For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth
that Jesus is the Son of God? (1Jn 5:4-5)
victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.
Who is he that overcometh the world, but he that believeth
that Jesus is the Son of God? (1Jn 5:4-5)
One of the most important points of successful prayer was taught to me by the Holy Spirit early in my salvation- the prayer of proclamation. This is speaking scripture verses of faith, on what God's word tells me concerning the issue I'm praying about, and standing on these verses, using them as weapons of warfare against the powers of Satan to bring down strongholds.
How long you may need to do this, depends on the seriousness of the situation, and how long that stronghold has been allowed to be in power. There's many aspects of this kind of prayer, that will play a part of this kind of spiritual warfare. If it's intercession for nations, regions, etc., your dealing with strong principalities and powers of darkness, rulers in the heavenlies. It took the angel Michael 3 weeks to get through to Daniel to answer his fasting and intercession. We need to constantly be checking our motives, and our approach in this kind of prayer-self must have no place in this realm of prayer, to receive answers, and results.
The victory of proclamation prayer comes from scripture that addresses Christ as risen from the grave-the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and all verses regarding this-spoken directly to the powers of darkness, and the realm of Satan is legal tender. They proclaim him a defeated enemy. All authority in heaven and earth, has been given to Jesus Christ. Satan is here, and roaming the earth to find all who he can devour-but, he is a usurper, and he knows this. He knows his time is short. In the gospels Jesus told his disciples and they tell us who believe-that Jesus has given us the same authority over demons as the disciples, it's up to us to believe this, and use the authority given to us. But, in this we must always check ourselves, to make sure we are walking rightly with the Lord. Repentance, is an ongoing thing throughout the life of the believer. Everyone, no matter who they are, will stumble and say or do something that is wrong, and sin. That is why we have a Savior, a Redeemer. We do not want to sin, but if we do, we run to Him, not from Him-confess it, and receive the cleansing of His blood again, and His forgiveness.
If we are using the prayer of proclamation as a weapon against attacks on our personal life, you need to examine your own inner life, and allow God to deal with you, to see if there's a need for repentance in any area of your life, before you can stand on the scriptures your using, and have the faith and standing with God, to see them work, and the power of God within them, to answer what your proclaiming. The word of God is not magic, it is wielding the sword of the Spirit in the right way, with a right standing with God, that gives you the authority to use it against the powers of Satan. Both God and the devil knows if you are standing in righteousness, or not.
Those who's faith in Christ is unwavering, will seek the scriptures that are appropriate for the battle they are facing, and how to use them, and speak them in prayer-knowing that God will hear, and answer the proclamation. I recommend reading the stories of those in the Old Testament who knew the voice of God, and obeyed what they were told to do, and the victories that were won, because of their faith, and obedience. Moses stood with his staff in his hand, and told to waters to part-and the sea parted and the people crossed over on dry land. Joshua, his men and the people marched seven days in silence, then on the seventh day-the horns were blown and the sound of them brought down the walls of Jericho. David inquired of God when to go into battle, and when not to, and won each one when he heard God say "go up". God's people can learn to hear, and know the voice of the Lord, and use wisdom in our directions and our decisions that will guide us out of the devil's hands, and help us avoid many pitfalls. The more we use the word of God with wisdom, and understanding, we learn how to use a powerful weapon against the forces of evil, in our own lives, and in intercessions for situations in nations.
It's also important to know how to use this source of prayer, and not tell all of what we are doing to those who would not understand, or have the level of faith to believe with you. Unbelief is a poison, and those who live for this world, and have no real desire to know the ways of God, can be a very effective tool to destroy faith, and receiving answers to prayer. I've learned to keep the most important things God's given me to pray for, to myself, unless I'm clearly shown to share it. There's a time for corporate prayer, and with two or three, but, you have to learn the difference and how to discern it, in every situation.
Over the years, every answered prayer has been fuel to my spirit, that causes me to be drawn more and more to the presence of God, and seeking Him for His mind, His will and answers to the prayers that I'm still placing before Him. Every answered prayer also teaches me another aspect of Him, and a deeper relationship with Him, that cannot be replaced by anything or anyone else.
Below are some added commentary on this subject, to assist the reader in their own walk with the Lord, and your prayer life. May God bless you, and may you find something here to help you in your journey.
Lorna Couillard
How long you may need to do this, depends on the seriousness of the situation, and how long that stronghold has been allowed to be in power. There's many aspects of this kind of prayer, that will play a part of this kind of spiritual warfare. If it's intercession for nations, regions, etc., your dealing with strong principalities and powers of darkness, rulers in the heavenlies. It took the angel Michael 3 weeks to get through to Daniel to answer his fasting and intercession. We need to constantly be checking our motives, and our approach in this kind of prayer-self must have no place in this realm of prayer, to receive answers, and results.
The victory of proclamation prayer comes from scripture that addresses Christ as risen from the grave-the resurrection of Jesus Christ, and all verses regarding this-spoken directly to the powers of darkness, and the realm of Satan is legal tender. They proclaim him a defeated enemy. All authority in heaven and earth, has been given to Jesus Christ. Satan is here, and roaming the earth to find all who he can devour-but, he is a usurper, and he knows this. He knows his time is short. In the gospels Jesus told his disciples and they tell us who believe-that Jesus has given us the same authority over demons as the disciples, it's up to us to believe this, and use the authority given to us. But, in this we must always check ourselves, to make sure we are walking rightly with the Lord. Repentance, is an ongoing thing throughout the life of the believer. Everyone, no matter who they are, will stumble and say or do something that is wrong, and sin. That is why we have a Savior, a Redeemer. We do not want to sin, but if we do, we run to Him, not from Him-confess it, and receive the cleansing of His blood again, and His forgiveness.
If we are using the prayer of proclamation as a weapon against attacks on our personal life, you need to examine your own inner life, and allow God to deal with you, to see if there's a need for repentance in any area of your life, before you can stand on the scriptures your using, and have the faith and standing with God, to see them work, and the power of God within them, to answer what your proclaiming. The word of God is not magic, it is wielding the sword of the Spirit in the right way, with a right standing with God, that gives you the authority to use it against the powers of Satan. Both God and the devil knows if you are standing in righteousness, or not.
Those who's faith in Christ is unwavering, will seek the scriptures that are appropriate for the battle they are facing, and how to use them, and speak them in prayer-knowing that God will hear, and answer the proclamation. I recommend reading the stories of those in the Old Testament who knew the voice of God, and obeyed what they were told to do, and the victories that were won, because of their faith, and obedience. Moses stood with his staff in his hand, and told to waters to part-and the sea parted and the people crossed over on dry land. Joshua, his men and the people marched seven days in silence, then on the seventh day-the horns were blown and the sound of them brought down the walls of Jericho. David inquired of God when to go into battle, and when not to, and won each one when he heard God say "go up". God's people can learn to hear, and know the voice of the Lord, and use wisdom in our directions and our decisions that will guide us out of the devil's hands, and help us avoid many pitfalls. The more we use the word of God with wisdom, and understanding, we learn how to use a powerful weapon against the forces of evil, in our own lives, and in intercessions for situations in nations.
It's also important to know how to use this source of prayer, and not tell all of what we are doing to those who would not understand, or have the level of faith to believe with you. Unbelief is a poison, and those who live for this world, and have no real desire to know the ways of God, can be a very effective tool to destroy faith, and receiving answers to prayer. I've learned to keep the most important things God's given me to pray for, to myself, unless I'm clearly shown to share it. There's a time for corporate prayer, and with two or three, but, you have to learn the difference and how to discern it, in every situation.
Over the years, every answered prayer has been fuel to my spirit, that causes me to be drawn more and more to the presence of God, and seeking Him for His mind, His will and answers to the prayers that I'm still placing before Him. Every answered prayer also teaches me another aspect of Him, and a deeper relationship with Him, that cannot be replaced by anything or anyone else.
Below are some added commentary on this subject, to assist the reader in their own walk with the Lord, and your prayer life. May God bless you, and may you find something here to help you in your journey.
Lorna Couillard
THE VICTORIOUS LIFE
The “begotten” children of God are constantly referred to in this Epistle. The word indicates the communication, in regeneration, of the divine nature, of which the first evidence is love. This love is not a weak sentimentality, but a, strong, vigorous response to the motions of the divine love.
God’s life in the soul also manifests itself in our faith; and as faith is the substance of the unseen and eternal world, it overcomes the fascination and glamour of this transient scene. Let your faith entwine around the risen Lord and you will be weaned from all else. Jesus must become all-in-all to you, else you will miss the crown!
We need not only the water of repentance, but also the blood of propitiation. When these two are admitted, the Holy Spirit will bear His secret witness to the soul. God is ever bearing witness to the Son by the eternal life that He gives to and maintains in those who believe. Eternity begins even here for those who have the Son as their indwelling guest.
(F.B. Meyer)
God’s life in the soul also manifests itself in our faith; and as faith is the substance of the unseen and eternal world, it overcomes the fascination and glamour of this transient scene. Let your faith entwine around the risen Lord and you will be weaned from all else. Jesus must become all-in-all to you, else you will miss the crown!
We need not only the water of repentance, but also the blood of propitiation. When these two are admitted, the Holy Spirit will bear His secret witness to the soul. God is ever bearing witness to the Son by the eternal life that He gives to and maintains in those who believe. Eternity begins even here for those who have the Son as their indwelling guest.
(F.B. Meyer)
Jesus Curses the Fig Tree
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
The Lesson from the Withered Fig Tree
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up
from the roots.
And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the
fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
(Mar 11:20-24)
from the roots.
And Peter calling to remembrance saith unto him, Master, behold, the
fig tree which thou cursedst is withered away.
And Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God.
For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.
Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.
(Mar 11:20-24)
The only mountains faith desires to remove are such as are substantial obstacles in the path of mercy. It is marvelous how many such have been removed,—enormous evils, like the slave-trade of seventy years ago, like slavery in America; degradation and superstition, like those holding the natives of New Guinea; pride and secularity, like that which seemed to make the conversion of the Roman Empire impossible. There is no impossibility to those who can lay hold on God. (R. Glover)
The spirit of doubt is the spirit of weakness.—It cripples the will, so that no life of high resolve is possible to it; it produces unrest and discontent; it looks always at the dark side of the picture; and its prevalence in this age largely accounts for that pessimism which, like a shadow, follows it into all its dreary and desolate places. Trace the social discontent, the destructive tendency of much of our literature, especially in the sphere of philosophy—the socialism, anarchism, and all the grumbling and rebelling against constitutional order and the law of the land,—trace these tendencies of our modern life to their source, and you will find there religious doubt, as one of the essential preconditions accounting to a large extent for what we see amongst a vast class of our population. For I maintain that when a nation or any large community forming part of its organic life loses faith in the verities of religion, when it is given over to the service of selfishness or halts between faith and unbelief, and when this tendency continues for any lengthened period, then there has begun the downward movement of national dismemberment and decay. But, on the other hand, the spirit of faith is the spirit of strength, so that all things are possible to him who believeth. (M. McLellan)
The conditions of effectual prayer. We must pray in truth—that is, we must ask for what we really wish. We must pray in spirit—that is, we must ask for the right thing. We must pray in faith, believing that our prayers will be heard and answered. (J. F. Clarke)
Prayer and its answer. “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe”—not that ye receive them, but “that ye have received them,” or, still more closely, “that ye received them,” “and ye shall have them.” The answer to the prayer is thus declared to be coincident with the prayer itself. The petition is granted at the very moment when it is framed; the blessing for which we look does not follow at some distant time through any outward events, but is given at once, when, with absolute, childlike trust, we lay the thoughts of our hearts open before our Father. Prayer, in a word, is the conscious and glad acceptance of God’s will for us when we have first endeavored to estimate our own wants. (Bishop Westcott)
Confidence in prayer. It is only when the heart is very childlike that its desires are pure and wise enough to be left with God, and faith strong enough to leave them. If there seem but few prayers answered, it only proves that there are few prayers offered. For it is only good prayers that can be really prayed. Many that we “say” do not lift our desires to God and lodge them in His heart. Let this word shew us how great a thing is prayer, and how great are its issues. The time for the answer is not pledged, and the manner of it may differ from what we expected; but if we really pray we shall be heard. (R. Glover)
Faith the substance of things hoped for. He doth not say, “believe that ye shall receive them,” but that you do receive them, which plainly shews what kind of faith it is that He requires of us, even such a faith as is the very “substance of the things we hope for” (Heb_11:1), and gives a present being and substance to them. Faith is also “the evidence of things not seen.” As by it we enjoy what God hath promised, so by it we behold what He hath revealed to us, though never so much above our reason or beyond our sight. (Bishop Beveridge)
The power of believing prayer. Prayer obtains grace, wisdom, strength, self-mastery, peace, all which the soul dares wish for, for time or eternity; but it obtains more—it gains God. O glorious prerogative of the faith of the simple peasant, ignorant of this world’s knowledge, but having access to Divine! O glorious compendium of Divine illumining, whereby, not as in a mirror nor by laborious process, the soul shall have all knowledge, and shall see the secret cause of all created things, in the light of God, in God! Even gifts of God could not satisfy that vast soul of man—no wisdom, no intelligence, nothing which has any bound or end. Prayer fills this void, which all creation, out of God, could not fill. Prayer is “the ascent of the soul to God”; it is the beginning of that blessed converse which shall be the exhaustless fulness of eternal bliss; it is the continuance or renewal of union with God. (E. B. Pusey, D.D)
The spirit of doubt is the spirit of weakness.—It cripples the will, so that no life of high resolve is possible to it; it produces unrest and discontent; it looks always at the dark side of the picture; and its prevalence in this age largely accounts for that pessimism which, like a shadow, follows it into all its dreary and desolate places. Trace the social discontent, the destructive tendency of much of our literature, especially in the sphere of philosophy—the socialism, anarchism, and all the grumbling and rebelling against constitutional order and the law of the land,—trace these tendencies of our modern life to their source, and you will find there religious doubt, as one of the essential preconditions accounting to a large extent for what we see amongst a vast class of our population. For I maintain that when a nation or any large community forming part of its organic life loses faith in the verities of religion, when it is given over to the service of selfishness or halts between faith and unbelief, and when this tendency continues for any lengthened period, then there has begun the downward movement of national dismemberment and decay. But, on the other hand, the spirit of faith is the spirit of strength, so that all things are possible to him who believeth. (M. McLellan)
The conditions of effectual prayer. We must pray in truth—that is, we must ask for what we really wish. We must pray in spirit—that is, we must ask for the right thing. We must pray in faith, believing that our prayers will be heard and answered. (J. F. Clarke)
Prayer and its answer. “All things whatsoever ye pray and ask for, believe”—not that ye receive them, but “that ye have received them,” or, still more closely, “that ye received them,” “and ye shall have them.” The answer to the prayer is thus declared to be coincident with the prayer itself. The petition is granted at the very moment when it is framed; the blessing for which we look does not follow at some distant time through any outward events, but is given at once, when, with absolute, childlike trust, we lay the thoughts of our hearts open before our Father. Prayer, in a word, is the conscious and glad acceptance of God’s will for us when we have first endeavored to estimate our own wants. (Bishop Westcott)
Confidence in prayer. It is only when the heart is very childlike that its desires are pure and wise enough to be left with God, and faith strong enough to leave them. If there seem but few prayers answered, it only proves that there are few prayers offered. For it is only good prayers that can be really prayed. Many that we “say” do not lift our desires to God and lodge them in His heart. Let this word shew us how great a thing is prayer, and how great are its issues. The time for the answer is not pledged, and the manner of it may differ from what we expected; but if we really pray we shall be heard. (R. Glover)
Faith the substance of things hoped for. He doth not say, “believe that ye shall receive them,” but that you do receive them, which plainly shews what kind of faith it is that He requires of us, even such a faith as is the very “substance of the things we hope for” (Heb_11:1), and gives a present being and substance to them. Faith is also “the evidence of things not seen.” As by it we enjoy what God hath promised, so by it we behold what He hath revealed to us, though never so much above our reason or beyond our sight. (Bishop Beveridge)
The power of believing prayer. Prayer obtains grace, wisdom, strength, self-mastery, peace, all which the soul dares wish for, for time or eternity; but it obtains more—it gains God. O glorious prerogative of the faith of the simple peasant, ignorant of this world’s knowledge, but having access to Divine! O glorious compendium of Divine illumining, whereby, not as in a mirror nor by laborious process, the soul shall have all knowledge, and shall see the secret cause of all created things, in the light of God, in God! Even gifts of God could not satisfy that vast soul of man—no wisdom, no intelligence, nothing which has any bound or end. Prayer fills this void, which all creation, out of God, could not fill. Prayer is “the ascent of the soul to God”; it is the beginning of that blessed converse which shall be the exhaustless fulness of eternal bliss; it is the continuance or renewal of union with God. (E. B. Pusey, D.D)
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