School of the MiraculousSample

The Power of Prayer

“Lord, please bless this food I am about to receive.”

“Help, Lord, I’m in trouble!”

Have you ever prayed these types of prayers? If you have, you are in good company. Many believers have. There is certainly nothing wrong with praying this way, but it is very important to understand that prayer is so much more than these basic requests. There are millions of believers all over the world who have yet to realize the supernatural potency of prayer.

Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints. (Ephesians 6:18)

We are admonished by the Word of God to engage in energetic and heartfelt prayer. When I first became a believer, I began praying three to six hours a day. Little did I know that this was a major key to releasing miracles. Prayer is like plugging into an electrical outlet. The stronger the connection, the greater the measure of power released.

Most of us have heard the saying, “Prayer changes things.” While I have no doubt this statement is true, prayer chiefly changes the one doing the praying. Prayer changes us!

How does prayer change us? It alters our perspective. We go from having an earthbound, fallen mind-set to gaining a heavenly outlook. In a previous devotional, we talked about the necessity of renewing our mind. Prayer is one of the means through which we renew our mind. Prayer cultivates the mind of Christ within us.

The Father Works Through Us

Jesus said, “Verily, verily, I say to you, The Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do: for what things soever He does, these also does the Son likewise.” How did Jesus see what the Father did? Was Jesus translated to heaven every night? Here is the simple yet powerful answer to that question: no, but Jesus prayed! He prayed all the time. Through intercession, Jesus was able to gain access to the heart, mind, and will of His heavenly Father so He could carry out God’s purposes on earth.

Jesus also said, “The words that I speak to you I speak not of Myself: but the Father that dwells in Me, He does the works” (John 14:10). If we are to do the works that Jesus did, we must learn how to tap into the power of prayer and allow the Father to work through us.

And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that, if we ask any thing according to His will, He hears us: and if we know that He hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of Him. (1 John 5:14–15)

What would happen if we truly realized that the Father always hears us as we pray according to His will? We probably wouldn’t hesitate to pray for the sick or lead our neighbor in the prayer of salvation. We would know that the Spirit of God, living within us, is the One doing the work. He is the One producing the results! Through prayer, we partner with heaven to see the purposes of God manifested in the earth.

At one point, the Lord began to speak to my wife and me about all-night prayer. This had been a part of the culture of our church for years, but I felt like God was calling us back to that level of devotion. We began to engage in all-night prayer. During one specific season of prayer, God sent miraculous provision. Businesses began to donate things to the church. In fact, one of the top companies in our area offered thousands of dollars of services for free.

The Hearing of Faith

He therefore that ministers to you the Spirit, and works miracles among you, does He it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? (Galatians 3:5)

We must keep in mind that receiving miracles is not a matter of human effort but rather a byproduct of “the hearing of faith.” The Bible says that “faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” (Romans 10:17). Faith comes as a result of our hearing the Holy Spirit speak God’s Word in our inner being. 

God has called us to release His life into the world every single day. Regardless of your background, education, occupation, or financial status, you have been commissioned by God to operate on a heavenly level.

Years ago, my wife and I decided that we were going to experience all that God had for us. Our strategy was simple yet radical: if we saw something in the Bible, we did it! We simply took God at His Word. Amazingly, the most interesting things began to happen—we saw results! 

One time, we went around our neighborhood knocking on doors, asking people if they knew that God loved them and had an awesome plan for their lives. Many people responded with hostility, but thankfully they couldn’t tell us to leave the neighborhood because we lived there! When one particular neighbor opened the door, we asked the same question we had asked everyone else: “Do you know that God loves you and has an awesome plan for your life?” She answered, “No! I didn’t know that.” We were actually a bit shocked by her response. Then, she said, “Come in. I have been waiting for you guys!”

It turned out she had been going through a contentious divorce and had been ready to give up. She had said to God, “If You are real, show me You love me.” Shortly after this, we arrived! We led her in the prayer of salvation, and we have discipled her and her children in the faith for the last several years. Again, the greatest miracle is the miracle of salvation.

What are you waiting for? Just do it! Step out in childlike faith and expectancy and watch God work.

The Lord desires to manifest His glory in the earth, but we must make this purpose our passionate daily pursuit. God will never encroach upon the human will. He invites us into kingdom realities, but we must exercise our faith and volition in order to walk in them. The moment you embrace the truth that God wants to partner with you to release heaven on earth, your life will be radically catapulted into new dimensions.

As we close this devotional, I invite you to pray this prayer with me:

"Father, in the name of Jesus Christ, I thank You for Your miraculous power working in me. Today, I acknowledge the power of prayer, and by faith, I access spiritual realities that go beyond the limitations of my circumstances. Father, whatever You have promised me, and whatever You have spoken concerning my life, I receive it right now. I am anticipating great things happening in my life because You are omnipotent and omnibenevolent. In Jesus’s name, amen!"

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