Your Prayer Room is Your War Room

Your prayer room is where the warrior does battle against the unseen powers of the spiritual realm. Pray earnestly to your Father with a sincere heart. Answers may come in quite unusual ways, but He always hears and responds for your best.

July's Message, Day 1:

“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by others. Truly I tell you, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him. Matthew 6:5-8 NIV

If you've seen the movie, then you already know it. Your prayer room is in fact your "War Room." We wrestle, remember, not against flesh, but against the evil powers of the spiritual realm. Pray like a warrior, succinct and simple is powerful. Eloquence and many words are not required unless you feel led by the Spirit to do so. God in fact knows precisely all the circumstances and what needs to be done, but He dearly loves to hear your prayers as they are a sweet incense to Him. Just pray as best you can according to His Word, His will, and His ways, often impossible to fully know, but simply have a sincere heart and mind and tell your Father what you're feeling. He's always there and hears, even if answers are delayed or seem to never come, and look for answers that come in quite different ways than expected. Pray persistently like a warrior and battles will be won.

Pray, Praise, and Confess

Our prayers should be powerful, effective, and healing. We need to pray diligently, praise Him wholeheartedly, and confess and repent of our sins sincerely. Freedom from the bondage of sin is a remarkable and miraculous thing.

June's Message, Day 30:

Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. James 5:13-16 NIV

Three very powerful spiritual principles are mentioned here, and if done consistently and appropriately, bring about both spiritual and physical healing, in a most effective way. The three principles are: prayer, praise, and confession. Please note that final sentence, "The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective." Righteous is the key word, and the two most important ways to become righteous is to continually acknowledge and praise God with your whole spirit and in sincere truth; and to wholeheartedly confess and turn from your sins. To confess and repent, means to acknowledge and turn away from that which is contrary to God, and all sin is contrary to God. Confess to Him first, and if you have a trusted spiritual companion, confess it to them, too. Confessing and repenting frees ourselves from that burdensome sin and releases God's grace of forgiveness. Freedom from the power of sin is freedom indeed, and that freedom is powerful, and effective, and healing.

Pray Fearlessly

Be fearless, live fearlessly, and pray fearlessly. Let God's Spirit guide and direct your words to bring about His good and perfect will. It's not always about what you want or think is best, but it's always about Him. If Jesus deferred to the will of the Father, don't you think you should, too?

June's Message, Day 29:

And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people. Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should. Ephesians 6:18-20 NIV

To be most effective, we need to pray according to God's will and ways. The trouble, however, is that we oftentimes are not quite certain what God's will precisely is for any given situation. We as humans, are very short-sighted and see things only from our limited and imperfect human perspective, not God's perfect and all-knowing perspective. That's one reason why we have the Holy Spirit within us - to help us and guide us in our prayers and petitions. Sometimes we just need to let God's Spirit take the reins and guide the words of our prayers. It may seem a bit odd sometimes, but the Holy Spirit always knows how to pray and intercede, and the spoken word has great power, whether we understand it all or not. Be guided by the Spirit in your prayer and in all things, and like Paul, you can become fearless in prayer, fearless in your testimony, fearless in proclaiming the Gospel, and living a fearless life. When guided and living by His Spirit, there is no fear, just great strength and effectiveness. 

The Warrior Wrestles in Prayer

Epaphras, not a particularly well known Biblical character, but God knows him well. He was a prayer warrior, a prayer wrestler, an interceder who stood in the gap, and witnessed God's miracles unfold in the lives of others. We all need an Epaphras in our court, and better still, maybe you should be one like him.

June's Message, Day 28:

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured. Colossians 4:12 NIV

Don't you wish you had an Epaphras always wrestling and interceding in prayer for you? So that day in and day out you would be empowered to stand firm in God's will, to be spiritually mature, and fully assured of all God's provision and promises? We all need an Epaphras on our team, in our prayer circle, one who willingly stands in the gap for the well-being of others. Better still, maybe you are an Epaphras, or maybe you should be? Maybe God has put that calling on your life, to be the prayer warrior who never backs down, knows that God answers prayer, and one who has the faith to move mountains. There is nothing more gratifying than to see prayer answered in powerful ways. It doesn't take eloquence, it just takes a willing heart to pray and ask for God's hand to move on the behalf of others. Be a prayer warrior, be a prayer wrestler, be an Epaphras and witness the miracles of God firsthand. What a blessing that truly is.

Pray Like Jesus

Pray like Jesus did. Fervently, passionately, effectively, and frequently. If it was deemed essential to Jesus, how much more so for us? 

June's Message, Day 27:

During the days of Jesus’ life on earth, he offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to the one who could save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverent submission. Hebrews 5:7 NIV

Read that again. Jesus, the Son of God, perfect and without sin, setting His divinity aside and acting as man, offered up prayers and petitions with fervent cries and tears to God the Father, on a daily basis and most notably on the night in which He was betrayed in the Garden of Gethsemane. Jesus, the God-Man, set Himself aside and deferred in reverent submission to God the Father in all things to bring about our salvation and God's plan and perfect will. Jesus often, probably daily or even multiple times a day, went off alone to pray and did everything according to the Father's will. The point should be clear. If Jesus felt it was essential to commune with God the Father that frequently, that fervently, and that passionately, on a daily basis, how much more so do you think our prayer and communication with Him is essential? Jesus is our life example in all things, and He has given us these word pictures to guide and direct our lives. Pray often, pray fervently, pray passionately. Take time to talk and listen to God. 

Are You Working for Your Inheritance?

For Sunday:  It’s time to be bold, it’s time to answer the call, and it’s time to be in persistent prayer. He wants to bestow bountiful blessings upon you. You need an understanding mind, a willing spirit, and a humble and sincere heart.

June's Message, Day 26: For Sunday

Today just pray and contemplate the wonders and majesty of our God. Maybe you need to ask for strength to continue His ministry, or maybe you need to answer His call to serve Him, or maybe you just need to be more diligent in your prayer and focus on how you can do more for Him. Your double portion is within reach, you just have to ask, answer, and pray.

Day 20:

The Lord is gracious and compassionate, slow to anger and rich in love. Your kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and your dominion endures through all generations. The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does. The Lord upholds all who fall and lifts up all who are bowed down. The Lord is righteous in all his ways and faithful in all he does. The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfills the desires of those who fear him; he hears their cry and saves them. The Lord watches over all who love him, Psalm 145:8,13,14,17-20a NIV

Day 21:

Instead of your shame you will receive a double portion, and instead of disgrace you will rejoice in your inheritance. And so you will inherit a double portion in your land, and everlasting joy will be yours. “For I, the Lord, love justice; I hate robbery and wrongdoing. In my faithfulness I will reward my people and make an everlasting covenant with them. Isaiah 61:7-8 NIV

Day 22:

When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, “Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?” “Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit,” Elisha replied. “You have asked a difficult thing,” Elijah said, “yet if you see me when I am taken from you, it will be yours—otherwise, it will not.” As they were walking along and talking together, suddenly a chariot of fire and horses of fire appeared and separated the two of them, and Elijah went up to heaven in a whirlwind. 2 Kings 2:9-11 NIV

Day 23:

At Gibeon the Lord appeared to Solomon during the night in a dream, and God said, “Ask for whatever you want me to give you.” So give your servant a discerning heart to govern your people and to distinguish between right and wrong. For who is able to govern this great people of yours?” The Lord was pleased that Solomon had asked for this. So God said to him, “Since you have asked for this and not for long life or wealth for yourself, nor have asked for the death of your enemies but for discernment in administering justice, I will do what you have asked. I will give you a wise and discerning heart, so that there will never have been anyone like you, nor will there ever be. Moreover, I will give you what you have not asked for—both wealth and honor—so that in your lifetime you will have no equal among kings. And if you walk in obedience to me and keep my decrees and commands as David your father did, I will give you a long life.” 1 Kings 3:5,9-14 NIV

Day 24:

But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.” So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel, saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

1 Samuel 1:5,10,11,20 NIV

Day 25:

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26 NIV

He wants to doubly bless you, and He wants to use you mightily in His service. What is the Divine Whisper saying to your heart? Are you answering His call to ministry and service?

Every Name in All Creation

Look to the stars, myriad in number, He knows each by name. He knows you even better, and had His mind on you before He even made it all. What an awesome God we serve.

June's Message, Day 25:

Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens: Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name. Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing. Isaiah 40:26 NIV

He created every star, calls each of them by name, and knows precisely their location in the heavens. How much more does He love us and knows each of us by name, and numbers the very hairs on our head. We serve an awesome God, all-knowing and all-powerful, yet to each of us, His children, He is also patient, loving, merciful, and gracious beyond compare. When you lift up your eyes and view the majesty of the heavens and all the infinite complexity and beauty of all creation, remember that He had you in mind even before He made it all.