Matthew 6:9-13 – “Pray, then, in this way:

‘Our Father who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name. 10’Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, On earth as it is in heaven. 11’Give us this day our daily bread. 12’And forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. 13’And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from evil. [For Thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.]’  NASB

In Jesus’ Prayer Strategy we find six (6) definite Prayer Topics, which, when followed as a guide lead to tremendous spiritual victory for ourselves and others.  Victorious Prayer affects others!  We are dealing with the supernatural in a natural world.  We are engaging in warfare in the heavenlies.  We are pulling down strongholds and demonic fortresses.  We are standing against principalities, powers, rulers of darkness, and spiritual wickedness in high places.  Jesus has given us a plan for Victorious Spiritual Warfare on our knees.

THE SIX TOPICS:

• Praise – – The appropriation of the Promises. “Our Father which art in Heaven, hallowed be thy name.”

• Priorities – – The submission to the will of the Father. “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

• Provision – – The pathway to appropriate God’s Daily Supply. “Give us this day our daily bread.”

• Peace – – The method and means of getting along with others all the time. “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”

• Power – – How to consistently and effectively defeat the devil. “And lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil.”

• Praise – – How to obey God’s Word. “For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, forever. Amen.”

For the believer to become mighty in God, we must learn to pray!  For us to fulfill the commission of our LORD, we must learn how to pray!  Prayer is as vital for spiritual victory as breathing is to natural life.

I see two specific steps involved in this process.  First is Praise.  In praise, we shift our focus from self and circumstances to God.  As we turn our attention to Him and focus on Him, His will, His Kingdom, His glory, power, and purpose we create a place for faith to grow in our hearts.  Confidence begins to flourish, and we become strengthened enabling us to engage in the more difficult aspects of spiritual warfare and enforcing the victory Jesus won at Calvary.

Step two is Submission.  Until we reach the place of total submission to God, we will never discover the true power of prayer and the place that God intends for His body to function.  It is important, to begin with, Praise, and invite God into our time of prayer and intercession. Once we have done that, we need to move to step two and submit ourselves totally to Him.  We make up our minds and set our will to do the will of God.  We make God the first priority in our lives.  We totally surrender ourselves to Him, body, soul, and spirit. 

Then and not until then can we effectively pray.  Effective prayer is praying the will of God and if we pray his will according to 1 John 5:14-15, He hears us and if He hears us, He grants the petition.  We verbalize the will of God with our tongues and allow the tongue to become a rudder to guide us into God’s purposes. We learn to pray in agreement with the Holy Spirit and the Word of God and that charts the course for our lives.

If you are interested in developing a more powerful and effective prayer life, I ask that you join me in the next session as we turn our attention to some specific areas of focus and attempt to make this practical and applicable to daily living.

God bless you as you enjoy this day He has provided.