Practical Steps for World Changing Prayer from: The Hour that Changes the World

Transcription

1 1. PRAISE: Th Act of Divin Adoration a. Sanctify, or st asid, a priod of tim spcifically to prais God at th bginning of your prayr b. Slct a spcific thm for prais, such as God s rightousnss, His Word, or His crativ acts. c. Drawing on your slctd thm, dclar vocally all that God is. d. Expand your thm as much as possibl. Allow God to rval nw thms for worship as your tim of prais dvlops 2. WAITING: Th Act of Soul Surrndr a. Aftr your momnts of prais, bring your mind and spirit into a tim of complt silnc to th world. b. Think no thoughts but thoughts of God th Fathr, His Son Jsus, or th Holy Spirit. c. If words ar to b voicd, lt thm b quit whispring lik, I lov you, Lord, or, I long for your prsnc, O God. d. Concntrat ful atntion on th lov aspct of God s charactr in ths minuts of silnc. 3. CONFESSION: Th Act of Dclard Admission a. Following your tim of silnt waiting, immdiatly ask God to sarch your hart for any unconfssd sin. b. Mntally xamin your rcnt activitis to discovr possibl aras of spiritual failur that nd confssing. c. Confss any spcific sins you may b guilty of, ithr against God or your fllow man. d. Confss your nd for spcific divin guidanc and suprnatural action. Prayr Stps Pag 1 of 5

2 4. SCRIPTURE PRAYING: Th Act of Faith Appropriation a. Whn bring Scriptur into your dvotional hour, ask God to us his Word to strngthn your rlationship with Him, just as H us food to strngthn your body. b. Examin a passag from ithr th Gospls, th Epistls, Psalms, or Provrbs. Look carfully for spcific ways to apply ach vrs to prayr. c. As you study a vrs (or vrss), ask yourslf what ptition this passag prompts you to mak, or what promis this passag contains that stands dirctly bhind a spcific ptition. d. Dvlop actual prayrs basd on th thoughts and phrass includd in a vrs (or vrss) of Scriptur and offr thos prayrs confidntly to th Lord. 5. WATCHING: Th Act of Mntal Awarnss a. Tak a fw momnts during prayr to bcom spiritually alrt. Watch for mthods Satan may try to us to hindr your Christian walk that day. Prayrfully claim powr to dfat Satan in ach of ths aras. b. Rad dnominational or missionary-vanglism magazins to hlp bcom alrt to spcific nds in God s work around th world. c. Prayrfully rcall various intrnational nws dvlopmnts that dsrv spcial prayr. d. Ask th Holy Spirit to rval furthr spiritual facts and nds. This will aid you in praying mor intlligntly for thos nds. 6. INTERCESSION: Th Act of Earnst Appal a. Carfully prpar for intrcssion by dvloping a spcific plan that includs spcial prayr for God s work around th world. b. Summon a nw compassion for ths momnts of intrcssion, so your praying will rach out to th lost with gnuin concrn. c. Fill your intrcssion with th four ky scriptural claims: Ask God to giv mor laborrs to th harvst, to opn doors for ths workrs, to blss thm with fruit as a rsult of thir fforts, and with financs to xpand thir work. d. Always ndavor to includ spcific countris and thir ladrs during your tim of intrcssion Prayr Stps Pag 2 of 5

3 7. PETITION: Th Act of Prsonal Supplication a. Bgin your ptition by asking th Holy Spirit to hlp you claim only thos dsirs that will bring spcial honor to th Lord. b. Mak a mntal list of spcific nds you hav for that vry day and offr ach nd to God. c. Enlarg a ptition carfully, taking tim to xplain to God why you dsir an answr for that rqust. d. Frquntly Examin your motivs for claiming a ptition. B crtain thy ar pur in th sight of God. 8. Thanksgiving: Th Act of Exprssd Apprciation a. Bgin thanksgiving by thinking about all God has givn you in rcnt days. b. Us th momnts of rflction as a basis for offring spcific thanksgiving for spiritual, matrial, physical, and xtrnal blssings. c. Frquntly thank God in advanc for blssings you xpct Him to bstow on you in th futur. d. Thank God for a last on particular blssing you hav not thankd Him for prviously. 9. Singing: Th Act of Mlodic Worship a. Paus in your dvotional hour to sing a spcific song to th Lord b. Slct a spcial thm for your song, such as prais, thanksgiving, or a favorit passag of Scriptur. c. Ask th Holy Spirit to crat an original mlody in your hart so your song is truly a nw song. d. Don t hsitat to sing songs of thanksgiving for spcific blssings or victoris you bliv God will giv you in th days ahad. Prayr Stps Pag 3 of 5

4 10. MEDITATION: Th Act of Spiritual Evaluation a. Slct a thm for your tim of mditation, applying full attntion to that ara of spiritual thought. b. Allow your mind to wandr within th framwork of your chosn thm. Pondr all aspcts of th thm carfully in rfrnc to God. c. Ask qustions about this thm that might lad you into an vn dpr mntal study of th subjct. d. Bring Scriptur into all phass of mditation. This strngthns your awarnss that God s Word is th ncssary foundation of all maningful spiritual thought. 11. LISTENING: Th Act of Mntal Absorption a. In th listning tim of prayr do not hsitat to ask God vry spcific qustions about difficult problms or situations. b. Sarch Scriptur for spcific answrs to your qustions. God most oftn spaks through His Word. c. Mntally valuat all circumstancs that rlat to a problm. Ask God to show you His plan through thos circumstancs. d. B prpard to writ down any idas God may shar concrning dtails of solving that problm. 12. PRAISE: Th Act of Divin Magnification a. End your prayr with spcific prais concrninggod s gratnss. Focus your prais on His omnipotnc (powr), His omniscinc (knowldg), and His omniprsnc (prsnc). b. With th psalmist lt us prais God bcaus H has don it. Look back at th dvotional hour and prais God for haring ach of your rqusts. c. Lt your spirit rjoic for a fw momnts at th clos of prayr. Rpat th univrsal word for prais, Halllujah! d. As Martin Luthr suggstd, whn your dvotional hour concluds mak your amn strong. Confss with authority that you bliv God is trustworthy. Prayr Stps Pag 4 of 5

5 Practical Stps for World Changing Prayr from: ThHo urt h a tcha ng st hwo r l dpr a y rst ps Pa g 5 of 5