DO NOT PRAY LIKE A POLITICIAN…THE POWER OF UNCENSORED PRAYER!

 

Politicians are notorious for telling voters what they want to hear. To win your vote, they make promises they know they won’t keep. They sing us sweet lullabies of better days ahead. They go to great lengths and hire people to write speeches that will evoke loud applauses. Election time can become one big circus.  If I am not careful, I can fall into the trap of praying like a politician.

God is not concerned about me giving speeches in prayer; telling Him what I think He wants to hear. He is not asking me to make empty promises. He is not asking me to have well thought out phrases and giving Him my resume. He is not impressed by any of this.
I had the privilege to once again hear this dynamic man of God speak this weekend.  He spoke on being a house of prayer.  He reminded me that in order to get to this point, I must be like Jesus and pray RAW HONEST prayers.  Jesus is inviting me and you to come and tell Him all, withholding nothing.

He invites me to cast all my cares on Him.  Telling Him the good, the bad and the ugly.  Allow Him to see my heart, inviting me to replace my filth with His righteousness and giving me a greater level of freedom.

He invites me to come and tell Him that I really don’t want to forgive because the offense just seemed too great and the offender never said sorry.  RAW HONEST EMOTIONS.  He invites me to cry out and ask Him to help me go beyond my feelings and ask Him for the grace to walk in forgiveness as many times as it is needed!

He invites me to be honest, take off my church face, abandon my well-crafted speeches and tell Him that I feel doubt overtaking me. When I have been in the wilderness longer than I would like and I begin to wonder if He has forgotten about what He has promised.  He wants me to have raw conversations with Him about my doubts and then sit long enough to get His faith infused answer giving me the proper perspective to continue to believe!

He invites me to be honest and tell Him that my flesh loves the applauses of man making me sometimes more focused on pleasing them instead of pleasing Him.  He wants me to be honest and tell Him that I struggle to not think too much of myself.  It is then that He begins to show me how to be like Him, how to imitate His humility.  Jesus type of humility can never be fabricated, only in prayer can pride be put to death!

I officially resign from praying like a politician.  I want to be a house of prayer, flowing in the power of God.  Teach me Lord.  How about you?

 

 

 

A Prayer for Putting on the Whole Armor of God

 

I must admit, some days I feel “dry” and don’t quite know where to begin praying.  We have a Tuesday night ladies prayer conference call and you are invited to call in.   Our pastor’s wife is the moderator and she has been encouraging us to pray the word of God.  We were assigned specific scriptures to meditate on throughout the week to pray.  One of the scriptures was Ephesians 6:10-18.

After meditating on the scriptures, I felt led to write a prayer starter/declaration if you will about putting on the whole armor of God as described in Ephesians 6:10-18. I tried to incorporate other scriptures as well. This is pretty long but I want to encourage you to read/pray/declare this in those moments that you are feeling dry and I am almost certain that hearing the words of scripture will stir something within you.  It may not be a bad idea to print it out.  Be blessed!

PRAYER FOR THE WHOLE ARMOR OF GOD (Ephesians 6:10-18)

Dear God thank you for showing me that you are not calling me to be strong in my own power but to be strong in your mighty power.  Help me to recognize that my strength fails and my power is limited but you are all-powerful.  Teach me Lord to stand in your power that is MIGHTY!  Father I see how you used those that stood in your power in mighty ways. You used the apostle Paul to preach your gospel with great conviction, rebuke the hypocrites and to heal the sick.  He did so without reservation or fear of losing his life.  You used the prophet Elijah to call down fire from heaven and stand against the prophets of baal.  You gave them the power to stand and to obey.

Help me Lord to put on all of your armor so that I will be able to stand firm against all strategies and tricks of the devil.  Help me to not forget that the enemy is after me. He came to kill steal and destroy. He has laid traps for me but I thank you God that your armor is devil proof.  I thank you that I don’t have to be afraid of the tricks of the devil. I thank you that no weapon that is formed against me by the enemy will prosper because I have on the whole armor of God.  No weapon formed against my mind, my body, my children, my marriage, my purpose NO NOT ONE WILL PROSPER!

Father help me to recognize who the real enemy is.  Help me to be mindful that I am in a war but not with a natural enemy.  Help me not to get distracted by becoming upset with people and miss the spirit that is operating behind them. Help me to remember that I am not wrestling against flesh and blood but against the evil rulers of the unseen world, against those mighty powers of darkness who rule this world, and against wicked spirits in high places, in the heavenly realm.

 

Lord you tell me to use every piece of your armor so that I can resist the enemy in the time of battle and when the battle is over I will still be standing firm. Help me to declare that because of your shed blood and your victory over death I have already won every battle! EVERY SINGLE ONE!  Help me not to be fearful. God let a spirit of boldness overwhelm me knowing that even after the battle I will still be standing, not wobbling but standing firm!

Make me a bona fide warrior one that puts on the belt of truth and the breastplate of righteousness.  My righteousness is as filthy rags but I thank you God that I can now take on the righteousness of God.  You have clothed me with righteousness.  I thank you God that for shoes I will put on the peace that comes from the good news, the good news that I will not be ashamed of.  The good news that is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone that believes.

I thank you God that I have faith as my shield to stop the fiery arrows aimed at me by Satan.  God I won’t buckle under pressure. I will not doubt you.  I will not walk by sight.  I will stand in faith knowing that without it I cannot please you.  Knowing that whatever is not of faith is sin!  You were pleased with Abraham because of his faith, and God I am a spiritual descendant of Abraham so I take on the shield of faith!

I will put on salvation as my helmet. The salvation that gives me the mind of Christ. I thank you that I have the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God.  The living and powerful word of God, the word that cuts straight to the heart of the matter.  The word that is powerful and active and sharper than any two edged sword.  Thank you that I will imitate Jesus and use the word to combat the devil when I am in a season of being in the wilderness. I will not yield to the voice of the enemy when I am most vulnerable, depleted, hurt and when the pain is overwhelming.  I will use the sword of your word to fight. When the enemy comes to whisper that I am worthless and that I am without purpose I will use the sword of your word to rebuke the devil declaring that you knew me before I was even formed and that you have great plans for me, plans to give me a future and a great end.  I will not wallow in self-pity when everything seems to be working against me.  I will declare that all things are working together for my good because I love you and I will press toward the purpose you have for me.  When the devil tries to make me feel condemned for past mistakes, I will fight with the word declaring that I am not condemned.  I am forgiven.  I am new.  When he attempts to attack my body with sickness, I will declare with boldness that by your stripes I am healed!

IN JESUS’ NAME I PRAY AMEN!