Releasing God’s Power
As we continue discussing our spiritual authority as believers, for the next few days, I want to share some principles on why it takes time for our prayers to be answered, including prayers for revival. If we have the authority of Christ’s name, if we truly are His Ekklesia with authority to represent Him, why does it sometimes take so long to produce results? Why is persistence required?
Does God have a certain amount of prayers required for certain situations? Do we “talk Him into” doing things? Does God “finally decide” to do something? Do we “earn” answers through hard work or perseverance? The answer to all these questions is “no.”
Some will ask, “What about that which is frequently referred to as the prayer of importunity, in Luke 11:5-13? Doesn’t this passage teach that we importune (persist) with God until He decides to give us what we ask?”
The answer is an emphatic “NO”! The need for persistence in prayer is never for the purpose of overcoming God’s reluctance.
The word “importunity” in Luke 11:8 (KJV) is an unfortunate KJV translation of the Greek word anaideia, which actually means “shamelessness”(1) or “bold unashamedness.”(2) Aidos, the root word, means “modesty or shame”(3) and is translated as such in 1 Timothy 2:9. Here in Luke 11, it occurs in its negative form, making it “without modesty or shame.”
The point of this passage in Luke is the same as Hebrews 4:16, “come boldly to the throne of grace,” rather than with a sense of unworthiness or shame. Just as the petitioner in the story, we can approach God as our friend, at any time, knowing we are welcome.
So why do we persist? Last week I shared the story of Holy Spirit assigning me to pray for a young, comatose girl. I prayed over her at least an hour every week - sometimes two hours - for a year. Why did it take a year to obtain this miracle?
Why does it sometimes require several years of intercession to see someone saved? Why did Elijah have to pray seven times before the rain came (see 1 Kings 18:41-45)? Why did Daniel have to pray 21 days before the angel broke through with his answer (see Daniel 10:13)? Why does it take years of prayer to change a nation and see revival?
Gordon Lindsay, a great man of prayer and the founder of Christ for the Nations, taught on what he called the “substance” of prayer.(4) He believed that our prayers do more than simply motivate the Lord to action. They actually release the power of Holy Spirit from us to accomplish things. And we must persevere until sufficient power is released. I agree.
That God’s power resides in us, which Holy Spirit desires to release from us, is absolute. The power of God that produces life, healing, and wholeness flows not just from heaven, but also out from the church. He is now enthroned in our hearts - we are the temple of Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 3:16 and 6:19). The word translated temple (naos), means “the holy of holies.”(5) We are now the holy of holies, the dwelling place of God and His glory on earth. And He wants to release His power from us through speaking, touching, laying hands on the sick, declaring, and even worship.
A symbolic picture of this is given in John 7:38, where Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture said, ‘From his innermost being shall flow rivers of living water.’” Innermost being, (or as the KJV says, “belly”) is the Greek word koilia, which literally means “womb” (Strongs 2836). Translating the verse literally, we would say, “From his womb shall flow rivers of living water.” The word “womb,” speaks of reproduction - the bringing forth of life. “I’ll put a force (river) in you that will generate life,” Christ was saying. “You are My womb, My incubation chamber.”
John 7:39 continues, “But this He spoke of the Spirit.” The river Christ spoke of as flowing from us is Holy Spirit. He, from within us, releases His river of power and life to flow into individuals.
Not only are we Christ’s womb, we’re also His mouth. Holy Spirit uses us to wield the sword of the Spirit, which is the spoken word of God (see Ephesians 6:17). He doesn’t speak from the clouds; He speaks from His people - up from our spirits and out of our mouths. And this releases God’s power!
At the time when God was teaching me this in the mid-80s, I had 45 warts on my hands. Some were quite large and had eaten into my fingernails and cuticles on three fingers, completely replacing them. They had been spreading/multiplying on my hands for 7-8 years. Doctors told me they didn’t want to burn or freeze them off, for fear of too much collateral damage to my hands, nails, and cuticles.
Many people prayed for me, with no results. I was in numerous services where “gifts of healing” and “workings of miracles” (1 Corinthians 12:9-10) were occurring, with many people being healed - but never me. Finally, Holy Spirit spoke to me clearly, “Though some are healed through My gifts, others through the prayers of the elders (James 5:14), and still others through the prayer of agreement (Matthew 18:19), I will not heal you through any of these methods. You will have to do what I’ve been teaching you - speak My word over your hands every day (Mark 11:23), numerous times each day, releasing My power to them until they are healed.”
I determined to obey. At least six or seven times each day, sometimes more, I spoke God’s living and powerful Word (Hebrews 4:12) over my hands, using several Scriptures regarding healing. I saw no change for two weeks, but I believed something was happening as I spoke God’s word. Power was being released and accumulating.
After two weeks, I noticed change; the warts were shrinking. From that point on, I watched them become smaller each day. As they shrank, fingernails and cuticles began growing. It took two more weeks for all of the warts to completely disappear, and new nails and cuticles to form. The entire process took a month. Each day power was flowing. It wasn’t a one-time surge bringing an instant miracle, but a relentless flow of power being released into my hands.
It was most definitely God’s power - not mine - that removed the warts and gave me new skin, nails, and cuticles (with no scars). But I was required to release that power by speaking His words. The healing was Christ’s provision, Holy Spirit’s power and strategy, which I had to activate and release.
“Embrace the power of salvation’s full deliverance, like a helmet to protect your thoughts from lies. And take the mighty razor-sharp Spirit-sword of the spoken word of God.” (Ephesians 6:17 TPT)
Pray with me:
Father, we have not done an adequate job of teaching believers regarding Your amazing power and life in us. Therefore, the church has remained horribly ignorant of who we are in Christ, and all He intends us to be and do. The river of life is in us in the person of Holy Spirit. Your immeasurable power is in us.
We ask You to increase our understanding of this. Teach us how to be those who release Your power to those who need it. Teach us to release the flow of Your river of life into situations where spiritual death is operating. May new boldness come to the church, and confidence to believe You really do want to work through us. And we ask that all hope deferred be overcome, in order that we may persevere in our intercession.
And, as always, Father, we ask You to pour out Your Spirit in this nation and abroad. As we pray and release Your power, bring the greatest awakening the world has ever experienced. Transform our nation and other nations of the earth. We ask You - this very day - move by the power of Holy Spirit. Send revival to our churches, and from there into the nation. In Christ’s name we ask and believe we will receive these things. Amen.
Our decree:
We release the power of Holy Spirit into every city and neighborhood in our nation, in the authority of Jesus’ name!
Portions of today’s post were taken from my book Intercessory Prayer.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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1 Joseph Henry Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Book House, 1977) p38.
2 Jack W. Hayford, Praying Is Invading the Impossible (South Plainfield, NJ: Logos International, 1977; revised edition, Bridge Publishing, 1995) p55, 1977, edition.
3 Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p14.
4 Gordon Lindsay, Prayer That Moves Mountains (Dallas: Christ for the Nations, Inc., revised 1994) p43.
5 Thayer, A Greek-English Lexicon, p422.