Weaponizing Your Prayers:
Revenge or Blessing?
I had been betrayed by two people, each around the same time in a similar way—and I struggled to know how to pray for them.
Each time I thought of praying for them (which I took to be a sign of the Holy Spirit prompting me), I intended to tell God how to deal with their sin against me. I sought to use prayer as a means of getting revenge, justified because they had hurt me deeply. I was weaponizing prayer.
When I recognized my motivation and had enough spiritual insight to ask the Holy Spirit to help (and forgive) me, I was reminded of a prayer champion in Scripture who weaponized prayer, but with the exact opposite motivation.
Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings.
He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured (Col. 4:12).
I was humbled by Paul’s description of this faithful servant of Jesus who was fervently committed to praying for the people God had placed in his life. Rather than pray against, Epaphras prayed for. He prayed forward, from whatever problem the person had, toward a better spiritual future.
This was an important step in my journey to understand prayer as a weapon, not against the people who hurt or deceive me, but for the purposes and promises of God to invade their lives and circumstances. It’s a radical shift of focus from relational warfare to spiritual warfare on behalf of the person who has brought me pain or problems.
In the Gospels, Jesus presents us with a challenging, unexpected teaching. But as always, His words are true wisdom and life-transforming—not only for the recipient of the prayer but also for the person praying. To weaponize prayer with a forward look has a double blessing.
“But to you who are listening I say:
Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you” (Luke 6:27–28).
To bless is “to invoke divine care” (God’s response); “to confer prosperity” (my request). To confer a blessing is to intercede from a gracious heart that wants what is truly good for the persons prayed for, even if they have treated us unfairly.
God will bless you, even if others treat you unfairly for being loyal to him.
(1 Peter 2:19, cev).
Weaponizing for Blessing...
Our prayers must be weaponized, but not for retaliation. Every response to a prayer is God being gracious.
Almighty God wants to receive and respond to believers’ prayers that echo and emulate the praying heart of our Lord Jesus. We are to mature beyond presenting God with a get-this-for-me demand or a get-them-back-for-me command.
Our prayers must become motivated by what motivates our Lord, modeled after the Father’s gracious generosity. Grace, generosity, and blessing should be in the DNA of every prayer, praise, or petition.
Prayers that release blessings require a sincere spirit of godliness; seeking to present our petition in what we believe would bless our gracious, generous God. A Holy Spirit-bred prayer that supersedes our personal pleas or pain. A prayer we could expect to hear Jesus praying as He intercedes in heaven for those lost or lonely, bruised, or broken.
A prayer beyond our self.
PHIL MIGLIORATTI is curator of The Reimagine Network (pray.network).
Originally published by Church Prayer Leaders Network
>>>KEEP SCROLLING for RELATED CONTENT & COMMENTARY, RESOURCES & REPLIES
From a colleague - -
Thank you Phil. Wow was that timely.
I have a former counseling client and her attorney who made false accusations and is subjecting me to an ethics violation.
I have been praying "May you be happy, may you have peace, may you be well and may you be safe" for them, but this really resonated all the more with me.
From Featured Contributor √Dean Bouzeos - -
Phil, was thinking more about your devotional thought on weaponizing prayer and wondered how you saw it in contrast to the imprecatory palms?
{My reply} - -
Dean: I think your devotional reminds us that Jesus taught us that “you have heard it was said, but I say to you…” and how that changes everything. We hear the true heart of God in Christ saying to “love our enemies and pray for those who persecute us.” I believe we can still pray for God‘s will and righteousness to reign, and his turning people from their evil ways, while at the same time praying for their forgiveness and reconciliation with the Lord and with others.
Probably a lot more to dig into, but I think your devotional help me see the difference between the two. 🙂👊🏼
"Over and over again the command is to pray for, not against; not vindictively, but mercifully; not with condemnation,
but with compassionately, appealing to God to bring forgiveness and redemption."
Featured Contriubtor Francis Frangipane
The House of Prayer
By Francis Frangipane
Jesus said His Father's house would be a "house of prayer for all the nations" (Mark 11:17). True intercessory prayer is born of love and comes in the midst of sin and need. It comes not to condemn, but to redeem. The truth is that all nations sin. All cultures have times of crises. Yet these times can become turning points if, in the time of distress, intercessors cry to God for mercy. Thus, prayer brings redemption from disaster.
We must understand: the church is created not to fulfill God's wrath but to complete His mercy. Remember, we are called to be a house of prayer for all nations. Consider passionately this phrase: "prayer for." Jesus taught us to "pray for" those who persecute and mistreat you. Paul tells us that God desires all men to be saved. Therefore, he urges that "entreaties and prayers . . . be made on behalf of all men, for kings and all who are in authority" (1 Tim. 2:1–2). When Job "prayed for" his friends, God fully restored him (Job 42). We are to "pray for" the peace of Jerusalem (Ps. 122:6) and "pray for" each other, that we may be healed (James 5:16).
"But," you argue, "America is a modern manifestation of ancient Babylon." I disagree. But even if it was, when the Lord exiled Israel to Babylon, He said, "Seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you ... and pray to the Lord on its behalf; for in its welfare you will have welfare" (Jer. 29:7).
Over and over again the command is to pray for, not against; not vindictively, but mercifully; not with condemnation, but with compassionately, appealing to God to bring forgiveness and redemption. The problem is that too many Christians have become disciples of the news media rather than followers of Jesus Christ. We think conforming to our political party is the same as attaining the standards of God. It is not.
Study Isaiah 53. It reveals in wondrous detail the Savior's nature: Christ numbered Himself with sinners. He interceded for transgressors. He is "with" us and "for" us, even when He must reveal to us our iniquity.
But the world sees a church with rocks in its hands looking for adulterers and sinners. We have become the "church of the angry Christians." In the drama that is unfolding in America today, we must learn the role of Christ, but rather than that of the Pharisees. Let us drop the rocks from our hands, then lift our hands, without wrath, in prayer to God (1 Tim. 2:8) who desires all men to be saved, including kings and all in authority.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Adapted from Francis Frangipane's book, When the Many Are Oneavailable at www.arrowbookstore.com.
When the Many Are One
In When the Many Are One, Francis Frangipane demonstrates how Christians of every color, culture, and denomination can work together to transform our communities.
Our best efforts will not stop the flood of problems in our cities if we remain isolated from each other. In a season when external forces are causing disunity and division, Francis Frangipane calls us back to oneness with Christ, and through Him oneness with other Christians. With the character and power of Christ in our midst, the Church can again bring transformation to our communities, our nation, and our world.
Book - $12.00 (Retail $15.00)
Ebook - $12.00 (Retail $15.00)
NEW! - To Know the Ways of God - Audio Series
It is our destiny to know God. If we know God and we have fellowship with God, then the revelation of God transfers that power, that comfort, that rest, that trust, into our soul and we can pass through this life as more than conquerors, through Him who loves us. There is no way to truly know Him completely. You might know an experience with God, you might have had an encounter, but to actually know His ways is to study to become a disciple, to actually penetrate into the heart of God. When we hear His voice, we know His ways, enter His rest. Audio sample
Message titles:
I Want to Know Your Ways | The Greatest of Thee is Love | The Way of Love | Gifts for the Common Good | Humble Yourself Before the Lord
CD Audio Series - $16.50 (Retail $22.00)
MP3 Audio Series Download - $8.25 (Retail $11.00)
In Christ's Image Training is an international online course developed by Francis Frangipane, designed to take Christians at all levels and lead them into a deeper understanding of what it means to be like Christ.
Start today and go at your own pace.
Consider facilitating a Level I group through the course for the lowest tuition using our Group Study Plan.
Learn more at www.icitc.org.
Training also available in Spanish / Español
other resources by Pastor Francis
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Receive encouraging posts from Francis:
Follow Francis on Twitter
Follow Francis on Facebook
Follow Francis on Instagram
______________________
You can support Advancing Church Ministries at www.frangipane.org/donate
______________________
Comments and Questions
eword@frangipane.org
______________________
Mensajes en español
A service of Frangipane Ministries, Inc.
Copyright (c) 2024
All rights reserved.
Unless otherwise stated, all Scripture quotations were taken from the NASB.