That was something that Bill Johnson said once-- that God doesn't send His children into battles that He hasn't prepared them to win. He hasn't set His children up for failure, but for victory through Christ. And, of course, Beni Johnson's book, "The Happy Intercessor" (a true life-changer) was all about praying from a place of victory, and praying with confidence into the things that God gives us from His heart. A particularly sticking passage:
"God's yes together with our yes is what brings about breakthrough in prayer. I'm continually amazed that God would choose to partner with us. [...] He wants us to help build His Kingdom here on earth. Some of the prophetic acts that we do come from the Lord, but I think that some of the things that we do are good ideas that the Father says, 'Yeah, that's good.'
I am convinced that God likes my ideas. So, when I pray, I pray from a place of security."
Also, in my backlog of thoughts about prayer is a sermon that Seth Kniep gave once, the theme of which was "What would you pray for if you knew that God would answer 'yes'?" This sermon turned my idea of prayer on its head. The idea was that in anything that God wants to do, when we say "Yes?", God says, "YES." When we pray for that which originates in the heart of the Father (a deliberate, expanded, and specific version of "Your will be done"), we give permission for God to move in our midst and do what He has desired to do all along. Because so much of God's movement in our midst is predicated upon His invitation to do so-- as a friend of mine so aptly put it, "God doesn't steer a parked car". Asking God to do what God desires to do is a guaranteed "yes". As it says in II Corinthians 1:20, "
"For no matter how many promises God has made, they are 'yes' in Christ. And so, through Him, the 'Amen' is spoken by us to the glory of God."
In other words:
1) God promises
2) Jesus offers to fulfill promises
3) Through the Spirit of God, we know well enough to speak the "Amen, DO IT, God!"
4) God is glorified by the accomplishment of His will on the earth.
Anyway. All that to say that I love the opportunity to pray. I just LOVE prayer. I find it completely unbelievable that God gives us that kind of opportunity to affect change, and that the same God that decides where the lightning should go, and who holds the seas in jars in His cabinet wants to have a relationship with ME, which is defined on His favor for me, and His regard for the concerns of my heart, and His honoring the requests I make of Him. It's bizarre.
I have long struggled with ideas of authority in prayer....with prophesy, and with proclamations of various kinds....the name it/claim it brand of Charismatic Christianity / prosperity gospel that I don't necessarily jive with....
but today I got a really amazing opportunity to partner with God's heart in the lives of one of my friends, and it was just awesome. I met with this friend earlier in the day because he had wandered away from Christ, had been living in sin, and was experiencing some serious discouragement, doubt, and fear about losing his salvation. We had a really amazing conversation guided by John 1:35-43, and Jesus's responses to his new disciples. I asked Jesus what I should say before this friend arrived, and He led me to this passage, where Jesus says,
"What do you want?"
John's two disciples basically say, "We want to know where You're staying. We want to be close to you."
Jesus says, "Well, then, come along and see. Stay with me for a while."
One of these two disciples is Andrew, the brother of Peter. Andrew gets Peter, brings him to Jesus, and Jesus makes a prophetic declaration over him: "You will be called Cephas".
The next step is Jesus beginning His journey, and issuing the invitation "Follow me."
So, long story made short, I patterned my conversation after this pattern of Jesus's --
1) Inquire and understand what this person REALLY wants
2) Love. Invite them into close relationship and to share the life that God has given you.
3) Make a prophetic declaration.
4) Invite them to make a decision to follow Jesus.
The conversation was great and went really well.
I hurried from there to pick up my friend Megan so that we could go to Epic at Northridge Church. When I arrived at church, this same friend was already there. I was so pleased! God really seemed to be working in his heart during the service. It was a great message with great worship, and there were MANY, many tears. I was able to stand in the gap and battle for him as I watched God intervene in his heart, and it was awesome. Midway through the service, though, I got this very strong feeling that God wanted to give him new life through the Holy Spirit -- that God was present and so ready to just HAVE him once and for all. I knew that I wanted to pray with him after the service, prophesy over him, really just release God's joy and the fire of the Holy Spirit because God wanted to show up and make change!
Mitch, Rob, and Jakob came along too, which was amazing. I don't know exactly what God did, but He was there in the laying on of hands, through so many tears, manifest in laughter and feelings of electricity....we were able to just bathe him in prayer so thoroughly and prophesy over him and proclaim an end to his addictions, his hindrances, the scars on his life, and the distractions of worldly pleasures. He is a child of God, and this is his inheritance in Christ Jesus-- this is what God wants to give him through Christ, and Satan has no lingering power over this situation. We were permitted through Christ to DECLARE freedom over him, and DECLARE courage and power over him because Jesus has defeated sin and holds the keys to death and hades. End of story. It was amazing to be able to know that God was present in that moment, that God was listening attentively to what I was going to ask Him for, and that God was poised and waiting to answer, deliver, and manifest.
This is why I see intercessory ministry as such a gift. The Holy Spirit just ALWAYS goes with me. I never have to try to convince God that what I am asking for is important because it comes from HIS heart rather than mine. It is already important enough in His heart to share with me. And, like Beni said, I can pray from a place of confidence. I do not understand why God does what I ask of Him. All I know is that yesterday I asked Him to speak with me out of the storm, and I was immediately answered by the most beautiful lightning I've seen in my entire life. So I lingered outside in the storm to talk with Him a while. And when I asked Him for one last beautiful bolt for the road, He waited for me to step out into the full clearing and trust Him....and then, the brightest, loudest, most violent lightning bolt split the sky above me, and suddenly I knew the fear of the LORD. He is not safe AT ALL, but His love is as as great is His fury, and that storm was a mere TASTE of His fury. How great is His love!
So anyway. I've veered off-topic.
I love to pray.
That is all.
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