Main Summary: How to Pray Effectively by Pst Chris Oyakhilome is a book that unveils powerful prayer principles: faith, petition, agreement, intercession, prophetic prayer, and more. In it, you’ll embrace the spiritual weapon of praying God’s will, cultivate the habit of prayer, and be empowered in your life of prayer to the next level.
Lessons You’ll Learn From This Post
- Praying The Prayer of Faith
- You Have a Part to Play to Manifest Answers To Prayers
- Praying The Prayer Of Petition
- Praying With Your Human Spirit
- Praying The Prayer of Agreement
- Praying Intercessory Prayers
- Praying For Fellow Believers
- Praying For Your Needs
- Praying Prophetic Prayers
- The Prayer of Praise To God
Praying The Prayer of Faith
- The life of a believer is characterized by faith, which distinguishes him from an unbeliever and is essential for salvation.
- Faith is crucial in prayer, particularly in the prayer of faith, which involves making specific requests to God without doubt.
- Jesus emphasized having the God-kind of faith, which believes in the outcome before seeing it physically.
- Key principles of the prayer of faith:
- Specific desire: Requests must be clear and targeted towards a specific need.
- Seeing the unseen: Visualizing desired outcomes through faith, as exemplified by biblical figures like Abraham and Joshua.
- Using evidence: Faith is the evidence of things not seen, and believers should recognize and use spiritual evidence, such as prophecies or inner assurance when praying.
- Avoiding doubt: Doubt should be eliminated after praying, as it undermines faith and prevents the manifestation of desires.
- Dealing with doubt:
- In the mind: Refute doubtful thoughts using spiritual weapons such as prayer, speaking in tongues, and proclamation of God’s Word.
- In the spirit: Strengthen faith by acting on God’s Word, avoiding double-mindedness, and being fully persuaded of God’s promises.
- Confession is essential in the prayer of faith, as you must speak in agreement with God’s Word to manifest your desired outcome.
Also Read You’ve Already Got It by Andrew Wommack [Summary]
You Have a Part to Play to Manifest Answers To Prayers
- God never tasks you with something beyond your capability; if He instructs, you can achieve it.
- Alongside praying, it’s crucial to discern and fulfill your role as directed by the Holy Spirit.
- Understanding your part is vital; blindly praying without action might lead to unmet expectations.
- Joshua’s obedience to the Holy Spirit’s strategy led to the miraculous fall of Jericho’s walls.
- Many miss out on God’s promises due to ignorance of the Holy Spirit’s guidance.
- Communion with the Holy Spirit involves dialogue, enabling you to discern the steps to take.
- God’s intention isn’t for constant pleas but for you to utilize your authority and take action.
Praying The Prayer Of Petition
- A petition prayer is a formal plea with legal demands, entailing earnestness and intensity.
- Despite its seriousness, the effectiveness of a petition prayer isn’t necessarily tied to its length.
- Praying according to God’s will is crucial for success in petition prayers, focusing on how you ask rather than what you ask for.
- Asking in Jesus’ name signifies functioning in His stead, allowing you direct access to the Father without the need for intermediaries.
- Earnest, heartfelt, and continued prayers of petition make tremendous power available, working dynamically like dynamite.
- Elijah’s example illustrates the power of earnest, continued petition prayers, persisting until there’s a change.
- Many battles are lost due to prematurely stopping prayer, emphasizing the need for persistence and sacrifice in petition prayers.
- The prayer of petition is required in situations beyond personal control, such as legal disputes, government issues, or circumstances influenced by external forces.
- In Isaiah 43:26, God encourages you to present your arguments and reasons in prayer, reminding Him of His promises. As this is necessary for praying the prayer of petition.
- Prayer of petition is based on God’s Word: Acts 4:24-31 illustrates the apostles praying a petition rooted in Scripture, pleading their case before God based on His promises.
- Persistence is key in the prayer of petition. Elijah persisted in prayer, sending his servant to check for rain seven times, demonstrating the importance of continued fervent prayer.
- Elijah didn’t stop at prophesying rain but continued in prayer until rain fell. This emphasizes the importance of not ceasing in prayer even after receiving a prophetic word.
Also read The Power of A Praying Wife by Stormie Omartian [Summary]
Praying With Your Human Spirit
- Praying with the spirit, or in other tongues, is crucial for believers, although it’s often misunderstood by those who don’t practice it.
- Mark 16:17 indicates that speaking in tongues is a sign that follows believers, showing its importance for Christians.
- Praying in tongues refreshes and revives the believer, providing a spiritual recharge and sustaining enthusiasm for the things of God.
- Speaking in tongues allows you to be led by the Spirit, guiding you into truth and providing divine direction for your life.
- Praying in tongues enables you to communicate directly with God in a heavenly language, expressing things beyond human vocabulary.
- Through praying in tongues, you can discern and understand the will of God for your life, receiving divine guidance and revelation.
- Praying in tongues can lead to receiving God-ideas, providing solutions to challenges, and guidance for decision-making.
- Praying in tongues fills believers with the Holy Spirit, helping them maintain their spiritual fervor and enabling effective evangelism and ministry.
- Speaking in tongues connects you with the flow of the Holy Spirit, maintaining their spiritual glow and facilitating encounters with God.
Praying The Prayer of Agreement
- Jesus emphasized the power of agreement in prayer, promising that when two agree on earth concerning anything, it will be done by the Father in heaven (Matthew 18:19).
- When believers bind or loose on earth, it’s not about binding the devil in heaven but rather asserting authority backed by God’s Word and provision (Matthew 16:19).
- Requirements for Effective Agreement Prayer:
- Participants must be on earth.
- At least two individuals are needed.
- Consensus or agreement is essential.
- A definite request or petition is made.
- The prayer of agreement involves decreeing and establishing things authoritatively, based on the knowledge of God’s will and in alignment with Scripture (Job 22:28).
- Jesus’ assurance that anything agreed upon will be done by the Father implies limitless possibilities for believers (Matthew 18:19).
Also read The Name of Jesus by Kenneth Hagin [Summary]
Praying Intercessory Prayers
- The Holy Spirit and the believer both have intercessory ministries, which can be prompted by divine leading or personal initiative.
- Intercession involves praying for others without necessarily being prompted by the Holy Spirit but aligning with God’s Word.
- Through intercession, believers have the opportunity to make significant impacts in the world and bring about changes in circumstances.
- Rules for intercessory prayer include focusing on praying for others, persisting in prayer until the desired change occurs, and recognizing prayer as a privilege, command, and discipline.
- Intercession is not limited to unbelievers but extends to fellow believers as well, and it requires laboring fervently in prayer, sometimes with agonizing effort.
- Intercessors should guard against becoming callous to the needs of others and should respond to the prompting of the Spirit to pray for change.
- Developing the intercessor within requires consistent prayer practice, persistence, and discipline until prayer becomes natural and effective, leading to a sense of victory and joy in the spirit.
Praying For Fellow Believers
- Pray for fellow believers to grow in spiritual understanding and revelation of God’s Word.
- Intercede for others to receive the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God.
- Pray for believers to be filled with the knowledge of God’s will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding.
- Pray for believers to be strengthened with might by the Holy Spirit in their inner being.
- Pray for the revelation of the mystery of Christ dwelling in believers’ hearts by faith.
- Pray for believers to comprehend the depth of Christ’s love, which surpasses human knowledge.
- Pray for believers to have boldness in proclaiming the gospel and to speak with courage.
- Pray for believers’ love to abound more and more in knowledge and judgment, leading to sincere and righteous living.
Also Read Recreating Your World By Pst Chris Oyakhilome [Summary]
Praying For Your Needs
- All things are already yours according to 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.
- Understand that God is more willing to meet your needs than you are willing to receive them.
- Paul’s declaration in Philippians 4:19 reveals that God’s plan is not just to meet your needs but to supply them in surplus.
- Avoid making “give-me” prayers; instead, declare God’s promises over your needs.
- Voice the supply, not the need, by declaring what God has already provided.
- In the New Testament, we don’t pray like the Old Testament Jews; we claim what is already ours in Christ.
- Jesus’ redemptive work has empowered believers to call forth and receive their desires.
- Shift from being need-conscious to supply-conscious; understand that God is your ultimate source.
- Practice continual confession of God’s Word to align your thoughts and speech with His promises.
- Refuse ‘lack-consciousness’ and proclaim your Kingdom rights and privileges in Christ Jesus.
- Affirm Job 22:24-25 by declaring abundance and limitless supply in your life.
Praying Prophetic Prayers
- Prophetic prayer involves speaking the will and purpose of God into existence under the guidance and inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
- It is inspired by the Holy Spirit, revealing God’s plans and purposes to believers.
- It involves declaring future events or outcomes as if they have already occurred, based on God’s promises and faithfulness.
- This prayer reflects trust in God’s sovereignty and faithfulness to His promises, even in challenging circumstances.
- This kind of prayer is a potent weapon in spiritual warfare, asserting God’s authority and power over any situation.
- Prophetic prayers seek to align you with God’s purposes and kingdom agenda, focusing on seeing God’s will accomplished in every aspect of life.
Also Read You’ve Already Got It by Andrew Wommack [Summary]
The Prayer of Praise To God
- As a believer you are called to fellowship with God and serve as priests unto Him.
- The Old Testament temple consisted of three sections: the Outer Court, Inner Court, and Holy of Holies.
- Sacrifices in the Outer Court symbolized judgment, while those in the Inner Court signified worship.
- David prophetically foresaw a new era where worship would transcend traditional sacrifices, pleasing God more than mere rituals.
- Lifting holy hands in worship isn’t just symbolic but activates God’s power, as seen in the victories of Moses and Paul.
- Worship isn’t solely about emotions but requires a genuine connection with God’s Spirit and adherence to His Word.
- Examples from Scripture, such as Jehoshaphat’s victory and Paul and Silas’ prison escape, illustrate how praising God can release His power.
- Turning away from problems and focusing on God in worship can lead to miraculous breakthroughs, as seen in the testimonies of individuals like the Canaanite woman and the woman who poured perfume on Jesus’ feet.
In conclusion, this book offers a comprehensive guide to various forms of prayer, from the prayer of faith to prophetic prayers and intercessory prayers. By aligning with biblical principles and relying on the guidance of the Holy Spirit, you can experience the power and effectiveness of prayer in your life.
Finally, here is a question we’d love you to answer.
What steps can you take to shift from being need-conscious to supply-conscious in your prayer life, based on the principles outlined in this post?
We would love to hear from you, please leave your answer and comment in the comment box below.
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