Prayer That Works — the end of religious begging, the beginning of sonship authority
Effective prayer is not about convincing a reluctant God to finally do something. Effective prayer means that, as children of God (1), we stand in the authority of Jesus (2), we agree with His Word — written or revealed to us (3) — and we release on earth what God has revealed to us as His will, whether generally in the Word of God or specifically for us (4).
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One truth that applies to every topic:
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge” – Hos 4:6 – our failures have a cause: no one taught us, and we remain stuck in general religious convictions and errors… We need to renew our minds!
“His divine power (1) has given to us (2) all things (3) that pertain to life (4) and godliness (5), through the knowledge of Him who called us (6)” – 2 Pet 1:3
We have everything through the knowledge of JESUS!
Today We Pray More Out of TRADITION Than Out of Knowing God and His Word
And that is why, after many attempts, many people carry unbelief and disappointment in their hearts.
Not because prayer doesn’t work, or because God doesn’t hear…
We don’t need more religious prayer. We need to move from an orphan’s prayer to the prayer of a son or daughter of God.
What Does the Word “Prayer” Mean? A Look at Some Biblical Word Meanings
The Hebrew root of the word “prayer” is palal – it means, among other things: to judge, to adjudicate, to intervene, to intercede, and to pray.
- Prayer carries the dimension of adjudicating a matter before God, standing between a given situation and God’s will, of intercession and spiritual intervention.
From this root also comes the noun tefillah, meaning “prayer” – it denotes: petition, praise, thanksgiving, and intercession.
Prayer is not just asking. Prayer is standing before God (1), discerning His will (2), and bringing His order into reality (3).
The Greek root of the word “prayer”: proseuchomai – “to pray” means: petition, praise, thanksgiving, confession, and intercession. There are also other important words:
Homologeō means: to say the same thing, to agree, to confess. In other words, a prayer of faith says the same thing that God has said. It’s not about mechanically repeating formulas, but about entering into agreement with God and His Word.
A prayer of faith begins the moment I stop saying only what I feel, and start saying what God has said.
What Prayer Is NOT
1. Prayer is not religious recitation
Jesus said:
Matthew 6:7–8: “And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words. Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.“
Jesus does not condemn long prayer. He condemns empty wordiness.
There are long prayers that are deep.
There are short prayers that are full of faith.
And there are also long prayers that are nothing but religious noise.
God does not respond to a quantity of words, but to a heart’s faith that is in agreement with His will.
2. Prayer is not an attempt to convince God to become good
Many people pray as though God were the problem. God is good! He has already given us everything we need. We only need to take hold of it by faith!
This is a religious myth.
Matthew 7:9–11: “Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? Or if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!“
Jesus reveals the Father as good.
Prayer does not exist to convince God to be good. Prayer exists so that a person can come into agreement with a God who is already good.
3. Prayer is not spiritual manipulation
“I’ll say it this many times, use the right words, add ‘in the name of Jesus,’ and then it has to work.”
But “the name of Jesus” is not a magic stamp. It is the authority of a Person.
Acts 19:13–16: “Then some of the itinerant Jewish exorcists took it upon themselves to call the name of the Lord Jesus over those who had evil spirits, saying, ‘We exorcise you by the Jesus whom Paul preaches.’ And the evil spirit answered and said, ‘Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are you?’ Then the man in whom the evil spirit was leaped on them, overpowered them, and prevailed against them.”
They used the right name, but they had no relationship, no faith, and no authority.
It’s not about whether you say the name of Jesus at the end of a prayer. It’s about whether you’re standing in the authority of Jesus.
4. Prayer is not an escape from obedience
Prayer does not replace forgiveness.
Prayer does not replace repentance.
Prayer does not replace honesty.
Prayer does not replace action.
James 2:17: “Thus also faith by itself, if it does not have works, is dead.”
Don’t pray for open doors or for obvious things.
For years I prayed for God to change something that I myself was responsible for!
Submitting to control and manipulation is just as much a sin as controlling and manipulating. You are the one with God-given authority to put a stop to it!
What Prayer IS
1. Prayer is a relationship with the Father
The disciples did not ask Jesus, “Teach us to preach.”
They did not ask, “Teach us to organize meetings.”
They said, “Lord, teach us to pray.”
Luke 11:1–4: “Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, ‘Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.’ So He said to them, ‘When you pray, say: Our Father in heaven, hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins, for we also forgive everyone who is indebted to us. And do not lead us into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.‘”
The very first word of Jesus’ prayer is: Father.
Effective prayer doesn’t begin with the problem — it begins with a relationship with the Father!
Don’t talk about how big your problem is — talk about how big your God is!
2. Prayer is agreement between earth and heaven
Jesus taught:
“Your kingdom come. Your will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”
Prayer is not about trying to bend God to our plans. It is we who begin to pray and act in agreement with God’s will.
That is why we pray in tongues!
3. Prayer is partnership with God
John Wesley wrote: “God does nothing but in answer to prayer.”
This doesn’t mean that God is weak without man. It means that God gave man responsibility on the earth.
Genesis 1:26–28: “…So He created him in the image of God; He created them male and female. Then God blessed them, and God said to them, ‘Be fruitful and multiply, fill the earth and subdue it; and have dominion.‘”
Man received responsibility.
Sin distorted that responsibility.
Jesus came to restore man to the position of a son, a representative, and a co-heir.
The Prayer of Petition and the Prayer of Authority
This is a key point of teaching. Not every prayer works the same way, because not every situation calls for the same kind of prayer. There are things we ask the Father for. For example: wisdom, provision, guidance, discernment, open doors.
James 1:5–8: “If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all liberally and without reproach, and it will be given to him. But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that he will receive anything from the Lord; he is a double-minded man, unstable in all his ways.”
But there are also things we are to command. Jesus did not say, “Pray to God about the mountain.” He said, “Speak to the mountain.”
Mark 11:22–24: “So Jesus answered and said to them, ‘Have faith in God. For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, “Be removed and be cast into the sea,” and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.‘”
Notice: Jesus speaks of two things:
- Speaking to the mountain.
- Praying and believing that we have received.
I come to God with a child’s confidence. I stand against darkness with the authority of Jesus. A practical example:
When I need wisdom, I say:
“Father, I ask You for wisdom. Thank You for giving generously and without reproach.”
But when I face demonic oppression, I don’t say:
“God, could You maybe do something about this spirit?”
I say:
“In the name of Jesus Christ, I command this oppression to leave. You have no right to operate in this place.”
Authority in Prayer
Jesus Gave His Disciples Authority
Luke 10:17–20: “Then the seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in Your name.’ And He said to them, ‘I saw Satan fall like lightning from heaven. Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Nevertheless do not rejoice in this, that the spirits are subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven.'”
Here is the balance. Jesus says: “I have given you authority.” But then He says: “Do not build your identity on the fact that demons submit to you. Build it on the fact that you belong to God.” We have been seated with Christ.
Ephesians 1:19–23: “…and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but also in that which is to come. And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all.”
Ephesians 2:4–6: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in trespasses, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved), and raised us up together, and made us sit together in the heavenly places in Christ Jesus.”
This is amazing. Jesus is above every power. And we are in Him.
A believer’s authority does not come from his own spiritual strength, but from his position in Christ.
The Name of Jesus Is Not a Formula, but Representing the King
John 14:12–14: “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.“
John 16:23–24: “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you. Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.“
Praying in the name of Jesus doesn’t simply mean saying “In Jesus’ name, amen” at the end. It means praying:
- in His authority,
- on the basis of His victory,
- in keeping with His character,
- in keeping with His will,
- as His representative.
A practical example:
If Poland’s ambassador travels to another country, he does not speak merely as a private individual. He represents the nation. His words carry weight because the authority of his country stands behind him.
It is the same for a believer. We do not pray on the basis of our mood or our own perfection.
We pray in the name of Jesus.
The name of Jesus is not a religious tagline at the end of a prayer. It is the authority of the King you represent.
Confidence in Prayer: Praying According to His Will
1 John 5:14–15: “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”
John does not say, “Maybe God will hear us” -> He says, “This is the confidence.”
Where I know God’s will, I don’t need to pray in uncertainty. I can pray with confidence.
Example:
If the Bible says that God gives wisdom generously, I don’t pray:
“God, if You even want to give me wisdom…”
If the Bible shows that Jesus healed the sick and revealed the Father’s heart, I don’t need to say:
“Lord, I don’t know whether You want to help.”
Jesus Did Not Pray Like a Religious Person
Jesus Prayed Out of Relationship
Mark 1:35: “Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed.”
Jesus had crowds, a ministry, people’s needs, pressure, and expectations. But His source was not popularity. His source was His relationship with the Father.
If Jesus, the Son of God, needed time with the Father, then we are not more spiritual than Jesus. Jesus did not beg sickness to leave. Look at how Jesus responded to illness, demons, and a storm.
Matthew 8:2–3: “And behold, a leper came and worshiped Him, saying, ‘Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean.’ Then Jesus put out His hand and touched him, saying, ‘I am willing; be cleansed.’ Immediately his leprosy was cleansed.”
The man knew Jesus’ power, but he didn’t know His will.
He said:
“If You are willing, You can.”
Jesus answered:
“I am willing.”
Many people today believe that God is able.
But they aren’t sure whether He is willing.
Faith is built on knowing His will as it has been revealed in Christ.
Acts 10:38: “You know of Jesus of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power, who went about doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with Him.”
- Jesus went about doing good.
- Healing was called good.
- Oppression was linked to the work of the devil.
Jesus did not reveal a Father who sends sickness, but a Father who, through the Son, destroys the works of the devil. Jesus commanded the storm!
Mark 4:37–41: “And a great windstorm arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that it was already filling. But He was in the stern, asleep on a pillow. And they awoke Him and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then He arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm. But He said to them, ‘Why are you so fearful? How is it that you have no faith?’ And they feared exceedingly, and said to one another, ‘Who can this be, that even the wind and the sea obey Him!'”
Jesus did not say:
“Father, if it’s Your will, please calm this storm.”
He rebuked the wind and spoke to the sea.
Some storms don’t end because you’re waiting. They end when you rise up and speak in the authority of Jesus.
I am not heard because my prayer was perfect. I am heard because Jesus opened up my access to the Father.
Changing the Way We Pray
Today God is inviting us to change the way we pray.
- It’s not about praying more prettily.
- It’s not about using more spiritual-sounding words.
- It’s not about making our prayers longer…
It’s about moving:
- from begging to sonship,
- from uncertainty to knowing God’s will,
- from religious form to a living relationship,
- from passivity to authority,
- from fear to faith,
- from empty words to the Word spoken with conviction,
- from prayer as a duty to prayer as partnership with the Father.
The Church doesn’t need more religious noise. The Church needs people who know the Father, know the Word, know their position in Christ, and pray with faith.
7 Sentences to Remember
- Prayer begins with a relationship with the Father.
- We don’t pray in order to convince God to be good.
- A prayer of faith must be in agreement with the Word of God!
- We come to the Father with confidence, and we stand against darkness with authority.
- The name of Jesus is not a formula, but the authority of the King.
- Where I know God’s will, I can pray with confidence.
- Prayer does not replace obedience — it leads to it.
