Targeted Prayer
Imagine going to war and just shooting bullets in the air randomly when your opponent is in the completely opposite direction. Even worse, imagine not knowing the direction in which you opponent is located and just letting loose with no target. What about trying to use the wrong type of weapon? You have a bow and arrow while your opponent has tankers and missiles or shooting with no bullets. Imagine! You would never do that, right?
The real but sad truth is that this approach or lack thereof is modus operandi for many in the place of prayer, especially as relates to warfare, territorial and intercessory prayers all of which often require strategy.
The real but sad truth is that this approach or lack thereof is modus operandi for many in the place of prayer
Carrying on in this manner i.e. without any strategy can often make one feel that they are constantly in a seemingly lost battle. I say ‘seem’ because the truth is that the battle has already been won for us through the finished work of Christ but we will not walk in this reality already obtained for us if we don’t pray effectively. Heaven will be cheering us on, like “go girl you can do it, you can overcome, victory is right in front of you, it is already done” but yet one’s experience would say otherwise. A lack of applied strategy is tiring and ineffective. It is like constantly praying a miss, constantly (James 4:3).
Now please don’t get me wrong, as I am not suggesting that all persisting issues where the answer to prayer has been in progress for a long time fall into this category. Stamina and staying power are always required in prayer. In fact, the right approach strategy wise helps with developing stamina.
When we say strategy in prayer it can often be misconstrued and viewed as maybe being too religious, legalistic or even not scriptural. I remember many years ago mentioning something about wanting to learn how to pray strategically to a friend and their reaction suggested I was getting into something questionable. At the time, I kind of looked up to them spiritual growth wise so I was none the wiser and assumed it must be wrong. All praise be to God I know better now!
Let’s look at what scripture says.
For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds - 2 Corinthians 10:4
For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places - Ephesians 6:12
These two scriptures tells us the following:
Warfare exists
The warfare is actually not physical even though some of the manifestations may be physical
These battles are against strongholds; principalities, powers, and rulers of darkness
There are weapons in this warfare
The weapons we need to overcome are not carnal but are found in God
These weapons in God are mighty
These weapons in God pull down strongholds
Considering this, one thing is clear. These weapons are NOT carnal but are spiritual so we must operate from that realm. The obvious question is how does this equate to strategy?
Before we explore this, let’s look at Ephesians 6:11.
Put on the whole armour of God, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil - Ephesians 6:11
We are told to put on the whole armour of God, that we may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. From this we know there is armour we must put on, the devil has schemes and God wants us to stand against them. At the very least, every true believer is required to put on this armour because whether we know it or not we are in a war. Just by having breathe in our body we are enrolled in an army the only choice we make is the actual army we subscribe to. Our yes to Jesus (i.e. salvation) puts us in the army of the Lord.
Saint, you are a soldier!!! It is important we know this and realise that soldiers do not operate carelessly.
Strategy & Prayer
In simple terms, the basis of this strategy is revelation and wisdom. Revelation uncovers a thing and wisdom provides the direction on how to apply this revealed knowledge. This knowledge comes from God and is made known to us through His Spirit. The Lord has given us the access through His spirit to this knowledge to help us to pray.
Throughout scripture, we see God guiding His people especially those that consulted Him on what to do.
David (1 Samuel 30:8): David inquired about whether he should pursue the enemy and the Lord gave him strategy, ‘pursue, overtake recover all’
Jehoshaphat & the people of Judah (2 Chronicles 20:13 - 22): the Lord gave them details of where exactly their enemy was and what to do
Gideon (Judges 6:25): The Lord told Gideon to destroy his Father’s altar
Daniel (Daniel 9:22): The angel came to Daniel and said, ‘I have now come to give you insight and wisdom and understanding’
In prayer, a lot of people engage by shooting arrows in every direction without sufficient intelligence, background or strategy. The thing is as believers, we do have access to this information needed to help us pray effectively but there is a lack of awareness of even having this advantage of access. The enemy takes advantage of this continuously and it becomes a vicious cycle of defeat. One that we often become used to without even realising we are operating in cycles of dysfunction.
One of the biggest lies a believer can ever subscribe to is that ignorance is bliss. That statement is wildly dangerous for a believer to come into agreement with. The truth is that ignorance is not bliss nor is it an excuse. Ignoring the problem by pretending it is not there is just as bad.
My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge; because you have rejected knowledge - Hosea 4:6
How can we be strategic?
God desires that we are strategic i.e. we receive the revelation He makes available to us and through wisdom, we apply this. So often, it is not only the lack of knowledge that hinders us but our mindset, habits we have formed, traditions and so on.
The hypocrite with his mouth destroys his neighbour, But through knowledge the righteous will be delivered - Proverbs 11:6
Here are some practical things we can do to become more effective in prayer:
Relationship with God - cultivate a genuine relationship with God. Don’t just talk about intimacy with God, be about it! Don’t view prayer as a one way conversation where you constantly tell God how and what you would like Him to do. Ask God what is on His heart. what He would like you to partner with Him on. Intentionally take time to hear God and practice moments of silence in His presence.
Do the not so basic basics - The basics here are actually not basic in terms of importance as they are hugely necessary in the life of a believer. Develop a habit of studying the Word, meditating on the Word, having times of fellowship, fasting, giving, confessing the word and other spiritual disciplines.
Research Research Research!!! - Research will help you understand the terrain be it a region, person or circumstance. This is usually referred to as spiritual mapping. For example, if you are interceding for a certain jurisdiction understanding the region, its background, history, key events, the nature of the people, spiritual history and so on will make you so much more effective.
Ask questions - Inquire of the Lord and those He leads you to. Don’t be afraid to ask difficult questions just because of what you may uncover. Be rest assured that God is with you and that He reveals to redeem. Your inquiry and the information you discover is part of the journey to true freedom.
Break out of spiritual laziness - A Christian without a prayer life is a spiritual fatality waiting to occur. The only solution for a lack of prayer is prayer. It is kind of like exercise, the only way to get better at doing it is to start and be consistent. We also need to learn to adopt different modes of prayer as led by God.
In this regard, permit me to bust a myth about praying in tongues. Praying in tongues is great, life changing and I believe every believer should receive this gift. I do it a lot, it is my default mode of prayer and I will continue to do it until I am with Jesus but we should also pray by revelation and pray the scriptures. Praying in tongues for a period of time helps to gear you up and get you in tune with the spirit of God but please don’t see it as the end point. Move as the Spirit directs.
Be diligent and attentive - Jesus himself tells us to watch and pray in Matthew 26:41. don’t leave yourself open to the devices of even your own flesh. If you notice something not of god even in yourself, be quick to address it and nip it in the bud! Adopt the life principle of not letting these things drag on. Just as a mustard seed is small and grows to a very large tree, small things can become bigger than we can imagine. Furthermore, in this regard, God will likely also bring things to our attention either for awareness or action and it is important we respond accordingly in season. Ignoring the problem will not help it go away.
Understand the opponent - I am not suggesting you spend time doing a degree into demonology but you do need some knowledge of the opponent you are dealing with. One key thing to be aware of is that the opponent is extremely legalistic to the tee and that there is a court system in heaven in which he constantly reigns accusations on believers. We will delve into this another time but understanding this fact and how he operates based on this is critical.
There are many others but I will leave this here for now as I believe this is great food for action (not just thought!). I hope this compels you to rise up in the place of effective prayer. Go in the fullness of the Lord and be strategic in prayer!