Restoring Spirit-Led Prayer To The Church

In these end times, we, as believers, must give ourselves to prayer under the anointing of the Spirit if all God has in mind for this era is to come to pass. Satan is going about with great wrath in his attempt to hinder God’s plan. There are many things God has said to us about this time both in His Word and by His Spirit that are to be watched over in prayer because these things being fulfilled are not automatic, and Satan would love to stop them from happening if he could.

When I say they need to be covered in prayer, I’m not just talking about the prayer of faith. Because the message of faith has been emphasized in recent decades (and rightly so), many in the body of Christ have gotten out of balance with the Word regarding other kinds of prayer—particularly moving with the Spirit in prayer. Some have thought or implied that the prayer of faith or making confessions of faith are all that is necessary for the fulfillment of God’s plan in these end times. It’s not! I say that by specific direction of the Head of the church.

If the prayer of faith would cover everything we must pray about, God would not have given us these other kinds of prayer.

Using the Right Tool from our Toolbox

Don’t misunderstand me, the prayer of faith is vital; however, it’s primarily for our own personal lives. It will work where it is supposed to work. I’m just saying the prayer of faith alone isn’t enough to bring God’s plan to pass in these last days. We’re going to have to yield to the Spirit in all the ways He moves in prayer to have fullness in this hour.

It’s going to take some time for Word of Faith folks to make this turn, so we’re going to have to say these things over and over again for some to get it. It’s not that making confessions of faith is wrong; it’s just that many have gotten out of balance and in many cases--it’s not enough. Many have failed to yield to the Spirit when He endeavors to move on them, and Satan is robbing us all because of it. We have been pulling the wrong tool out of the toolbox at times, and in some of these cases, God’s will has not come to pass as a result.

Often, if you’ll pay attention to the witness of the Spirit within you as you make your confessions of faith, you’ll be aware that the Spirit is taking hold of the situation on the inside of you and is prompting you to yield to Him in other kinds of prayer as well--in order to make further power available--because He knows it’s necessary.

Going Further into the Spirit

You and I will not be able to deal with some of the spiritual forces that oppose the plan of God without the anointing. Many “faith” people no longer go very deeply into the Spirit because they think that they can just do everything by faith or through praying the prayer of faith alone. Or, they pray the prayers of the Word out of their minds. They seek the blessings of the deeper realms without much going there.

At times, it takes praying in the Spirit to make the kind of power available that is needed (James 5:16 AMPC). As we pray in the Spirit, we may even be praying out the manifestation of one of the gifts of the Spirit that is necessary.

Let me give you an example. In Acts 12:1-17, when the early church went to prayer for Peter’s deliverance from prison, the Greek says they made earnest, heartfelt and continued prayer to God for Peter. In other words, they didn’t just pray the prayer of faith, make some good confessions and go to bed. No, they prayed under the anointing of the Spirit until they prayed through. As a result, two of the gifts of the Spirit came into manifestation to deliver Peter—discerning of spirits and the working of miracles through the ministry of an angel.

Come Get the Body!

You have to ask yourself, what would’ve happened to Peter if they had not responded to the Spirit with this kind of prayer—which is only done under the anointing of the Holy Ghost?

If they had gotten the church together to claim Peter’s deliverance and then made a few confessions of faith and gone home (as many would have done today), they probably would have gotten the call the next morning to come get his body.

Confessions of faith, or the prayer of faith, alone wouldn’t have gotten the job done. In other words, a failure to pray this way in the Spirit would have given Peter’s situation up out of the power and keeping of God (Luke 22:31-32 AMPC). Satan would have gotten access to Peter to take him out.

The same is true today. If we fail to move with the Spirit in prayer and try to use the prayer of faith in every situation, things that should happen—even things that God intends to happen—will be lost. Then, someone will say, “See, that faith business doesn’t work.”

Folks, we’re getting too many calls to come get the body. I’m not just talking about people dying physically--I’m talking about God’s plans dying!

Praying about Things More Fully

Because people don’t yield fully to the Spirit and enter into these deeper realms where these moves of the Spirit are often prayed out, the will of God sometimes doesn’t come to pass more fully as it ought, and we experience a measure of defeat.

But you see, the defeat was because we didn’t follow the Spirit into “all manner of prayer” (Ephesians 6:18 AMPC). Or, we didn’t go far enough in the spiritual realm. Maybe we prayed a little bit, even prayed in the Spirit, but we didn’t go far enough. This has been the reason we’ve experienced some of the recent events in our nation as we have.

We’ve somehow got to get this over to folks. As I said, if this kind of praying isn’t necessary in some of these cases, then why did God give this to us as one of the weapons of our warfare? If we don’t need it, why did He make it available to us? Why did He put this tool in our spiritual toolbox, so to speak? There must be certain situations where praying these other kinds of prayer are the only way we’re going to get the job done.

I think one reason we need to pray by the leading of the Spirit is because it enables us to get out there further into the Spirit where we’re more yielded to God and the Spirit of God can manifest Himself. Also, some of these situations that arise require us to pray beyond what we know needs prayed about. Praying in other tongues and even using other expressions of the Spirit as He wills enables us to pray about these things more fully as we ought. It enables us to pray about the unknown. Therefore, the will of God can come to pass more fully—as it ought!

Unless we move beyond praying with our understanding, we’ll only get from God what we understand needs to be prayed about. But, by praying in the Spirit, we can pray about things that only God knows needs prayed about.

That’s what the Bible means when it says that a man who prays in an unknown tongue is praying out mysteries. He’s praying out things that only God knows—talking them over with God by this supernatural means of prayer, thereby tapping further into the help of the Spirit.

We’re praying out the will of God MORE FULLY as we ought when we yield to the Spirit in this way (Romans 8:26). If we only pray with our understanding, we’ll only pray the part of God’s will that we know. And, because we don’t know as we ought, we’ll not be praying as we ought, and the will of God won’t come to pass as it ought—meaning it won’t manifest fully. We’ll only get the partial will of God—the good or acceptable, rather than His best.

Making Power Available

We see clearly from James 5:16 (AMPC) that this kind of earnest, heartfelt prayer, which is done in the Spirit, makes tremendous power available. The Greek word translated “prayer” in this verse is the word translated supplication all throughout the New Testament. Supplication is different than the prayer of faith and is done in the Spirit (Ephesians 6:18).

Philippians 1:19

For I know that this shall turn to my salvation through your prayer (Gr. Supplication), and (even) the supply of the Spirit of Jesus Christ,

As I said, there are situations that require this kind of prayer, or the will of God will not fully come to pass. Prayerlessness gives things up out of the power and keeping of God (Luke 22:31-32 AMPC). As a result, Satan is able to hinder or stop God’s plan.

One reason some things pastors and ministers have on their hearts regarding the ministry have just not been able to get off the ground, so to speak, is because these things don’t have the impetus of the Spirit behind them as they should due to a lack of this kind of praying. God’s plan sorta stalls out because it lacks the supply of the Spirit it needs to overcome what opposes it in the spirit realm.

We may be making confessions of faith over what God has called us to do, and that is scriptural and even necessary, but these things often need men to yield to Spirit-led and Spirit-anointed prayer to fully come to pass. I’m talking about giving expressions to the yearnings, groanings and travail of the Spirit as He wills (Romans 8:26-27 AMPC). It just seems there are cases where making a good confession doesn’t make sufficient power available to put the will of God over.

Watching Over What the Spirit Said

There are a number of things we are to watch over in prayer. For example, the prophecies that have come by the Spirit will not be fulfilled automatically. They need to be prayed out.

James 5:16-18 tells us that Elijah prayed earnestly that it might not rain on the earth. When you go back to the Old Testament and read the account, we see Elijah prophesying to Ahab that there would not be rain, and then later, that the rains would come again. But, we also see that Elijah didn’t just prophesy--he prayed. So, here’s what we learn—prophecies need to be backed up by prayer to be fulfilled.

The Word prophesies an end-time outpouring and a great gathering in of the harvest of souls. That’s not going to happen automatically--it calls for our prayer.

We must be sober about the things God has said about the times we are living in and give ourselves to prayer. First Peter 4:7 says we are to watch and pray for the end of all things is at hand. He’s telling us that even though we’re in that time that was prophesied, the fulfillment of all that was prophesied still requires prayer.

Even believers today often don’t understand these things. They just sort of think everything is automatic because God said it. BUT, IT’S NOT! The main reason is because God gave man authority down here on this earth. Of course, when man’s lease over the earth runs out, God can do things differently, but we’re in the time when He needs us to ask Him.

Also, as we have been seeing from the Word, making confessions of faith ALONE is not enough to bring to pass what God said. We often need to enter into these deeper realms of prayer and pray these things out.

Prophecies Need Prayer to be Fulfilled

Notice Elijah didn’t just post the prophecies he got regarding the rain on social media and tell everybody to agree with him for them to come to pass. No, he went to prayer. Prophecies need prayer to be fulfilled.

And, regarding HOW Elijah prayed--I don’t believe he just walked around fellowshipping with the Lord stating his faith. I believe he prayed fervently under the anointing of the Spirit. James 5:17 tells us so. Also, we know what manner of prayer Elijah prayed by the position he got in bodily when he prayed that the rain would be restored to the earth (I Kings 18:41-42).

So often, we just don’t see this kind of prayer and travail in the church today. To a great extent, it has been lost and many people are trying to get what has been prophesied concerning these end times regarding all the gifts of the Spirit, etc., just simply through confessions of faith. It will never happen that way alone. That’s part of the reason why, in so many situations, we come short of the way God intended things to be.

This kind of prayer needs to be restored to the church because the time of what God has said about these end times has come upon us. We’re in the time of their fulfillment, but we must give ourselves to travail, intercession and fervent prayer. Although we don’t make these things up in the flesh or put them on without the anointing of the Spirit, the Spirit is endeavoring to move upon us and among us in this way.

Let’s move with Him as He takes us further into the glory of God!