Prayer of Defense Before Sleeping

Prayer of Defense Before Sleeping

                "Father, I come before you in prayer. I enter into your gates with thanksgiving and enter into your courts with praise¹. I praise you because you are worthy, holy, righteous, and just. I plead the blood  of Jesus over myself, my dwelling place, my spouse, my children, my car, my bank account and everything under my stewardship². I pray that your heavenly hosts, your angels, would guard this dwelling place round about, both above and below³. I will say of the Lord that you are my refuge and my fortress, my God, in you will I trust⁴. I thank you that you set a hedge of protection round about me and that no plague will come near my dwelling⁵. I thank you in advance that every curse, hex, spell, incantation, voodoo, sorcery, form of witchcraft, dark art or other form of weaponized demonic activity sent against me would be reversed upon the heads of the senders seven-fold that they would know that Jesus is Lord⁶. Moreover, I pray that every human spirit, fallen angelic spirit, or otherwise malevolent spirit attempting to come against me or my household would be apprehended by your heavenly hosts such that they cannot so much as set foot upon this property⁷. I pray that they would be escorted out to wherever the Lord Jesus sends them, pierced through with many arrows and discomfited by your lightning in the process, that they would know that Jesus is Lord⁸. Furthermore, I cancel and render powerless all attempts at mind-to-mind communication, dream manipulation, and all other forms of psychic and telepathic intrusion in the name of Jesus⁹. I thank you that all of my dreams are inspired by your Holy Spirit¹⁰. I declare that my sleep will be sweet, uninterrupted, and that upon waking I will be well rested¹¹. I also put on the armor of light¹². I take up the helmet of salvation, the breastplate of righteousness, the belt of truth, I declare that my feet are shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace, and I take up the shield of faith to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one, and the sword of the Spirit which is the Word of God¹³. I pray all of this in the mighty name of Jesus, Amen¹⁴.

Notes on the Prayer

¹ "Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name." (Psalm 100:4). Never stop giving thanks and praising God. I open every prayer with praise and thanksgiving. This will always lead to more powerful and effective prayers.

² "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death." (Revelation 12:10) The enemy hates the blood of Jesus because he is overcome by it. The power of His blood is an inarguable weapon in the believer's arsenal. The life is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11) and so every time the blood of Jesus is applied it is an application of the very life of Jesus Christ. It is an application of the power to cleanse sin (Colossians 1:14) and bring healing (1 Peter 2:24). It is one of three that bear witness to the resurrection and victory of Jesus Christ "in the earth" along with the water and the Spirit (1 John 5:8). When the angel of death, otherwise called the destroyer, was sent out in the book of Exodus, he passed over every household displaying the blood of a lamb on its door post (Exodus 12:23). This was a type and shadow of what the blood of Jesus would one day accomplish. Even death must respect the blood. Why wouldn't we plead it over everything? Frankly, to do otherwise as believers is a waste of God's resources.

³ "And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha." (2 Kings 6:17). God set His heavenly army in battle array round about the prophet Elisha. Centuries later, Jesus went on to say that John the Baptist was the greatest of the Old Testament prophets, and that the least in the Kingdom was greater than him (Luke 7:28). What kind of angelic host do you think God will set about his spiritual children? He will send armies to war on our behalf! Moreover, angels are ministering spirits sent forth to minister to the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). Part of this ministry is protection. Psalm 91:11-12 declares that His angels will keep us in our ways and bear us up in their hands lest we should dash our foot upon a stone. This is why I set an angelic guard around my location (whether it is my house, a hotel room, or wherever I happen to be sleeping). Notice that I set them round about, both above and below. I have learned that above and below deals with dimensional access points, and that if I say the prayer in this way, I am employing protection against attacks entering from other dimensions.

⁴ " I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust." (Psalm 91:2). The fortress of God, who wouldn't want to sleep there?

⁵ "There shall no evil befall thee, neither shall any plague come nigh thy dwelling." (Psalm 91:10). This is self explanatory.

⁶ This is a list of common forms of weaponized demonic attacks. It is by no means complete, but usually gets the job done. I used to pray that any curse sent would be stopped, but now I pray that they would be reversed. Why? One, when a curse is reversed upon the head of a sender it serves as strong discouragement to continue. Two, when a curse is reversed with the purpose of revealing the power of Jesus, I believe that Jesus will honor this prayer and make sure that every reversal creates this testimony. On what scriptural grounds can a curse be reversed? The Bible is clear that we are partakers of the blessing of Abraham (Galatians 3:14). Part of Abraham's blessing included the promise that those that cursed him would be cursed and those that blessed him would be blessed (Genesis 12:3). Why do I say seven-fold? This is loosely based on the promise that states my enemies will rise up against me in one direction and flee in seven (Deuteronomy 28:7). The Bible also says that when the thief is caught he shall restore seven-fold, even to the whole of his substance (Proverbs 6:31). This speaks of a seven-fold consequence for wrongs committed.

⁷ Demons are not the only spirits lurking around. The Devil also has human agents that do much of their work "out-of-body." This is sometimes called "astral projection." When a human is out-of-body they are in spirit form, yet dealing with this type of spirit is not the same as dealing with a demonic spirit because they are not under the same jurisdiction as demons. They have free will and do not necessarily respond to the name of Jesus in the same way that demons do because of their human nature. Just like I can't necessarily command people around in the name of Jesus when they're in their bodies, a degree of this remains true when they are in the spirit. This is why I assign angels to apprehend them and escort them out if they attempt to come against me. This is not a theory, the effectiveness of this prayer has been proven by experience. I also assign angels to apprehend fallen angels and other malevolent spirits attempting to come against me. A battle with a fallen angel will be many times more intense than a demonic attack. If I can assign angels to take care of the battle before it comes to me, why wouldn't I?

⁸ "Yea, he sent out his arrows, and scattered them; and he shot out lightnings, and discomfited them." (Psalm 18:14). Yes, God does have arrows and lightening and yes, we can use them. The fiery darts of the enemy (Ephesians 6:16) that many believer's have been taught about are only a counterfeit to the arrows of God. These arrows will deal great damage to the armies of darkness. If a person comes out-of-body to attack me and winds up getting apprehended by heavenly angels and failing in their assignment it will frustrate them. If in addition they receive the chastisement of heaven's arrows and the lightening of God with the purpose that their discomfort will be evidence of the supreme power of Jesus, they will not be likely to return.

⁹ Psychic phenomena, telepathy and other forms of mind-to-mind communication do not necessarily fall under the same category as curses and weaponized demonic attacks. They also do not require that the perpetrator be out-of-body and attempting to spiritually attack their target. For this reason I list these issues separately, simply "cutting the enemy's phone lines" if you will. This is a part of the prayer that I have incorporated due to experience. Before adding this section, I had several experiences involving the enemy trying to speak to my mind in my sleep. I was left trying to figure out how he got in until I realized that I should pray in this manner. "Wherefore gird up the loins of your mind, be sober, and hope to the end for the grace that is to be brought unto you at the revelation of Jesus Christ" (1Peter 1:13).

¹⁰ God spoke on many occasions in the Bible through dreams. For instance, He spoke to Jacob in a dream in Genesis 46:2 and He spoke to Daniel in a dream in Daniel 7:7 and 7:13. Pray that God would do the same for you, and that your dreams would be limited to His influence.

^{11 "}When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid: yea, thou shalt lie down, and thy sleep shall be sweet." (Proverbs 3:24). Sweet sleep is a promise from God to His children! Don't ever think otherwise. The devil is a liar and he will try to cheat you out of what is rightfully yours if he can. Don't let him. Demand your inheritance in Christ!

¹² "The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light." (Romans 13:12)

¹³ "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Ephesians 6:13-17). Note: In my prayer I list these in a different order simply because I go from head to foot as I am taking up the armor. If using the order the apostle lists them in Scripture feels better for you, simply use his listing order.

¹⁴ "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son." (John 14:13). Ask everything in the name of Jesus. His name reflects His character. It contains the power of His supreme authority.

Happy Sleeping!!

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Reconciling with Children

Greetings,

                When I picked up the phone her tone said it all. She was broken. She was in despair. She felt powerless. Why? As she began to explain to me, she was the mother of a child that had severed all communication. Furthermore, years had passed and now she had a granddaughter—a child she had never met. Can you imagine? She was without solutions. She had tried to figure it out, to bring resolution in her own strength, and to wait on God. In spite of all of this, nothing changed. In her desperation for reconciliation, she made a call. Little did she know that the time had finally come for her power encounter with the Living God.

                Years ago when I was still in Bible school I volunteered for the prayer line of the church that I was attending. It was a powerful experience. In that position I not only had the opportunity to minister to people locally, but to people around the country and even from other nations. The head pastor of the church had international influence and so prayer requests came in from many places.

                In this kind of ministry a person gets exposed to a lot of things... people seek help for issues they don't seek help for in person. The option of anonymity plays a big role in the effectiveness of prayer lines. Some of the stories and situations I was presented with were frankly mind-blowing. For instance, there was the woman whose father would periodically come after her and rape her. Due to his connections, she could never successfully press charges.

                Then there was the issue of the woman whose husband was getting involved with a secret society. His behavior was beginning to get very weird. Moreover, when she would start asking too many questions weird things would happen. For instance, she found a literal animal organ in a drawer. It manifested without anyone breaking, entering the home, or putting it there. This kind of activity was the product of real sorcery.

                Of course I can't forget to mention the woman who called in with certain health problems. As I began to pray for her, I realized that she was heavily demonized. So there I was, in that little room on the phone, driving out demons in another nation. As I was going at it, I could hear her in the background literally vomiting as the demons were being driven from her. The presence of God on me during that call was like a thick cloud that even the other prayer warriors in the room felt. To those Christians that want to remain naive to the needs that people have in the real world—I do not recommend volunteering for a prayer line!

                As I ministered in this position our instructions were simple. Don't counsel, don't prophesy, just pray. A prayer warrior learns quickly that to be effective, their perspective of God must remain bigger than whatever situation they are hearing. For me, this was an essential platform. It worked to launch me forward in my ability to minister to real needs in a real world. A world oppressed by a real devil.

                And so it was that during my service that I met a certain lady on the other end of the phone line. Her story broke my heart. She had not had communication with her daughter for years. To add insult to injury, during that time the daughter gave birth and did not allow her mother to so much as see her grandchild. The mother was a committed Christian and despite her best efforts and intentions, reconciliation had not come to their family. She had not been able to enjoy open communication with her daughter and remained totally estranged from her grandchild. What could she do?

                Maybe you or someone you know is in a similar situation. The relationship between them and their children has become entirely broken, and reconciliation seems impossible. Maybe as a parent you have found yourself in this situation and all you can do is blame yourself. Your shortcomings, your mistakes, your inadequacies: how can you expect anything better than the pain you have because of the divide that exists between you and your children?

                In other situations you may be caught up in a difficult situation because your children have gone astray. Your walk with Christ has divided them from you. They want their lifestyle and they reject yours. This was the case with this woman and her daughter. She was trusting Jesus, but it was difficult. As a matter of fact, the Bible is clear that hope deferred makes the heart sick, but when the desire comes, it is a tree of life (Proverbs 13:12).

                So there I was, preparing to stand with this woman for reconciliation between her and her daughter. But what could one prayer do when years of waiting and praying had already been lifted up? The answer: Quite a bit! Together, we put our faith in a promise of God found in the book of Isaiah. If you have children that have gone astray, I encourage you to memorize and pray according to the following promise regularly. It is written, "But thus saith the Lord, Even the captives of the mighty shall be taken away, and the prey of the terrible shall be delivered: for I will contend with him that contendeth with thee, and I will save thy children (Isaiah 49:25)."

                The very next week I received a special phone call while volunteering on the prayer line. If you can believe it, it was the same woman! The chances of this happening were incredibly small! So small, in fact, I believe it was a God thing. The news: the very next Sunday after our prayer, the daughter showed up at her church with her child! In an emotional and tearful reunion, forgiveness and reconciliation manifested. With man this is impossible, but with God, all things are possible.

The Armor of God and Praying in the Spirit

Greetings,

                I remember when I first received the gift of speaking in other tongues. I was in my senior year of high  school. My mom had received the gift years before and I knew it was something that I wanted. With limited understanding, I walked into our house one day and found that no one was home. I figured that if it really was a gift then I should simply be able to receive it. I put one of my mom's worship CD's in the CD player and turned up the music.

                I began to seek God for the gift, not entirely sure of what to expect. I had no idea what would happen. With no one around, I didn't feel self conscious so I just went with the flow. I prayed and then I waited...and waited...and waited. After a while I began to feel something bubbling up inside of me. It was kind of awkward but, I wondered if that could be it. The bubbling sensation worked its way into my chest, then my throat, and finally a few sounds came out. WEIRD! I stopped.

                After hearing the first few sounds come out, I thought that it must just be me. I suppressed everything and started over. I prayed, sought God, and then waited. After more time passed, the same feelings began to occur. The bubbling sensation worked its way back into my throat and then out of my mouth. Still unsure of what exactly was happening, I decided to just let it happen. I was seeking God, earnestly desiring the gift of the Spirit, and was in a place of prayer. I had peace because the Bible says, "If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him (Luke 11:13)?"

                Sure enough, the same sounds from before came out of my mouth. Instead of resisting the Holy Spirit, I simply submitted to Him this time. Suddenly the awkward sounds that were coming out of my mouth were accompanied by joy that is nearly indescribable. The feelings of release and freedom were absolutely fantastic. I felt such joy, such peace, and such closeness with God in that moment that I will never forget it. That was the day that I received the gift of the Spirit which is also referred to as the baptism of the Holy Spirit.

                It hurts me to know that there are still many denominations and Christians that shy away from this gift of God. What hurts even more is that some will downright reject it. As a matter of fact, I have even come across certain theological positions that would accuse me of having received a demon that day! I would respond to those holding this position by asking: what kind of demon would bring with it such a heavenly experience? What kind of demon seeks to bring the Christian into greater intimacy with God and bestow upon him or her such excessive peace and joy? I certainly haven't confronted any!

                Since that day I have had the privilege of being used by God to help other believers receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In every case, the believer has experienced similar feelings of joy, peace, freedom, and greater intimacy with God. Some have also had other manifestations such as becoming drunk in the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18) or simply falling out under the power of God. In all cases, God has worked to further His relationship with the individuals and bring them closer to Him.

                We are talking about the gift of the Spirit in order to close out our study on the armor of God. The last part of the following passage clearly speaks to praying in the spirit.

                "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Ephesians 6:13-18)

                The Bible is clear that in addition to putting on the whole armor of God we are to be praying with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit. What does it mean to pray in the Spirit? The Apostle Paul put it this way.

                "What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also." (1 Corinthians 14:15)

                The Apostle Paul makes it clear that he prayed with the spirit and also with the understanding. Praying with the understanding means to pray in the language that we naturally speak and understand. This is pretty straightforward. Therefore, praying in the spirit means praying in a language that we do not naturally speak and understand. In other words it means praying in a spiritual language. This is what the Bible refers to as speaking in an unknown tongue (or calls the gift of tongues). In accordance with this understanding the Apostle Paul stated the following:

                "For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth, but my understanding is unfruitful." (1 Corinthians 14:14)

                When we pray with an unknown tongue it is actually our spirit that is praying. The purpose of this letter is not teach about how to receive the gift of the Holy Spirit or to lay out systematic theology to prove that it is biblical. Instead, my purpose for this letter is simply to bring out a few points regarding the purpose and power of praying in the Spirit. Many people are resistant to this gift of God because they simply don't understand its purpose. Even those that have already received the gift will often not understand how important it is.

                "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost" (Jude 20)

                Praying in the spirit is essential for spiritual growth. It actually causes us to be "built up on our most holy faith." When we are born again, we are born into the kingdom of God as babies in Christ. It is from this point that we begin our process of spiritual maturation.  While time and experience should all factor into our spiritual growth, praying in the spirit directly impacts our maturation. We are built up as we pray in tongues, making it incredibly important.

                "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth"  (Acts 1:8)

                When Jesus prophesied about the Holy Spirit "coming upon" His disciples, he was referring to the coming day of Pentecost when they would be filled with the Spirit and enabled to speak in other tongues. He said that they would receive power along with this experience. This word power comes from the Greek word dunamis and actually means ability, might, and miracle working power (Vine's Expository Dictionary). When we receive the gift of the Spirit as believers, we are empowered for the purpose of bringing our prayer life, ministry, and holiness to a new level. Our ability to walk according to the power of God will inarguably be limited if we refuse to receive God's dunamis.

                "He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself; but he that prophesieth edifieth the church." (1 Corinthians 14:4)

                When we pray in tongues we will edify ourselves. The word edify comes from the Greek word oikodome. It denotes the act of building and is used in the sense of promoting spiritual growth (Vine's Expository Dictionary). This confirms what we learned from Jude. Praying in the Spirit is a direct contributor to our spiritual growth. We actually grow as we pray in the Spirit. We are building ourselves into mature warriors for Christ as we take the time to edify ourselves according to biblical instruction.

                "For he that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh not unto men, but unto God: for no man understandeth him; howbeit in the spirit he speaketh mysteries." (1 Corinthians 14:2)

                As we speak in tongues we speak to God, using God's own language. In the spirit we speak mysteries. The biblical concept of mysteries denotes that which is hidden now being revealed (Vine's Expository Dictionary). In other words, as we pray in tongues we declare the deep and hidden things of God. This allows our prayers to reveal the mysteries of God. Practically speaking, I experience more revelation, visions, and prophetic insights while praying in tongues than during any other time. When I pray in tongues it opens up the mysteries of God to me, and it will do the same for you too. Furthermore, when we obey the biblical instruction to pray that we may interpret (1 Corinthians 14:13), the floodgates to the things of God are literally flung open! Through the practice of praying in tongues and interpreting it back to myself I have received boatloads of revelatory information. Who wouldn't want this?

                In closing, this letter is by no means all-inclusive regarding the benefits of praying in the Spirit. It is simply scratching the surface. The goal is that you would be empowered, by understanding what the purpose for it is. For those of you that have not received this gift, it is my prayer that this letter will inspire you to go after it. For those of you that have it and don't use it: it is my prayer that this will motivate you to use the gift that God has given to you.

Threefold Cord & Prayer

Greetings,

                During my teenage years I had this ridiculous saying that I can only groan at in remembrance. I actually used to say, “I don’t get hit by cars, cars get hit by me.” This was in reference to the thought that my muscles were so great, not even a car could hurt me. Can you imagine? What I have learned is that I can be quickly broken. However, there is something that is not quickly broken—a threefold cord.

“Again, if two lie together, then they have heat: but how can one be warm alone? And if one prevail against him, two shall withstand him; and a threefold cord is not quickly broken.” (Ecclesiastes 4:11-12)

What does this have to do with spiritual warfare? Over the next three weeks I am going to present to you the threefold cord of prayer, fasting, and giving. Put together, these three elements of our faith produce a work in our lives that is not quickly broken. They are all necessary elements of our faith, yet many people utilize only one or two. Some so-called Christians do not practice any of these essentials. It’s no wonder that people have some of the problems that they do.

 Let me be very clear here. Praying, fasting and giving are not optional when it comes to the Christian faith. Sure, you may exercise your right of choice and refrain from these activities. However, when you weaken the “cord” by removing strands, it’s much easier for the cord to break.

I like to think about floss. Healthy gums and healthy teeth require regular flossing. Any dentist will tell you that brushing is not enough. If your gums bleed when you floss, your gums are not in good shape. In any case, not all floss is created equal. I once purchased discount floss, which initially turned out to be brutal. It felt like tree bark. As a matter of fact, it was so horrible my wife started to get concerned when I would floss. Why didn’t I stop using it? Who knows? The benefit was that it never broke while I was cleaning my teeth. Although it was initially uncomfortable, it proved itself to be solid and powerful.

On another occasion I bought some classier floss. Sure it felt great as it easily glided through my teeth. Unfortunately, it would constantly break. As I made my way through my mouth the floss would get shorter and shorter. When I arrived at the end of my flossing I would literally be pinching the ends of the floss because so much had broken off. It would be too short to wrap around my fingers.

Some of you may have a walk with Christ that resembles crumbling floss. It just never seems to stay together. You find yourself holding on for dear life, always wondering why things just keep falling apart. What you may need to realize is that you’ve been taking the “easy” road of the faith and exercising your right of choice. Instead of choosing life, you’ve been choosing death.

“I call heaven and earth as witnesses today against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing; therefore choose life, that both you and your descendants may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19)

Choosing life is always a harder road. It’s kind of like flossing with terrible generic floss. Sure it feels like tree bark, but man does it get the job done. The fact of the matter is that eventually, I got used to it. Now, my gums have the strength of a thousand elephants (just kidding). Seriously though, when you ponder on your walk with Christ, would others comment that it displays power and intimacy? If not, maybe it’s time to incorporate another strand to your faith.

The difference between strong floss and the weak floss is the amount of reinforcement that the floss has. The strong floss is thick and made out of coarse material. The weak floss is thin and flimsy. Spiritually, Christians that don’t incorporate prayer, fasting, and giving into their walk with Christ tend to be flimsy. Christians that do incorporate all of these things are stronger, reinforced, and maintain greater intimacy and relationship with God. They also reap the spiritual benefits.

                In Matthew chapter 6 Jesus is in the midst of the Sermon on the Mount. Notice how he phrases some of His wisdom.

1.       “Therefore when thou doest thine alms…” (Matthew 6:2)

2.       “And when thou prayest…” (Matthew 6:5)

3.       “Moreover when ye fast…” (Matthew 6:16)

                Notice how Jesus presents these concepts. He does not present them as possibilities. He does not use the word “if.” He uses the word “when.” The assumption is being made that Christians WILL do these things. Therefore, Jesus is giving instruction so that when we do these things, we will do them with wisdom and understanding. This is extremely important to understand.

                This week we are going to focus in on prayer. Since so much of spiritual warfare has to do with prayer techniques, I am not going to go into as much detail in this letter. Specifically regarding prayer, this is what Jesus says:

                “And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words” (Matthew 6:5-7)

                The first thing that we need to take away from this is that prayer is not an option, it is a requirement. Two, we should not pray like hypocrites. Unfortunately, some have taken this passage to mean that anyone that prays in public is automatically a hypocrite. This is not true. Jesus is speaking to this because that’s what the Pharisees and Sadducees (the hypocrites) did in that time. The drive behind their public prayers was pride and arrogance, therefore Jesus said don’t be like them.

Three, we should take away the understanding that the Father is in the “secret place”. This is not a physical location in your bedroom. This is a spiritual location that we must enter into in spirit. When we enter this place, we will openly receive the rewards of God. Dwelling in the secret place of God most certainly has its benefits.

                “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the LORD, He is my refuge and my fortress: my God; in him will I trust. Surely he shall deliver thee from the snare of the fowler, and from the noisome pestilence. He shall cover thee with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: his truth shall be thy shield and buckler.” (Psalm 91:1-4)

                Four, we should not use vain repetitions. Repetitive prayers do not invoke relationship and intimacy with God. Instead, they root us in tradition and keep us away from true relationship. God desperately desires deep and intimate relationship with us. Therefore, Jesus says to toss the vain repetitions out in favor of heartfelt prayers. God wants us to come boldly before His throne of grace.

                “Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need” (Hebrews 4:16)

                Next week we are going to resume our discussion on the threefold cord of prayer, fasting, and giving. I am firmly convinced (as one who practices all three) that Christians who incorporate all of these elements into their walk with Christ will not be easily broken. This is what I want for you.

Have a blessed Resurrection Sunday!

The Prayer of Jesus

6/18/11

Greetings,

It is my hope that the concept of unity is becoming firmly rooted your heart. There is no way around the issue. Unity is important and it is heavy on the heart of God. This week we are going to look at evidence that unity is heavy on the heart of God. This is revealed in a prayer of Jesus that is recorded in the book of John. We are going to spend this letter looking at some of the implications of this prayer.

                The setting is the last supper. Before Jesus goes into a long discourse on various topics, He sees to it that Judas Iscariot is not present. His disciple (John) asks Jesus who it is that will betray Him and Jesus responds that it will be the one to whom he hands the bread dipped in wine. At this comment He dips the bread in wine and gives it to Judas Iscariot. As it is written:

                “Jesus answered, He it is, to whom I shall give a sop [bread dipped in wine], when I have dipped it. And when he had dipped the sop, he gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon. And after the sop Satan entered into him. Then said Jesus unto him, That thou doest, do quickly… He then having received the sop went immediately out: and it was night.” (John 13:26-27, 30)

                With Judas gone Jesus began to explain many things to His disciples, particularly things that regard the work and ministry of the Holy Spirit. In the midst of what Jesus explained He gave two comments that are absolutely mind-blowing.

                “Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works.” (John 14:10)

                “He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me.” (John 14:24)

                From these two very similar phrases we glean an important concept. Everything that Jesus says comes from the Father’s heart. There is nothing that Jesus said that came from the flesh. He was what could be called “perfectly prophetic.” Every word He spoke had its origin in heaven. His words were spirit and they were life.

“It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life.” (John 6:63)

Not only was every parable and teaching that Jesus spoke directly from the Father; every prayer Jesus prayed also revealed the heart of the Father. This is one of the main ways through which the Bible reveals the Father’s heart on the issue of unity. During this conversation at the last supper Jesus closes the discourse with an intercessory prayer. He prays about several topics. He definitely focuses on bringing glory to the Father. He also intercedes for those that were “given to Him” by the Father. However, notice how many direct references to the unity of the church are made during that prayer.

1.        “And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are.” (John 17:11)

2.       “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21)

3.       “That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me.” (John 17:21)

4.       “And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one” (John 17:22)

5.       “I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me.” (John 17:23)

During this prayer of intercession Jesus prays that the church would “be one” five times across four verses. There are a lot of things that Jesus could have prayed heavily upon, but one of His top agendas was to intercede for the unity of the church. He was revealing the Father’s heart in these prayers. The heart of the Father is the unity of His people. Jesus shares this burden, and it couldn’t be more obvious.

When it comes to the type of unity that Jesus was praying for, it wasn’t an “agree to disagree” type of unity. In the several references to the body of Christ being made “one” Jesus prays that it would be in the same way that He and the Father are one. In Christianity, we worship the triune God. The doctrine of the Christian trinity basically breaks down to the idea that our God is one God expressed in three separate persons. These persons are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. This is a great mystery that is difficult to explain.

Some explain the trinity like H₂O. Although it can be in the form of water, ice, or vapor, it is the same molecule regardless of manifestation. I also like to use a Gelatin example. I can let gelatin set with pieces of fruit in it. When it is served I call it “dessert”. There is only one desert. However, the gelatin dessert has pieces of fruit in it that are not gelatin, yet no less part of the single dessert being separate from the gelatin but equally essential to the composition of the dessert. There is also the chain link example. I can have a single chain composed of three individual links. There is no chain apart from the links, and the links cannot be severed from the chain. It is one chain with three separate links.

In any case, Jesus compares the type of unity He wants within the body of Christ to a type of unity that is impossible to fully explain or understand. He wants us to be one in the same way He and the Father are one. Can you wrap your mind around that? In a world where there are over 1000 different denominations and groups all declaring themselves Christian, is it feasible to say that Jesus is actually to be taken seriously? Of course it is.

I am going to prophesy that this prayer will be answered. Will my prophesy fail? Don’t count on it. It doesn’t matter what we see among Christians today or experience in our own Christian walks. There will come a day when this prayer is answered, and this day will come before Jesus returns for His church in His second coming. The answer to this prayer will come hard and fast and will probably leave as many heads spinning in the kingdom of darkness as it will in the kingdom of light. However, it will not leave your head spinning because you know it is coming. Unity will not be stopped, God will honor the prayers of His Son, and we will be part of the answer.

Discussion

1.       Why do we know that Jesus communicated the Father’s heart

2.       Do you feel that you share the Father’s heart on the issue of unity? Why or why not?

3.       What does Jesus’ prayer for us to be one in the same way He and the Father are one mean to you?

4.       According to Jesus’ prayer, what other fruit will unity bring about?

5.       Is it okay to settle for “agreeing to disagree” in regard to long-term efforts to introduce unity into the body of Christ?