
We have heard prayer like a zillion times. As a topic, it’s not overrated or underrated in a way. Prayer is just what it is.
PRAYER; Our weapon that causes heaven to meet earth. Such a powerful force right? It’s ours
Prayer is a plug.
A plug is like that ‘go-to-person’ who has links and connections to people and places that can get us sorted out when we need anything.
That’s how prayer is. You tell someone that ‘Yo! I really need a better paying job, they go like ‘Let’s pray into it’
‘I need this’ they’ll say let’s pray
‘I need that’ – ‘Let’s pray’
Yo! I need a wife’ – Let’s pray.
Prayer is a plug- solution to everything.
(We even Google prayer) ahaa you see.
Prayer is a shift
(Acts 16:16-40)
You remember the famous Paul and Silas story?
Sincerely, this is a living example of when Heaven meets the earth.
Paul and Silas were in prison.
At midnight, they began praying and singing hymns whilst in prison.
Yes, the angel indeed appeared but it was the prayer of Paul and Silas that fetched the angel!
Their prayer caused a shift on earth.
Such a force!
Prayer is a root, the fountain, the mother of a thousand blessings
-Saint John Chrysotom
By far my favorite quote on prayer. It helps me think of a million things that a prayer can do.
I marvel anytime i see a fountain, be it at the mall, a hotel etc. I stopped seeing a fountain as something ordinary without having an active imagination of what it really communicates to me. Water flows nonstop, it even overflows but stops once the plug is taken out of the switch – That’s how i see prayer.
Here are some few tips on prayer that i put together that will definitely be a blessing to you as much as it blessed me.
1. PRAY FROM A PLACE OF VICTORY.
praying from a place of Victory is the most important posture during prayer. You can kneel, lie down, pray your heart out, cry, shout your voice away, clap till your hands get swollen and still pray and miss it.
Praying from a place of total confidence.
Knowing your authority
Knowing the power your words carry.
Knowing that you are praying to a God who has never lied nor failed. Not even once, not ever!
Wow!!
Praying from a place of Victory knowing that God’s ears are just eager to hear you and act accordingly.
Not praying with a ‘Maybe God will’ attitude but rather with a ‘God has already done it’ attitude.
That is a place of Victory
That’s our authority.
2. GOD IS NOT A GENIE!
It’s sad enough that a 5 minute prayer has like a 100 wishlist on it. Things you need from God, things you can get from God.
Try just talking to God, no wishlist, no petition. He is your Heavenly Father who is excited when He hears from you. Just talk to him about everything, about anything. How you are feeling today, about what you are thinking about, about anything at all. Just talk without the asking for this and that.
It’s exciting to do.
3. PRAY IN THE SPIRIT.
I know you’ve heard and read about this so many times but what i mean in this text is praying Holy Spirit inspired prayers.
Allowing the Holy Spirit to lead your spirit, mind and soul into the realm of prayers
This has little or nothing to do with the Latin Jargons people throw about just to appear spiritual on the outside. You can pray in the Spirit with or without speaking in tougues as long as it is Holy Spirit inspired.
Praying in the spirit means letting your inner man partake in the prayer feast as well. Don’t just pray with your lips. Pray with your inner spirit, pray with your heart, pray with everything you’ve got in you.
4. PRAY THE SCRIPTURES
Pray the promises of God over your life, over your situation.
Kenneth Copeland’s testimony and prayer for healing not only challenged my faith but it taught me how to pray scriptures over my health when i wasn’t feeling too well.
After being stressed out from a very tight preaching schedule, Kenneth Copeland had lost his voice and could barely whisper. He had a Church to preach to in the next few hours. He didn’t call to cancel, he decided to go ahead with it.
Whilst in his hotel room, he prayed and said
‘God i thank you for healing me, Bible said that by your stripes we are healed from our sicknesses and diseases.
My body may not feel like its healed but it has no choice than to succumb to the word of God.
My voice may not sound it’s healed but it has no choice than to obey the word of God because i’m already healed by your stripes.
Thank You Jesus.
Kenneth Copeland mounted the podium when it was time for him to preach, his voice was still not back but he took the microphone anyway.
He whispered a prayer of Thanksgiving once more and started preaching. Minutes into his sermon, his voice was restored!
Pray scriptures into your life.
Pray the promises of God.
For everything in life, there is scripture and there are promises for us in there.
That’s how intentional and well thought God has made the world and made us.
5. PRAY TO GET RESULTS.
Being a prayer warrior is not about being a person who can pray from 10pm to 4am.
It’s being a person who can pray for 15minutes and get results.
It’s about being able to pray for 5minutes and heaven will meet the earth.
It’s about praying and causing a shift. That’s what being a prayer warrior is all about.
To get results from your prayers, you need to be specific in your petition.
If you need a new job, be specific in your prayers. Tell God you need a job at Harvard University as an administrator that pays $5000 a month with bonuses and includes health insurances, paid leaves.
Be so specific with your prayers.
6. PRAY AS OFTEN AS YOU CAN.
That’s the pray without ceasing attitude bruh!
You don’t need a timetable to pray.
Like pray 3 times a day
Pray at 3am
Pray at 12am
Pray as often as you can
If you can pray 10 times in every hour, do it.
If you can pray every 5minutes for it.
Don’t go for 20minutes without talking to God.
That’s fellowship and relationship.
7. PRAY AS LONG AS YOU CAN
For anyone called to Ministry, its highly recommended that you are able to spend very long times in prayer.
Reading about William Seymour inspired me to actually desire to spend long times in prayer, the results can impact generations.
William Seymour spent 5hours in prayer daily.
The result of that daily 5 hour prayer sessions was the famous Azusa Revival that we are still benefiting from
Jon Bevere spends 2 hour a day in prayer and his revelation about the word of God has blessed many lives including mine.
Push in, travail for long periods. Keep pushing in prayer
Just keep pushing. You’ll make generational impact with your Ministry.
8. ENJOY CORPORATE PRAYER AS YOU CAN
Get the most out of Corporate prayer.
There’s so much untapped power in unified prayer.
Don’t be shy to call 5-9 people and meet them with them and ask them to pray with you over a situation.
During prayer meetings, make your prayer requests known and ask that they pray with you and journey with you on a fast.
Having a faith family to fellowship, pray and travail with is very much important.
9. HAVE A ROBUST PRAYER LIFE.
Let me guess. Errmmm it’s one of your 2020 goals right? Lol
It’s very rewarding and very achievable
It won’t be easy like that. There would be days you just don’t want to pray but mind you those are the days you should actually pray so hard. Call a friend for help when such days come.
Having a robust prayer life is an intentional decision.
Everyday, you have to decide to pray.
Write prayers if you can. Just decide to pray.
Having a robust prayer life is a must. Imagine the joy of having to cause a shift on earth with your words each time you open your mouth to pray. Such joy! Such divinely given authority!
It’s a discipline. Getting started is actually the hardest part, but once you start, you’ll keep going.
I hope this blesses you. Selah.
Greetings,
Sheila Naana Oppong.