They use words to bar our way to God. Soon, our feet follow our feelings. Instead of boldly approaching the throne, we back away from it. Our fear of God feels greater than His love for us. We hide and shrink from the Lord when such a spiritual nearsightedness afflicts us. That's one reason why Adam and Eve hid from God after they ate the apple (Genesis 3:8).
When we are unsure about God's feelings towards us, we fear rejection. We don't hang around people and places where we don't feel wanted. There's nothing like feeling like a, "third wheel," in God's throne room.
If we are double-minded about God's opinion of us, our prayers may go unanswered (James 1:6-8). The requests go unanswered because they go unuttered. We are afraid to ask God to do something for us, just as the Cowardly Lion was afraid to ask the Wizard of Oz to do him a favor. Or, our petitions go unanswered because our hearts aren't in them. We pray out of a sense of duty rather than a sense of privilege, for fear of provoking God further.
That behavior in prayer is not condoned as proper, but condemned as unscriptural: "For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need" (Hebrews 4:15-16).
In fact, Jesus' own struggles to resist sin while He was in the flesh-- real temptations that He could have succumb to, but did not. This should advance, not obstruct our path to God's throne.
How can we avoid self-condemnation? For starters, we need a revelation from the Lord to see who we are in His sight. Our spiritual man requires that insight for inner healing to occur. If you grew up in a religious household, this step may take time.
I heard something once that shook me up, and seemed too good to be true. The comment went something like this: The Father takes as much pleasure in you and I, as He took in Jesus when He walked the earth.
In the same vein, you need to study bible passages that focus on who you are in Jesus Christ. Such a scripture is Romans 8:23-39. You should take apart what the passage says, until its truths percolate down to your emotional level. Ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate the truths, to shed new light on them, so they can shed new light on you. During this period, limit your exposure to Old Testament passages that reinforce the cycle of self-condemnation.
2. AVOID NEEDLESS SELF-EXAMINATIONS AND SELF-CONDEMNATION.
Next, avoid needless self-examinations. Don't pass judgments on yourself; let the Lord be the judge. Paul said: "I do not even examine myself. For I am conscious of nothing against myself, yet I am not by this acquitted; but the one who examines me is the Lord. Therefore do not go on passing judgment before the time, but wait until the Lord comes who will both bring to light the things hidden in the darkness and disclose the motives of men's hearts; and then each man's praise will come to him from God" (1 Corinthians 4:3b-5).
In the same frame, avoid people who judge you based upon their religious traditions. The length of a man's hair, the version of a Bible used, and the clothing one wears mean much more to some believers than they do to God. Religious strongholds and self- condemnation go hand-in-hand. Why should we crucify ourselves over something that the Lord is silent about?
I want to make it clear that I am not condoning sin. However, I do believe the Holy Spirit is perfectly able to examine us without our help, or the help of others.
As we grow confident in our relationship with God, and our time before His throne grows, we may still relapse into old ways of thinking about ourselves. If that occurs, we need to restudy the passages that speak of who we are. Memorize scriptures that encapsulate God's feelings towards you. Romans 8:32 is such a passage, although it's best to memorize the passages that the Holy Spirit quickens to your spirit. Also, if you want to disconnect the condemnation cycle from any religious spirits that energizes the critical words' sting, rebuke the critical thoughts in Jesus name.
In time, the effectiveness of our prayers will increase because the wall of condemnation, which bricked over the entrance to God's throne room, topples.
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