11/22/2016
There may be times when we think that our prayers have failed, but maybe we've failed in prayer. Yes, we pray alot, but the motivation behind the prayer, as well as the method is very critical when it comes to the petitions you have before the Lord.
Using the medicine cabinet in your bathroom as a parallel: You may have something for a headache, stomach cramps or nausea. Although these all deal with pain or discomfort, each ailment needs to be addressed differently. With that, it's important to understand the different types of prayer when going before the Lord:
1. Prayer of Agreement. Jesus introduced the prayer of agreement when He said, "'Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven'" (NKJV).(Matt 18: 19). This should be a place that we live in. It's important to go outside of the parameters of REQUEST and shift to the prayer of AGREEMENT. Challenge yourself to spend time in agreement about the requests that you have already made. Agreement drives out paralyzing fear.
2. Prayer of Faith (Petition). This is a prayer between you and God, where you are expecting a particular outcome. In Mark 11:24, Jesus says, "'Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.'" There must be a place we begin to move into WHILE we pray. By the time it leaves your mouth, God is hastening to perform it. We are making our request and petitions known so our faith is put into motion, and we are seeing the power of God in that capacity. (Hebrews 11:1) When you pray in faith, God gives His ear to it in the spirit realm AND knows when the appropriate season to place what you've asked for in your life.
3. Consecration and Dedication. Luke 22:41-42 says "And He [Jesus] was withdrawn from them [Peter, James, and John] about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and prayed, saying, 'Father, if it is Your will, take this cup away from Me; nevertheless not My will, but Yours, be done.'" Sometimes what we want and what God wants isn't the same thing. This is where you have to come before the Lord and ask for help! You have to take the bitterness of what is in your cup to get the fullness of what God will have you to do and what He wants you to be. This prayer will come into play when you have two Godly alternatives before you.
4. Praise and Worship. Luke 2:20, describes the reaction of the shepherds who had seen baby Jesus: "Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told them." Regardless of what you're facing, walking in or going through, there is a praise! Where you are does not change the identity of who He is in your life! See also: John 11:41
5. Intercession. Involves praying for others, it's not about you. This is where you are making intercession on someone else's behalf. Ephesians 1:15-18 "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 hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints." God is bringing people to wisdom and revelation as their protection. When they come enter into wisdom and revelation, our intercession has become powerful, we help bring them out of the cycle by intercession.
6. Binding and Loosing. Matthew 18:18-19. Jesus says: "'Assuredly, I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven. Again I say to you that if two of you agree on earth concerning anything that they ask, it will be done for them by My Father in heaven.'" This prayer pairs well with the prayer of agreement. You have to have someone walking with you that understands this prayer.
If you missed this powerful teaching and would like to hear more, join us on the intercession line each Monday night at 8 pm eastern time at 857.216.6700, Conf ID # 357623.
