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Let's look at the elements of an effective prayer life.

Effective Prayer Involves Fervency.
The Bible teaches that we are always to be "fervent in spirit" (Rom. 12:11). W.E. Vine says the word translated "fervent" means to be hot, to boil.

When the desire to see the answer come is intensified so that it absorbs all the energies, then the time for the fulfillment is not far away. This is the desire that brings the answer. It is creative desire (Reidt).

In the winter of 1942 and 1943, I found myself taken up with a desire for God to move. I did not conjure it up, it was put there, no doubt, by God. You see, what is happening in the move of the Spirit of God, revivals and so forth. It doesn't come as the result of somebody's praying yesterday or even last week. It is the result of the prayers of yesteryear.

During those war years, it seemed as though many of our churches dried up. People were busy going to war, or working in war plants, and so forth. In our Pentecostal churches we had an abundance of tongues and interpretations, but seldom, if ever, did we see any other gifts or manifestations of the Spirit.

I found myself almost unconsciously praying, "Dear Lord, may the more mighty gifts and manifestations of the Spirit come into manifestation and operation, the gift of special faith, the working of miracles, the gifts of healings."

When I was praying about it, it was a consuming desire. I did not care or even suspect that God would use me. I didn't really even want Him to use me. It would suit me just fine if I was behind the scenes where I could pray and nobody ever saw me.
God carries out His will upon the earth through the Church.

God doesn't make us do anything. We have a will of our own. We have to will to respond to the Spirit of God. God's Spirit doesn't use force. If He did, He'd make everybody get saved today and we'd go into the Millennium tomorrow.

It is the devil and demons that drive and force people.

The Holy Spirit leads and guides; He will give a gentle push. Be determined to respond to the Spirit of God. Respond to those urges to pray. Sometimes there is a leading; sometimes there is a burden. Become sensitive to Him.

Sometimes we're insensitive to what He's saying in our spirits, because we live too much in the mental realm. And we pass by these things. When God lays that desire on your heart, that is your supreme desire for the Lord. God dwells in you. And He is the One who activates the desire. It is God's supreme desire for people to be delivered.

God is not halfhearted about anything. Since it is His supreme desire, it also becomes the supreme desire of the one called on to intercede. It is cooperation with God. "For we are laborers together with God" (1 Cor. 3:9).

Effective Prayer Must Include The Element Of Perseverance.
Wilford Reidt sums it up well: "When the Holy Spirit lays it upon a person's heart to intercede, the intercession should not stop until the answer is given or the burden lifted. In my experience where for the most part I do not know for whom I am interceding, I have had burdens last for hours and even days.

I had to do usual work, but all the time there was that inner groaning in my spirit. The times when I had opportunity to get alone with God, the burden intensified. There is no rule to follow. Each person will do as God directs."

The reason persistence is an ingredient of intercession is that it is easy to throw off a burden and forget it. It is an awesome responsibility to feel that someone's life may depend on your intercession. Not many believers are willing to accept it. So those that are willing are usually kept very busy.

Effective Prayer Sometimes Involves Fasting.
In some cases fasting may be necessary. There is no hard and fast rule. The prayer warrior will do as occasion shall serve him. If he deems fasting necessary, then fast (Reidt).

The reason is, there are no hard and fast rules about fasting. It is to be done as the occasion arises.

Fasting does not change God. He is the same before you fast, while you are fasting, and when you get through fasting. But fasting will change you. It will help you keep the flesh under. It will help you become more susceptible to the Spirit of God.

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

Author Biography

Kenneth E. Hagin
Web site: RHEMA
 
Rev. Hagin served in Christian ministry for nearly 70 years and was known as the "father of the modern faith movement." His teachings and books are filled with vivid stories that show God's power and truth working in his life and the lives of others.
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