Lesson 2. Fervent Prayer. Author Mary Alice Islieb explains the principles of effective prayer.
James 5:16 says: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much.”
You remember from the previous chapter that prayer makes the Lord’s power available to us; it releases the power of God on earth.
We want prayer to be powerful and produce results. The question is, how can we make our prayers like that? We find the answer in the Epistle of James.
The powerful prayer spoken of in the New Testament has two components: effectiveness and fervency.
The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person avails much. These are the two main components of powerful prayer. We must pray earnestly, effectively, and fervently.
When we pray as the Bible teaches, we get results. By powerful prayer, I mean prayer that receives an answer.
If we want to receive answers and results, we must pray as God instructs us, not according to our traditions or past or present experience. The Bible says: effectively, earnestly, and fervently.
Before examining these two components in detail, I would like to define another concept found in this verse. The Bible says that the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous person releases great power. This means that if you are righteous, if you have been washed in the blood of Jesus, you have the privilege of powerful prayer.
Who is called to pray? The Bible says that the righteous are called to pray. This is for you if you have already been born again. God gave righteous people this weapon so that they could experience His power in their lives. Therefore, another condition for powerful prayer is righteousness. And we know that righteousness comes through the blood of Jesus.
Powerful prayer is not only for a special group or a pastor. Every believer should be a powerful prayer warrior. Every believer should know what powerful prayer means.
We must know the rules
Let us begin with the definition of “effective.”
When we speak of effectiveness, we mean the principles, rules, and standards given in the Bible. The knowledge and principles of Scripture are precisely the components of effective prayer that produce the desired results.
Scripture clearly explains the different kinds of prayer and how we should pray. Once I heard someone speak about people's general lack of knowledge regarding prayer and how it works: “Most people take a prayer request, throw it into a bag, shake it well, toss it out, and call that prayer.”
A bag of disorderly prayer will never produce the desired results because it is not based on the right principles. A person who prays this way has never studied the passages of Scripture where God teaches us to pray. We need to pray precisely this way in order to receive results. We must use the rules given in Scripture to have the results spoken of in the Bible.
When I was little, I played basketball and a little soccer. It was very easy to understand that the rules of the two games were different and could not be confused at all. But that is exactly what many people do with prayer.
The Bible says that there are many different kinds of prayer, just as there are many different kinds of sports; but unfortunately, people treat prayer like a game: by failing to distinguish between types of prayer and mixing all the rules together, they never get results.
For prayer to be powerful, we need to pray effectively—that is, base our prayers on the principles given in the Bible, know how they work, and know how to use them.
I want to compare different kinds of prayer to a game of golf. Different clubs are used in this game: heavy wooden ones and small, lightweight metal ones. Although they are all used in the same game and have the same purpose—to hit the ball toward the target—different clubs serve different purposes.
At the beginning of the game, when you are at the tee, you take one of the large wooden clubs to drive the ball down the fairway. You should not use a small club for this, because then you will not accomplish the task,
And to toss the ball into the target, you need a small metal bat. But if you use a large bat in this case, you will simply be asked to leave the field.
Right now is the time for the Church to “toss the ball into the target” through prayer. It is time to receive answers! Time for effective prayer! We must understand that there are different prayers for different situations. Some prayers serve as large bats in the spirit, while other prayers are needed only as small bats to toss the ball into the target. Different prayers have different purposes, and each has its place in our lives.
Let us take another example to better understand what prayer is and how it works. Imagine an elderly woman at a church gathering. She is a wonderful Christian and a good prayer warrior, but she does not fully understand spiritual matters.
The pastor finished preaching. The Holy Spirit begins to work, and suddenly the woman starts sobbing loudly. Everyone becomes nervous; no one in the church understands what has happened. The pastor asks the assistants to take care of her.
Another woman says to her, “Dear, everything will be all right; calm down.” The woman herself does not understand what is happening to her. “Oh, I feel so lost, so sad. Oh, so much love…”
The assistants take her out and try to cast a demon out of her. But what happened was that the spirit of prayer overwhelmed her so that she could pray for the lost. Her spirit was very sensitive to the Holy Spirit and understood people’s needs. Sometimes, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, evil spirits manifest in some people, and they begin screaming, shrieking, or laughing so loudly that they disrupt the service. In such a case, they may need deliverance.
You can distinguish between the spirit you are listening to in your spirit. In this case, the woman should have engaged in intercessory prayer, but no one understood this because people had not studied the principles of effective prayer or how it works together with the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit must work with you, and you must bow your head in effective prayer. As you remain in a genuine spirit of prayer, you must be careful not to draw attention to yourself. A person who draws attention to himself or controls the prayer meeting is most likely praying with a lack of knowledge, under the influence of the flesh, or under the influence of another spirit. Prayer will be powerful if you are strong and are moved by a spirit of ministry. Bow your head and pray.
The Holy Spirit came upon that woman so that she could pray for the lost. People often weep while interceding for the lost or for those who have departed from the faith. Perhaps God wants you to help stand for the Lord’s will in a particular ministry. This should happen in the church during prayer, but sometimes the Holy Spirit urges people to pray immediately. Therefore, sometimes the entire church becomes filled with a spirit of intercession. This is very good! We must be open to it.
But if the entire service is going in a different direction, still bow your head and pray. Your prayer will be more effective if you remain calm and do not draw attention to yourself. If the entire service is going in another direction, let it go!
If it is stronger than you and you cannot overcome your reluctance to remain at such a service, go somewhere else—where you will not distract people and where you can surrender yourself to the spirit of prayer.
You can become so skilled that you work with the Holy Spirit in harmony. For this to happen, you must understand what effective prayer is.
The woman in this story did not understand what had happened to her, and as a result, her prayer was not as effective as it could have been. We must know and understand certain principles that will ensure effective prayer.
Let us consider Ephesians 6:10–18. Here we will quote only verse 18:
Pray in the Spirit at all times with every kind of prayer and petition. To this end, stay alert with all perseverance and intercession for all the saints.
Paul wrote to the church in Ephesus from prison. Just imagine what Paul felt when, one day, as he looked at the soldier guarding him, he heard the Holy Spirit say to him, “This is what My people look like in the spirit.”
The Holy Spirit gave him revelation about God’s love and how we are armed in the spirit for battle. He writes to the Ephesians (beginning in verse 10) that we must be strong in the Lord and that we have been given God’s mighty love.
Then, in verse 18, he says that love is not only meant to protect us in the Christian life, but also to be used in prayer. And being clothed in God’s love, we pray from our spiritual position in Christ.
Yield Yourself Easily to Prayer
Ephesians 6:18 says, “…pray at all times…”. These are good, powerful words, but many people do not understand what they really mean.
But this does not mean walking around all day muttering something or speaking in tongues even when someone wants to talk with you. Praying at all times means yielding yourself easily to prayer.
This does not mean praying in tongues all day, although that can be part of prayer. Yielding yourself easily to prayer simply means praying in faith whenever you feel the desire, being sensitive to the Holy Spirit, yielding to His work, and working together with Him.
If you yield yourself easily to the spirit of prayer, you will be able to pray anywhere, at any time, in any circumstances, with anyone, and in any way the Holy Spirit expects of you. This is God’s will for every believer.
When we are at work, we concentrate on completing the task, and we can yield ourselves to prayer just as easily if we have developed an attitude of prayer and awareness of God. When our thoughts are diverted from work, our heart and mind are open to the presence of the Holy Spirit and to partnering with God in prayer.
Paul knew this very well. A distinctive feature of his life and ministry was that he spent most of his time in prayer. He said: “I thank my God, I speak with tongues more than you all” (1 Cor. 14:18). He prayed in different ways and devoted much time to prayer. He developed a strong relationship with God.
To find it easy to devote yourself to prayer, you need to study the Word of God and practice, because prayer is like spiritual exercise. When we pray, we train our spiritual muscles, and at first it can be difficult and “painful,” just as it is during physical training. When you begin working muscles that have not been used for many years, the pain makes you stop because the muscles are not accustomed to this kind of activity.
Our spirit loves to pray, but our mind needs renewal, and the flesh must be submitted to the Holy Spirit. The more we pray, the stronger we become and the easier it is to devote ourselves to prayer.
The Bible says: “…praying always with all prayer in the Spirit.” This does not mean that we should pray only in tongues, but it says that we should pray in the spirit.
For example, with the Prayer of Faith, each person prays as they understand it; you stand on God’s promises, declaring His promises, and speak to the “mountains” in the Name of Jesus. Yes, you can pray in tongues while combining this with spiritual actions, but primarily, people pray the Prayer of Faith as they understand it.
Therefore, praying in the spirit means more than praying in tongues. It means praying from the abundance of your heart, being aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit. It means praying different kinds of prayer in the spirit. If you want to pray the Prayer of Faith, do so in the presence of the Holy Spirit, with all your heart, and such prayer will be prayer in the spirit.
Remaining in the spirit
Remaining in the realm of the Spirit and becoming aware of this realm begins when you make a choice. For example, you decide to meditate on God and His Word. By training your will, you will learn to yield to the Holy Spirit, and when you meditate or speak about God in accordance with His Word, you train your mind to remain in the presence of the Lord.
The more you discipline your mind, submitting it to your spirit and the Bible, the stronger you become, and the easier it is for you to perceive the spiritual world.
In fact, you are already in the spirit, but in practice, when you pray, your mind and body need to yield to this state. It may not be familiar to you, but you need to practice so that it becomes natural.
Pay attention to your inner state and try to sense the presence of the Holy Spirit. At first, this may seem very strange and unclear, but it will be a very powerful feeling. This is not an imagined state; it simply means that your entire being senses God and you pray with all your heart.
You can be in the Spirit anywhere, because God is everywhere: in the car, in a store, or at home. What does this mean? It means that you sense God and the spiritual world more than your surroundings.
But this does not mean that you should spend all day in a cloud of glory, staring with wide, mesmerized eyes, or not work, or change the tone of your voice.
To abide in the spirit means to be aware of God and your inner person. The Word of God is stronger than you and the world around you. It also means becoming more aware of the enemy, his plans, and his attitude. This is how you develop a sharp perception of the spiritual world.
It is very simple: the more you practice and ask the Holy Spirit to help you, the easier it becomes. What you do develops your relationship with God, and you are with Him all day. You gain experience in making your world supernatural.
One way to enter the spirit—and we must learn to do this—is to concentrate on what you are doing. It sounds simple, but you must remember this when you begin to pray.
For example, you are speaking with God, your Father. Think about what is happening in your heart. The more you reflect on this, the more you release your heart for prayer and the spiritual world. Focus on prayer and the spiritual world, not on anything else.
It is not difficult to abide in the spirit. You simply need to practice at first, because you are too devoted to the world around you; but you can retrain yourself so that you can freely enter the spiritual realm.
The enemy opposes your prayer life because this is where your strength lies. You must persevere in order to break through. The chain around you will be broken if you stand firm in faith. The more you pray, the stronger you become! And this is not a feeling, but an awareness of what God wants to do when you pray.
Even if you feel and know nothing, believe in what you are doing. As you grow, you will see what the Holy Spirit has taught you.
The more you practice, the better you will understand the spiritual world and the stronger you will become. Also, do not forget that regularly reading the Bible and attending church cleanse your life. Together, all this will make you a strong, steadfast warrior of prayer.
Now you understand that through different kinds of prayer, we pray with our spirit, in the presence of the Holy Spirit, realizing what the Kingdom of God and the kingdom of the devil are, and focusing on our prayers.
We also need to pray in the spirit and in tongues. At the same time, we need to be aware of God, listening to our hearts and to what we are praying about, and focusing on prayer. We must see what spiritual response this produces before God and in the spiritual world.
Pray in tongues not like a machine, but focus on your spirit, sense God, and allow yourself to be led by the Holy Spirit. This will be prayer in the spirit—powerful prayer, the kind God wants to hear.
God wants our prayer to be powerful and effective. He does not conceal from us the elements of such prayer; instead, He says that it is prayer that releases mighty power.
Thank You, God, that we can pray effectively according to knowledge and principles and receive wonderful results.
In the next chapter, we will examine the second element of such prayer—fervency.
End of lesson.
