The Church of Divine Guidance Sunday Morning Adult Bible Study Group is going through
Prayer Warrior The Power Of Praying Your Way To Victory by Stormie Omartian.
No one can sit on the sidelines today when it comes to spiritual matters. A war is going on between good and evil, and every believer is involved. For every Christian who wants a meaningful prayer life that is more than just asking for blessings. Bestselling author Stormie Omartian shows how to pray with strength and purpose―prayers resulting in great victory, not only personally but also in advancing God's kingdom and glory.
For a copy of the book, click or touch this LINK or the picture at the end of the notes.
Introduction
Stormie Omartian is the best-selling author of The Power of a Praying series with over 32 million books sold worldwide. In high demand as an international speaker, Stormie's passion is to help people know God and love Him in a deep way. A survivor of child abuse, Stormie brings a deep understanding of recovery issues to her work.
She was raised by a mentally ill mother who was very abusive her dad was gone a lot working long hard hours just to eke out a living. When he was home he was exhausted and passive and she didn’t think that he protected her from her mother. As a result, she grew up with a lot of depression, fear, anxiety, anger, feelings of hopelessness, helplessness, futility, and rejection.
She drank, did drugs and got involved in eastern religion, the occult and unhealthy relationship which gave only temporary relief. She got worse, more depressed, fearful, anxious, and hopeless and she planned to commit suicide.
A friend suggested that she meet his pastor, by asking her “what do you have to lose”?
The pastor gave her three books and told her to go home and read them and then return the following week to tell him what she thought. The first book was about the workings of evil, the second was about the reality and power of the Holy Spirit, and the third was the gospel of John in book form. Suddenly she could see her life from a completely new perspective. She read that God loved us so much He sent His Son to earth to die in our place, and if we believe in Jesus then we can spend eternity with Him. He came so that we can have life and have it more abundantly, but unless we are born again we can’t see the kingdom of God.
When she went back the following week she received Jesus as her Lord and Savior. She noticed a difference in her life. A feeling of peace, of being accepted, of being cleansed from all her past failure, of starting over with a clean slate. She felt love, joy, and hope for the first time. She had a growing sense of purpose, and I began to see a future for her life.
She learned about the power of prayer and the great things that can happen when we pray. She learned about the importance of worshiping and praising God and the transformation that takes place in our souls when it becomes our priority. She learned that the more she obeyed God, the more she changed.
About the Book
Readers will find help and encouragement in 12 practical and significant chapters that address
- knowing your Commander and standing on His side
- being certain of your authority in prayer
- becoming skilled with your spiritual weapons
- following God's orders to resist the enemy
- seeing what’s happening from God’s perspective
Stormie also provides many powerful prayers on numerous subjects that concern people today. For anyone eager to answer the call of God on his or her life to pray while responding to the desire of his or her heart to see people and situations change, Prayer Warrior is a must-read.
Introduction
UNDERSTAND THERE IS A WAR AND YOU ARE IN IT
It can be really frightening when it looks like all hell is breaking loose and we have no control and nothing or nobody that we can count on for stability. Like an earthquake in an old building that you know was built before the building code requirements enacted after the last destructive earthquake. Once the shaking stops you will find another place to live. A place built under the latest building code.
The same kind of feeling applies to our relationships. We want to have friends that we can count on when the going gets tough. That includes spouses, significant others, and friends. That need often causes us to gravitate to people we really can’t count on but we don’t find out until the next crises.
Our spiritual life is much like that. If we have not built on a solid foundation, according to proven and strong building codes or events then we are unable to stand secure and unharmed in the shaking and upheavals that are going on in us and around us.
Psalm 62:3-9 (NLT)3 So many enemies against one man— all of them trying to kill me. To them I’m just a broken-down wall or a tottering fence.4 They plan to topple me from my high position. They delight in telling lies about me. They praise me to my face but curse me in their hearts. Interlude5 Let all that I am wait quietly before God, for my hope is in him.6 He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress where I will not be shaken.7 My victory and honor come from God alone. He is my refuge, a rock where no enemy can reach me.8 O my people, trust in him at all times. Pour out your heart to him, for God is our refuge. Interlude9 Common people are as worthless as a puff of wind, and the powerful are not what they appear to be. If you weigh them on the scales, together they are lighter than a breath of air.
Matthew 7:24-27 (NLT)24 “Anyone who listens to my teaching and follows it is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock.25 Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse because it is built on bedrock.26 But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand.27 When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will collapse with a mighty crash.”
The solid Rock is Jesus. His presence in your life affects every aspect of it.
The solid Rock is also the Word of God. Jesus is called the living Word. That’s because Jesus is the Word. Jesus and His Word are inseparable. You can’t have one without the other.
Jesus and His Word are the solid foundation upon which we can build and establish our life.
When we receive Jesus, He gives us His Holy Spirit to live in us, which is the seal indicating we belong to Him. The Holy Spirit enables us to live out what the Word teaches. It is the way God changes us and works deeply in our hearts to establish, secure, and strengthen us.
Jesus—the Word of God—and God’s Holy Spirit in us help us to stand strong, no matter how much everything around us is shaking, collapsing, and falling
On Christ The Solid Rock I Stand
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
Refrain:
On Christ, the solid Rock, I stand;
All other ground is sinking sand,
All other ground is sinking sand.
We’ve all had times when everything seems unstable in our world—the weather, governments, environment, work, relationships, health, marriage, children, mind, and emotions—the list is endless. But the truth is that even though these things are happening around us or to us, we can have more control over our life than most people believe. Not necessarily on the things happening but in the way we respond. But it takes having the right foundation and building according to a specific code. If we build our homes to code it is more likely to survive an earthquake than if you don't.
How to Build a Solid Foundation
First of all, we were never intended to build our life alone. We are not meant to take everything into our own hands in order to make our life be what we want it to be. Our life was not made to be out of control. Nor were we formed to live in fear.
Instead, each one of us is created to be under God’s control. We are meant to surrender our life to the Lord and invite Him to make us everything He created us to be. We were made to walk with Him in every situation, enjoying His peace that passes all understanding.
Philippians 4:6-7 (NLT)6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Tell God what you need, and thank him for all he has done.7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we can understand. His peace will guard your hearts and minds as you live in Christ Jesus.
It is possible to establish our life on such a solid foundation that no matter what is happening around us, we will not be shaken.
In order to do that, our life must be built on the Rock. The Bible says, “No other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ”
1 Corinthians 3:10-15 (NLT)10 Because of God’s grace to me, I have laid the foundation like an expert builder. Now others are building on it. But whoever is building on this foundation must be very careful.11 For no one can lay any foundation other than the one we already have—Jesus Christ.12 Anyone who builds on that foundation may use a variety of materials—gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw.13 But on the judgment day, fire will reveal what kind of work each builder has done. The fire will show if a person’s work has any value.14 If the work survives, that builder will receive a reward.15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builder will be saved, but like someone barely escaping through a wall of flames.
There Is a War Going On
If you are a believer in Jesus and have received Him as your Savior, you are in the body of Christ. This means you are in the spiritual war between God and His enemy.
Stormie says that even if you have not yet received Jesus, you are still in the war. You just don’t know it yet and therefore have no control over the things that happen to you. You can be hit and hurt in the crossfire. Satan is attacking a believer and a nonbelievers is a part of their life and they are hit by some of the scrape from a roadside bomb. They think it’s just bad luck
A lot of believers don’t realize that they are in a war either. Far too many believers are being knocked around by the enemy of their soul and their life, but they think bad things just happen to them because that’s the way life is. So they are not actively engaged in the war,even though they are on the receiving end of the consequences of that war. They are attacked and become wounded and incapacitated because they are totally unprepared to face enemy opposition. They are completely uninformed about how to do battle.
God’s Enemy Is Your Enemy
In order to survive the first thing we have to realize is that there is a war and we have an enemy. What we must realize is that our enemy is God’s enemy. In fact he is our enemy because he is God’s enemy. Satan does exist vane he has a military force. The mere fact that you are a child of God means that you are subject to attack at any time. You may believe you don’t have to engage in the battle, but you do. Too Often when people contend in prayer for the will of the Lord to prevail in a specific battle, they think that once the battle is won the war is over. But the war is never over because the enemy never has a good day and is feeling kindly toward you.
1 Peter 5:8 (NLT)8 Stay alert! Watch out for your great enemy, the devil. He prowls around like a roaring lion, looking for someone to devour.
You can push that reality away from you, but it is still there. And then one day you find that bad things are happening to you. You are being shaken and it is severely affecting your life, and you are not prepared to do anything about it. We cannot afford the luxury of foolishly thinking, If I don’t acknowledge I have an enemy, then I won’t ever have to engage with him in any way. I can stay out of the war completely. You are dreaming! You are living in a fantasy world.
How you respond to the enemy of your soul determines whether his plan for your life or God’s plan for your life is realized. Those who war, refuse to see it, ignore it, or run from it are destined to lose it.
This is a spiritual battle. Itis every bit as real as the fleshly battles waged on earth today, but in a spiritual war the way you do battle is to pray.
Ephesians 6:10-18 (NLT)10 A final word: Be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power.11 Put on all of God’s armor so that you will be able to stand firm against all strategies of the devil.12 For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places.13 Therefore, put on every piece of God’s armor so you will be able to resist the enemy in the time of evil. Then after the battle you will still be standing firm.14 Stand your ground, putting on the belt of truth and the body armor of God’s righteousness.15 For shoes, put on the peace that comes from the Good News so that you will be fully prepared.16 In addition to all of these, hold up the shield of faith to stop the fiery arrows of the devil.17 Put on salvation as your helmet, and take the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.18 Pray in the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere.
God’s army is the only one where you don’t actually have to go anywhere. The moment you say, “Count me in, Lord. I want to join with other prayer warriors, you are on active duty. When God puts a person, group of people, neighborhood, city, or a foreign land on your heart, He has connected you to them in the Spirit and you can intercede on their behalf. You are active as a prayer warrior the moment you put words to your heartfelt feelings and talk to God about them.
The Heart of a Prayer Warrior
Here are some questions to ask yourself to find out if you are a prayer warrior.
- Do you see people suffering and it bothers you? Do you want to do something to alleviate that suffering and feel unable to do enough? If so, then you have the heart of a prayer warrior.
- Do you recognize evil proliferating in the world? Do you long to find some way to stop this destruction in people’s lives? If so, then you have the heart of a prayer warrior.
- Do you experience any injustice in your life or can you identify it in the lives of others? Do you see injustice marching forth in a seemingly unstoppable advance? Does it upset you and you would like to have a way to change that? If so, then you have the heart of a prayer warrior.
- Do you observe wrong things happening around you and you want to right them? Do you recognize the culture of hate growing stronger and you are troubled by it? If so, then you have the heart of a prayer warrior.
- Do you ever have a certain person heavy on your heart and it concerns you, but you are not sure why? Do you know people who are going through terribly difficult situations and you want to do something to help them but don’t know how? If so, then you have the heart ofa prayer warrior.
- Do you observe tragic situations happening to people and feel helpless to do anything to stop them? Do you ever wish you could have done something that might have prevented such tragedy? If so, then you have the heart of a prayer warrior.
- Do you become grieved in your spirit when you see blatant disregard for God and His ways? Do you have sympathy for people who don’t recognize their need for the Lord, yet you feel powerless to affect their lives in any way? If so, you have the heart of a prayer warrior.
When you tell God you are reporting for service as His prayer warrior, He will put specific people or situations on your heart that He wants you to pray about. We talked about that happening often when we are in our God-space.
As prayer warriors, we must remember that no matter how hopeless a situation may appear to us, God gives us power in prayer to do something about it. We may be overwhelmed by it, but God is not. We may not see a way out, but God can. Because of Him, we can make a difference! We talked about that too, that prayer causes us to act.
You May Pray Alone but You Don’t Fight Alone
Stormie says that the only reason the world enjoys whatever peace and blessing it does is because godly men and women are praying. It is the result of the prayer warriors doing the work God has called them to do—to pray and intercede as His Holy Spirit leads them.
There is an example in the book of Stormie knowing of people in Los Angeles who pray specifically over the fault lines. They feel strongly led by the Holy Spirit to do so. They pray the “big one” that has been predicted for decades will not happen. Or if seismic shift must happen, that there will be more small quakes instead. She talked to two women who actually go to the places where the fault lines are reported to be and pray there.
They knew they were called to do that. Even though you may be alone when you pray, you are not in the battle alone. Countless prayer warriors all over the world are praying with you.
The Time Is Later than We Think
We must get beyond praying just for our own needs. That doesn’t mean we stop praying for them. Not at all. Jesus commanded us to pray about those things. The Lord’s prayer is an example. He told us to ask, seek, and knock.
Matthew 7:7-11 (NLT)7 “Keep on asking, and you will receive what you ask for. Keep on seeking, and you will find. Keep on knocking, and the door will be opened to you.8 For everyone who asks, receives. Everyone who seeks, finds. And to everyone who knocks, the door will be opened.9 “You parents—if your children ask for a loaf of bread, do you give them a stone instead?10 Or if they ask for a fish, do you give them a snake? Of course not!11 So if you sinful people know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good gifts to those who ask him.
And that is also part of being a prayer warrior. We must do battle in prayer for our own lives as well as the lives of our family members, friends, and the people God puts on our hearts.
But we cannot stop there as if the rest of the world is not our problem. It is not only our problem to pray about, but we are mandated by the Lord to become the intercessors He is calling each one of us to be.
We can see evil encroaching all around us. We may be in a nice safe place right now,
but that could change in an instant.
1 Timothy 2:1-6 (NLT)1 I urge you, first of all, to pray for all people. Ask God to help them; intercede on their behalf, and give thanks for them.2 Pray this way for kings and all who are in authority so that we can live peaceful and quiet lives marked by godliness and dignity.3 This is good and pleases God our Savior,4 who wants everyone to be saved and to understand the truth.5 For there is only one God and one Mediator who can reconcile God and humanity—the man Christ Jesus.6 He gave his life to purchase freedom for everyone. This is the message God gave to the world at just the right time.
I Don’t Want to Be in a War—I Hate Violence
If you don’t engage in the war first by praying offensively, the enemy will bring the battle to you. He will bring it to your home. Your neighborhood. Your school. Your place of work. Your movie theater. Your mall. The enemy comes to destroy, and when he does you must be ready to fight defensively in order to stop him. But the best way is to pray in advance to prevent it.
What is going on all around you must be battled against and won in the spirit realm before it can be won on the ground.
In this study we will learn how to put on your spiritual armor, become skilled with your weapons, identify the immediate battlefield, and engage in the war. It will show you how to resist the enemy, see each situation from God’s perspective, and pray as the Holy Spirit leads you. When you do all of that, you will keep the enemy from taking anything that belongs to you, including your spouse, children, home, health, sanity, clarity, purity, peace, power, and close relationship with the Lord. You can also take back territory that belongs to God, such as people who are lost or cannot help themselves and need someone to stand strong against the enemy on their behalf.
We are not supposed to sit by and allow problems to just happen to us. Yes, we will have struggles. They are often unavoidable. God did not promise a life without trial or struggle. He did not promise we would have instant victory over every challenge, but He has told us that when we proclaim His truth, and live His way and pray, we can overcome these problems.
John 16:33 (NLT)33 I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”
Our spiritual warfare in prayer prepares the way for God to bring victory.
This Sounds like Too Much Work
If you think being a prayer warrior sounds like too much work, let me tell you what is really too much work. Burying your child. Being called to the scene of a horrible accident.
Getting a doctor’s report about a terrible disease that you, a family member, or someone you know of has been diagnosed with. The dissolving of a close friendship. The severing of family ties. Bad relationships at work. Suffering from loneliness, sadness, frustration, hopelessness, or misery. Falling into debt, foreclosure, poverty, discouragement, sin, fear, dread, deep anxiety, or the breakup of a marriage. All of that is too much work!
Yes, we all do stupid things from time to time that get us into bad situations. But how many times do you wish you had prayed for someone you know before their tragic illness? Or their suicide? Or their drug overdose? Or their teenager’saccident? Or their break-in? Now we are not responsible when bad things happen because we didn’t pray.
Stormie believes that bad things can be prevented when we do pray. And we are accountable to God for how much we pray, how often we pray, and how fervently we seek the leading of His Spirit as to what to pray.
“Well, if it’s going to happen anyway, why pray?” We heard that a lot in our last study. Some things are certain to happen like; the return of the Lord Jesus, the annihilation of the enemy's influence on earth, the rising up of the antichrist, and every prophecy in the Bible that has not already been fulfilled. But Jesus did not say to His believers, “Rollover and play dead until I come.” He did not say, “These things are going to happen, so just eat, drink, and be merry until they do.”
Remember what Jesus said in the parable about the rich man.
Luke 12:16-21 (NLT)16 Then he told them a story: “A rich man had a fertile farm that produced fine crops.17 He said to himself, ‘What should I do? I don’t have room for all my crops.’18 Then he said, ‘I know! I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll have room enough to store all my wheat and other goods.19 And I’ll sit back and say to myself, “My friend, you have enough stored away for years to come. Now take it easy! Eat, drink, and be merry!”’20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’21 “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God.”
No, He said we are to occupy where we are according to His will until He returns.
Remember the parable about the nobleman who left money with his servants to invest for him while he was away?
Luke 19:12-13 (NLT)12 He said, “A nobleman was called away to a distant empire to be crowned king and then return.13 Before he left, he called together ten of his servants and divided among them ten pounds of silver, saying, ‘Invest this for me while I am gone.’
We are to worship Him, read His Word, and pray without ceasing.
The Bible tell us at Galatians 6:2 to bear one another’s burdens
Galatians 6:2-3 (NLT)2 Share each other’s burdens, and in this way obey the law of Christ.3 If you think you are too important to help someone, you are only fooling yourself. You are not that important.
This, in a nutshell, is what it means to be a prayer warrior. Take the burdens of other people to the Lord in prayer. That is intercession. ossible. If we join together in prayer, we can break down every barrier to the unity God has called us all to and become the powerful army of prayer warriors He wants us to be.
Start by saying, “Lord, use me as Your prayer warrior,” and the Holy Spirit will lead you from there.
PRAYER FOR THE PRAYER WARRIORS
Lord, I pray You will help me build my life on a solid foundation. I know there is no more solid foundation than that which is built on the Rock—which is You, Jesus, and Your Word (1 Corinthians 3:11). No matter what is shaking around me, You give me a foundation that can never be shaken or destroyed.
Help me to always keep in mind that I am instrumental in the war between You and Your enemy, and victory in my life depends on my willingness to hear Your call to pray.
I know this is spiritual warfare You want me to engage in, and prayer is the battle. Teach me to hear Your call and to pray in power the way You want me to.
Thank You, Lord, for the countless men and women whom You have called to be prayer warriors in this spiritual battle between good and evil, and who have already answered the call. I pray for the many who are still sitting on the sidelines, not realizing how they can become wounded by enemy fire. Help us all to wake up to Your truth. Enable us to bear one another’s burdens in prayer and fulfill Your law (Galatians 6:2). Teach us all to always hear Your call.
Enable me to always hear the voice of Your Holy Spirit leading me to pray. Show me where my prayer is most needed for myself, my family, and the people and situations you put on my heart. Show me how I should pray. Help me to not think of prayer as merely asking You to fix things, but rather taking dominion over the works of darkness as You have said to do. Teach me to use the authority You have given me in prayer to advance Your kingdom on earth.
Enable me to be part of stopping the spread of evil. Help me to advance Your kingdom in a powerful way.
In Jesus’ name I pray.
Next Week Know Your Commander And Stand On His Side
Bible Study Audio
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