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Using God’s Word to Pray

By September 25, 2017September 27th, 2017Articles, Faith, Prayer
The Word of God is the foundation of our prayer life. This is so vital to know and understand. We need the grace of God to help us focus on uncovering His Word as that foundation for our lives, the source of our faith, and most importantly, our connection with God Himself.

Imagine, when we hold our Bibles, we have in our hands the actual source of all created matter. God spoke and it was. What was? Everything was! From the tiniest particle to the explosiveness of the sun and how every part in between relates to each other. His Word is so infallible and so certain that God has bound Himself and the existence of all things to it. It is God’s most tangible gift of Himself to us. It is the cornerstone of prayers that receive results.

Thankfully, the Lord did not leave us to uncover or understand the depth of such magnificence on our own. Though the Word is God’s tangible part of our prayer life, it is also spiritual. Therefore, we need a spiritual guide. Oh, how thankful we are for the Holy Spirit. God speaks, but it is by the Spirit that we hear. It is by the Spirit that we understand, and by His Spirit that we also speak. The Father, the Spirit and the Word agree (1 John 5:7). By permission of the Father, the Spirit reveals to men what the Father said. Then He makes that Word relevant to our lives. He shines the light of the Word into the deepest part of our being so we can understand who we are, what we’ve been given and our role in God’s eternal purpose and plan.

In some way that only God can do, the Holy Spirit opens our eyes to God’s universal design and our specific part of it, all from the same verse. But what is so magnanimous to me is that the Holy Spirit will put those same words in my mouth and it is by my voice that God’s plan comes to pass. It’s thrilling enough to think that we have permission to give voice to His words. But it is not only permitted, it is essential. You see, God has a plan for each of us. His intention is more than laying a plan out in front of us to follow like a yellow brick road. No, His intention in raising us up to be seated with Christ is for us to have both a spiritual and a natural part in making that plan unfold and come to pass.

Many of us realize God’s universal plan is laid out in His Word. But not many have considered that the part our individual lives play in His purpose for mankind is in there as well. Not just what the plan looks like, but more importantly, within those words of God lies the power to bring destiny to pass. And within those same words lies the power to bring our own destiny to pass.

Sure, that’s mind-boggling. But remember, Hebrews 4:12-13 tells us the Word of God is alive and nothing is concealed from its (His) sight, and God and His Word are one (John 1:1). They don’t just agree; they are one. His Word is as all-knowing as He is. He has fully invested His God-ness into His Word. That’s not so hard to conceive when you realize that when God speaks, His words come from His heart and are filled with Himself. It’s the same way that when you speak from your heart, your words are full of you. So, what He intimately knows about our present and our future is tucked inside those holy words. Not only every answer for every need, but also every step necessary to fulfill all His good plan for us.

We in the Body of Christ must have the revelation that it’s only when we put God’s Word into our hearts and speak it out our mouths that His will begins to take shape. We must realize the power of life and death is in our tongue. We actually give life to the plan of God when we say what He says, but death to it when we speak otherwise.

John 15:7 tells us: “If…My words remain in you and continue to live in your hearts, ask whatever you will, and it shall be done for you” (The Amplified Bible). God has given us His Word so we can put it into our hearts and pray prayers back to Him that are productive and full of faith. He is giving us words to put in our mouths. Isaiah 55:10-11 shows us the process:

For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it.

By this we can see how God speaks forth His Word, gives it to man, and he returns it back to God. And He says when His Word comes back to Him, He’ll watch over it to see to it that Word accomplishes what He sent it to do.

We are to put the Lord in remembrance of His Word day and night. He doesn’t forget His Word. He wants it coming back to Him out of your mouth! You hold the authority and key to your life. You allow Him entrance into your life by what you say.

We’ve established that all the details of eternity are wrapped up in the Word. But so much seems to be hidden. Proverbs 20:5 says a man of understanding draws it out. How? This is where we say, “Thank God for the Holy Ghost!” In my estimation there are three general ways we work with God’s Word to bring His will to pass in the earth. To please the Father we must do everything in spirit and in truth (John 4:24). (“Thy word is truth,” John 17:17.) So the Holy Spirit is vital in all these ways.

First comes speaking the Word as a matter of spiritual duty and faithfulness. We simply ask the Holy Spirit to reveal His will to us through His Word, then agree by proclaiming it. For example, Jeremiah 29:11 says, “I know the thoughts and plans that I have for you, says the Lord, thoughts and plans for welfare and peace and not for evil, to give you hope in your final outcome” (The Amplified Bible). So, I not only agree with that when I read it, but make way for it to happen in my life by saying, “God has plans for me which will produce peace and hope. And according to Job 42:2, not one of His plans for me will be restrained! Every part of His plan for me will come to pass, in Jesus’ Name!” This is the “girding of our loins” with the Word of God that Ephesians 6:14 speaks of.

Second comes cooperating with the Holy Spirit in prayer. Here, spirit and truth come together on a high order. We first present God’s Word back to Him in faith. “Father, in Jesus’ Name I come to You, thanking You for the great plans You have for my life. You have a plan for each day, even each moment, as well as a plan for me through eternity. I am asking to know Your plan. Give me wisdom according to James 1:5. Show me Your paths and teach me Your ways. I believe I hear the voice of the Good Shepherd and I follow Him” (John 10:3-4).

Then I would pray in tongues. This too is speaking God’s Word because, according to Acts 2:4, it is utterance from the Holy Spirit. It is while we are praying, whether in tongues or just waiting and worshiping, that He has the most open opportunity to bring to light other scriptures and instructions to say, do or both. This is when the truth becomes the sword of the Spirit of Ephesians 6:17.

The third way we cooperate with God to bring destiny to pass is to draw the truth of His Word into our everyday speech and decision making. We base our actions on “What does the Word say?” and then be sure our conversational talk always agrees. We can’t confess, “He has a plan,” pray, “Thank You for the plan,” then worry while saying, “I don’t know what I am going to do. Nothing seems to work out like I want it to.” Our conversation within ourselves as well as with others should sound just like God: “Even if it doesn’t look like it now, this is going to turn out to be exactly right.” Then, according to Romans 8:26, everything in heaven’s power goes to work in our behalf because we have loved what God loves and called things to get in line with His purpose!

Because the Word of God is the foundation of our prayer life, read and meditate it constantly. Talk to God on the basis of what He has already said to you in the Scriptures. It is our place to call forth those things that be not as though they were so we can fully accomplish all He has for us to do. It is our privilege to work with Him by speaking His Word so all He has in His heart will come to pass. And it is our pleasure to take our seat with Him and enjoy all that Jesus’ redemptive work has provided.