Prayer Warrior: The Power Of Praying Your Way To Victory - Session 2 Know Your Commander

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.  For a copy of the book, click or touch this LINK or the image, of the book at the end of the notes.

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.

These are my notes for the study. The audio of the study is at the end of the notes.

Every army has a commander who is the top leader. He is the one most trusted and skilled in knowing how to fight the war. Every soldier looks to him and all orders come from him. No good soldier would consider ignoring or disobeying his orders.

     
 In human armies the soldiers may never know or even meet their commander. In God's Spiritual army, you will not only meet your Commander, but you will meet Him before you become a warrior.

“I knew you before I formed you in your mother’s womb. Before you were born I set you apart and appointed you as my prophet to the nations.” Jeremiah 1:5 NLT

That’s because He wants you to not only know about Him, but He wants you to know Him well and have a deep relationship with Him that is close and personal. That means you don’t just meet Him and it ends there. He wants you to continue to grow in your relationship with Him so that you can hear Him speaking to your heart. He wants you to always be able to clearly distinguish between His voice and that of the enemy. The better you know your Commander, and the more you look to Him for your strength, power, and guidance, the better a warrior you will be.

And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you.  He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.  No, I will not abandon you as orphans—I will come to you.  Soon the world will no longer see me, but you will see me. Since I live, you also will live.  When I am raised to life again, you will know that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. John 14:16‭-‬20 NLT

Imagine you’ve decided to join the army and your Leader has already voluntarily agreed to die in your place so that you won’t ever have to.

Christ suffered for our sins once for all time. He never sinned, but he died for sinners to bring you safely home to God. He suffered physical death, but he was raised to life in the Spirit. 1 Peter 3:18 NLT

Not only that, He has taken the consequences for any mistakes you have made in your life—or may make in the future—and given you a complete pardon so there will never be any need for a dishonorable discharge. Even if you were to do something , you could go to Him and confess the mistake and be forgiven and released from any charge that could be brought against you.

If we claim we have no sin, we are only fooling ourselves and not living in the truth. But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness.
1 John 1:8‭-‬9 NLT

So now there is no condemnation for those who belong to Christ Jesus. And because you belong to him, the power of the life-giving Spirit has freed you from the power of sin that leads to death.
Romans 8:1‭-‬2 NLT

Here are some things you must know about your Commander.

Jesus was with God from the beginning. He came to earth—born as a man but still fully God.

In the beginning the Word already existed. The Word was with God, and the Word was God. He existed in the beginning with God. John 1:1‭-‬2 NLT

He made the way for us to not only be saved for all eternity with Him, but also  saved in this life from the hands of our enemy. He gave His life so that “through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is, the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage”.

Because God’s children are human beings—made of flesh and blood—the Son also became flesh and blood. For only as a human being could he die, and only by dying could he break the power of the devil, who had the power of death. Only in this way could he set free all who have lived their lives as slaves to the fear of dying. Hebrews 2:14‭-‬15 NLT

We don’t have to be afraid to die; we have to be afraid to live without Him.
     
We know as believers that “to be absent from the body” is “to be present with the Lord”

Yes, we are fully confident, and we would rather be away from these earthly bodies, for then we will be at home with the Lord. So whether we are here in this body or away from this body, our goal is to please him. 2 Corinthians 5:8‭-‬9 NLT

No one else has ever died for you and rose from the dead to break the power of death and hell over you. Only Jesus. And that also makes Him the perfect Commander.

Jesus is actually the Commander of two armies. One is an army of angels in heaven and one is the army of prayer warriors on earth. In fact, Jesus is called “Lord Sabaoth.”

One of the names of God in the Old Testament is Jehovah Sabaoth.  I have a blog series going titled Who Is God? and I’m writing about all of the Old Testament names.

Jehovah is translated as "The Existing One" or "Lord." The chief meaning of Jehovah is derived from the Hebrew word Havah meaning "to be" or "to exist." It also suggests "to become" or specifically "to become known" - this denotes a God who reveals Himself unceasingly. Sabaoth(se bâ'ôt) means "armies" or "hosts." Jehovah Sabaoth can be translated as "The Lord of Armies". This name denotes His universal sovereignty over every army, both spiritual and earthly. The Lord of Hosts is the king of all heaven and earth. -Blue Letter Bible

Each year Elkanah would travel to Shiloh to worship and sacrifice to the Lord of Heaven’s Armies at the Tabernacle. The priests of the Lord at that time were the two sons of Eli—Hophni and Phinehas.
1 Samuel 1:3 NLT

Jehovah Sabaoth or Lord of Host, Lord of heaven's armies,  is mentioned over 270 times making it the most frequently used compound name of God in Scripture.

Jehovah-Sabaoth is my favorite name for Jehovah.  No, on second thought my favorite name for Jehovah is Jesus, but that’s another blog series (Who Is Jesus).  

As Commander of these two armies, Jesus shows us how to win control from the enemy over what he has stolen that is rightfully ours. Jesus secured our freedom from control of the enemy, but we still have to establish that liberty in our lives and in the lives of others. We do that in prayer as prayer warriors.

Your Commander Chose You

God chose us before we chose Him.

Even before he made the world, God loved us and chose us in Christ to be holy and without fault in his eyes. God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what he wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.
Ephesians 1:4‭-‬5 NLT

We are predestined, which  means God has a plan for our lives, and because we have received Jesus and have His Holy Spirit in us, we are now destined to live out that plan.

And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them. For God knew his people in advance, and he chose them to become like his Son, so that his Son would be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters. And having chosen them, he called them to come to him. And having called them, he gave them right standing with himself. And having given them right standing, he gave them his glory.
Romans 8:28‭-‬30 NLT

Your Commander Saves You

We cannot save ourselves. Only Jesus can.

There is salvation in no one else! God has given no other name under heaven by which we must be saved.” Acts of the Apostles 4:12 NLT

Anyone can be saved who calls on Jesus’ name.

In fact, it says, “The message is very close at hand; it is on your lips and in your heart.” And that message is the very message about faith that we preach: If you openly declare that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is by believing in your heart that you are made right with God, and it is by openly declaring your faith that you are saved. For “Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved.” Romans 10:8‭-‬10‭, ‬13 NLT

Your Commander Makes You a Joint Heir with Him

What Jesus inherits, you will inherit too.   Only a joint heir with Christ can be a prayer warrior.

But when the right time came, God sent his Son, born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law, so that he could adopt us as his very own children.  And because we are his children, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts, prompting us to call out, “Abba, Father.”  Now you are no longer a slave but God’s own child. And since you are his child, God has made you his heir. Galatians 4:4‭-‬7 NLT

Being a prayer warrior is a way of life. It is not a hit-and-miss, now-and-then, or whenever-I-feel-like-it kind of thing. Nor is it burdensome.

Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.  Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle at heart, and you will find rest for your souls.  For my yoke is easy to bear, and the burden I give you is light.”
Matthew 11:28‭-‬30 NLT

Your Commander Gives You His Spirit to Live in You

Jesus is not here in person on earth with us because He sits at the right hand of the Father in heaven (Hebrews 1:3). From the right hand of the Father is where Jesus intercedes for us and dispenses blessings upon us. That means when you receive Jesus, He gives you His Spirit to dwell in you. It is the sign that you belong to Him.
 

But you are not controlled by your sinful nature. You are controlled by the Spirit if you have the Spirit of God living in you. (And remember that those who do not have the Spirit of Christ living in them do not belong to him at all.) Romans 8:9 NLT

The Spirit of Christ—who is the Holy Spirit of God living in you—is the power of God. God shares His power with you. That is the way He gives you power over the enemy.

And now you Gentiles have also heard the truth, the Good News that God saves you. And when you believed in Christ, he identified you as his own by giving you the Holy Spirit, whom he promised long ago. The Spirit is God’s guarantee that he will give us the inheritance he promised and that he has purchased us to be his own people. He did this so we would praise and glorify him. Ephesians 1:13‭-‬14 NLT

By receiving Jesus you establish a living relationship with Him, and His Spirit lives in you. That is how He communicates with you. When your heart is open to what He wants to communicate to you, listen for His direction. When you hear His call to pray  committed to answering that call, you are a prayer warrior in His great army on earth.

Your Commander Wants You to Choose His Side

We became part of the war between God and the evil one the minute we received Jesus and were declared a legal citizen of God’s kingdom on earth. In this war we are either on God’s side or the enemy’s side. We are either in the army of God or God’s enemy. Everyone has to make the decision to which side they are on. Thinking you can stay neutral—neither choosing God's side or acknowledging the enemy—puts you on the enemy’s side.

Being a prayer warrior is something you do because you love the Lord and want to serve Him. As prayer warriors we now become “ambassadors for Christ”

So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” 2 Corinthians 5:20 NLT

The love of Jesus for us gives us no other choice but to live to please Him.

Either way, Christ’s love controls us. Since we believe that Christ died for all, we also believe that we have all died to our old life. 2 Corinthians 5:14 NLT

We can only choose the winning side.

Your Commander Already Defeated the Enemy

Your Commander is the only one who has ever defeated the enemy for you.  That’s why we don’t have to be afraid of evil powers. Jesus has completely neutralized them.

He did not destroy them, but He did destroy their power to torment those who have His Holy Spirit in them.

Jesus has won this war. And because you're fighting on His side, you are a winner too.

Can anything ever separate us from Christ’s love? Does it mean he no longer loves us if we have trouble or calamity, or are persecuted, or hungry, or destitute, or in danger, or threatened with death? (As the Scriptures say, “For your sake we are killed every day; we are being slaughtered like sheep.” ) No, despite all these things, overwhelming victory is ours through Christ, who loved us. Romans 8:35‭-‬37 NLT

But you belong to God, my dear children. You have already won a victory over those people, because the Spirit who lives in you is greater than the spirit who lives in the world. 1 John 4:4 NLT

Your Commander Is the Greatest Example of a Prayer Warrior

Jesus is our best role model when it comes to understanding what it means to be a prayer warrior. He not only taught about prayer; He lived it every day of His life.  He prayed all the time. He did nothing without praying first.

When Jesus taught His disciples to pray He taught us to acknowledge God as our heavenly Father—which establishes our personal relationship with Him as His children. We are to enter His presence in worship, and praise Him as holy. We pray for His will to be done and His kingdom to be established on earth the way it is in heaven—which means we pray that it will be established in ourselves, in the people we love and care about,  the world we live in.
     
He also taught us to pray that all our needs would be met by Him, and that God would forgive our sins in the same way we forgive others who sin against us. This puts a convicting light on any lack of forgiveness we may harbor in our heart. We are also to ask God for the strength to withstand every temptation and be delivered from the evil one. Lastly, we are to declare His kingdom and glory are forever.

He didn’t use His name in this prayer because He was still with His disciples so they could talk directly to him in person  Later on he said He was going to go but they could ask things  and accomplish things under His authority.  

“I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.  You can ask for anything in my name, and I will do it, so that the Son can bring glory to the Father.  Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it! John 14:12‭-‬14 NLT

That means because we have received Jesus, we can accomplish things He has done when we pray in His name.  If you have received Christ as Savior, the enemy’s power in your life has been annihilated.  Unless the enemy can convince you to doubt God’s Word and all that Jesus accomplished, the enemy has no power. Instead of listening to the enemy, hold fast to God speaking to you through His Word and through His Holy Spirit in you, and you will have power over the enemy for the rest of your life.

PRAYER FOR THE PRAYER WARRIOR

LORD, by You the world was created and all things on earth and in heaven. Everything comes from You and consists in You. Thank You, Lord, that You hold the world together. Thank You, Jesus, for saving me, forgiving me, and freeing me from the mortal wounds my sins have inflicted on me. Thank You, Lord, that You never change. You are “the same yesterday, today, and forever” (Hebrews 13:8). Help me to imitate You in all things.  Keep me from following anything that is not of You (Hebrews 13:9).
     
Thank You, Jesus, for the inheritance You have secured for me—both in this life and in the life to come. Thank You for the great hope I have in You. Thank You for choosing me even before I chose You. Thank You that You protect me from the enemy when I love Your way and pray according to Your will as You have taught me in Your Word. ThankYou that because I have put my faith in You, I have received Your Holy Spirit and this seals my future of spending eternity with You. I praise You for paying the price to win the war against the enemy of my soul.
     
I choose to stand on Your side in this war between good and evil. Teach me how  the powerful prayer warrior You have called me to be. Enable me to take dominion over the works of darkness and take back territory the enemy has stolen from me and the rest of Your people. Help me to stand strong in prayer against the encroachment of the enemy into my life, as well as the lives of others. Enable me to serve You,  being led by Your Holy Spirit in prayer. Thank You, Lord, that You will protect me and those for whom I pray. Thank You for sharing Your power with me as I pray in Your name so that I can win each battle and defeat the enemy.
     
In Jesus’ name I pray.

Bible Study Audio