The Powerful Prayer

The powerful prayer

            The sword of the Spirit is the believer’s most powerful offensive weapon that Paul included in the armor but prayer contains just as much power as the sword of the Spirit.  Paul never included prayer as part of the believer’s armor but he placed it immediately following the armor.  Ephesians 6:18a states, “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit….”  Prayer!  Prayer is the master key to victorious living.  The believer’s powerful prayers should come in several forms.

            First, the believer’s prayer needs to be full of faith.  Hebrews 11:6 states, “But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.”  The author of Hebrews stated that it is impossible to please God without faith.  But, what is faith?  The author of Hebrews defined that as well.  Hebrews 11:1 reads, “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”  Faith consists of believing that something is going to happen long before there exists any evidence that it shall happen.  Without faith, the believer’s prayer remains shallow because the believer fails to believe that it WILL happen.  God refuses to work through people where there exists no faith.[1] Not only must the believer pray with faith but they must pray for souls.

            The believer’s prayer should be evangelistic.  Christ, in his example of prayer, instructed the disciples to pray in the following manner.  Christ said in Matthew 6:12, “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”  Mankind owed a debt that was so great that it seemed no hope existed.  Man transgressed against God and owed Him for their crime of rebellion.  God declared man guilty of treason and corrupting a pure earth.  The crimes of humanity against God separated God from His creation.  Thus, God, in His infinite wisdom, clothed His only Son in flesh and sent Him to earth as Heaven’s Check to pay off the debt of mankind to those who would receive Him as Lord and Savior.  The Son of God knew His mission from the Father and instructed His followers to forgive them that owe them anything.  Why would the Son of God instruct His followers to pray in this manner?  Simple.  Because God sent His only Son to forgive man’s debt, so His followers should do the same.  But that was only the example for the believer’s pray.  Christ issued direct orders to His followers.

            Jesus instructed His followers to pray for people.  Believers are instructed to pray for those who take advantage of them.  Christ said in Matthew 5:44, “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you.”  God also commands the believer to pray for their enemies.  Whoever uses or persecutes the believers, the believer is commanded to pray for those people.  The believer must pray with faith and for their enemies but the believer’s prayer must be one of vision.

            The believer’s prayer must be visionary. Proverbs 29:18a states, “Where there is no vision, the people perish.”  God expects His followers to do more than simply pray and pray in faith, He expects His followers to be visionaries.  People who are so full of God that they cannot help but become visionaries.  When a believer finally puts on Christ, then they will start to become visionary.  Why?  Revelation 19:10b states, “…for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy.”  The believer needs to be a visionary.  Perhaps, the believer says within himself or herself, how can I become a visionary?  Get as much of Christ and pray the following verses.  Pray Ephesians 1:17-19 which state, “That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him:  The eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints,  And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power.”

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[1] Matthew 17:13-21 “Then the disciples understood that he spake unto them of John the Baptist.  And when they were come to the multitude, there came to him a certain man, kneeling down to him, and saying,  Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the water.  And I brought him to thy disciples, and they could not cure him.  Then Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? how long shall I suffer you? bring him hither to me.  And Jesus rebuked the devil; and he departed out of him: and the child was cured from that very hour.  Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said, Why could not we cast him out?  And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.  Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.”