When Jesus faced Satan in the wilderness, His rebuttal was always, "It is written..it is written...it is written." We are to live, be upheld, and sustained by every Word that proceeds from the mouth of God (Matt. 4:4).
James, by the Spirit, admonishes that we do not have, because we do not ask. We ask and receive not, because we ask amiss (James 4:2-3). We must heed that admonishment now, for we are to become experts in prayer, rightly dividing the Word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15).
Using the Word in prayer is not taking it out of context, for His Word in us is the key to answered prayer—to prayer that brings results. He is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all we ask or think, according to the power that works in us (Eph. 3:20).
The power of prayer lies within God's Word! It is anointed by the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God does not lead us apart from the Word, for the Word is of the Spirit of God. We apply that Word personally to ourselves and to others—not adding to or taking from it—in the name of Jesus.
We apply the Word to the now—to those things, circumstances, and situations facing each of us now.
Paul was very specific and definite in his praying. The first chapters of Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and 2 Thessalonians are examples of how Paul prayed for believers. There are numerous others. Search them out.
Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. We can use these Spirit-given prayers today!
In 2 Corinthians 1:11, 2 Corinthians 9:14, and Philippians 1:4, we see examples of how believers prayed for one another—putting others first in their prayer life with joy. Our faith does work by love (Gal. 5:6).
We grow spiritually as we reach out to help others—praying for and with them and holding out to them the Word of Life (Phil. 2:16).
Man is a spirit, he has a soul, and he lives in a body (1 Thess. 5:23). In order to operate successfully, each of these three parts must be fed properly. The soul or intellect feeds on intellectual food to produce intellectual strength. The spirit—the heart or inward man—is the real you, the part that has been reborn in Christ Jesus.
It must feed on spirit food which is God's Word in order to produce and develop faith. As we feast upon God's Word, our minds become renewed with His Word, and we have a fresh mental and spiritual attitude (Eph. 4:23-24).
Likewise, we are to present our bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God (Rom. 12:1) and not let that body dominate us but bring it into subjection to the spirit man (1 Cor. 9:27). God's Word is healing and health to all our flesh (Prov. 4:22).
Therefore, God's Word affects each part of us—spirit, soul and body. We become vitally united to the Father, to Jesus, and to the Holy Spirit—one with Them (John 16:13-15; 17:21; Col. 2:10).
God's Word, this spirit food, takes root in our hearts, is formed by the tongue, and is spoken out of our mouths. This is creative power. The spoken Word works as we confess it and then apply the action to it.
"Be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves" (James 1:22). Faith without works or corresponding action is dead (James 2:17)
Don't be mental assenters—those who agree that the Bible is true but never act on it. Real faith is acting on God's Word now. We cannot build faith without practicing the Word.
We cannot develop an effective prayer life that is anything but empty words unless God's Word actually has a part in our lives. Therefore, the Word and prayer are intricately entwined with one another—prayer combined with the Word is the key to a dynamic, powerful Christian life!
Excerpt permission granted by Harrison House Publishers