Download “Developing a Prayer Strategy” (Part One) (Romans 4:17, Isaiah 46

“Developing a Prayer Strategy” (Part One)
(Romans 4:17, Isaiah 46:10, John 17)
Last week we reminded you that when you pray you are actually accessing God’s presence, that
you’re coming into the presence of the Lord. We showed you that you should come genuinely
before the Lord who promises to hear our prayers. We encouraged you to separate yourself
from all distractions when you pray, to have a dedicated place, or area, that you consider or call
your prayer closet. Finally we encouraged you to pray BIG BOLD AUDACIOUS Prayers.
This past Monday those who are in my small group attended the movie War Room, and what
stood out loudly to me during that night was the recurrent theme of developing a prayer strategy.
So I’ve set aside the suggested sermon outlines and come up with my own as I followed the
Spirit’s leading. I want to give you what I believe are powerful actions that are part of a prayer
strategy. Get your sermon notes page ready, and be prepared to write down what the Spirit
germinates in your spirit as you listen. The first thing you need to do in developing a prayer
strategy is “Pray the end from the beginning.”
Pray the end from the beginning (Ro 4:17, Isaiah 46:10)
17
(As it is written, I have made thee a father of many nations,) before him whom he believed,
even God, who quickeneth the dead, and calleth those things which be not as though they
were.
Romans 4:17 (KJV)
It is the nature of God to declare the end from the beginning…
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“Remember this and stand firm, recall it to mind, you transgressors, 9 remember the
former things of old; for I am God, and there is no other; I am God, and there is none like
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me, 10 declaring the end from the beginning and from ancient times things not yet done,
saying, ‘My counsel shall stand, and I will accomplish all my purpose,’ Is 46:8-10 (ESV)
Things do not have to remain as they are. Strategic Prayer declares the end from the
beginning, or from the start of the prayer process. It looks ahead and prays toward what is
supposed to be. It prays towards the desired end or desired result. It requires vision, envisioning
what God wants to do in the situation, of what God’s desired intended outcome should be, and so
it also involves listening to the leading of the Holy Spirit as we pray, and praying in accordance
with that leading, declaring the end from the beginning as we pray. This strategy works be it an
“emergency, preventative, or formative” prayer. Let me explain these three types of prayers:
Emergency: Unexpected, unanticipated crisis requiring immediate prayer intervention
(automobile accident, heart attack, under enemy attack)
Preventative: Guarding against anticipated negative spiritual attack, natural injury, harm,
danger or negative spiritual influence. This is not equal to worry. It is advance recon that
intercepts the movement of the enemy under the leadership of the Holy Spirit and terminates
the assault through intercessory prayer (it intercepts the attack and eliminates it through
prayer). I’ll show you later how God does this.
Formative:
The shaping of the individual/situation in peace-time (non-crisis situations)
This is the prayer of development that recognizes the leanings of an individual or situation,
and prays the bad out and the godly in.
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How does the vision of a “declaring the end from the beginning” prayer form? Take the
formative prayer. How would it be framed? In this way…let’s take praying for your child as an
example. Ask yourself, and the Holy Spirit through prayer, these questions …
What kind of adult do you envision him/her to be?
What kind of spouse do you envision he/she will have?
What kind of resources do you envision God to give him/her family as adults?
What kind of spiritual role will they hold as they age, continue to serve in the church?
What sort of spiritual attack do you want to protect them from?
Will they aspire to leadership?
Then craft your prayer to that end. You pray the end from the beginning. What might a prayer
like this look like? Let me suggest a few lines to you.
“Father, I pray over my son that he will always be drawn toward you; that his relationship with God
would be unbreakable, unmovable, always strong (1 Cor 15:58). May his heart always be inclined
toward you, never leaving the righteous path you set before him. Prepare for him a wife that desires to
follow hard after God, and who likewise walks before you all her days. Protect their virginity that they
may be presented to each other pure and chaste. Keep them from ungodly influences, and from enemy
attack, and demonic stronghold. Protect their eyes from pornography, and protect them both from
molestation. Deliver them to each other pure and chaste, with a desire for godliness.
Guide him into a strong knowledge of your word, an intimate relationship with you. Give him
spiritual growth and development and guide him into spiritual leadership. May he find his place in the
body of Christ and joyfully serve you all his days. I bind any demonic assault against my son that would
steal his future, harm his life, delay his spiritual growth, or that would compromise his physical, spiritual
and financial well-being. May he walk in favor and blessing before you all his days, and never depart
from the straight and narrow.” And, oh yeah God, make him a Cub fan!” In Jesus name!
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This is the kind of prayer Jesus modeled for us as he prayed over his disciples and us as he
prepared to leave this world…well, maybe not the Cub part, but the rest of it is:
1
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the
hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, 2 since you have given him
authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. 3 And this is eternal
life, that they know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. 4 I glorified
you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. 5 And now, Father, glorify
me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. 6 “I have
manifested your name to the people whom you gave me out of the world. Yours they were, and
you gave them to me, and they have kept your word. 7 Now they know that everything that you
have given me is from you. 8 For I have given them the words that you gave me, and they have
received them and have come to know in truth that I came from you; and they have believed that
you sent me. 9 I am praying for them [He identifies who he’s praying for].. I am not praying for
the world but for those whom you have given me, for they are yours. 10 All mine are yours, and
yours are mine, and I am glorified in them. 11 And I am no longer in the world, but they are in
the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, keep them in your name [shelter], which you
have given me, that they may be one [unity], even as we are one. 12 While I was with them, I
kept them in your name, which you have given me. I have guarded them, and not one of them has
been lost except the son of destruction, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. 13 But now I am
coming to you, and these things I speak in the world, that they may have my joy fulfilled in
themselves. 14 I have given them your word, and the world has hated them because they are not
of the world, just as I am not of the world. 15 I do not ask that you take them out of the world, but
that you keep them from the evil one [safekeeping, protection and deliverance]. 16 They are not
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of the world, just as I am not of the world. 17 Sanctify them[keep them holy, separated from the
world] in the truth; your word is truth. 18 As you sent me into the world, so I have sent them into
the world. 19 And for their sake I consecrate myself, that they also may be sanctified in truth.
20
“I do not ask for these only, but also for those who will believe in me through their word
[He includes you and me], 21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in
you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me. 22 The
glory that you have given me I have given to them, that they may be one even as we are one, 23 I
in them and you in me, that they may become perfectly one, so that the world may know that you
sent me and loved them even as you loved me. 24 Father, I desire that they also, whom you have
given me, may be with me where I am [He secures our eternity and destination], to see my
glory that you have given me because you loved me before the foundation of the world. 25 O
righteous Father, even though the world does not know you, I know you, and these know that you
have sent me. 26 I made known to them your name, and I will continue to make it known, that the
love with which you have loved me may be in them, and I in them.” John 17:1-26 (ESV)
The kind of prayer strategy I’m describing to you is exactly what Jesus modeled: He prayed the
end from the beginning. He covered everything from “Keep the message in them, and keep them
spreading the message” to “Keep them in unity, and deliver them from satanic assault, and
deliver them to heaven where they can see my glory!” Jesus prayed a Big Bold Audacious
Prayer: “Keep them, deliver them, unify them, give them effectiveness in spreading the
message, and secure them to heaven.” He prayed the end from the beginning.
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This same type of prayer “praying the end from the beginning” can be prayed for any
individual (wife, co-workers, missionaries, pastors/leaders, boss, family members, etc.), in
any situation, and for any organization by asking God these questions...
1. What is the final destiny of this individual? (Dan 2:47)
Do not think that God will not show you this. He most assuredly will. God revealed to King
Nebuchadnezzar his destiny when God enabled Daniel to not only interpret the king’s dream
regarding the vision the King had of a great image, but actually showed Daniel the dream
Nebuchadnezzar had…but had forgotten! God will reveal to you the destiny of an individual.
I told you earlier that God could and would lead you to pray preventative prayers by showing
you what and how to pray; by revealing to you secrets. This scripture supports that claim:
47
The king answered unto Daniel, and said, Of a truth it is, that your God is a God of gods,
and a Lord of kings, and a revealer of secrets, seeing thou couldest reveal this secret.
Daniel 2:47 (KJV)
By asking the Lord “what is king’s destiny?” Daniel was shown the secret thing. Powerful stuff!
2. What should be the final outcome of this situation? (Ro 8:14, 26-27)
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For all who are led by the Spirit of God are sons of God.
26
Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we
Romans 8:14 (ESV)
ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he
who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for
the saints according to the will of God.
Romans 8:26-27 (ESV)
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Sometimes you’ll know automatically what the outcome should be based on your knowledge of
the Word of God. At other times you’ll be guided by the Holy Spirit who will give you what to
pray in accordance with God’s will (Ro 8:14, 26-27). Here are some examples…
Facing divorce? Knowing God hates divorce (Mal 2:16), frame your prayer accordingly.
This means taking on the thief who steals, kills and destroys fighting the enemies of God
through prayer; It means fighting in prayer, binding and loosing, releasing God’s hand to
move in power against the forces of darkness, and in influencing all parties involved
towards righteousness, holiness, restoration and godly decision making.
Facing financial difficulty, hardship, or even ruin?
Knowing you’re the head and not the tail (Deut 28:13), knowing you’re blessed coming
in and coming out (Deut 28:6), knowing God has good plans for you (Jer 29:11), how
should you frame your prayer? Pray the end from the beginning. Pray for blessing
instead of cursing, pray for wisdom regarding handling your finances, pray for increase,
pray for miraculous intervention, bind the thief from stealing, etc.
3. What should be the final destiny of my corporation, nation, or organization (Church)?
Sometimes God lets the individual determine the final outcome, or parts of it, through his prayer.
God listens to us. Solomon is our example. Solomon felt the intense pressure of leading the
nation of Israel as its new king. He recognized, in spite of what his father David had built, in
spite of all the riches he had left Solomon, if Solomon didn’t properly handle all that was left to
him, Israel would fall into decline.
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In prayer Solomon asked God to give him one thing that would help him guide his nation to its
proper destiny…
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Give your servant therefore an understanding mind to govern your people, that I may
discern between good and evil, for who is able to govern this your great people?” 10 It
pleased the Lord that Solomon had asked this. 11 And God said to him, “Because you have
asked this, and have not asked for yourself long life or riches or the life of your enemies, but
have asked for yourself understanding to discern what is right, 12 behold, I now do according
to your word. Behold, I give you a wise and discerning mind, so that none like you has been
before you and none like you shall arise after you. 13 I give you also what you have not
asked, both riches and honor, so that no other king shall compare with you, all your days.
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And if you will walk in my ways, keeping my statutes and my commandments, as your
father David walked, then I will lengthen your days.”
1 Kings 3:9-14 (ESV)
We don’t know if God had intended on giving Solomon wisdom initially, but we see it granted to
Solomon after his prayer. God could not deny such a request, and so we see Solomon
determining his own destiny, and Israel’s likewise, through His prayer.
Also, Solomon’s vision to take Israel beyond where his father had led the nation would only
come about if God gave him the wisdom needed to lead. This request was born of vision, and
the understanding that we must pray the end from the beginning.
The Power of Vision
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This is where a vision of where God wants to take you in your life becomes so important. Seeing
yourself as God sees you becomes so important. Knowing the Word of God and proclaiming it
over your life becomes so important. It affects your prayer, it affects your confession, it affects
your expectation. Vision enables you to pray the end from the beginning, just like Jesus did.
What is the vision God has given you for your family?
Pray to that end.
That’s what Jesus did in John 17; He prayed the end from the beginning.
What is the vision God has given you for your Church?
Pray to that end.
That’s what Jesus did in John 17; He prayed the end from the beginning.
What is the vision God has given you for your Job?
Pray to that end.
That’s what Jesus did in John 17; He prayed the end from the beginning.
What is the vision God has given you for your nation?
Pray to that end.
That’s what Jesus did in John 17; He prayed the end from the beginning.
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Where there is no vision [no redemptive revelation of God], the people perish; but he who
keeps the law [of God, which includes that of man]—blessed (happy, fortunate, and enviable) is
he.
Proverbs 29:18 (AMP)
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