Luke 8:50
Some people think that when they pray in faith about something, they just pray one time and then they shouldn’t pray about it anymore.
If that’s what you think, you’d better read your Bible again. In Luke 18, Jesus tells the parable of the woman who persisted in her petition and says such persistence was evidence of her faith.
Certainly there are things you will ask for once and never ask for again. But when you are in a prayer battle, resisting the forces of evil, you may well pray very similar prayers again and again. Many of your prayers may be prayed in other tongues because in these cases, we most often do not know what to pray as we ought. So we pray out the mysteries of God in tongues, thereby enforcing the Devil’s defeat with the perfect wisdom of the Holy Spirit.
But remember this, each time we pray, we must pray in faith. Each time we pray, we must believe God answered and expect things to change. Each time we pray, we must believe what James 5:16 says, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]” (Amp).
Dear pray-er, the command of the Holy Spirit has gone out in this hour.
The body of Christ and the world at large is under satanic attack. It’s time to “Scramble!” So grab your Bible and start gaining altitude in Jesus. Take your place in Him “far above” everything that is going on around you, and from that high place keep praying powerful, effective, persistent, faith-filled prayers.
Scripture Reading: Luke 18:1–8
Source: Devotions for the Praying Heart by Lynne Hammond.
Excerpt permission granted by Lynne Hammond Ministries
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”