The Prayer Principle of Culmination

"Father, into your hands I commit My spirit." Luke 22:46

The Prayer Principle of Culmination

Principle: Prayer does not prepare a person for a greater work. Prayer is the greatest work.

When Jesus died on the cross, He was in conversation with His Father. His final life breath was a prayer that ushered Him out of this life and into another. The culmination of His life work was His death on the cross. The prayer of His life was to do the Father's will. When He finished His work on the cross, He had been obedient to God's will. His life was a culmination of a consistent conversation and constant communication in order to maintain this amazing cooperative companionship with God.

The resurrection was yet to come. The forty days of ministry that He would carry out on earth to His disciples as the Risen Christ was still out ahead. His ascencion was not yet accomplished. Pentecost had not yet provided the Promise of His Spirit. His intercesson for His followers at the right hand of the Father was not yet intitiated. However, what the world knew of Jesus in the flesh culminated at the cross. At the cross, Jesus sustained His desire to obey His Father's will by maintaining inimate communication with His Father.

His death on the cross was not enough. His blood on the cross was not sufficient. Before the breaking of His body Jesus had to have a yielding of His will. Before the death of Jesus, there had been many brave men who had been crucified by the Romans. Redemption was not purchased soley by the taking of His life. It was a matter of the yielding of His will to take on the sins of people who did not deserve to be forgiven. There was more at stake than what Jesus wanted. God's Son had to be willing to be separated from His Father.

Jesus had been falsely accused, savagely scourged, illegally convicted, summarily condemned, publicaly humiliated, and callously crucified. All of these steps had been taken by thousands of other rebels and criminals throughout the Roman empire. The physical extremes of the process was not what Jesus prayed to have removed from Him. He had never been separated from His Father. Jesus did not dread the face of the enemy, but the back of His Father. When God turned his face away from His Son because of the sin of the world, this is the price Jesus paid for redempton. Even at that very moment, He was crying out to God to restore what was broken between them.

Without His death, His birth would have had no meaning or significance. Without His obedience to God's will, there would have been no sacrifice for sin. Sinful man would never have been able to bring an offering worthy enough to purchase his own redemption.

The preparation for the ordeal of the cross was a life of prayer. Prayer kept Jesus yielded to the will of the Father, even though it meant false accusations from man, and complete separation from God. The sinless One began and finished the work of redemption in the climate of prayer.

Christ followers often get weary in well-doing. There may be times when the staunchest prayer warrior is either tired of it, or tired in it. Yet prayer remains the culmination of God's greatest work in the life of His children. Prayer is not a means to an end. Spending time with God in prayer is an end in itself. It is in His Presence that His children become yielded to the Father's will.

The Practice of Prayer: Check your pulse. If you are alive, God isn't finished with you yet. Pray for the strength and stamina to intercede until someone you know has the burden of sin removed from their back, and the freedom from the debt of sin blotted from their account.

Thought for the Day: Jesus gave all He had on the cross for unforgiven people to receive all God had for them. Remember, your redemption was not purchased in a stable, but on a cross. Satan wants you to stop at the sweet smell of hay, and reminisce about the birth of a child. God invites you to look at the cross and breath in the strong smell of blood and remember the cost of your sin. Choose wisely.

"Delays are not denials and it pays to wait on God's time." Samuel Chadwick

"The Prayer Principle of Intercession"

"Father forgive them..." Luke 23:34

The Prayer Principle of Intercession

Principle: Discernment into the failure and foibles of others is a call from God to intercede for them, not an invitation to criticize them.

Oswald Chamber's died in 1917 serving as a chaplain to the British Expeditionary Force in Egypt. After his death, his wife took her short hand notes of his messages, and published a devotional book, "My Utmost for His Highest." During his short life, Chambers allowed God to do a great work in his heart. His words remain to this day some of the most treasured insights into the mind and heart of God. He felt strongly about the power of intercession, and the impact it could have on the improvement of relationships. He taught, "Discernment is given for intercession, never for faultfinding."

Praying for hurting people is a fine way to begin to develop a personal ministry of intercession. It has the power to restrore right relaltionships between God and His people. It also has power repair relationships that have broken down between people. The prayer warrior has every confidence that prayer for another person is heard by God. The finest expression of intercession is reached when the prayer warrior begins to pray for people who have hurt them or have failed them in some way.

When Jesus was on the cross, He spoke three words that transformed prayer from a daily devotional exercise into a power play for redemption. People often do their worst to a child of God. Jesus knew about this personally. As The Child of God, Jesus had suffered immeasurable physical abuse prior to His crucifixion. He endured extreme, extended, public humiliation while he hung on the cross.

However, brave men had preceded Him to this arena of abuse. This was not the first time that men had been executed in this manner. Jewish history was full of martyrs who faced the cross as a result of their rebellion against Rome's iron grip of oppression. They had died on the cross, but they had not died to themselves. They certainly had not died for their enemies.

Jesus interceded for the people who hurt Him the most. He did not waste His breath outlining and orating over offenses. He went to His Father with a request for the people who had hurt Him, and pleaded with His Father not to hold their offense against them. Unforgiven people had done their worst to Him, and Jesus was doing His best for them. This is intercession.

Jesus went to the Father in prayer, and asked Him to remove their sin like a scribe would blot out a record of a debt from a line item account that was in need of collection. He was not appealing to God for those who had extended favor to Him, and were in need of God's blessing to understand what was happening around them. He did not pray for the strength to endure what was being done to Him. He seized the moment of the infliction of the worst kind of pain to invest in the best kind of ministry. He interceded for those had done their worst to Him.

Jesus set the standard for intercession. He stood between man at their worst and God at His best and offered to bring them together. He lived to do this on earth, and continued it with His dying breath. He lives to do it today while seated the right hand of the Father in Heaven.

Christ followers still face a constant choice between criticizing people for what they have done to them, or interceding for the very people who are the source of irritation. Jesus provided the example, but He promised His Presence would empower His people to follow His example.

The Spirit of God dwells within the heart of His children, and cries out on their behalf when they are wronged. God is aware of what is happening to His family. Intercession by the His Spirit and His Son on behalf of His Church supplies Him with constant and clear communication of the chaos and confusion that the enemy unleashes on His children. He is near to those who draw near to Him in prayer. He inclines His ear to hear the slightest cry of the weakest child.

Intercession brings a new purpose to the offended and a new possibility for the offender. There may be times when the pain is so fresh and the person so intimidating that the prayer warrior does not have the words to say on behalf of the one who needs to be forgiven. The language of the Spirit is the language of prayer. He takes to the Father even the intent of the heart when the words fail to rise up out of the voice.

• "The Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26

Jesus is seated at the right hand of the Father, and when a request for forgiveness comes before the throne of God it catches His attention because it touches His heart.

• "Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us." Romans 8:34

There is no hope for Christ followers to pray for those who are their enemies without Jesus interceding for them to have God's grace under fire. He provides a powerful picture of His personal interest, when His followers take a stand for Him. The Book of Acts describes people around Stephen who were doing their worst to him. Stephen was somehow able to sense the Presence of Jesus in the middle of his pain. He said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened up and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." (Acts 7:56) Jesus did not remain seated, but He stood in honor of a man who took the worst life had to bring, and he brought it to God.

Intercession is the form of prayer that yields all personal rights. It enables an offended Christ follower to avoid bitterness in their own life and to achieve the greater good in the life of another. It is the stand of Jesus that empowered the early Christ followers to express this highest level of intercession. Choking in his own blood from a vicious stoning received after telling people how to be saved, Stephen said, " 'Lord do not hold this sin against them.' And having said this, he fell asleep." (Acts 7:60) Jesus still takes a stand for those who choose to intercede for people He died to save, and who still do their worst to His followers.

The Practice of Prayer: What keeps you awake at night? Is it a memory of a past hurt, or the fresh wound from a hurtful person? Start praying for God to relieve you of the responsibility to get even, and ask Him to bring about His best in their life. You may be surprised how fast you fall asleep.

Thought for the Day: Talk less about people and pray more for people.

"All of God's answering our prayers is on the basis of God's dealing with us as forgiven sinners, and God cannot deal with us as forgiving sinners while we are not forgiving those who have wronged us." R. A. Torrey

The Prayer Principle of Circumspection

"...pray that you may not enter into temptation." Luke 22:46

The Prayer Principle of Circumspection

Principle: Prayer provides the "night vision" that believers need to see God's light in spite of the dark circumstances around them.

Prayer is the intimate communication between the Heavenly Father and His child. Temptation is the enemy's use of darkness and shadow. Satan's scheme is to obscure the consequences of choices made without the benefit of light. God's plan is for His children to pray in order for Him shed His light on the work of the enemy, and to show them around the traps set out to hurt them.

Prayer enabled Jesus to see what God was doing in the dark, when others were blinded by the night. The death of Jesus was going to look like total defeat to those who loved Him. It would look like total victory for the enemy. In fact it was an absolute victory over the enemy.


The death of Jesus appeared, at first glance, to be a great triumph for Satan. In reality it spelled utter defeat for him. He called on His disciples to pray so they would not be intimidated by immediate circumstances, and be tempted to doubt God was at work in their lives.


Prayer provides insight from God in the middle of the darkest circumstances. Night vision goggles give members of elite military forces the capacity to see all around them what the enemy cannot see in front of them. Prayer enables the believer to see the trap, ambush, pit, or lure set by the enemy for what it really is, and for what it has the capacity to do to them.


Disappointed plans and delayed answers may cause doubt and fear to rise up in the heart of the most courageous prayer warrior. God's detour or His delay does not mean God's denial of a request from His children, or His desertion from the battle that surrounds them.


Prayerless people are in the dark on what is really happening to them or going on around them. Rather than getting with God in prayer, they continue walking and talking as if there are no consequences to stumbling into what the enemy has set out to trip them up. After bumping into something scary or intimidating, they often repeat the phrase, "I never saw it coming!"


It does not take a great deal of wisdom to see a path around an obstacle in the light of day. The danger comes when the darkness of the soul overshadows a believer's faith in the guiding light of God's goodness.

The word circumspection comes from two Latin words, circum and spectus. The first is easily recognized by its kinship to the English word circle. A circle surrounds something or someone with a never ending ring or a continuous, cyclical delineation. Spectus is similar to the English word spectacle, and means "to look." Combine the two words, and the resulting picture describes the capacity of a person to look all around something. Circumspection refers to the capacity of a person to be watchful. A person who is heedful of what is going on around them knows how to avoid embarassment or distress. They circle (circum) around something with their feet when they see (spection) potential danger with their eyes.

Prayer warriors are not surprised by the dark. They know it has a way of coming around on a regular basis. When they find themselves in need of insight, foresight, and hindsight in the middle of the night, they pray. They ask God to give them the capacity to look around and see what He is doing, and avoid the temptation that surrounds them.

Prayer enables God's children to walk around the things that cause them to stumble. In their relationship with God, the way they come on is the way they go on. They entered into the family of God through the door of prayer, and they walk in His Kingdom with the light of prayer.

Unless people turn to God in prayer, they may miss what He is doing around them, but more importantly, the will miss God. God may be doing His greatest work in them, when it looks like the worst is happening around them. When Jesus called His disciples to prayer, He was heading towards the cross. Jesus went to God in prayer to get Him through the night, and prepare Himself for the day that was ahead of Him. The disciples went to sleep, and when the circumstances of the crucifixion came crashing in on them, they fell into the trap of temptation that had been set up by the enemy. It looked to them like all hell was breaking loose, but God was up to something wonderful.

Walking around in the dark, and falling into temptation is a dangerous choice. The disciples were urged by Jesus to wake up and pray. When people pray, they receive they receive the capacity to see in the dark. The night vision goggles of prayer reveal what God is really doing around them.

God desires for His children to have intimate communication with Him. More than He desires their service for Him, He longs to have conversation with them. Prayer enables the child of God to give themselves to Him, and receive guidance from Him around the dangerous temptations the enemy has set out to hurt them.

Through prayer, God guides His children around their circumstances rather than change the circumstances around them. Crying children often call out to their Father to urge Him to change the things that caused them to come to Him in the first place. God takes what scares His children the most, and through prayer He prepares them to face their fear with a sense of His Presence.

The Practice of Prayer: What keeps you awake at night, or strikes fear in you in the light of day? Put on your night vision goggles and pray for God to give you a sense of His Presence. He is able to guide you around the enemies temptation to believe God does not care for you, and He is not there for you.

Thought for the Day: Don't doubt in the dark what you know to be true in the light.

"One way we can tell the difference between the voice of God and a counterfeit is the sense of peace. The voice, which speaks peace, is of God; the voice that speaks urgency is either of Satan or comes from your own human nature. God leads, Satan pushes." Robert Mumford

The Prayer Principle of Motivation

"Why are you sleeping? Rise up and pray that you may not enter into temptation." Luke 22:46

The Prayer Principle of Motivation

Principle: Effective prayer begins with an act of obedience to the command of Jesus.

Jesus expects His disciples to pray. He expects them to overcome fatigue and expend whatever energy is necessary to resist temptation successfully. He motivates His followers to prepare to face temptation by waking up, and getting into the Presence of God. Sleep rejuvenates the body after a person has been drained physically. Prayer protects the heart, before a person is attacked spiritually.

The words of Jesus are not a pathetic plea for moral support. They are an authoritative command for His church to take the field and engage the enemy in the battle. They illustrate the priority and the context of prayer. Temptation is coming. Get up and get ready to defeat it.

The business of God is the business of prayer.Many motivational experts would agree that 90% of success in the business world is based on just showing up for work. In God's world, 100% of success is based on showing up for work.

Prayerless people are not tireless people. However, they become loveless people. Jesus commended His church in Ephesus for all their hard work, but He warned them to remember their first love, and do the things that they did at first. Somehow in doing a great work for God, they had stopped spending time with Jesus. They had become guilty of spending more time, doing the work of the Lord, than spending time with the Lord of the work. He told them to, "Remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first, or else I am coming to you , and will remove your lamp stand out of its place -- unless you repent." (Rev. 2:4-5)

When the disciples of Jesus slept through the prayer meeting in the Garden of Gethsemane, He woke them up. This wake up call is a prototype of the contemporary church. Dr. Nelson Bell, father-in-law of Billy Graham, and father of his wife Ruth had been a medical missionary to China. In 1966 he published a book entitled, "While Men Slept." He said, "Protestant Christendom has been asleep and during our sleep the enemy of souls, under the guise of scholarship and advanced knowledge, has sown the seeds of doubt and unbelief."

Four decades later, the need to wake up and pray for something only God can do is still the crying need of the church. The problem is not with God's ability to answer prayer. The inadequacy is with His children. If they do not ask for His help to overcome the temptations that they face, they will fail. To fail to pray is to plan to fail.

Jesus did not need His disciples to pray for Him. They needed to pray for themselves. Jesus could pray for His disciples, but He could not do their praying for them. When Jesus enrolled them in His School of Prayer, they slept right through the lesson He was trying to teach them.

When Jesus woke them up. He motivated them to pray. Jesus still motivates His followers to pray. At some point in time, the true Christ follower will discover the need to spend time in prayer with God. Temptation is not sin, but it leads to sin. Sin separates a person from God because it moves them away from a close walk with Jesus, "The way, the truth and the life." (John 14:6)

James, the first pastor of the church at Jerusalem, and the brother of Jesus said,

• "You have not because you ask not." (James 4:3)
• "The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much." (James 5:16)

The priorities of God have not changed with the changing of centuries and the crossing of cultures. Effective prayer is still the prayer that is prayed. It is not effective until the prayer is prayed.

The Practice of Prayer: Wake up. This is the start of your effective prayer life. Show up. Start praying. Lift up. This means burdens must be dropped, and you come with empty hands to God. Take up. Don't walk away from prayer with the same burden that brought you to prayer. Stand up. If you have trouble falling asleep when you pray, stand while you pray. The fall will cure you of falling asleep on the job. Prayer prepares you to face the temptations of the day. Keep up. Follow Jesus where ever He leads you today.

Thought for the Day: Jesus motivates His followers to pray, because He knows it is a disaster for them to face temptation in a prayerless condition.

"The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution in history to world evangelization." Andrew Murray

The Prayer Principle of Intensification

"And being in agony He was praying very fervently;" Luke 22:44

The Prayer Principle of Intensification

Principle: Intense opposition from the enemy requires the Christ follower to respond with intense preparation for war by taking part in fervent prayer.

General Booth, founder of the Salvation Army, once received a telegram from one of his young officers in the field. He was complaining of the lack of response he found from people in need of conversion. Booth responded with a two word answer, "Try tears!"

The word fervent, describes a person who is overcome with emotion, or is showing great zeal. It can mean fiery, or extremely hot blooded expressions of concern. It is rooted in the Latin word, fervere, to boil or to froth.

Jesus was in the habit of praying. He was familiar with extended periods of prayer, and fasting. However, when He faced his greatest challenge, He brought His greatest weapon to the battle against evil. His fervent prayer intensely focused His mind, will, and emotions on the will of God for Himself and others. Every fiber of His physical and spiritual energy was engaged in intimate and intense communication with the Father, before He engaged the enemy.

Jesus prepared Himself for successful warfare against the enemy through this kind of passionate communication with His heavenly Father. Fervent prayer was a powerful weapon in His spiritual arsenal. It enabled Jesus to stand against the attack of the enemy, until God accomplished His will through Christ's death upon the cross. His obedience to the will of the Father was the key to victory at Calvary.

Fervent describes more than a mere head knowledge about prayer. It is a word picture for a fire in the heart for an answer to prayer. This kind of prayer prepares a Christ follower to stand in the face of intimidating circumstances, and invading forces of evil.

God was at work in the life of Jesus. He intended to use His Son's death as the key to the salvation of those around Him, and generations of people yet to be born. The courage of Jesus to stand firm in the face of the enemy was born out of His humility to kneel before God and to ask for His help to carry out His Father's will.

Effective spiritual warfare does not call for a secret weapon. It only requires the use of the weapon a Christ follower already possesses, but seldom uses. In spiritual warfare, when believers try to defeat the enemy with logic, reason, hard work, insight, tradition, and any other form of man-made instruments of war, it is like bringing a knife to a gunfight.

The Practice of Prayer: What are you praying for that cannot be done without God's divine intervention? Who are you praying for that needs to be rescued from the hands of the enemy? Place before God, you own list of intimidating circumstances that need to change, and irritating people who need to be converted.

The Thought for the Day: Intense spiritual warfare calls for a response of fervent prayer. Your prayer life should make it hard for people to go to hell in your city.

"Prayer is an essential link in the chain of causes that lead to a revival, as much so as truth is. Some have zealously used truth to convert men with great zeal, and then wondered that they had so little success. And the reason was they forgot to use the other branch and the means, effectual prayer. They overlooked the fact that truth by itself will never produce the effect, with the Spirit of God." Charles Finney

The Prayer Principle of Identification

"Not my will but Thy will..." Luke 22:42

The Prayer Principle of Identification

Principle: Prayer is the means by which personal rights are released into the hands of God, in order to identify with the will of God.

Jesus remains the best model for people looking for a prototype of prayer. He set the standard for effective prayer, because He was honest to God. He did not hesitate to bring His requests before the throne of His Father, but by the time He finished praying, Jesus had yielded His rights into the hands of His Father.

Jesus prayed and shared with His Father the desires of His heart. The longer He prayed, the more His Father's will became the desire of His heart. The transforming of the will begins by the exchanging of the heart. The heart of God is transplanted in the children of God, through the process of prayer.

David was described as a man after God's own heart. This referred to His sense of direction, not his hold on perfection. When David wandered from the path that God had for Him, he found his way back to God in prayer. When David enquired of the Lord, his life stayed on course. When he allowed temptation to sway him away from the right path, he used prayer to bring about a course correction.

Jesus was sinless, and was not in need of correction. He still faced the temptation to make His own way, rather than yield to the direction God had for His life. In the matter of the cross, He prayed that God would let this cup pass from Him. It was not the pain of passion that he dreaded. Many men had been crucified before Jesus went to Calvary. Thousands had suffered the pain and endured the cross as a consequence of their rebellion to Rome. For Jesus, it was the separation from His Father that He dreaded.

Jesus prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane, for some way the will of God could be honored without having to experience the consequences of sin. The Scripture records that this time of prayer was a struggle that lasted throughout the night. By the end of His prayer, Jesus had identified with God's will for His life.

God provides prayers as His chosen tool to conform the will of man to His will. Perfunctory prayer provides God with a list of provisions God needs to supply. Honest prayer warrior should admit to God what they want, but be willing to receive from God what they need. Effective prayer brings about the yielding of personal rights, until there is an absolute identification with the will of God.

At first glance, prayer often appears as an opportunity for the prayer warrior to help God identify the things He needs to do for them. Jesus felt the freedom to bring to God in prayer what He wanted His Father to do for Him. When Jesus finished praying, He always ended in agreement with what God had in mind for Him. His supplication led to identification.

Prayer warriors may not agree with what God when they begin to pray. They need to stay in His Presence long enough to bring their will into line with the will of God by the time they end their prayer. They should have no fear in being honest to God. They will never shock God by admitting, what they want God to do for them. He already knows.

The twin sisters of answered prayer are the honesty to request what is wanted and the humility to receive what is needed. Prayer warriors never forget, "Father knows best."

The Practice of Prayer: Write two columns on the same piece of paper. The column on the left should be entitled: "What I Want from God" and the column on the right, "What I Need from God." Take time to give thought and prayer to each list. Be honest to God. You may be surprised at which list becomes more important to you, the longer you put it in the hands of God.

Thought for the Day: Identification with the will of God is a sign of a maturity in the child of God.

"When I pray, coincidences happen. When I do not, they don't." Archbishop Temple

The Prayer Principle of Separation

"He withdrew from them about a stone's throw, and He knelt down and began to pray." Luke 22:41

The Principle of Separation

Principle: Periodic separation from good relationships carves out time that can be invested in God's best, intimacy with Him.

Jesus found it necessary to step away from those closest to Him. He hungered for a period of time in His life that was, unapologetically, spent alone with God. He did so not as an expression of callousness towards His followers, but as a display of tenderness towards His Father.


Jesus challenged His disciples to follow His example. Repeatedly, they had seen Him go to the mountain or some secret place to pray. Jesus did not tell them to do something that He no longer put into practice. In this passage, the disciples were told to pray that they would not enter into temptation, and then Jesus withdrew to do the very same thing that He told them to do. This kind of integrity, and authenticity marked the prayer life of Jesus. He never outgrew His need for intimacy with God, especially when facing a crisis.


The most dangerous thing a person can do is to enter into temptation in a prayer less condition. Jesus led His disciples to pray, and taught them how to pray, but He did not make them pray. It was a personal hunger that they would have to experience in order to find satisfaction for themselves at the point of their need.


The disciples found their strength in being in the Presence of Jesus. Jesus found His power in the Presence of God. The disciples drained Him, and the Presence of God sustained Him. There were times that He sensed His need for the relationship of Father and Son to be strengthened. He turned to prayer as the means to receive God's direction, and to mold His will to that of His Father's.


Separation from those who need us the most is a price that must be paid in order to experience the Presence of the One who loves us the most. The people who need us the most will not receive what they need from us, if we allow time with them to squeeze out time with God. Jesus was able to give His disciples what they needed as long as He stayed in touch with God. Christ followers must learn this lesson if they hope to avoid burnout or compassion fatigue.


Separation is not so much a matter of getting away from those who drain, but running into the Presence of the One who sustains. Vacations, recreation, hobbies, entertainment, retreats, and even sabbaticals are poor substitutes for His Presence. They serve a worthy purpose, but have limited power to refresh and renew the vision and ministry of a Christ follower. Getting away from people is the beginning, but not the end of the process in this principle.


Getting with God, and accepting His will is the ultimate purpose of prayer. Jesus conformed His will to the Father's will by getting away from His disciples and getting into the Presence of His Father. Getting into God's Presence will exact a price that is paid in time alone with Him. There are some things that God means to say to His children in private, before they can speak for Him in public.


It is possible for loved ones to be a great distraction from meaningful time in prayer. Periodic separation for seasons of prayer exchanges what is good for what is best. Satan is not the enemy of the good. He is the enemy of the best. The road to hell is paved with good intentions. He lives to separate people from God's best for their lives.


Jesus chose to separate Himself from others in order to spend time with God. He was not running away from responsibility, but reaching out to God to provide Him the courage and the strength to give His followers what they needed most, a Savior.


The Practice of Prayer: Carve out time for solitary prayer with God. Withdraw from the ones you love in order to make time to be available to God. Choose the time of day that is best for you. He is ready when you are.


Thought for the Day: It is never too late or too early to choose God's best for your life. Separating yourself from people of good intentions, to spend time with the One who loves you most, will lead to God's best for your life.


"Satan laughs softly at the Church today and says under his breath: "You can have your Sunday Schools...your institutional churches, and your men's clubs and your grand choirs, and your fine organs and your brilliant preachers, and your revival efforts, as long as you do not bring them into the power of the Almighty God, sought and obtained by earnest, persistent, believing, mighty prayer." R. A. Torrey

The Prayer Principle of Destination

"Pray that you enter not into temptation." Luke 22:40

The Prayer Principle of Destination

Principle: Prayer warriors avoid detours of sin that delay their arrival at the right destination, by using the compass of prayer to point themselves to the unchanging Presence of God.

For a compass to be effective, it must have an immovable object as its point of reference. Prayer must be focused on the immutable, inerrant word of God in order for the prayer warrior to arrive safely in the Presence of God.

Praying the Word of God will enable the prayer warrior to arrive at the destination God desires for them. Prayer is the intimate communication between the heavenly Father and His child. This conversation is not a means to an end, but it is the end in itself. Prayer, primarily, is the way to come into the Presence of God. Those who use it only as a means to get things from God will miss God every time.

Temptation is alot like a barking dog that can intimidate and distract a person from their walk down a road. It will be impossible to arrive at the right destination if a person stops and throws rock at every barking dog. Their focus needs to be on the destination, not the delays and the detours that they encounter along the way. On life's journey, a Christ follower has either left temptation behind, or will confront it on the road ahead. It can be bypassed or overcome only through the power of prayer.

The detour sign of temptation always points to sin, and this separates a person from the Presence of God. Prayer, like a compass, keeps a saint from being duped by the detours of life, and keeps pointing them to the Presence of God. Temptation can be expected along the way. It is inevitable, but in and of itself, it is not sin. Sin results in separation from God.

Prayer gets people in touch with God. Believing prayer never focuses on the object of temptation, but on the Presence of God. The Tempter has the power to keep putting up detour signs. God has the power to defeat the Tempter. One look from God, and the Tempter will have to flee from His Presence. The prayer warrior is safest when prayer brings them into the Presence of God.

Believing prayer is an admission of need. It is a humbling of oneself to ask directions to the right destination from the One who sent Jesus to be "The Way, The Truth and The Life." Prayer leads to the ultimate destination, the Presence of God.

The Practice of Prayer: What tempts you the most to leave the Presence of God? When are you tempted the most? Spend time in His Presence, listen to His Word, ask for His help, enjoy His company, and His guidance. When you walk His way, you will see things His way. You will be amazed at the weakness of the temptation when the Tempter has to flee from His Presence.

Thought for the Day: Focus on the temptation, and it will look better the longer you look at it. Placing the temptation in the hands of God, changes the way you look at it, and keeps you from walking into it.

"I cannot stop the birds from flying over my head but I can stop them from building their nests in my hair." Martin Luther

The Prayer Principle of Repetition

"And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives; and the disciples also followed Him. And when He arrived at the place, He said to them, "Pray that you may not enter temptation." Luke 22:39-40

The Prayer Principle of Repetition

Principle: Disciplined, consistent repetition of believing prayer strengthens a Christ follower's resistance to the temptation of sin.

Jesus practiced prayer. It was something that He did repeatedly, and He developed a following as a result of it. His disciplined prayer life could be described as , "Practice makes perfect."

After a long day of service, Jesus did not exempt Himself fro intimacy with God. He returned to it. Jesus also had a distinct and established place of prayer. He went there often to get alone with God. It was a familiar place. He was confident God would meet Him there and He would hear His voice.

The practice was so ingrained in His habits that His enemies knew His routine as well as His friends. When Judas led the soldiers to arrest Jesus, and they knew exactly where to find Him.

When a body builder desires to develop muscle mass, the principle of repetition must be carried out with relentless discipline. The sets and reps that are done on a regular basis eventually produce muscle that would never develop if the weight was lifted only once a week. Prayer warriors seeking to develop a powerful prayer life prioritize consistent communication and companionship with their Father.

Intermittent prayer and sporadic prayer can be compared to intermittent and sporadic breathing. It may postpone death, but it is not life giving. Prayer is the breath of Heaven. Christ followers find the air of prayer exhilarating, and refreshing. The rarefied air of prayer is often found on the mountain top experiences with God, but the repetition of believing prayer strengthens the prayer warrior for the challenges they find in the valley.

Crisis reveals character. Prayer builds and strengthens character. Jesus challenged His disciples to prepare for resistance to temptation by getting alone with God. When Jesus faced the greatest test of His life, He prepared Himself by repeatedly getting alone with God, and praying to the One who could empower Him to pass the test.

Temptation is not always a choice between good and evil. Satan is the enemy of the best. If he can lead a Christ follower to lose focus on the best Jesus has to offer, and settle for second best, then he has succeeded in his mission.

Reaching, worshipping, preaching, giving, fasting, serving, teaching, and healing are all aspects of the ministry of Jesus. When He was drained by the outflow of this ministry, He turned to God in prayer. The ministry of His church will not be maintained if the prayers of His followers are not sustained long enough to be restored to life-giving strength.

To fail to pray is to plan to fail. Jesus knew the hope of the world was riding on the strength of His prayer life. Jesus repeatedly turned to God in prayer before the crisis came. When the tide turned against Him, He was prepared with God's power to complete His mission.

Christ followers are empowered by repeatedly turning to God in prayer for the sustaining, life-giving strength that only He can provide. Anything that interferes with steady breathing must be removed from the wind passage of a person's body. When breath is interrupted for prolonged periods of time, it has an adverse impact on the entire body. Lack of air brings loss of life.

Lack of prayer brings loss of life to a Christ follower and the Body of Christ. The greatest preparation for the crises of life is the process of prayer. "Pray without ceasing...for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." (I Thessalonians 5:18)

The Practice of Prayer: Make a list of the things you do each day. These are the things that you will not fail to do, and need no reminders to do them. You do them regardless of how you feel, or how crowded your day becomes. Make sure that it includes the priority of prayer.

Thought for the Day: There is no substitute for the priority of personal, private, prolonged, prevailing, persevering, and productive...PRAYER.

"Nothing would turn the nation back to God so surely and so quickly as a church that prayed and prevailed. The world would never believe in a religion in which there is no supernatural power. A rationalized faith, a socialized church, and a moralized gospel may gain applause, bu they awaken no conviction and win no converts." Samuel Chadwick

"The Prayer Principle of Preservation"

"I have prayed...your faith fail not." Luke 22:32

The Prayer Principle of Preservation

Principle: Intercessory prayer calls on the power of God to bring the best out of the worst people, and to make the best out of the worst situations.


Jesus knew temptation would be inflicted on Peter. He was not surprised by the attack or shocked by the results. Peter did not believe he was vulnerable to the enemy and that he could rise above any challenges that came his way. He did not take the warning seriously and he was humiliated by his failure.


Intercessory prayer steps between man and God. It chooses the path of prayer, and avoids the jungle of judgment. Judging appears at first glance to be a quick fix in dealing with people who disappoint us. The problem is that judgment entangles us in the failures and foibles of others. Before long, more time is spent pointing out the faults of others, rather than pointing people to the way, the truth and the life...Jesus.


Praying for another person to be preserved from the consequences of their own sin is a sign of maturity in the child of God. Investing in intercession rather than judgment redeems the time and the person from being a lost cause. People will often fail to meet our expectations. The choice becomes praying for them, or talking about them. Jesus told His disciples that He would pray for them. His followers should do no less. Those who have failed to live up to God's best for their lives may still have a lot to bring to the table, and intercession has a way of creating a hunger in them to return to the banquet.


The intercession of Jesus did not make Peter incapable of failing Satan's test. It did succeed in reestablishing Peter's faith in God. Intercession starts at the point of the first sign of separation between man and God. Its goal is to bring them back together again. This is how God has ordained for people to be preserved from the consequences of their failure. When Christ followers interecede for others and refrain from judging them, their own hearts remain tender to the turn around that Jesus knows can be performed in the heart of a sinner.


When people become a bone in the throat or a rock in the shoe, it is time to pray for them. Jesus knew what Peter was capable of, both negatively and positively. He prayed for Peter, but Peter failed to pray for himself. Peter was filled with pride in himself and his position. The events he would face would pressure him until what was on the inside spilled out. He was ashamed of what he saw in himself, by the time he denied Jesus.


Prayerless people cannot be prevented from sin, but intercession has the power to preserve them from the consequences of their sin. The preservation takes the fruit of the harvest, keeps it from being wasted, and saves it for another day. Sin may place a person on the shelf for a period of time, but preservation through prayer can still produce a taste of the first fruits God had in mind for their lives.


What a shame it would have been if the church had missed out on what Peter had to offer. It is accurate to say that he failed a test under the stress of overwhelming circumstances. Jesus interceded for him, and a change took place in Peter. He was preserved for future ministry, even though he had been intimidated by immediate circumstances. Intercession created a hunger in his heart to return to the One who could restore him to the right relationship he longed to have.


Intercession paved the way for Peter to keep walking with Jesus, and to give centuries of Christ followers the challenge to, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time. Casting all your cares upon Him, because He cares for you." (I Peter 5:6-7)


The Practice of Prayer: Make a list of the people who have failed to live up to your expectations. Your assessment of them may be accurate, but it may also be judgment. Invest more time in praying for them than you have in talking about them. Ask God to bring out His best in them, and to remove the bone in your throat and the rock in your shoe of judgment.


Thought for the Day: Interceding for someone who has let you down, tenderizes your heart to what God may do in their lives. It is like coughing out the bone in your throat, and shaking out the rock in your shoe. It prepares the way for God to preserve someone or some situation. Don't be surprised if He brings them to you, after you have brought them to Him in prayer. All you have to say is, "Welcome Home!"


"Discernment is never given in order to exercise judgment, but intercession." Oswald Chambers

The Prayer Principle of Preparation

"...during the day. He was teaching in the temple, but at evening He would go out and spend the night on the mount...all the people would get up early in the morning and come to Him in the temple to listen to Him." Luke 21:37-38

The Prayer Principle of Preparation

Principle: Prayer involves spending time with God and it is the weapon of warfare that best prepares the prayer warrior for speaking a word for God.

The magnetism of Jesus was directly related to His personal practice of prayer. This time that He spent with His Father in prayer, prepared Him to speak a word for God. Before He spoke a word for God to His followers, His Father stamped His words with His authority and His insight. From the beginning of His ministry, this authoritative word drew His listeners to Him.

When Jesus delivered the Sermon on the Mount, He amazed His listeners with the words. "You have heard it said,... but I say to you." (Matthew 5:21,27,31,38, 43) They had never heard anyone teach like this. They may have heard rabbis teach many times, but they were fond of quoting other great teachers to bolster their teaching.

Jesus spoke with an authority and an attraction that came out of the overflow of His time alone with God. It was not so much a new word that was being heard, as it was a new voice of authority and authenticity. Jesus got a word from God, and gave it to the people. "The result was that when Jesus had finished these words, the multitude were amazed at His teaching; for He was teaching them as one having authority, and not as their scribes." (Matthew 7:28)

Jesus was not just knowledgeable about God, He was intimate with God. The rabbis who taught in the synagogues would often talk about God, but Jesus would often talk with God. This made a huge difference in His preaching, and the people of the land were attracted to Him as a result of it.

Jesus was attracted to His Father, and God attracted people to Him. Luke's account records, more than once, how Jesus would find a mountain when He was looking to spend more time with God.

• "And it was at this time that He went off to the mountain to pray." (Luke 6:12)


• "He took along Peter, and John and James and went up to the mountain to pray." (Luke 9:28)


• "And He came out and proceeded as was His custom to the Mount of Olives...and when He arrived at the place, He said to them, 'Pray...' " (Luke 22:40)

In Luke 21, this passage reveals how this prayer pattern of Jesus preceded and prepared Him to speak a word for God with the Presence and Power of God. After teaching all day in the Temple, Jesus would go to the mountain at evening , and He would get with God. Though prayer was not specifically mentioned in this passage, Luke documents on other occasions how much personal, private prayer was an ingrained pattern of Jesus' behavior. The result of this consistent companionship was that His Father used this time with His Son to make Him attractive to others.

Time alone with God is the best preparation for standing in front of other people and sharing a word about Him. The mountain climbing that Jesus did was not to get a better overview of the valley below. It separated Him from the people below who would not exert themselves to climb out of the valley and get with God. People who are in the pit of despair do not need someone to climb in with them. They need someone to lead them out of it. This can be done best by getting with God, and letting Him place His stamp of approval on the words of guidance that they need to hear from God.

Prayer prepares the man or woman of God to speak words of deliverance to people who are intimidated by immediate circumstances. Prayer puts the experiences of the valley into a perspective that can only come from God. Prayer is the means by which the people of God empty themselves, and are filled with His Presence and anointed by His Power. People who are filled with themselves seldom have enough to quench the thirst and satisfy the hunger of those who are starving for a word from God.

When people hear a man or woman of God speak to them, they need to hear from God. When some people preach, the response is, "What a great sermon." When others preach, they say, "What a great preacher." When the message comes from time spent with God, they will say, "What a great Savior." This is what people need the most. God gave the world a Savior, and Jesus kept in touch with the One who sent Him. The preparation Jesus made in prayer gave His message an influence and an attraction that was backed up by the Presence and the Power of God.

The Practice of Prayer: Make a list of the people you influence the most. Begin and end your day by praying for them. Before you speak a good word from God to them, pray a good word to God for them.

Thought for the Day: Preparing to speak for God should be preceded by spending time with God in prayer.

"Prayer affects men by affecting God. Prayer moves men because it moves God to move men. Prayer influences men by influencing God to influence them." E.M. Bounds

The Prayer Principle of Simplification

" 'AND MY HOUSE SHALL BE CALLED A HOUSE OF PRAYER,' but you have made it a ROBBER'S DEN." Luke 19:45

The Principle of Simplification

Principle: Prayerless people become powerless people. Simply put, no prayer means no Presence. No Presence means no power.

Jesus portrayed prayerless people as thieves. He knew that prayerlessness robs people of the significance and the supply of The Presence, The Person, and the Power of God. The people He rebuked the most were those who had turned the Temple system into a mockery of what God had intended for it to be. IT had been put into place to bring people to a confrontation with the high cost of sin and lead them to an intimate encounter with God through atoning blood of a substitutionary sacrifice.

The Temple system had long overshadowed the Person and the Purpose of God's redemptive work. It was no longer a lesson in forgiveness, but a lesson in greed and corruption. Jesus would not tolerate anything that did not glorify God. Jesus Christ is the same, yesterday, today and forever. He still does not look favorably on any system that steals glory from God.

When the system overshadows the Savior, it is time to get back to the simple truth. NO PRAYER...NO PRESENCE...NO PRESENCE...NO POWER. In the mind of Christ, there was no substitute for prayer as the way to God. When any part of the system drowns out the still small voice of the Holy Spirit calling the believer to pray, it no longer serves the purpose of God.

To the eyes of the uninformed, Temple business was booming. The Temple was crowded with people. Some would have said, "Business is good." Jesus knew that the business of God was the business of prayer, and as far as He was concerned the Temple system was bankrupt. When Jesus is the auditor, his numbers can be trusted. He added up what they were doing, and he found more takers than givers.

The Principle of Simplification reminds the prayer warrior not to allow too much bureaucracy to suffocate them with a system that is meant to establish and maintain a relationship with God, through prayer. A skeleton is a sound structure, but it no longer has breath. Prayer is the breath that keeps a prayer warrior alive, and keeps a movement of God from becoming a man made museum or mausoleum.

No person, church, ministry or movement can long be sustained by a prayerless support system.

Personal and corporate prayer breaths in the oxygen of God's Presence. The Person of the Risen Christ is seated at His right hand interceding for those who bring their prayers to Him in the name of Jesus. The Power of the Holy Spirit interprets to God even the groaning of the people who know they need to pray, but don't know how to put what they need into words.

Years ago, a small pamphlet was produced, "My Heart, Christ's Home." It described the life of a believer as a floor plan that included various rooms. It explained that most people would invite Jesus to come into their heart, but never make Him feel at home. He would be left in the foyer, or entry area of the believer's heart, but never invited to enter every room. The absence of Christ's Presence in every area of life will always result in a lack of power for living.

The Practice of Prayer: Find a place in your home or a time in your day that could be set apart as place for the purpose of prayer. Get in touch with the Architect of Heaven and Earth, and allow Him to look at your floor plans, and invite Him to start simplifying your life, and designing it around Him.

Thought for the Day: People's lives are like a house with many rooms. These rooms represent strategic and sometimes essential areas of life, like a Finance Room, Family Room, Work Room, or School Room. At times of crisis there may be a Hospital Room or some other addition made to the floor plan. The simplest design should include a Prayer Room that will establish and maintain the lines of communication between the Heavenly Father and His child.

"Our one great business is prayer, and we will never do it well unless we fasten to it by all binding force." E.M. Bounds

The Prayer Principle of Justification

""this man went to his house justified...He who humbles himself will be exalted." Luke 18:10-14

The Prayer Principle of Justification

Principle: Justification is the singular act of Sovereign God. He declares a person to be right in His eyes, by an act of His will, but He responds to a humble heart not eloquent speech.

Being justified means to be declared right by God. Prayer is not the means by which prideful and inflated posers convince God of their eloquence, in order to receive the judgment they think they are due. It is the tool God offers to sinful and separated people to humble themselves before Him. to receive the forgiveness they know they do not deserve.

When Jesus related the difference between the prayer of the sinful profiteer and the self-righteous Pharisee, He was focusing on the condition of their hearts, not the eloquence of their words. Seven words were all it took for one man to be forgiven, "God, be merciful to me, the sinner!" (Luke 18:13)

Jesus said, "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself shall be humbled, but he who humbles himself shall be exalted." (Luke 18:14)

For a prayer warrior to move from basic training to proficiency in the use of prayer as the world class weapon in the battle against evil, pride must be put down, and prayer must be picked up. There is no hope for justification, or intercesssion where pride is preeminent. Prayerless people are prideful people who refuse to humble themselves before a Holy God. For people to be justified, there must be point at which they arewilling to admit to God and to themselves, their case is hopeless. They stand before Holy God, and plead their case best, when they throw themselves on the mercy of God.

The bridge burned between a sinner and God is utterly unable to rebuilt, without God sending His Son to restore what was destroyed. In an instant, God can point a humble person to Jesus as The Bridge. Jesus restores the route by which the repentant sinner can return home to his forgiving Father. Sin has cost the sinner something that can only be restored by the price that Jesus paid, by dying the cross for his sin. Prayer is the key, and Jesus is The Door. Prayer unlocks The Door, by which a humble heart can enter and be transformed into a holy heart, set apart for the purpose of God. "I am the door; if anyone enters through Me, he shall be saved." (John 10:9) Jesus is The Bridge, and offers the only way to God. "I am the way, the truth and the life. No man comes to the Father, but by Me." (John 14:6)

The confession of the repentant man caught the eye of Jesus, because it touched the heart of God. When confessed sin has been forgiven, it need not be repeated in prayer, as if it was never heard. Admitting to God what He already knows and receiving from Him what only He can give is a very liberating experience. It is meant to be carried out as naturally as the process of breathing.

Breathe out = confess you sins. Breathe in = receive forgiveness. If people get hyperventilated about their sin, it is because they forget to breath in and receive the forgiveness that is available to them. They are justified, and now their fellowship with God is restored. The joy of being justified is in discovering a forgiveness that leaves a sense of well-being... "Just if I'd never sinned."

When justified people forget the joy of their forgiveness, they keep coming to God and repeating a confession that has been removed from His sight. What God forgives, He forgets. He no longer holds it against the sinner, like an overdue debt or account that must be collected. When a forgiven sinner brings up the matter again and again, God might very well say, "What are you talking about?"

The Practice of Prayer: Confess any known sin to God today. If you can't think of anything, give God a chance to remind you. You might be surprised. This may take a while, but it will start a new discipline to keep your sins confessed up to date. This declaration makes you right in God's eyes, and all your sin has been removed from His Presence, by the blood of Jesus. "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (I John 1:9)

Thought for the Day: Being declared right by God is not initiated by eloquent prayer. It is celebrated by the repentant person who prays to be made right by God.

"For a successful season of prayer, the best beginning is confession." Charles Haddon Spurgeon

The Prayer Principle of Expectation

"...how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" Luke 11:13

The Prayer Principle of Expectation

Principle: Believing prayer is characterized by a childlike expectancy that is based on a complete trust in a loving Father.

Luke's account reveals that Jesus believed that His prayers would be heard. Not only did He expect them to be heard, He had great confidence that His Father would answer them. He fully believed that God was not holding out on His children, but longed to give them "much more" than they could ever comprehend.

Jesus referred to the Person of The Holy Spirit as, The Promise of The Father. He wanted His followers to know that His Father was the ultimate promise keeper. The unbroken relationship that Jesus had with His Father would be offered to His followers and sealed by the Holy Spirit.

Jesus wanted His followers to pray to His Father with a childlike, "much more" expectancy. The Holy Spirit would interpret their prayers to God, and Jesus would intercede for them at the right hand of God. The child of God could expect an answer from the heavenly Father that would have their best interest at heart.

Believing prayer approaches God with the expectation of receiving an abundant response to a personal request. A childlike expectancy accompanies believing prayer. It places trust in a loving Father who longs to give what is best to His children.

Nothing is too small or too great for a child to bring to a parent. Almost everything looks too big to them, so they are accustomed to asking for help. Little children cannot discern what they need, from what they want. They need a loving parent to equip them with the value system and the problem solving skills that enable them to cope with the issues that they face in life.

Believing prayer does not try to determine if a request is valid or not. The childlike prayer warrior leaves that in the hands of The One who will make the decision. Believing prayer rests on the lap of God, and simply asks. The judgment of the request is placed in the hands of God for Him to determine whether the request is a need or merely a want.

Most of the time, life is filled intimidating circumstances and irritating people. It can be overwhelming to the most seasoned prayer warrior. Prayer is not the time to "MAN UP!" It is the time for a child of God to "Climb Up!" into the lap of God, and look to Him for the Promise of His Presence.

The Practice of Prayer: Is there any problem you are trying to solve without asking God to help you? Let go and let God take over. Write it down on paper, to get it off of your shoulders and into God's hands. You never know how "much more" God can do, until you pray.

Thought for the Day: What sounds mature to prayerless people is really childish gibberish to God. Only a fool would say, "I can do it myself!," when God is ready and willing to respond to his cry for help.

"Believing prayer transfers a promise of God into the middle of your problem." Don Miller

The Prayer Principle of Participation

"And He said to them, 'When you pray...' " Luke 11:2

The Prayer Principle of Participation

Principle: Participation in prayer is a matter of "WHEN" not a matter of "IF."

The words of Jesus are held up for all to see at the entrance to The School of Prayer. They bring to mind the sign that stands beside all the great rides at The State Fair of Texas. "You have to be this tall to ride this ride." It is a basic standard that even a child knows must be met before the thrills begin. It is always a bittersweet experience to watch little children be stopped at the entrance, and measured to see if they are ready for the ride of their lives. They pop their little vertebrae to stretch as tall as they can, and hope they meet the standard. Their eyes gleam with anticipation, but all hell breaks loose if they are turned away. There is a great similarity to the standard Jesus holds for all who would enter His Kingdom. Prayer is meant to be an entrance standard that prayer warriors embrace with anticipation, not shrink from in intimidation.

Jesus expected His disciples to have an active not a passive participation in prayer. He did not consider prayer to be an option or a conditional part of the life of the believer. He held prayer to be one of the basic expressions of righteousness. He never withdrew God's blessing from what Jewish culture saw as vital signs of righteousness: praying, giving, and fasting.

Jesus knew His disciples could no more thrive in His Kingdom without praying than they could survive on earth without breathing. By the use of the word "when" not "if," Jesus assumed it would be done. He did not tell His disciples to pray if they felt like it, or if it was convenient, or if they were in the right mood.

Jesus did not rate prayer as the highest achievement of the dedicated few or religious elite. It was presented as a basic requirement in the core curriculum of The School of Prayer. It was not a graduate course. It was expected to be a vital part of the daily schedule of every incoming freshman.

The Practice of Prayer: When will you pray? The answer to this one small question must not go begging. When you pray, your life will be opened to a whole new level of power. You will never know it, until you pray. Fail to pray, and you will plan to fail. When is it going to begin?

The Thought for the Day: Jesus intends for his people to pray. It is a matter of "when" and not "if."

"There is no power like that of prevailing prayer; it turns ordinary mortals into men of power. It brings life. It brings God." Samuel Chadwick

The Prayer Principle of Exemplification

"Lord, teach us to pray." Luke 11:2-4

The Principle of Exemplification

Principle: An informed prayer warrior knows how to pray, but an exemplary prayer warrior inspires people to pray.

The examples of the prayer life of Jesus and the prayer life of John the Baptist made a profound impact upon their disciples. When they prayed, others were inspired by a hunger to pray like them.

Those who enter the School of Prayer will discover the major degree offered is inspiration, not information. The disciples did not ask Jesus how to pray. They asked Him to them to pray. They did not know what they were asking. The lessons that would be required of them would be long and hard. The course of study would drain them of their self-confidence, until they came to the place in life where they would hunger to pray. Chuck Swindoll once said, "Those who have endured the stinging experiences are the choicest counselors God will ever use." He could have been talking about prayer warriors too.

Those who graduate from the School of Prayer do not receive a diploma to hang on the wall. They never allow themselves to think they have arrived. They practice what they already know how to do, but every day will challenge them with something new that brings them to God in prayer. It is this kind of consistency and perseverance in prayer that inspires others to do the same thing.

Learning how to pray, and practicing prayer are two different things. One is academics, and the other is dynamics. One instructs the brain, and the other inspires the heart.

WARNING! AVOID ALL SUBSTITUTES FOR PRAYER!

• Writing about prayer


• Reading about prayer
  
• Thinking about prayer


• Studying about prayer
  
• Singing about prayer


• Preaching about prayer
  

None of the honorable activities listed above are actually prayer. They serve a noble purpose, but they lack the intimacy that can only be developed between a Father and His child when they establish prolonged, personal connection through prayer. These other things may inform, but they seldom inspire others to pray.

Prayer is the intimate communication between the Father and His child. Prayer warriors are motivated to pray when they eavesdrop on another person's conversation with God. When they hear someone else pray, they would love to be on the same level of communication with God, but they are forced to admit they don't know Him intimately enough. When they discover what they have been missing, they pray with an intensity to develop an intimacy that they never want to lose.

Very seldom are people inspired to pray until God allows a need to come into their lives. When that need brings a potential prayer warrior to the end of self-sufficency, their prayer life gathers momentum. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, He had to know they were asking for more than they could have imagined. Prayer would become more than a devotional exercise for them. It would be a tool used for survival in the early days of their ministry, and later a weapon of warfare. Their intimacy with God would become so intense it would lead them to embrace death as the ultimate victory over their enemy.

This week a seasoned prayer warrior sent out this text message, as he prepares himself for the final battle. "Doctor has diagnosed me with a rare form of leukemia. Prognosis is not good for earth, but for heaven in a few months. Thanks 4 ur prayer." Avery Willis

The Practice of Prayer: When does your prayer life develop intensity and intimacy? Is it when things are going well or then things are going wrong? Does your prayer life inspire others to pray?

Thought for the Day: There is a difference bewteen knowing how to pray and praying what we know.

'The greatest prayer found in the Bible is formed by the five words, 'Lord, teach us to pray!" Don Miller

The Prayer Principle of Revelation

"I praise You, O Father, Lord of Heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed them to infants. Yes, Father, because this is well-pleasing in your sight." Luke 10:11

The Prayer Principle of Revelation

Principle: Extraordinary prayer infuses God's EXTRA into ordinary people whose only claim to fame is their child like faith.

Most people can remember the day that they thought their Daddy could do anything. He was the source for every answer, and the solution to every problem. Whenever they were in doubt or in fear they would run to Daddy. As the years passed by, and the older people get, they begin to lose confidence in their old man, and gain more confidence in themselves. Maturity does require a certain degree of independence, but in spiritual matters, a Christ follower should never grow out of their child like trust in The Father.

In the Oscar winning movie, "Chariots of Fire," the worldly-wise coach gave an ambitious young athlete this expert advice, "I cannot put in what God left out." He placed a disclaimer on his own coaching credentials, and deflated any false expectations on the part of a would-be champion with this one short, yet profound statement.

Jesus was walking with His disciples, while He was praying. This is the way Jesus lived. He prayed without ceasing, and God kept answering His prayers. This prayer of praise lifted up to His Father was a genuine expression of gratitude for what God had revealed about Jesus to Peter.

For Peter to grasp this truth, God had to have been at work in his life. Jesus knew there could be no other source for this insight into the redemptive plan of God. Thankfully, the school of prayer has a very active preschool division. Peter was a big man with a little faith, and that is all God needed to reach into his heart and reveal who Jesus really was.

There are times when people get educated far beyond their capacity to comprehend the truth of God. Chuck Swindoll, President of Dallas Theological Seminary, put it in perspective for his students this way, "You need to get the best education you can, and get over it as soon as possible."

Fortunately, child-like faith is all God needs to build a man or woman of God. Jesus was interceding for the Twelve as they walked and talked with Him. When asked to answer, "Who do you say that I am?" Peter responded with a confident, and outspoken affirmation that Jesus was the Christ, the Son of the Living God. Jesus knew that God, and Jesus knew Peter. He was immediately aware that God had revealed this truth to the big fisherman. No man had been able to take the infant sized faith of Peter, and turn it into this giant sized statement of truth.

God's truth is cultivated in the climate of prayer. Truth spoken is not necessarily truth received. Truth heard is not always truth comprehended. Jesus softened the ground of Peter's heart by praying for Him, and God did the rest.

God's people are capable of EXTRAordinary insight into the word of God. The man or woman of God, praying for their people to receive the message of God, will not be disappointed in the work of God. God alone is able to bring insight to people who need to know the answer to the question when Jesus asks them, "Who do you say that I am?"

Jesus was praying, Peter was walking, and God's Spirit was working. This is a simple and yet profound picture of prayer shows the way God has of stepping into the ordinary, and adding something EXTRA.

Jesus never got over watching His Father work in the lives of the people He loved. Jesus rejoiced in what God taught Peter, and immediately broke out in praise for what He had done. This should encourage prayer warriors to pray for even the most infantile of the faithful, and expect God to do something extraordinary in their lives too.

EXTRA ordinary people achieve extraordinary results based on what God does through them, not what they do for God. They have no delusions about their ability. However, they have great confidence in God. Like little children, they believe their Father can do anything, and they are excited about getting to do it with Him. God loves to amaze the world with what His children can do.

The Practice of Prayer: Answer these two questions. What are you doing that can be done without the power of God? What are you attempting to do for God that does not require a leap of faith?

Thought for the Day: The childish faith prays, "Daddy, look at me!" The child-like faith prays, "Daddy, show me what you can do!"

"God does not want a partnership with us, but ownership of us." Leonard Ravenhill

The Prayer Principle of Transformation

"He took along Peter, John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray, and while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming." Luke 9:28-29

The Prayer Principle of Transformation

Principle: When prayer does not change things, it changes people. Changed people are used by God to change the world.

Twice, Luke uses four words to describe the prayer life of Jesus, "while He was praying." The first time we see these words they precede His baptism. This time He is praying with three of His disciples. Each time, God did something very special in the life of Jesus, while He was praying. God honors preaching, serving, and giving, but He releases His greatest power and highest purpose, while His people are praying.

At the mountain prayer meeting, even the disciples were able to experience the overflow of this powerful prayer connection between Jesus and His Father. This was a mountain top experience like no other in history. When they saw, Elijah, and Moses speaking with Jesus, they wanted to memorialize the occasion with a building program. God intervened, and told them to listen to His Son.


Praying people will never relegate Jesus to an equal status with a mere historical figure or a contemporary celebrity. A prayer warrior with a weakened prayer life will always desire to hear more from man than from God. Racing through a book written by the Christian celebrity of the moment and skipping the Scripture references is a warning sign of this kind of condition.


Prayer does not always change the circumstances that surround God's people. Prayer does focus the attention of His children on the One who does not change, "Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday, today, and tomorrow." (Hebrews 13:8) It is the focus on God's Promise that changes people. These changed people change the world.

When prayer does not change circumstances, it will change the way a prayer warrior responds to the circumstances. Prayer brings about a transformation in the life of praying people, when they focus their attention on the Promise rather than their problem.

Jesus invited Peter, James and John to join Him for a unique encounter with God. They must have gloried in the experience and anticipated receiving privileged positions and awesome power. Jesus focused on God. They focused on sleep. When the three disciples woke up they saw Jesus talking with Moses and Elijah, overheard them talking about the departure of Jesus for Jerusalem. This was the first time Moses had stepped foot in the Promise Land. Elijah's prophetic perseverance had been honored, by receivng a personal explanation from the lips of the Messiah.

While He was praying, the appearance of Jesus became different even though the circumstances around Him did not change. He knew His privileged position as the Christ meant a death on the cross. Jesus was tempted, but would not choose to avoid this death, because "while He was praying" His will would always be conforming to the will of God. He received the circumstances of the cross, and fulfilled His purpose for coming to earth.

"While He was praying" indicates Jesus focused on the Presence of God, not the pain of the cross. By praying, He put Himself in the only position that would lead to an encounter with God. His appearance was transformed, but His misson remained the same. He would still go to the cross, but He was transformed by His time alone with God.

The circumstances would not change, but His appearance was transformed, by the Presence of God. Prayer takes people beyond their personal preferences and into intimate communication with God. When Jesus prayed, it had an impact on Him that others will be able to see.

Time alone with God is not meant to be a way out, but a time out. Any exhausted athlete knows the words of Vince Lombardi still ring true, "Fatigue makes cowards of us all." Prayer provides the courage that removes fear from the heart, and transforms weaklings into warriors. These warriors make their greatest stand, when they kneel down. While they are praying, God changes them, and the world can see the difference.

The Practice of Prayer: Make a list of the intimidating people and infuriating circumstances that rob you of your joy in life. Place this list before God, and pray for an encounter with Him that will change you into the person God wants you to be in the midst of the circumstances that surround you. Stay in His Presence long enough for your joy to grow and your list to shrink.

Thought for the Day. Can people tell when you have been in prayer?

"The great people of the earth are the people who pray. I do not mean those who talk about prayer, nor those who say they believe in prayer, nor yet those who can explain about prayer, but I mean those people who take time to pray." S. D. Gordon

The Prayer Principle of Insulation

"And it happened that while He was praying alone, the disciples were with Him, and He questioned them." Luke 9:18

The Prayer Principle of Insulation

Principle: Prayer has the capacity to enable a prayer warrior to benefit from the Presence of God, without interference from the presence of people.


Complete solitude and absolute silence are not prerequisites for a prayer warrior to establish a layer of insulation between the Presence of God, and the interference of others. It is possible to be "alone" in a crowded plane, a busy sidewalk, traffic gridlock or an intimidating classroom. Intimacy with God is not limited to a pristine sanctuary or retreat.


God is not limited by time and space. He is available for immediate intimacy and instant communication. Regardless of the circumstances and conditions of surrounding the seeker, God is near, and He is listening. The Scripture portrays this "prayer paradox" when it describes Jesus surrounded by His disciples, and yet He is alone with God in prayer.


Jesus had established intimacy with God, by praying as He walked to the city of Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16). His conversation with God was not interrupted by the general crowd noise of others around Him. In fact, the conversations He overheard were most likely a stimulus rather than a hindrance to His time with God.


It appears Jesus may have been praying for God to give His disciple's insight concerning His true identity. His question sought to discover if God had responded to His request. Peter passed the oral exam with high marks for insight and sensitivity to the revelation of God. In Matthew's account, Jesus rejoiced that God accomplished through prayer, what flesh and blood could not achieve: spiritual insight. Effective prayer calls for God to reveal Himself to others. It asks God to do what only He can do, and accomplish something only He can get credit for.


The Practice of Prayer: Practice the Presence of God by identifying the times and places you need to be able to insulate yourself. Surround yourself with the Presence of God, by getting alone with Him. Pray to Him and hear from Him, in spite of the crowded conditions surrounding you.


Thought for the Day: As long as there is a math class, there will be prayer in schools.


"It is not enough for the pastors to pray fervently, nor is it sufficient for a leadership team to pray ardently on behalf of the congregation. Until the church owns prayers as a world class weapon in the battle against evil and cherishes prayer as a means of intimate and constant communication with God, the turn around efforts of a body are severely limited, if not altogether doomed, to failure." George Barna

The Principle of Multiplication

The Principle of Multiplication

Principle: Placing our resources into God's hands, increases our dependency upon Him and releases His blessing towards us.

"...looking up to Heaven. He blessed them, and broke them, and kept giving them to the disciples to put before the multitude." Luke 9:16

When "The Twelve" came to Jesus, they gave Him a directive rather than ask Him for a sense of direction. They probably loved being seen as the leaders of a great movement, but they did not see themselves as responsible for those who were following them. They advised Jesus to send the people away, so they could fend for themselves. Jesus turned their advice to Him ,into an assignment for them. "You give them something to eat!" (Luke 9:13)

More than once, God has allowed His children to come to the end of their rope, in a desolate place. He doesn't want them to make more rope, so the ends can meet between the end of themselves and the beginning of God. He calls on His children to fall from the end of their limited or exhausted resources, and into His hands. They find their rest, when they pray their best, for what only God can do.

When Jesus told His disciples to provide food for 5,000 men, from their own resources, they were faced with the hopelessness of their situation. "We have not more than five loaves and two fish, unless perhaps we go and buy food for all these people." (Luke 9:13b)

John is the only one of the four Gospel writers who tells us the resources did not even come from the disciples, but from a small boy. "There is a lad here who has five barley loaves and two fish, but what are these for so many people?" (John 6:9)

Jesus told the disciples to seat the people in groups of fifty, took what a child made available to Him, and thanked God for it. What was going through the disciples minds, while they were seating the people is not recorded. Setting the table for a banquet in a desolate place surely prompted one of the twelve to mutter, "This is going to take a miracle."

When they took what they had and placed it in His hands, a miracle took place. Jesus wants His people to let Him turn the impossible into the HIMpossible. "And He took the five loaves and the two fish, and looking up to heaven, He blessed them, and broke them and kept giving them to to the disciples to set before the multitude. And they ate and were satisfied." (Luke 9:16)

God specializes in impossible situations. He has no desire for His people to pool their resources and talents to determine what they can do for Him. Furthermore, He does not want to be given credit for their small dreams and minor accomplishments. It is embarrassing to think how many times the Kingdom of God has been blamed for the efforts of man.

Things seldom start looking up until down hearted people look up to God in prayer. Prayer turns their faces away from the hopelessness of their situation. Prayer enables a person to look up to God in hopefulness, for the resources of Heaven. Prayer warriors find out that nothing is impossible with God.

Jesus showed the disciples that a concern for others would not mean they would have to do without. "And they all ate and were satisfied, and the broken pieces which they had left over were picked up, twelve baskets full." (Luke 9:17)

Isn't it just like God to take the broken pieces, in a desolate place, to remind His children that He cares for them? No matter what their need may be or where the place may be, God is there to receive what they give to Him, and do His best with it. He desires for His children to trust Him to meet them and their need right there in the middle of it.

The Practice of Prayer: What are you praying for that is impossible? Whatever it is, the harder the better, start praying for it today!

Thought for the Day: What is not going to happen unless God takes the field? You won't embarrass God by asking Him to do something that you cannot do. Life only becomes embarrassing for you, when you to attempt to do something you have no business doing. When you come to the end of your rope, stop making rope. Fall into the Father's hands, with all you have, to receive all that He has for you.

"Man's extremity is God's opportunity." George Whitefield (1714-1770)

The Prayer Principle of Authorization

"For I too am a man under authority." Luke 7:8

The Prayer Principle of Authorization

Principle: God releases His power, through praying people who choose to be under His authority.

Luke's account of the exchange between the Roman centurion, and Jesus provides an ancient story that clarifies a contemporary application of the power of prayer.

The Roman centurion was a stranger, and an invader in the land of Israel. He had discovered the key to the hearts of the people, his emperor had sent him to subjugate and dominate. He loved them. When his servant was near death, he entreated his Jewish friends to plead his case to Jesus.

The Bible says, "When he heard about Jesus, he sent some Jewish elders asking Him to come and save the life of his slave." (Luke 7:3) This simple statement is loaded with significance. The elders of the village were the men who spoke for the people, and settled disputes among them. The occupying Romans were a thorn in the side of any Jewish authority. The Jews were conquered people and subjects of a foreign king. The centurion was his representative, and was authorized by Rome to do what was necessary to subjugate the people of Israel. Somehow, this Roman centurion had found a way to honor his king, and win the respect of the people he was sent to rule over. Nation building is not a new concept. Soldiers know instinctively that wars are not won solely on the battle field, but in the hearts of men.

For a nation at war the Middle East, the next passage of Scripture gives a glimpse into the art of war that soldiers on the battlefield in every century have learned to implement, in very tough assignments. The Romans had won the war with the Jews, but the continued occupation of their land was not likely to win their hearts. However, one centurion had found a way to do it. "And when they had come to Jesus, they earnestly entreated Him saying, 'He is worthy for You to grant this to him; for he loves our nation, and it was he who built us our synagogue.' Now Jesus started on His way with them." (Luke 7:4-5)

Jesus went with the elders in response to the request He received from the centurion. The Jewish pleas of intercession on behalf of a Gentile must have stirred His heart. As he approached the home of the soldier, another delegation arrived, "...the centurion sent friends saying to Him, 'Lord, do not trouble Yourself further, for I am not worthy for You to come under my roof; for this reason I did not consider myself worthy to come to You, but just say the word, and my servant will be healed.' " (Luke 7:6-7)

This statement, figuratively and literally stopped Jesus in his tracks. The friends of the centurion went on to explain his reasoning. Halting Him was not a matter of any disrespect he held for Jesus, but a recognition of The One True God who was in authority over Jesus. "For I, too, am a man under authority with soldiers under me, and I say to this one, 'Go!' and he goes; and to another; 'Come!' and he comes; and to my slave, 'Do this!' and he does it.' "

Ron Dunn, a heaven sent teacher of the Word of God, pointed to this passage as the key issue in the life of the believer. Ron has been in heaven since July of 2001, but his insight into this principle remains one of the guiding lights of contemporary Christianity. Ron would say this passage is often misunderstood. When it is read, prideful ears do not hear what Jesus heard. The bible says "a man under authority." Most of the time people read this, and understand it to say, "in authority." The correct understanding of the statement reveals where the power of Jesus comes from. The wrong reading reveals where pride believes it comes from. Jesus was under the authority of God. The Gentile, Roman centurion sensed this in the life of Jesus.

People who seek to be in authority, without being under authority, will never know the full power of The Authority. God has ordained prayer to be the means of communication by which He delivers His power and Presence in the life of the believer. Prayerless people are prideful people. Prayerless pastors do not sense any need for the fullness of God's Presence and power, because they are full of themselves. They believe their past performance or present position are sufficient proof of their importance to God and the people they are called to serve. Appearances can be deceiving.

Jesus was profoundly moved, by the insight of the centurion. He recognized God was at work in the life of Jesus, because the Son could be trusted to carry out the will of the Father. He
saw between God and Jesus, the existence of a synergistic relationship. It was similar enough to the one he had with his own king, that he could see with the eyes of faith into the unseen hand of God at work. "Now when Jesus heard this, He marveled at him, and turned and said to the multitude that was following Him, 'I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such great faith.' " (Luke 7:9)

The amazing insight of the Roman centurion brought great commendation from Jesus. His discernment was based upon his experience as a soldier under the Emperor of Rome. He knew his power was derived from someone greater than himself. It was only available to him, if he maintained his submission and obedience to this higher authority. The centurion recognized this dynamic in Jesus. It was His proper relationship under the authority of God that allowed Jesus to be a representative of God's power on earth. The principle is the same for every soldier in the army of God. Jesus set the pattern. To be a public dispenser of God's authority, He knew He must first be under God's authority. No servant is greater than his Master.

The Practice of Prayer: Do people in authority rub you the wrong way? Do you chaff under the exercise of authority in your life? Do you struggle to be on your own, or to have your own way? Do you undermine people in authority over you? Do you always have a better idea, keener insight, and infallible hindsight, when you evaluate those to whom you are accountable? Pray for them, and ask God, "What do you want me to learn from You by being under Your authority?

Thought for the Day: A position of authority is no guarantee of the Presence of God's power. God grants His power to people who come to Him in prayer, and yield themselves to His authority over their lives.

"Prayer is the slender nerve that moves the muscle of omnipotence." Charles Haddon Spurgeon