Mighty movements of God don’t have to be relegated to the Old and New Testament stories of the saints who have gone before us. Instead, God is longing to show Himself strong on our behalf and deliver us just as in the days of old. But He is looking for men and women of faith in which to manifest His everyday miracles. In this episode, Leslie shares principles that will help you build a bold prayer strategy. Watch your faith grow as you see God come through and deliver you with His outstretched hand!
PODCAST TRANSCRIPT
Key Scriptures
2 Chronicles 16:9
Luke 18:8
Matthew 15:22-27
Psalm 62:5
Psalm 66:18
Podcast Summary
Stale prayer lives lead to stale Christian living. Yet in our attempts to not offend God we have succumbed to flimsy prayers like, “God if you feel like it, maybe you could do this…” God began to show Eric and I a biblical pattern for wrestling prayer that truly makes the things of Heaven come to earth. If you feel like your prayers could use a boost of faith and power to grow from mediocre to Spirit-filled, this episode will encourage you to pray specifically with expectancy for specific burdens that are close to your heart.
While it might be safer and easier to prayer general prayers, the pattern of Scripture is to pray boldly, without ceasing, with faith, without doubt, and in specifics over and over again until we see His answer come shining through into our lives for His glory! Take your first step to seeing greater answers to prayer beginning by praying the heart and will of God. The reality is that if we’re truly walking with God and yielding our lives to Him, asking to see His glory; if we are boldly wrestling in prayer according to that reality we will watch God show Himself strong on our behalf.
Doubt has become very popular in the modern church and Christians today are being pushed to accept doubt as a normal part of the Christian life. However, those who steadfastly believe God’s Word are not to be considered exceptions or special cases. Rather, we are to expect Him to provide for our daily needs as His beloved children. God longs for us to give Him the opportunity to show Himself strong on our behalf! We must ask ourselves the question: are we willing to be among the few in our generation who will give Him the opportunity?
Key Principles to Growing a Strong and Vibrant Prayer Life
1. Remember who God IS
There is an account in the story of Gladys Award where she is faced with a set of impossible circumstances with many lives hanging in the balance. After voicing her discouragement to one of the children in her care the child reminded her of her little faith, “But God — He is still God.” Those words filled Gladys with faith to ask God for a modern day miracle. She was forced to take her eyes off her own weakness and the impossibility of her circumstances and remember who God was — the God of miracles — the God who parted the Red Sea and is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
When we face obstacles the key is to take our eyes off the circumstances and fix them squarely upon God. Pray boldly and expect to see God’s faithfulness just like the spiritual heroes of old! Begin a prayer journal to record God’s answers to prayer and faithfulness in your life.
2. Live With Expectancy
Psalm 62:5 reminds us that our expectancy is to be derived solely from Jesus Christ alone. To live with a growing expectancy towards our God means daily meditating upon the promises found in His Word every single day. Gather a list of powerful promises, memorize them, and think upon them regularly. To boost your faith, apply specific promises to specific needs in your life so that every time you are praying for that need, you are reminded that you are praying for something that God has promised from His Word.
3. Live in Obedience
Amy Carmichael once wrote, “A single sin that we do not intend to renounce is enough to render real prayer ineffective.” When we are living in willful disobedience against God, we cannot expect Him to move in our life mightily. Psalm 66:18 reminds us that if we have iniquity, or sin, in our heart it’s not just that He cannot hear our prayers, but that He will not. Prayerfully allow God to search your heart and reveal any areas of your life that are given to fleshly patterns or sinful strongholds. If He does make you aware of changes you need to make, confess and renounce them so that you can walk in the beauty of unhindered intimacy with Jesus Christ.
4. Understand Delayed Answers to our Prayers
Always remember, delays in receiving answered prayer aren’t necessarily an automatic no from God. Often we grow discouraged at the slightest delay rather than seeing a pause as an opportunity given by God to grow our faith stronger. Pray with a surrendered heart that trusts God to answer your payer — even if it is different than the way you envisioned. He will answer in the way that is the most right and in the end we will find that His ways truly are perfect.
Recommended Resources
Book: Wrestling Prayer by Eric and Leslie Ludy available in our online store.
Article: God of Miracles by Leslie Ludy available here.
Receive ongoing encouragement through Set Apart Girl Magazine and Leslie’s NEW Online Mentoring program. Learn more about membership options here.
