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Apr 30, 2017

Strategic Prayer Warriors

Strategic Prayer Warriors

Category: Prayer

Keywords: holy spirit, prayer, scripture

Summary:

This message continues the prayer theme we've been in for a few weeks. It looks at how to use scripture to pray for people.

Detail:

Good Morning.

First I would like to pray for our time together. For the Holy Spirit to fill this room, for my words to be God honoring, for wisdom and clarity, and especially for each person here to hear something that touches their heart. Lord Jesus, please be present in every cell of my body. Take away my fears and anxiety.

I consider it an honor and a privilege to have the opportunity to share my heart with you today! I have a strong passion for prayer and for being a prayer warrior for God's program. God's power is accessed through prayer and praise. When we are filled with a passion for  something God is doing, we can't help but want to shout it from the mountaintops!!!

A little about myself, which is why I believe being a prayer  warrior is so very important:

I have been a wife for 41 years (that will bring you to your knees!)

I have six children, three biological daughters ages 40, 39 and 37 and three internationally adopted sons ages 21, 20 and 19.

I have a 20 year old son that I have not heard from since December. He has been living in North Carolina since last Spring, because it is the furthest he could get from the Spokane area.

I have two son in loves who have chosen to pursue atheism, after having been believers for many years.

I have personal experience dealing with the hurts and dishonesty of addiction.

I currently have twelve grandchildren ranging in age from 10 years old to one month, including a grandson who resides  in heaven, having lived for only 18 days.

I know each and every one of you could make a similar list, and I wish I could sit down with each of you and hear your stories. I am so excited for when we are in Heaven and we can hear all the stories of how God has worked in our lives and the lives of the so many others. Imagine sitting next to Moses and hearing his personal account of what went on at the Red Sea, or talking directly with the disciples. We all have so many things in our lives that bring us to our knees.

Recently there have been some women's marches that have made the news...I would like to suggest that we could  use another format to change the world! We can stand together using the power of God's word and the fruit of the Spirit to become strategic prayer warriors for God's Kingdom!

II Corinthians 10:3-5 says: For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretention that sets itself up against the knowledge of God and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.

I remember a Women's Bible Study I was invited to in my neighborhood back in the 70's. I know that is  before some of you were born... Anyway, this Bible Study met specifically to pray for unsaved husbands. My husband and I had been very active in churches for our whole lives, and I felt that this was one study I didn't need to find time for. Boy was I wrong. When those women began praying, I realized how heart felt and sincere their prayers were. I had never prayed for my own husband with the strength and passion that I was witnessing. I thought, what would happen if I found even a portion of their passion and prayed for my own man.  What a wake-up call.

A short time later we were living in Wenatchee on a short-term job transfer. We attended a local church, and one Sunday an elderly gentleman went up to the pulpit and cleared his throat, took a sip of water, looked out over the congregation, and began quietly quoting scripture. Not just a verse or two, but whole chapters, chapter after chapter. It took my breath away to hear him worship God and communicate with him in such a sweet and sincere manner. It is hard to describe how very beautiful it was. I asked how he did it. He was a shepherd. He spent many hours out in the fields caring for his sheep, and during that time he worshipped, prayed and  memorized scripture. Another wake-up call.

I had a neighbor in the 80's whom we shared a driveway with. She became a widow suddenly, and had two daughters close in age to my children. We often joked that we should just put on an addition to connect the two houses together because we spent so much time together. One  day she shared that she had tried to read her Bible, but it just didn't make any sense. I told her that it would be like reading someone else's mail. If you don't know anything about God, or why Jesus walked on the earth for a time, if you didn't have a relationship with the author,  it would be very difficult to understand a book that is over 2000 years old. I explained that when you ask to become a member of God's family, you receive a gift of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps you to understand God's letters to you, his child. The Holy Spirit makes God's word come alive to us. I experienced great joy when she accepted Christ's offer and joined the family of believers.

I love to take Bible Promises and personalize them by putting my loved ones' names into the verse. I use 3x5 cards to keep track of my favorite verses. For example:

Luke 12:34 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Luke 12:34 For where Colleen's treasure is, there Colleen's heart will be also.

I would like you to turn to your neighbor and put their name into this verse. Then, please trade places and hear your name in the verse.

Luke 12:34 For where Audry's treasure is, there Audry's heart will be also.

As I continue to speak with you today, I will be quoting quite a few Bible verses. I would like you to write down any references to the verses that speak to your heart.  This is what I  do throughout the week.  If I hear a verse during a sermon, off the radio, while reading or  in  Bible Study or daily quiet time, I write down the references. Then when  I get a chance I look them up and write them word for word on a 3x5 card to carry with me.

After I am finished speaking we will hopefully have some time to share with each other. I would like you to have a chance to share some of your favorite verses with each other  so you can add them to your prayer strategy. Spending time sharing God's promises and praying for each other is one of the most beautiful ways we can invest in  each other's hearts. No soldier left behind...no prayer warrior feeling unloved or on a battle alone. United we are stronger! The enemy is real, we need each other!

Just as there are many books written on prayer, there are also many ways to pray. There is nothing magical about using 3x5 cards. I use them to help me remember scripture, and to place my loved ones names right into the verses. I used to be  able to memorize verses, and quote them all throughout the day. Perhaps one of  the hardest parts of being in my 60's is that I just can't or don't seem to be able to multi-task as well as I used to, nor can I recall exact scripture as easily. So I carry these 3x5 cards in my purse. You  need to use what is right for you! Whether it is putting verses on your kitchen windowsills, using specific verses on bookmarks, wall hangings hung in the nursery, laundry room or bathroom; any or all of these methods gets God's powerful word into the eyesight of all who enter.

Deuteronomy 6:4-9 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your childen. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

II Chronicles chapter 7 verse 14 it says: If my people, who are called by my name humble themselves, pray and seek my face and turn from their evil ways, then I will hear from heaven, forgive their sin, and HEAL THEIR LAND.

There is no better way for me to says these words, it has already been promised to us.

If Audry, who is called by my name, will humble herself, pray and seek my face and turn from her evil ways, then  I will hear from heaven, forgive Audry's sin and heal  Audry's land.

It is very humbling to hear your  own name in a verse like that.

Phillipians 4:19 And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

And my God will meet all of ________ needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 51:10 Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.

Create in _________ a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within ___________.

Jeremiah 29:12-13 Call upon  Me and come and pray to Me, and I will listen to you. You will seek Me and find Me when you search for me with all your heart.

Call upon  me _________ and come pray to Me, and I will listen to __________. __________will seek Me and find me when _______ search for me with all ________ heart.

For where Audry's treasure is, there Audry's heart will be also.

The battle belongs to the Lord and He has the final victory. To quote my husband, I read the end of the book, and God wins!

In Matthew 18 verse 19 - 20 it says: Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in Heaven. For where two or three gather in my name, there am I  with them.

John 15: 7 states: If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you.

The secret is in remaining in Him, in his will.  It is not a Christmas List type program, but rather using the power of God's word, the promises he has made to us, and praying them back in specific situations.

We can claim these promises boldly! We can pray together and claim the power of God's word and these promises! We can keep prayer journals, which are simply lists of prayers asked, and how God answers. Someone asked, why  do we write it down? The answer is simple, to remember. To remember what God has done for us!

If you think about it, you probably can  remember a few of your birthday presents, the really special ones. One year I asked my husband for an electric can opener. He actually bought a hand crank can opener, slit the package open and stuffed it with two AAA batteries and wrapped it in Christmas paper with ribbon and bow. Funny...but unforgetable. The next year I asked again, and he bought a hand crank can opener and attached an extension cord to the end of the handles with alligator clips. A few months later, our pastor's wife told him she had a present in  the  office for me, but I needed to  open it in front of him. She had heard about the can opener saga, and actually gave me an electric can opener...He was embarrassed, but we both could not stop laughing for a long time.

But there are other gifts that simply have slipped our minds. I like to think of answered prayers as gifts God has given me. When God answers, it is something we want to remember. What God is doing in our lives is a very important part of our  relationship with Him. Prayer journals are very special a few years later, to reread and recognize God's hand in your life!

The benefit of prayer, or the result of prayer is to see and recognize what God is doing, what God is up to. And I want to be right there, where God is up to something!

There are a lot of things in this world that I cannot fix for my children or grandchildren,  but I can see that they are bathed in prayer. I can pray a hedge of protection around them daily!

We actually pray that our children get caught in their deviant behavior, in order to avoid bigger consequences later in life

A couple of years ago while attending the Mosaic Wednesday night prayer meeting, there was a special woman there, many of you know her, Victoria Love, who prayed strongly from her heart and with incredible passion. I asked her about it, and she shared with me. We met together a few times.  She recommended I read a book called "The  Circle Maker" by Mark Batterson. Since then I have purchased several copies and given them to friends and family members.

Let me read a bit of it to you:  [Page 11-13}.  Hosea 6:3 He will come to us like the rain, like the spring rain watering the earth.

Honi prayed  BOLDLY AND SPECIFICALLY, with faith that God not only heard, but would answer. The remainder of the book is page after page of enthusiasm as stories are shared of prayer walks, fasts, and big passionate requests being asked and answered. I highly recommend you purchase several copies of this book. One to wear out for yourself, and the others to pass along.

The next step in my personal pursuit of passionate prayer was when I was watching the movie "War Room". If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend you buy a copy of this movie as well, because you will want to watch it often!

The point of the War Room Movie was that when the military is involved in a battle, they have a room set aside where they strategically make a battle plan. We must make a battle plan against the enemy, we can stand  in the gap for our children, our spouses, our extended family members, as well as our neighbors, communities, counties, states, countries...The possibilities are limitless! I would like to challenge us as to become stronger prayer warriors, praying with strategy. The people of Mosaic can pray boldly with faith, and make a difference in our community!

We need each other, for fellowship, to hold each other up, and to share what we are learning as well as to challenge each other.   I spoke of my interest in learning to pray better with my dear friends Sandy Repsold and Karen Chipley one night during dinner. Both recommended I read "Fervent" written by Priscilla Shirer, the actress in the movie War Room.

 Fervent prayer keeps your true identity in focus. It reminds us of who we really are and taps into the power we really have in Christ. Despite what we may or may not understand about prayer, God has deliberately chosen this particular vehicle as the one that drives His activity in people's lives. It's what He allows us to use to co-operate and partner with Him in the fulfilling of His will.  He's created prayer as a primary way of putting us into personal contact with Him and with His eternal realities, any hour of the day or night.

Isaiah 40: 28-31 Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles, they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

Lamentations 3:22, 23 Because of the Lord's great love we are not  consumed, for his compassions never fail. They are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Isaiah 49:16 Behold I have engraved you on the palms of my hands; your walls are continually before me. How incredible to realize the depth of God's love for us, our names are ingraved on his hands...just think about it, God has tattoos too! He loves us so mightily!

Prayer keeps us on guard, our spiritual radar sensitive to the enemy's ploys and clever decoys.

You will never get a busy signal when trying to speak with God. You won't be put on hold, which is incredible when you realize how many people can be praying at the same time! We have an all powerful, all understanding God with awesome infinite resources. There is no hard drive failure or data base/ bad connection problem with him. But there are things that can get in the way of our prayer life:

Fear:

In fervent prayer we discover something: Our God is fearless. Because He is fearless, we can be fearless too.

Over 300 times in scripture, in one form or another, He tells us not to be afraid, Fear not, Be ye not afraid, Do not fear.

Prayer is the difference maker. An invitation for honesty, yes, for telling Him how you feel infused  with the assurance and fearless confidence that comes from God's promises.

Fear is one of Satan's primary schemes for crippling God's people. Your fears are strategies to derail you from your destiny and calling. The way to fight them is with a deliberate prayer strategy of your own. 

II Timothy 1:7 God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.

...so whenever you sense a spirit of fear invading any particular area of your life, you can know  by process of elimination that its not coming from God.

Joshua 1:8, 9 This book of instruction must not depart from your mouth, you are to recite it day and night so that you may carefully observe everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in whatever you do. Haven't I commanded you; be strong and courageous? Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go.

Jeremiah 1:4-8  The word of the  Lord came to me:  I chose you before I formed you in the  womb. I set you apart before you were born. I appointed you a prophet to the nations. But I protested, "Oh no, Lord, God! Look, I don't know how to speak since I am only a youth. Then the Lord said to  me: Do not say "I am only a youth." for you will go to everyone I send  you to and speak whatever I tell you. Do not be afraid of anyone for I will be with you to deliver you.

Righteousness:

Prayers that have power come from a person in pursuit of righteous living. Unrighteousness disrupts our peace.

James 5:16, 17 Confess your trespasses to one another and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

Romans 3:10 There is none righteous, no not one.

But:

1 John 1:9 If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

That is why you and I must deliberately strategize in prayer for the daily, ongoing protection of our purity.

Psalm 139:23-24 Search me, O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my anxieties; and see if there is any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Phillipians 4:6-7 Don't worry about anything; instead pray about everything, tell God your needs and don't forget to thank Him for His answers. If you do this you will experience God's peace, which is far more wonderful than the human mind can understand. His peace will keep your thoughts and your hearts quiet and at rest as you trust in Christ Jesus.

Psalm 145:18-19 The Lord is near all who call out to Him, all who call out to Him with integrity. He fulfills the desires of those who fear Him. He hears their cry for help and saves them.

Forgiveness:

Unforgiveness puts us in prime position for demonic influence and activity to take advantage of us. It can give us the feeling of blocked prayers.

We must show forgiveness because forgiveness matters. Forgive anyway - not because it is easy - but because your enemy gets exactly what he wants otherwise.

II Corinthians 2:5-7 If anyone has caused grief, he has not so much grieved me as he has grieved all of you, to some extent--not to put it too severely. The punishment inflicted on him by the majority is sufficient for him. Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. I urge you, therefore, to reaffirm your love for him.

God wants me to show comfort to the one who offends me. In my life I have found this to be so very difficult to do using my own strength and power. But I can obey by asking for help from the Holy Spirit, praying God's word for wisdom and strength, praying to love the person with God's love, admitting my inadequate love on my own and my need for God's love to take over.

It was for freedom that Christ set us free Galations 5:1

Jesus wants you free. That's what he created you for. His forgiveness of you is what makes your forgiveness possible toward others.

Unity:

There is a chapter in the Fervent book on relationships that talks about Friendly Fire.  Priscilla explains how difficult it is for military personnel to have to report the death of a loved one that was caused by one of their own. Killed in the line of duty by one of their own. Killed by Friendly Fire.

One of our most important strategies - a call for our most fervent praying - must be to stand against all forms of disharmony in our relationships and to battle for oneness among ourselves and all of God's people. Together we are a mighty force. Satan knows that.

Ephesians 1:15-20 says: Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in  my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus  Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when he raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places.

In prayer we experience the kind of hard-fought peace that unites us into an army of soldiers for Christ. Unity among brothers and sisters puts Satan promptly in his place.

 Romans 5: 1, 2  Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand.

If there is anyone here who does not have a relationship with Jesus Christ, who would like to gain access to Him through faith, please do not leave this room without talking to someone, asking any questions you have regarding becoming part of God's forever family.

Romans 3:23 For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.

Romans 6:23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord.

John 3:16 For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, that whoever believes in him shall have eternal life.

Our peace with God is a gift that keeps us stable and strong despite our circumstances. The peace of God is what helps us navigate the will of God.

John 14:27 Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you; I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 16:33 I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble.  But take heart! I have overcome the world.

Colossians 3:15-17

Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Ephesians 3:12 In him and through faith in him Jessica may approach God with freedom and confidence.

Psalm 20:4 May he give Sandy the desires of her heart and make all her plans succeed.

Psalm 40:2 He lifted Tina out of the pit of despair, out of the mud and mire. He set Tina's feet on solid ground and steadied her as she walked along.

Psalm 18:30 As for God, His way is perfect: The word of Jehovah is tried; He is a shield unto Colleen who takes refuge in Him.

Psalm 55:22 Jody, Cast your burden on the Lord and He will sustain you.

Psalm 143:1 Lord, hear Darla's prayer. Listen to Darla's cry for mercy. Come to help Darla because you are loyal and good.

Psalm 92:4 For you, O Lord, have made Karen glad by what You have done. Karen will sing for joy at the works of your hands.

3 John 2 Dear Laurie, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as  your soul is getting along well.

3 John 4  I have no greater joy than to hear that my grandchildren are walking in the truth.

II Corinthians 5:17 Therefore if Stacy is in Christ, Stacy is a new creature. The old things passed away; behold, new things have come.

Ezekial 36:26 I will give Patti a new heart and put a new spirit within Patti; I will remove Patti's heart of stone and give Patti a heart of flesh.

John 8:31-32 Then Jesus said to Becky who believed Him, If Becky abides in My word, Becky is  my disciples indeed. And Becky shall know the truth and the truth shall make Becky free.

Ephesians 3: 16-19 I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with power through his Spirit in your inner being so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith. And I pray that you, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together will all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is  the love of Christ, and to know  this love that surpasses knowledge--that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.

Start circling promises in the Bible and pray them back to God. Keep a journal - so you will remember.

I would like to finish by repeating the challenge I stated earlier. I would like to challenge each of us to become stronger prayer warriors for Christ, praying with a strategic battle plan, recognizing that the battle belongs to the Lord, and we are His warriors!

 I would like to challenge us to first of all pray with thanksgiving, recognizing how much God loves us; to confess our sins and shortcomings,  to pray to be filled and comforted by the Holy Spirit, to pray boldly in Christ for the healing of our land, to stand in the gap for our loved ones, to ask Jesus to open our eyes and ears to the things we should pray for, and to open our hearts and arms to see where God is working, so we can join Him.