2 Thessalonians 2:6 – 7 NLT
In 2001, during a prayer meeting that took place just weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks, Rachel Teafatiller—a dear, old praying saint from whom I’ve learned so much—said something I will never forget. Referring to the seriousness of the hour and how God needs believers to pray, she said, “It is not enough just to tell people to pray. You have to tell them how.”
I knew by the Spirit just how right she was.
Much is at stake these days. The Devil is making a play to step up the prophetic timetable and put his antichrist system in place before its time. He is attempting to turn the United States from a sheep nation to a goat nation by pressuring her to abandon Israel. He is pushing to bring a whole world into captivity to an Islamic doctrine of demons that would condemn billions of people to hell.
And, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:6 – 7, it’s our job to stop him. It’s our job, as believers, to pray and by our prayers hold back his advances. Clearly, this is no time to shoot scattershot prayers and just hope they do some good. This is the time to pray powerfully, to pray effectively, to pray persistently, and to pray with the faith that will get the job done.
What is the primary key to that kind of powerful prayer? Position.
In a battle, position is crucial. It’s a well-known military fact that the forces occupying the highest ground during a military confrontation have the greatest advantage. Even an army that has fewer resources than its enemy can prevail if it can take and maintain the highest battle stations.
So when it comes to learning to pray in spiritually militant times like these, the first thing we must find out is how to take the higher ground.
Scripture Reading: Ephesians 1:15 – 21
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!”