Praying Ahead of The Battle
Last week we talked about a Christian’s prayer life; my article, Do Christians Have to Pray? used the scripture, I Thessalonians 5:16-18 NIV;
Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
One of the things I emphasized in that article is the phrase pray continually. Prayer is a vital part of a Christian’s relationship with God because it is what cultivates that relationship. How can you worship someone you don’t know? How can you depend on someone you don’t know?
I go over all the reasons we should be praying in my last article, but for this post I want to talk about why you should pray ahead of the battle.
What does it mean to pray ahead?
Really, this isn’t a complicated subject at all—praying ahead means simply that. Do you have a job interview coming up? Don’t wait until you’re in the parking lot outside the building to say a prayer about it—start praying now! Did you just find out you’re pregnant? Begin praying for a healthy child and a healthy, successful birth right now; even beyond that, start praying for your child’s spirit and upbringing, plead the blood of Jesus over them right this moment!
It is never too early to talk to your Father about what’s going—or what will be going on in your life.
A while ago I read a testimony from an older woman; she told the story of how she would attend weekly meetings for work and each week she would feel stressed out by them. The meetings were very difficult and were often the source of much worry and anxiety in her life. According to the testimony, this woman would pray for the meetings to be peaceful but most times her prayers were rushed—a quick whispered prayer she would say right before going into the meeting. But once she took the time to pray for her meetings weeks in advance, she noticed a change.
When I read this testimony, I felt very inspired to change my prayer life. Some of you might wonder, why doesn’t God answer rushed prayers? Isn’t He powerful enough to answer a prayer right before your meeting begins, as well as prayers said weeks in advance?
My answer to that is; ask Him yourself!
If you are in the mindset where you feel the need to question the power of God, then you have much growing to do. It is not our place to ask God how come, why not, when will, or why didn’t? Our place is to simply have faith.
If you are wondering why God doesn’t answer rushed prayers, then you have read this article incorrectly. I never said God doesn’t answer rushed prayers! What I am saying is that it helps to pray ahead!
Here’s a thought:
Maybe it isn’t that God doesn’t answer rushed prayers but that when you rush through your prayers you don’t apply any faith to them.
Whether you pray now or later, God has the power to answer. Never doubt that.
My intentions here are not to debate when God is most likely to answer you, it is simply to show you a way to fight with your faith. When you pray, you wage spiritual warfare; think of Ephesians 6:12 NIV, 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.
We are fighting a war, though our weapons are not knives and guns, they are weapons nonetheless. We fight with our words—our prayers. Even though this battle is spiritual, it is not ok to simply rush into it. Spiritual or not, when you rush into battle you have little chances of winning. So instead of saying a prayer at the last moment, instead of waiting for trouble to come, pray ahead! Prepare for battle! The Word says trouble will come [John 16:33], so you know its coming—start praying now! Because by the time it gets here, you will be more than prepared to handle it—in fact, God will likely move things around in your favor so that the problem is solved before it even gets to you! How much more peaceful will your life become when you pray ahead of the battle? How many battles will you avoid because God moved them out of the way before they could touch you?
Listen, my friend, you don’t have to take my advice—in fact, I hope you turn to the Word for validation! Let’s look at Deuteronomy 31:8 NIV, The LORD himself goes before you and will be with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged.
Notice the scripture says the Lord himself goes before you; that means Jesus Christ goes ahead of you! He is fighting your battles ahead of time! How many more battles will be won in advance when you add your faith to this scripture?
No matter when you choose to pray, God is always waiting to hear from you. I just hope you can see the importance, as well as the benefit, to praying ahead of the battle. Let’s try to avoid any obstacles that may be waiting in the future and increase all the blessings that are coming. Never underestimate the power of prayer; the more you pray, the more demons you’ll slay.
God bless!