Effective prayer will bring deliverance. We are members one of another. As the Body of Christ and as members, we should partake in the healing of each other. We weep with those who weep, then we rejoice with those who rejoice (Rom. 12:15).

Paul discussed the fact that some people felt it was wrong to eat meat, because sometimes the blood of animals sold in the marketplace for meat had been offered to idols. Paul said that there was only one God, and these meats were not offered to our Father God. But yet, if eating meat offered to idols would cause his brother to offend, he wouldn't eat it as long as the world stands.

A scruple of conscience is involved. They are brothers, but they are weak. Our prayers on their behalf can help bring them to a realization of the truth.

The turning point in my life came when I prayed a thousand times or more for myself. I would kneel, open my Bible, and say, "Father, I am praying these prayers for myself. Because they are Spirit-given prayers, this has to be Your will for me just as it was Your will for the Church at Ephesus." Then I would continue just as the prayers read except where Paul said, "you," I would substitute "me," like this:

God, of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
Give unto me the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him,

The eyes of my understanding being enlightened,
That I may know what is the hope of His calling,
And what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints,

And what is the exceeding greatness of His power,
To us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power,
Which He wrought in Christ, when He raised Him,
From the dead, and set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places.

After about six months, the first thing I was praying for started happening. The revelation of God's Word began to come. Now that is how those prayers worked when I prayed them for myself. The subject of this teaching is prayer, both for oneself and for others. Therefore, I also have prayed these same prayers for Christians who do not see certain Bible truths.

I pray these prayers for them every morning and night. I use their name, like this:

Lord, I am praying this prayer for Joe. God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, give unto Joe the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him: I pray that the eyes of Joe's understanding be enlightened; that Joe may know what is the hope of His calling, and what is the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints.

I prayed ten days for one relative, morning and night. With no human teacher talking to him (he was a Spirit-filled Christian), he wrote me, "It's amazing how things have opened up to me. I'm beginning to see what you've been talking about."

You see, God has already blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus (Eph. 1:3). Some Christians just don't know it, so they can't take advantage of it. They suffer from the infirmity of not knowing.

We can pray these prayers in Ephesians for them. It is necessary to stay with it morning and night, and more often if possible.

Prayer is involved in bearing one another's burdens. Remember that "bear" means to lift with the idea of removing. Prayer is one way we can lift with the idea of removing burdens people are carrying.

Two things hinder Christians in the race we are running: weights and sins. (What may be a weight to one, may not be a weight to another.)

We can help fellow believers to run their races better by helping to lift these burdens through prayer. We don't need to criticize them; we need to pray for them.

When we take our places in prayer for each other, we are helping the entire body to come into maturity.

Source: The Art of Prayer by Kenneth Hagin.
Excerpt permission granted by Faith Library Publications