20111014-T-How_to_Develop_a_Strong_Prayer_Life_P&P02.pdf

P RAYER AND P ROPHETIC C ONFERENCE 2011 – M IKE B ICKLE

Transcript: 10/14/11

How to Develop a Strong Prayer Life

INTRODUCTION

I find that people who really love God dream of having a good prayer life. But when they look back over ten

years, they don’t. And that’s one of the greatest sources of pain in the life of a person who really wants to go

deep with God. They know prayer is important, but for some reason, they just can’t quite get around to it. And

just so you don’t feel lonely in this, or like you’ve been isolated by the enemy as the only guy who doesn’t do it.

That’s the prevailing confession of on-fire believers all across the world. They feel the same way. So I’m not

trying to comfort you in your pain. What I want to do is give you some encouragement in how to get out of the

pain. Not to feel, “Well, at least everyone else is suffering, too; that makes me feel better.” No, that’s not the

point of this session.

Paragraph A. And again like always, we won’t cover all the notes here, but I’m just giving you something you

can take home and look at in more detail if you want. Prayer has many different expressions. When we talk

about a prayer life, what do we mean? And I mentioned four different expressions of prayer, though the list

could be longer.

Number one: I’m talking about intimacy with God, connecting with God at the heart level as an individual,

where you feel His love and you’re strengthened to love Him in return. I call that “intimacy with God.”

There’s a second type of prayer called intercession , or interceding for revival. We’re not praying for our own

heart, but we’re praying for the break-in of the Spirit on a geographic area or on the Church or in society.

Then there’s a third type of prayer where you’re covering or you’re praying for someone in a real specific way.

You’re locked in to an individual and asking for the provision, protection, and guidance of the Lord for that

individual.

And then there’s praying for the sick. That’s part of our prayer life, where you’re praying for a person right in

front of you. You’re laying hands on them. That’s a legitimate part of your prayer life. And we can give several

different categories as well, but the idea is that there are many expressions of having a strong prayer life.

B. A consistent prayer life—and the emphasis is on the word consistent —is essential. It’s just not a grand idea;

it’s essential if we will walk in the fullness of what God has promised us. Everyone wants fullness, but there are

certain conditions to walking in the fullness of what God has ordained for us, and a consistent prayer life is one

of them. That’s probably one of the most challenging aspects of this.

PRAYER IS BOTH A PRIVILEGE AND A FIERCE STRUGGLE

Paragraph C. What is prayer? Well, you could describe it in a number of ways. And the simplest way to

describe it is, it’s talking to God. That’s obvious. But it’s an amazing privilege. I want to put that before you.

The idea that the transcendent God, infinitely superior to all others, actually wants to talk with us, is amazing.

Sometimes I take a step back and go, “Wait, prayer isn’t just talking to You.” It’s the most awesome privilege,

that He actually leans forward, so to speak, and He really wants to hear us. I mean, you can’t get the attention of

the rich and famous and powerful if you want it. They just don’t have interest. But He is really interested.

That’s remarkable.

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Free Teaching Library www.MikeBickle.org

P RAYER AND P ROPHETIC C ONFERENCE 2011 – M IKE B ICKLE

How to Develop a Strong Prayer Life

Transcript: 10/14/11

Page 2

But it’s not only a privilege, it’s a fierce struggle. I don’t know of anything that has more challenge to it than

staying consistent in this area. There are so many reasons not to follow through—hindrances, struggles, fears—

but if you know that and you sign up for it, then, when you experience the struggle, you don’t give up. You

think, “You know, this is part of it.” But it’s also a miracle that the Spirit actually helps people like you and me

to enjoy prayer.

SOME OF THE COMMON STRUGGLES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE STARTING IN PRAYER

I remember in my early days in the Lord, I really hated prayer. I mean I hated prayer. I was eighteen years old,

in college, and my youth pastors told me, “If you want to grow in God, you have to have a prayer life.”

I said, “OK, I’m in.” I read some books on prayer. The most notable writer, for me, was a man named Leonard

Ravenhill. Some of you know his name. He has written some of the classics. He went to go home to be with the

Lord a few years ago. But from about 1930 to 1990, he had a massive ministry. Well, massive isn’t the right

word; it was challenging and inspiring. He wrote on prayer for fifty, sixty years. I would read his books and feel

convinced that I needed to do it, and I would feel miserable about it. Then I would go to my little prayer room

and I hated it. It was miserable. And so, to even the score, I said, “Well, at least I’ll just read more books about

how I should do it. If I feel bad, maybe God will call it even.”

Well it didn’t really work that way, but anyway. If you had told me back in my college years that one day I

would be leading a prayer ministry, I would have siad, “You’ve totally got the wrong idea.” I mean, I loved

being active; I was not a “settle down and talk to God” kind of guy. And I really loved Jesus when I was

eighteen years old; really dedicated. I would read the biographies of the missionaries and I was going hard for

God; I really loved Him, but I didn’t like prayer. I didn’t like Bible study, I didn’t like fasting, but I liked

meetings. I loved meetings. I could go to meetings every day. I loved a meeting, a Bible study, worship, and

everyone there. Yea, I loved meetings. But when the meeting was over, just me, God, and the Bible. I thought,

“Lord, I love everything about You besides talking to You and reading about You. I really love You, though.” I

mean, I meant it. I really did love God. I said, “I’ll go to meetings every day and I’ll go on outreaches all day,

but please don’t make me sit down and talk to You.” The Bible was super-confusing.

But here’s my point. Like I tell some of our students here, I really struggled with it. Because I know they’re

nineteen, twenty, and twenty-one years old. They’re feeling the same and they’re thinking, “Oh you’re being

humble. You’re trying to be nice.”

No, I really didn’t like prayer and Bible study, but I loved the Lord. And I tell them, “But now I love it.”

I don’t mean I always love it. But many times over these last years, I find I love prayer and the Word. And I

thought, “What a miracle.” And they would kind of roll their eyes and think, “Well, you’re supposed to, you’re

the IHOP-KC guy. Of course you do.”

I say, “No, no you don’t know.” There wasn’t one chance in a million when I was twenty years old that I would

be the IHOP-KC guy. If you had told me that, I would have quit right then. I would have said, “I’ve been

banished to Siberia. No, please, anything besides that.”

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Free Teaching Library www.MikeBickle.org

P RAYER AND P ROPHETIC C ONFERENCE 2011 – M IKE B ICKLE

How to Develop a Strong Prayer Life

Transcript: 10/14/11

Page 3

That would have been a horrifying concept to me, not a glorious one. So I know from personal experience, if a

guy like me can actually go from hating it—and that’s not exaggerated—hating it to liking it, I know that you

can too.

IT’S IMPOSSIBLE TO EXPERIENCE FULLNESS IN GOD WITHOUT PRAYER

Paragraph D. Prayer is so necessary, so necessary. I mean, we can’t go into the fullness of our calling or our

experience in God without it. It energizes our spirit. If we get hold of this thing, let some months and years go

by, and look back, our spirit will be significantly more energized in the right sense. The blessings will increase.

There will be a change in the Church, in society. Change is affected through this. Prayer changes the spiritual

atmosphere of a city or a ministry or a family. And what I mean is that the spiritual conflict between demons

and angels is in the balance of people on the earth praying. When prayer increases, demons are minimized in

their activity and angels are increased in their activity.

GOD GAVE THE DOMINION OF THE EARTH TO ADAM AND HIS CHILDREN

The Spirit does more if the people on the earth pray. And one of the reasons is because God gave the dominion

of the earth to humans. God said, “Adam,” speaking not just to Adam as an individual but to the human race.

He said, “The dominion of the earth is yours. The affairs of the human race are now dynamically affected by

what you do” (Gen. 1:28-30, paraphrased). And when Adam sinned, the Lord said, “The deal is still on. Even

though you sinned, I’m not taking the earth back. There’s just going to be more darkness and destruction now.

And the more people sin, the more darkness and destruction. I won’t stop it, because I really gave the affairs

and the government of the earth to humans.” If those very humans say yes to the grace of God and they start

agreeing with God and speaking God’s Word, then light and Holy Spirit activity increases. And the Lord says,

“I’ll do more if you ask for more because I really did give the government of the earth to human beings. And

they can use that position in a good way or a bad way.”

And believers have the opportunity to engage, to release the Spirit more, but they really have to do it. They say,

“Oh God, why won’t You do something?”

And God says, “I’ve given you the authority. I’ve entrusted the earth to you. I’m waiting on you. Call Me into

activity. I won’t do it if you don’t call Me into it.”

“Well then, do it, Lord!”

He says, “No, no, a bit more than that. I want you deeply engaged in calling Me into it, and I’ll engage Myself,”

says the Lord, “to the degree that you call Me into the battle.”

And we like to trust the sovereignty of God. “Lord, just do what You do when You want to do it.”

And the Lord says, “It doesn’t exactly work that way. I already gave the leadership of the earth to humans, so

don’t tell Me to do your role. I won’t.”

GOD WON’T DO OUR PART, AND WE CAN’T DO HIS PART

It’s the story I often tell about the farmer and the preacher. And the preacher went home after church one

Sunday to the house of the farmer. And the farmer is driving him down this great long driveway of thousands of

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P RAYER AND P ROPHETIC C ONFERENCE 2011 – M IKE B ICKLE

How to Develop a Strong Prayer Life

Transcript: 10/14/11

Page 4

acres of this manicured farm. Everything is perfect. And the preacher says to the farmer, “Farmer, the Lord

really has blessed you. Look at this! Amazing!”

And the farmer said, “When God had this place, it was a total mess.”

It’s a true idea. God says, “I won’t pull the weeds and water the garden. I won’t do it. I won’t plant the seeds.

You do that, farmer. But I’ll produce the sun and the rain and the process of life. You can’t do My part, and I

won’t do your part.”

You know, the farmer says, “O God, plant seeds and pull weeds, please.”

The Lord answers, “No.”

“Please…” That farmer will starve to death. “Please, if you love Me.”

The Lord says, “If I love you, I won’t violate My sovereignty-based order of the universe.” He says, “I won’t do

your part. I’ll wait until you do your part and you call Me in and I’ll do more.” We can’t do God’s part, and

God won’t do our part. And if we call into the affairs of what’s happening, much more happens.

THE EARTHLY REALM HE HAS GIVEN TO THE SONS OF MEN

I believe many people are going to be shocked on the last day when we stand before the Lord and say, “Lord,

why didn’t You do more?”

“I waited on you. I really gave the earth to humans. It was real. I’ll never, ever take it back, ever—even in the

age to come.”

The redeemed will have a dynamic role in the government of the earth under Jesus’ leadership, and He will be

the King of kings as a human, as a man. Fully God, of course, but He is a man governing the earth with humans.

Because that’s what God gave to Adam and He’ll never take it back. A million years from now, that mandate

will still be in place where God rules through people, because the earth realmly He has given to the sons of

men.

WE WILL OTHERS LOVE BETTER IF WE LIVE LIVES OF PRAYER

Let’s go to paragraph F. Prayer was never meant to be just duty-based or results-oriented. I was just talking

about results a minute ago, about making a difference through prayer. But it’s more than that. It’s not just duty-

based or results-oriented only. There are results that are directly related to prayer.

But it’s a place of encounter while releasing results. It’s a place where we talk to God about releasing His

power, but in the process of it God touches our spirit and renews us in love.

Paragraph G. Look at the first sentence: “We will love better if we develop a prayer life.”

People have said, “Well, let’s be practical. I don’t have time to pray because I’m committed to my marriage, my

family, my marketplace assignment, my role in the neighborhood, whatever, whatever.”

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P RAYER AND P ROPHETIC C ONFERENCE 2011 – M IKE B ICKLE

How to Develop a Strong Prayer Life

Transcript: 10/14/11

Page 5

And the answer is, you’ll love more deeply and more consistently if you take time to develop a prayer life

because your spirit will be energized and empowered. It takes time to do it, but your love will be richer and

deeper if you bring God into the dynamics of it. We could raise our families; we could

cultivate relationship in our marriages, but if our spirits are anxious and dull and we have resentment and fear

and bitterness and anxiety, we won’t love well in those contexts. Moms and dads are far better at being parents

and spouses if they take the time to get energized in their spirit. We will love better, more deeply, more

consistently.

Paragraph I. Why does God want us to pray anyway? Why did He invent this thing? I mean, we’re really telling

God what He tells us to tell Him. Prayer is not about giving God new information. He has plenty of information.

He has all the information—a lot more than we have.

“God, this city needs revival.”

The Lord doesn’t say, “Wow, never occurred to Me. Great idea.” Prayer isn’t about giving God information;

that’s not what it’s about. Prayer is about talking to Him in that place, that stewardship role He has given us

over that part of the earth over which we have influence, and using our delegated authority to impact that area,

but it’s more than that. When we pray, we’re actually talking to God, and our spirit gets connected to Him, our

heart does in a greater way. God has ordained the running of the universe through prayer because He wants to

connect with His people. It’s about relationship.

HE DESIRES DYNAMIC INTERACTION WITH HUMANS ON EARTH

As I mentioned last night, some people when they think of prayer, think God is raising up a work force—and

He is! But we’re much more than a work force. He desires dynamic interaction. He wants partnership with us.

He doesn’t just want a free work force. That’s not what He’s after. “I need more workers.” That’s a true point,

but that’s not the whole truth. He wants relationship. So He says, “OK, here’s what I will do. I will release My

power and resource to the degree that you talk to Me. And in the exchange of talking to Me, we will grow in

love. So I end up getting relationship with you, and the result is is that I change the world and release My power

through you.”

Now we know that’s pretty obvious, but it’s really what’s on His heart. I remember the time—it was about

twenty-five years ago. We have two sons. They’re thirty-one and thirty-two years old right now. And back

when they were five and six, I came home one day and my wife, Diane, was in the kitchen with one of my sons,

about five years old. He was on the chair; they were doing the dishes. And he was totally soaked! My wife’s

hair was sticking up a bit, and there was a broken plate. Things were a little chaotic.

I walked in and said, “What’s going on in here?”

My son turned around and he said, “I did the dishes.”

And I said, “Well, tell me about it.”

And my wife Diane said, “Well, I took a plate and handed it to him. He washed it, and then I washed it. Then I

handed it back to him. Then he put it away. Then he dropped it and he broke it and he got water everywhere.

And everything is a mess. But he thought he did the dishes.”

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