Prayers that Pack a Punch - From His Heart - Week of March 20
PRAYERS THAT PACK A PUNCH
Behold, I have given you authority to tread upon serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing will injure you. —Luke 10:19
Ole Joe bowed his head to pray, “Dear God, bless my wife and my kids and my family and me. Help the preacher and the missionaries … and Aunt Sue who has bunions. And if I have sinned in anyway, please forgive me. Amen.”
Sadly, that accurately portrays the prayer lives of so many. Multitudes of people pray generalized, canned, passionless, ho-hum, cover the bases, go through the motions types of prayers. Do you think that kind of praying stirs and moves the heart of God? Do you think Ole Joe is praying the way the Lord wants him to pray? Do you think he is coming to God in faith, power, and authority? Obviously not! (Ole Joe is a fictitious person, mind you … so no nasty letters from guys named Joe.)
PRAYER IS WARFARE
Without a doubt, the Bible teaches that prayer is not to be meek, mild, canned, or watered down. Prayer is warfare against our adversary, the devil. In Ephesians 6, Paul speaks about doing battle with the devil and his demonic hoard. He tells us to put on the full armor of God … and then he tells us to “pray at all times in the Spirit” (Ephesians 6:18). Prayer is a vital part in the spiritual battle “against the world forces of darkness” (Ephesians 6:12).
The longer I live and serve the Lord, the more I am convinced of my need to pray with the authority Jesus gave me as His follower. You see, the devil will take all the ground you are willing to give him. If he can get you to think that you are spiritually feeble, without power and authority from God, he will keep you defeated and minimize your effectiveness for the Kingdom.
If, however, you and I begin to take God at His Word, believing that we have authority from above to tread on serpents and scorpions (metaphorical for the spiritual forces of wickedness), we will see God do miracles in our midst! Jesus said, “It shall be done to you according to your faith” (Matthew 9:29).
AN OLD TESTAMENT PICTURE
Nehemiah was commissioned by God to rebuild the wall around Jerusalem. As with any attempt at doing the will of God, there was tremendous opposition and intimidation from the enemy. The devil’s pawns, Sanballat and Tobiah, led a contingent to try to stop the God-ordained work Nehemiah was doing. They threatened to kill Nehemiah and the builders of the wall. God’s people took those threats to heart and became very frightened. While they believed building the wall was what God wanted, they had a hard time believing they were supposed to die in the process. When Nehemiah saw their fear, he rallied the troops and said, “Do not be afraid of them; remember the Lord who is great and awesome, and fight for your brothers, your sons, your daughters, your wives, and your houses” (Nehemiah 4:14). What a great encouragement!
God’s Word to us with regard to prayer is the same. Remember who God is … remember what He has given you … and stand up and fight! The enemy of our souls wants to steal, kill, and destroy. Although the devil seems big and bad, he is no match for those who are empowered by the Holy Spirit and doing the will of God. “Resist him, firm in your faith” (1 Peter 5:9). Pray with power and authority for your children and grandchildren, your marriage and family. Pray with power and authority for your church, your community, your nation, and the world. Pray for darkness to be lifted from spiritually blinded eyes, for strongholds of sin to be shattered, for rebellion to be broken, for marriages and families to be restored.
God will do amazing things as His people begin to boldly pray in faith, believing that God will answer with a mighty miracle. Remember, “Greater is He who is in you [Jesus] than he who is in the world [the devil]” (1 John 4:4).
Start today to take back spiritual ground you may have carelessly and unwittingly yielded to the devil. He is a defeated foe! And remember the words of the great Jewish sage and boxing trainer Mickey Goldstein: “You are a tank! Run over him! Go through him!” God has given us the victory, so seize it in Jesus’ name!
Pastor Jeff Schreve,
From His Heart Ministries
P.S. Would you let us at From His Heart pray for you and with you? Just go to www.fromhisheart.org/prayer and leave your request. I believe we'll see God work a miracle in your life!
Jeff Schreve founded From His Heart Ministries, www.fromhisheart.org, in 2005 with the vision to reach as many people as possible with the good news of God's love. Jeff believes that no matter how badly you may have messed up in life, God still loves you and has a great plan just for you. He broadcast on radio, TV and in the internet around the world from his pulpit ministry as Pastor of First Baptist in Texarkana, Texas. This ministry is completely listener/viewer supported. It continues only through the faithful and generous gifts of people like you. Pastor Jeff takes no income from this ministry. All gifts go to further the broadcast.
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