Targeted Prayer

A person sitting next to me was wearing a shirt that said “PRAYER, the world’s greatest wireless connection.” Prayer is like a good well wish with one exception; it moves the most powerful force in the universe. Prayer is the greatest Christian spiritual warfare weapon on Earth.

My first job in the Army was in Persing nuclear missile launcher repair. You can aim prayer like a missile at a honed in target. It has unlimited range and it always hits its target. Prayer can be targeted at specific needs as well as blow away the spiritual forces of darkness. It’s timeless and teaches us to trust God. Matthew 26:41 – “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.”

COMBAT FOR SOULS

We are under orders of the true Commander in Chief, Almighty God. “For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places” Ephesians 6:12. Prayer can become a defensive shield or an offensive sword of victory. We just need to wield prayer powerfully. 1 Timothy 2:1-4 – “I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men.”

BELIEVING PRAYER

Get this, God really is still on the throne. He is the Sovereign Almighty Who Created Heaven and Earth. He deeply cares for you, individually. He doesnt like others more than you, His love for all is always the same because God never changes. Jeremiah 33:3 – “Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and shew thee great and mighty things, which thou knowest not.” He will answer. The Word of God says so. It may be green, red, or yellow, but God always answers according to your long range best interest. He cares for you. Believe that He hears and just trust His answer to your prayer.

APPROACH GOD WITH A CLEAN HEART

We should begin prayer by reminding ourselves of how loving and holy God is. We need to take time to agree with God about our failures and in prayer, look at our sins from His perspective, from His viewpoint, through His eyes. Once we agree with God about our failures. HE AUTOMATICALLY FORGIVES them and cleanses us from ALL unrighteousness, preparing us for sweet fellowship in prayer and tuning our souls to His. That way, our prayers will be aligned with His will.

SPIRITUAL ARTILLERY

In the Army, one of my jobs was to test and repair fire control computers. In the 1970s, I worked on one of the first portable computers. It was the size of a giant suitcase. It was filled with hundreds of white wires. When you opened it up, it looked like two big rectangular bowls of spaghetti. Life looks complicated sometimes but God knows everything about every situation. He knows the why behind my cry and wipes away our tears in prayer. Psalms 34:17 – “The righteous cry, and the LORD heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles.”

That portable computer had two handles on opposite sides, and it took at least two men facing each other to lift it and slide it onto the bed of a large olive-green Army truck. The power supply was a very big diesel generator that was hooked onto the back of that large Army truck. The Holy Spirit is the Christians’ portable power supply that empowers us to serve God. All we need to do is remember to plug into the power of prayer.

SPIRITUAL ARMOR

That system we used to diagnose problems was called FALT: Field Artillery Logic Tester. When we couldn’t fix something, we said, “it’s not our FAULT.” The purpose was to guide artillery fire to protect civilian areas and only target military assets. In prayer, we put on defensive armor to protect us. God repairs our souls when we commit a fault. Forgiveness is accomplished in prayer. Through prayer we challenge the future and restore the past. Ephesians 6:11 – “Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.”

PRAYER WARRIOR

How would you like to go through life as showers of blessings fall on you like shooting stars from heaven? You can aim artillery by raising or lowering the barrel. Targeted prayer means aiming at specific needs now and in the future. Yes, you can pray for yourself in the future and those prayers will bless you when you get there. Wouldn’t that be amazing?

Try it. Everyone has hopes and dreams. If you want to stay close to the Lord in the future, pray for yourself now. Not every prayer will be answered “yes” but some require patiently waiting for His timing. All prayers are anwered “yes or no” but some get a yellow light to wait for God’s perfect timing. Elisha Hoffman wrote a prayer hymn that has been a great blessing to many. “I must tell Jesus all of my trials; I cannot bear these burdens alone;
In my distress He kindly will help me; He ever loves and cares for His own.”

TALKING TO GOD

You can pray to saints, angels and dead relatives, but that’s like talking to a wall. The Bible says that there is only one way to get your prayer to the throne of God and that is through the Holy Spirit Who is God’s wireless network of data delivery. 1 Timothy 2:5, “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus.” The Holy Spirit not only carries our prayers up but brings the answers down. He also motivates us to pray and what would be in our interest. Ephesians 6:18 – “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints.”

GOD TALKING TO YOU

It does happen that God reveals His will in a situation during prayer but more than likely, it is through reading the Bible that we hear His voice. This is because the Bible is the thoughts of God. Prayer, while reading the Bible is a blessed event. Matthew 4:4, “But He answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God.”

EFFECTIVE PRAYER

Effective prayer is not necessarily public prayer or repetative (Matthew 6:5-8), it’s often private and personally intense. James 5:16 – “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” John 15:7 – “If ye abide in me, and my words abide in you, ye shall ask what ye will, and it shall be done unto you.”

CONTINUAL PRAYER

The communication lines of prayer should always stay open. We can pray secretly in our hearts sll day long, from the moment we open our eyes and think, “Good morning Lord,” to the time for reviewing our day in prayer and planning our next day in prayer at bed time. Luke 18:1 – “…men ought always to pray.”

HOW TO PRAY

In Matthew 6:9-13,  Jesus gave us an example to follow:

After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread.

And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.

And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen

COMMENT BELOW

Below, share a favorite verse on prayer that’s meaningful to you or share a prayer story of how God worked in your prayer life. Blessings!