“John, don’t waste time in prayer.”

I’m in the lobby of the Empress Hotel in Chiang Mai, Thailand getting ready to fly to Bangkok.  I’m burning for a revelation of precise strategy for a move of God in the cities of the earth, in individuals and in churches.  It’s deeply critical that we discover God’s blueprint.

“John, don’t waste time in prayer.”

That’s what God surprised me with one day a few years ago.  It took me by surprise as I found it interesting that God would actually have me cease praying about something.  After all, prayer is already almost dormant in the church.  How can God be saying to reduce it even further?

As I listened to God’s heart further I realized he wasn’t asking for prayer to be reduced, but for it to be precise.

I then wondered how many millions of prayers, good prayers, have been offered up that didn’t hit the prophetic mark for the moment.  So many have a frustrating and discouraging prayer life because they continually petition while rarely receiving breakthrough.  I have since referred to this type of prayer as “addiction to petition” or having “petitionitis”.  We find ourselves nearly begging God for something, and most usually from a disposition of doubt.  We doubt so we strive in prayer in hopes of convincing God to act.

Is there a time to petition?  Absolutely.  But should we, in our prayer lives, default to petition?  No.  We must eliminate the myriad of prayer focuses that might be good, but might also be off target or not what is on God’s agenda for that very moment.

Example:  If I suddenly received a strong prophetic inclination that a terror attack was about to hit Chiang Mai, Thailand within the hour, it would be foolish and irresponsible to spend that hour praying for my personal finances, my cousin’s ailment or revival in Chicago.  I must drop everything and hit my knees and cry out to God, war in the invisible realm and declare the Word of God to Chiang Mai.

While this is a very exact example, this principle must be embraced in our daily lives.  I find myself invigorated as I put the prayer list away and listen to God’s heart.  It’s the call of the intercessor.  Sometimes I might launch a petition up, and then another and another, quite quickly, to see if God confirms that I am to go further on one of those requests.  I might petition for finances, and then God suddenly reveals a few points to contend for in regard to my finances.  He may reveal a need for repentance, for a specific amount to give to another person, demonic barriers or other revelation.  So, I’d let the other petitions go and hit on finances according to that revelation.

I believe we need a reformation of prayer.  As we save precious energy by only praying what’s on God’s agenda for that moment, we will be years ahead of where we would be otherwise.  It’s one thing to see with our human eyes an obvious situation that needs to be addressed (such as abortion, etc.) and it’s a whole other thing to receive the secret battle plan from heaven that will help us deal with that issue.

Consider the story of Gideon.  If he would have responded according to what he saw alone, he would have failed.  He would have died.  But, instead, he heard God precisely.  He dismissed 99% of his army.  He defied solid military wisdom.  Why?  Because he heard the only instruction that would result in victory directly from God.

How many hours do we spend in intercession, not necessarily ‘wasting’ prayer, but in neglecting the more effective prayer.

So often we think that we are to pray and God is to act, and this is the only form of interaction between us.  In reality, we are to initiate the fulfillment of prayer ourselves!  In Acts 1, the disciples asked when Jesus was going to establish his Kingdom.  Jesus basically said that things have changed.  They went from disciples to apostles.  From followers who watched Jesus do everything to ‘sent ones’ who did the work themselves!

Now, they were to heal the sick, they were to preach the gospel, they were to raise the dead, they were to hear the Holy Spirit and move into correct regions, say the right things and advance with precision.

Jesus left the earth, sent the Holy Spirit and has called us to declare the Word of the Lord.  In Ephesians 6 we read about putting on our armor.  Did you know that the sword that is mentioned, which is the Word, is actually the Rhema and not the Logos?  This means that we fight according to the revelation of God for that moment!  God very often will use the Logos in such situations, but it’s active for that moment.  It jumps off the page.  We are not to worry about what words we will share as God will give us those words in that moment.  This is revelation driven prayer!

We must put down the grocery lists of prayer requests, at least for the bulk of the time, and wait on God and listen.

When we have our ‘prayer in the cave’ events, we are in perfect darkness for 4-5 hours.  We leave the prayer requests at the entry to the cave and wait for God’s revelation.  During the season in the cave that’s dedicated to hearing God, we do hear him well.  What God reveals becomes our new prayer list!  Now, we aren’t praying for most of the things we thought we should a few hours prior.  Now we are praying the precise heart of God for that moment!

Well, my shuttle is ready to head to the airport.  I better go.  Back to the USA!  Let me know what you think.

Blessings!!

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