From the desk of Steve Shultz:
This is an excellent "prayer guide" from Victoria Boyson teaching us "how to pray". A key word here is "partnering WITH the Holy Spirit" in our prayer life – this keeps us from praying any soulish and selfish prayers as she explains here.
This is an excellent word Victoria shares: The greatest prayer you will ever pray for anyone is: THY WILL BE DONE! This simple, genuine prayer works like an explosion of grace and transformation in the spirit realm. By praying this and truly desiring to see HIS will overtake their lives, you will align yourself with your beloved heavenly Father and make His heart glad. You will feel the rest and confidence of trust rightly placed.
Be encouraged in your prayer walk as you read through Victoria's word.
Blessings,
Steve
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Victoria Boyson:
Partnering with the Holy Spirit Changes Everything!
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27
Saturated with jealousy, satan has been consumed by his lust for power. God created humans and chose to give them a free will. Satan continually, without rest, pushes to steal that free will away from God's creation. He will stop at nothing to gain power over humanity. Through his unquenchable thirst for power, he's ravaged the earth in his war for dominance.
Satan coveted what belonged to God and fell from the exalted position God had given him. He burned with envy then and has not changed his tactics since this war began. He is still emboldened by jealousy – it's the way he works – he can't stand for you to have anything God wants to give you.
While subverting our destiny, satan seeks to align us with his twisted agenda. When we open ourselves up to trying to control others, we allow the enemy to use us. The strongholds of evil that we allow to have place in us can so easily beset us from the plans and purposes of God. So, like the generations before us, we must wage war for the control of our own hearts.
Every time we allow control, manipulation and accusation to work through us, we are being used by the enemy and opening the door for satan's traits to take hold in us. If we give him an open door by our hatred, we send him an invitation to hate through us.
Who's Controlling Who?
We all have choices to make in this life and for those choices we will definitely be held accountable. We reap what we sow (Galatians 6:7). We will have to answer for every word we speak (Matthew 12:36).
The enemy wants to use us to hurt one another. Taking full advantage of any open door available to him, he pressures and manipulates people into becoming what he is. Molding them, he uses them as tools to work for his evil schemes and, though they feel like they have control, they are ultimately the ones being controlled.
Those who are driven to control or manipulate are themselves being controlled and manipulated as well, yet, they may not even realize they are. They don't understand why they have the feelings of jealousy or competition toward others, but they are pressured, even tormented, by their emotions. They are led from irritation, to offense, suspicion, anger and hatred, resulting in acts of cruelty they would not normally allow themselves to practice – at all costs, they want to dominate and they want to win.
What they don't realize is that as with all competition, as they are winning, someone else has to lose. It's this general process that should raise red flags in our heart that somewhere we've gotten off from God's design.
Soulish Prayers
Many years ago, I was invited to join a prayer group. At the time, I remember thinking the people in the group seemed so super spiritual, real "hard-core" intercessors – I was impressed. Plus, they flattered me and expressed their desire to have me with them and even their great need for my participation. It was all quite tempting for me at the time.
Unfortunately, I didn't take the time to seek the Lord before joining them. I naturally thought any prayer group would be of God. Looking back however, I can see Father God was trying desperately to stop me. I had no idea, but He knew that I was walking into a trap. I was young, inexperienced and gullible. I fell for it – hook, line and sinker! Sigh.
At the meeting, the person in charge began to talk about a woman who was not in attendance. They wanted prayer for her, but went on and on about how "wrong" this woman was, until we were all fired up with fear-laced determination to pray for her. The only problem was, instead of praying for, we were actually led to pray against her, to rebuke her, as if she were the enemy. What we were praying were soulish prayers of control and condemnation.
I don't think most Christians realize what the outcome of soulish prayers are or that they even exist and so fall prey to using them. Soulish prayers are prayed from a selfish, self-seeking attitude, to get what they want, even revenge. Unfortunately, some prayer meetings seem more like complaining and whining meetings, and prayer itself is only an after thought if someone insists that it's done.
In short, soulish prayers are man's attempt to use human power from the soulish realm (mind) to manipulate and control another human person or organization through prayer. The problem with that is that God refuses to be a part of controlling His creation. It's not that He couldn't, He just will not. Our ability to choose is extremely important to Him.
Yes, we are called to pray for those who are in genuine sin, through faith to see them come back to God. However, the Holy Spirit will not empower any prayers motivated by jealousy, selfishness or any fleshly attitudes (unforgiveness, anger, criticism or self-righteousness)... but the enemy loves them. Soulish prayers will not bring the results you desire, but will only add even greater difficulty for the one you are praying for and unleash hardness in your own heart.
Out of anger, fear or frustration, many pray to try to force something to happen. Our struggle is with the evil principalities in this world, taking authority over them (Ephesians 6:12). We do not wrestle with people – we love them. And through this love we show we belong to God (John 13:35).
The enemy has his own agenda and will not accommodate yours – soulish prayers will not get you what you want. They feed off of negative attitudes, words and thoughts. The Word says you must "humble yourselves before God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (James 4:7).
Our Teacher, Comforter and Friend
God has set up His laws for prayer in His Word and even warns us that we're not to deviate from it or even our prayers can become an "abomination to Him" (Proverbs 28:9).
Maybe your thinking "Hey! I can ask anything in His name and it's mine!"
The Lord knew the weakness of our hearts and gave us a Teacher, Comforter and Friend to guide us through prayer. It is only by being submitted to the Holy Spirit and through Jesus that we can pray effectually. Only with the Holy Spirit's help can we pray with genuine authority.
"Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. Now He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He makes intercession for the saints according to the will of God." Romans 8:26-27
Through Jesus, we have access by one Spirit – Holy Spirit – to the Father (Ephesians 2:18). To pray effectually and to guard against soulish prayers, we must wage war and seek to protect our hearts from the sneaky attitudes of the flesh. To guard against the enemy's manipulation of our prayers, we must ask for the Holy Spirit's help.
God has designed prayer to be a partnership of His Holy Spirit and our spirit. He's done this to draw us near to Him. We need Him and He knows it more than we do. Like children, we wander off on our own. It's His mercy that we can only do "all things through Him" (Philippians 4:13). And it's through humility and purity of heart that we can flow with the Holy Spirit. Remember: He's our teacher, we're the student.
I'm sure you are like me and you don't want to give the enemy any help. So, our prayers should sound something like this:
• Holy Spirit help me to pray! (and let Him cleanse you from any wrong motives or attitudes).
• Father, thank You for __________. Thank You that they are a blessing, they are loved of God and are destined for great things in Christ. I thank You Lord that Your will will be accomplished in their life.
Genuine thanksgiving and appreciation for a person are absolute prayer transformers! They can transform your heart and mind and will open the door for the Holy Spirit to fill you with genuine love for them. Soulish (control and accusation) prayers, are relationship destroyers – thanksgiving and appreciation are relationship restorers.
The Greatest Prayer
The greatest prayer you will ever pray for anyone is: THY WILL BE DONE! This simple, genuine prayer works like an explosion of grace and transformation in the spirit realm. By praying this and truly desiring to see HIS will overtake their lives, you will align yourself with your beloved heavenly Father and make His heart glad. You will feel the rest and confidence of trust rightly placed.
Jesus trusted His Father. He knew that God's will was always good, always right and always what He needed, even when it's difficult. So, Jesus put His life in His Father's hands on the night before His crucifixion and prayed: "not My will, but Yours done" (Luke 22:42).
He showed us how to pray with the same beautiful, surrendered trust, but also with magnificent fire! Like an unassuming bomb, Jesus said, "Your Kingdom come, Your will be done, on earth as it is in Heaven" (Matthew 6:10).
Do you understand what you pray when you pray this prayer?
Think of what Heaven is like! When you pray this, you release all God is and all He wants for us into the life of the person you are praying for. It's a glorious prayer that is never denied. When you truly want what He wants, He answers it, because He's waiting for you to ask Him to give you His will. He loves you and His will is always in your best interest – you can trust Him.
Do you need a miracle? Put a smile on your face and turn your face to Heaven and say with great confidence in His unfailing love, "Father, let Your will be done!"
Please pray with me: Dearest Father, please forgive me for any soulish, un-Godly prayers I have prayed. Please guide my prayers and make them what You need them to be. I don't want to be out of Your will, I want to live in You – completely enveloped by Your Holy Spirit. I need You!
I surrender any harmful emotions, any anger or fear and I ask You to uproot any controlling spirits or tendencies in me – I want to be completely Yours. Help me to close all doors to the enemy. I renounce any untruths I have aligned with. Protect all that You've birthed in me. Make me strong IN YOU!
Help me to forgive those who've prayed against me. Give me Your forgiveness for them – I choose to forgive them! And give me YOUR LOVE for them.
In Jesus' name, I come against every word curse or soulish prayer prayed against me and I cancel its assignment against me. In Jesus' name, it will have no power to affect me in any way, shape or form. I declare it will not manifest in my life at all! Please, Lord, restore my soul.
Father, I ask that You would deliver those caught in the bondage of control. Redeem them and restore them – restore their soul. Pour out Your love on them and help them to fulfill their destiny in You. Make us one, Lord – one with You and in You and may we truly become a glorious, radiant example of Your goodness and power!
In Jesus' name we pray.
Victoria Boyson
Speaking Life Ministries
Email: victoria@boyson.org
Website: victoriaboyson.com
Victoria Boyson met Jesus at the age of seven. At thirteen, she started ministering using music as a platform to tell others about Jesus. She and her husband, Steve, ministered as pastors in the mid-west, but in 1999, the Lord told them to move to work for Francis Frangipane, who was extremely influential in their development as Christians and as ministers.
Victoria is a powerful prophetic voice to this generation and co-founder of Speaking Life Ministries. Based out of the Houston, Texas area, she is called to awaken and prepare the Bride of Christ for the end-time harvest and compel His Church to embrace a passionate relationship with their Heavenly Father. She is the author of The Birth of Your Destiny and His Passionate Pursuit.
