Because prayer is vital to spiritual warfare and because we tend to spend little time in silence in and listening I would suggest the following pattern for prayer. I have developed this over the years and have found it very helpful to me and I hope it is helpful to you as well. I call it WARTIME prayer and I will give a brief summary below. If you spend 5 minutes on each segment you will pray for a half hour, if you spent 10 minutes on each part you will pray for a full hour. When I have used this patters with others they are always blessed and amazed that they prayed so long and found it so meaningful. Try it and let me know if it helps and blesses you.
WA Worship & Adoration
Humbly praising God in reverence and awe focusing on who God is (His character) and what He has done (His works). This could involve singing and telling God that you love Him.
Below are some passages that might help us focus on this aspect:
Mat. 6:9 “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
Psa. 95:6,7 “Come, let us bow down in worship, let us kneel before the LORD our Maker; for he is our God and we are the people of his pasture, the flock under his care.”
Heb. 12:28, 29 “Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our "God is a consuming fire."”
Psa. 27:1; 28:8; 29:1,2; 57:10; 96:9,10; 99:5; Eph. 5:19
Nehemiah 9:5b-15, 17b-25; Daniel 9:4
R Repentance & Confession
In God’s presence we see ourselves as we truly are and so affirming our sin and our need of forgiveness. Turning from our sin to God. Moving from self-centeredness to humble submission to God.
Below are some passages that might help us focus on this aspect:
Mat. 6:12 “And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors.”
Psa. 66:8 “If I had cherished sin in my heart, the Lord would not have listened;”
Psa. 139:23,24 “Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.”
1 Jn. 1:8-10 “If we claim to be without sin, we deceive ourselves and the truth is not in us. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness. If we claim we have not sinned, we make him out to be a liar and his word has no place in our lives.”
Psa. 19:12-14; 25:8,9; 51:10; Isa. 55:6,7; Mk. 11:25; 1 Pet. 1:15,16
Nehemiah 9:16-17a, 26-31; Daniel 9:5-16
T Thanksgiving & Praise
Prepare for intercession by showing our appreciation and gratitude to God through thanking and praising Him. This might involve Scripture Praying and would focus on what God has done and what He has promised to do.
Below are some passages that might help us focus on this aspect:
Mat. 6:9 “Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name.”
Psa. 100:1-5 “Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs. Know that the LORD is God. It is he who made us, and we are his; we are his people, the sheep of his pasture. Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name. For the LORD is good and his love endures forever; his faithfulness continues through all generations.”
Phil. 4:6,7 “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Col. 4:2 “Devote yourselves to prayer, being watchful and thankful.”
Psa. 30:12; 63:3; 69:30; 75:1; 92:1,2; 150; 2 Cor 9:15; Eph. 5:18-20; 1 Thes 5:17
Nehemiah 9:17b, 19; Daniel 9:9
I Intercession & Supplication
As priests of God to come before the throne of grace and pray for God’s will while doing spiritual warfare in behalf of others and ourselves. This should include: individuals, church ministries & needs, spiritual leaders, missionaries, the lost and backsliders, local, national and international issues and leaders, and the sick.
Below are some passages that might help us focus on this aspect:
Mat. 6:10,11 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread.”
Eph. 6:10-13, 18 “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God so that you can take your stand against the devil's schemes. For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. . . And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints.”
1 Tim 2:1,2 “I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone -- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness.”
Jas. 5:13,16 “Is any one of you in trouble? He should pray. Is anyone happy? Let him sing songs of praise. . . Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.”
Psa 2:8; 63:1; Mat. 7:7; 9:37,38; Eph. 1:17-20; Phil. 1:9-11; Col. 1:9-14; 4:2-4,12; Jas. 1:5; 4:2; 1 Pet. 5:7;1 Jn. 5:14,15
Nehemiah 9:32-37; Daniel 9:17-19
M Meditation & Listening
Seeking do spiritual evaluation (running God’s Word through our lives over and over) to discover how to apply God’s Word to our lives. Spending time in silence listening, letting God speak to us, and gaining God’s perspective discovering what God wants us to do so that He will be glorified.
Below are some passages that might help us focus on this aspect:
Mat. 6:13 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil:”
Psa 1:1,2 “Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers. But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.”
Psa. 46:10 “"Be still (cease striving), and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth."”
Jn. 10:3,4,27 “ The watchman opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. . . My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me.”
Josh. 1:8; Psa. 25:14; 27:8; 37:7; 62:5; 77:12; 119:15; Isa. 30:15; 40:31
Exodus 24:15; Ezekiel 3:16
E Expectation & Engagement
Expecting, by faith and through having meet with the Lord, God to answer our prayers while using and involving us in the process. This involves maintaining our spiritual alertness, claiming victory through God’s promises and walking by faith and not by sight as we are engaged in the battle.
Below are some passages that might help us focus on this aspect:
Mat. 6:10,13 “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.”
Jer. 33:3 “`Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.'”
Mk. 14:38 “Watch and pray so that you will not fall into temptation. The spirit is willing, but the body is weak."”
2 Cor. 10:3-5 “ For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world. On the contrary, they have divine power to demolish strongholds. We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.”
Isa. 6:1,5-8; Mk. 11:24; 2 Cor. 4:18; Eph 3:16-21; 5:18; 6:18; 2 Thes. 1:11; 2:17; Heb. 13:20,21; 1 Pet. 5:8-9; 1 Jn 5:14-15
Nehemiah 9:38; Daniel 9:20-23
