Week Three: Pray with Authority

You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father (John 14:13 NLT).

As we begin week three of our 40-Day Challenge, let’s turbo-charge our prayers. That’s what happens when you combine prayer with God’s Word.

Our focus is Step Three: Pray with AUTHORITY. 

We have AUTHORITY in prayer when we are in agreement with the Word of God. Simple as that.

God’s Word works. During my atheist days,  I’d have told you the Bible was nothing but a dead book.  Imaging my surprise after I met Jesus to read that same “dead book,” only to discover that God’s Word is alive.  Active.  Powerful.

Ponder these verses about the enormous power of God’s Word:

As the rain and the snow
 come down from heaven,
and do not return to it
 without watering the earth
and making it bud and flourish, so that it yields seed for the sower and bread for the eater, so is my word that goes out from my mouth:
 It will not return to me empty, 
but will accomplish what I desire
 and achieve the purpose for which I sent it  (Isaiah 55:10, 11).

Our 40-Day Challenge is not just about prayer—it’s also about faith in God’s Word.  So how do we build our faith?  The Bible tells us that faith comes by hearing the Word of God (Romans 10:17).  We feed our faith as we read and digest promises of Scripture. That’s why it’s important to nourish yourself daily on God’s Word.

It takes spiritual muscle to stand on God’s Word and pray with AUTHORITY when we face overwhelming problems. No wonder it’s called a fight of faith.  As my prayer partner says, We should merely glance at our problem, but we should gaze on the promise.

Before we go any further, let me ask you a question. Do you really believe prayer works? If prayer doesn’t make a difference in our personal world and in God’s larger world, then why bother?

But if Jesus was telling us the truth, if prayer can move mountains, then it’s worth our best energy.  I work hard at prayer because I believe prayer works.

We’ve practiced being ALERT and SPECIFIC when we pray.  Now, let’s become more intentional about Praying with AUTHORITY:

1.  Create time this week for your morning reading of God’s Word and prayer.  I call this my “morning launch.” Jesus got up early to pray. Can we do the same?  As my husband always says,  “Put first things first.”  Carve out a half hour first thing to seek God, before your day gets gobbled up by lesser things.

2. Select a day this week to begin your 21 day reading of John’s Gospel.  Each morning, ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate a verse or two out of your reading. Write the verse in your Chubby Book. This will be your watchword for the day.   Meditate on it it.  You may want to memorize it. Pray this verse for those on your Chubby Book List.

If you don’t have access to my book, here’s a free download of the 21-Day Experiment  in John.

3:  Assignment:  Read Chapter 5, “The 21-Day Experiment,” and Chapter 6, “Growing Deeper,” in Sometimes He Whispers, Sometimes He Roars: Learning to Hear the Voice of God.   

Answer the Personal Reflection Questions on pages 190, 191.

Prayer:  Lord, I wonder.  Do I truly believe that time spent in Your Word and prayer will change my day? Change my world?  Change Your world? Your Word never returns void.  Empower my prayers with your Word and bring Your light to this broken and hurting world. Give me strength this week to carve out my time with You early.  Help me keep first things first.  In Jesus’ name.  Amen.