The Building Blocks of Prayer

EPISODE EXPANSION

In Christ, we live in the same realm of goodness and favor that Jesus always enjoys with the Father. When we finally settle the matter of our identity in Christ, we begin to step into an upgraded lens, mindset, and language in prayer.

There is an ongoing purpose in God’s heart that is so profound, it touches our own hearts and lives.

It’s been my personal journey now for a number of years just to explore God’s ultimate purpose in intentionality. It enables us to become just as focused and purposeful as God Himself. Revelation 13:8 declares that Jesus was slain before the foundation of the world was laid. Before God said, Let there be light, it was already determined that Jesus would die for our sins. King David saw Jesus resurrected. That’s what Peter was speaking about in Acts chapter 2 when he spoke of Christ being delivered over by the predetermined plan and foreknowledge of God. Paul spoke of Jesus’ works that were finished before the foundation of the world, in Hebrews 4.

Whatever God plans and purposes in His heart becomes an intentional act toward us, and He always follows through on His intentions. When God conceives something in His heart, it is a done deal in terms of His intention. In Matthew 13, it states that Jesus therefore came to utter things that have been hidden since the foundation of the world. He came to speak out what had always been in the heart of the Father, who had given glimpses of His purpose down through the ages through His prophets. But Jesus is here declaring the whole intentionality of God, specifically that we would inherit the Kingdom prepared for each one of us before the foundation of the world, Matthew 25.

The Father only has kind intentions towards you, which arise out of thoughts that are long-established and purposeful.

Paul follows up on that statement in Ephesians chapter 1 when he declares: Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, just as He has chosen us before the foundation of the world that we would be holy and blameless before Him. In love He predestined us to the adoption of sons through Jesus Christ to Himself according to the kind intention of His will.

He’s got designs on you, Beloved! It goes way beyond the plan that we would like for our own lives because God does everything bigger, bolder, brighter and better than we can possibly imagine. He’s been thinking about you for a long time. Since before the foundation of the world. He saw you, got a picture of you, and clicked it in His mind. Oh, He knows who you are alright. He’s been thinking about you for a long, long time.

It is time for our intentionality to catch up with desire.

We want a lot of things. We have desire, but we need intention now so that we can move quickly, strongly, and powerfully.

I believe the Holy Spirit these days is releasing to us the capacity to live as a bride and to live as the Beloved. He is wanting to introduce romance into our relationship with the Lord because it’s time that we learn to pray as a bride instead of praying as a widow. It’s time to pray like somebody who has incredible favor and is just going to take advantage of it. 

It’s so important that we take advantage of God. He loves that. He loves it when we declare and we confess. He loves it when we just take things from Him, even without asking, because it’s yours anyway. He wants you to understand that it’s yours, and stop begging for things that He says, “I already gave you permission for that. It’s been granted! You have permission. It’s yours. Use it! Take advantage of My grace. Take advantage of My goodness. Stop asking for things that I have already said you can have. They belong to you. Take it!”

Want to learn more? Tune in to today’s podcast as we explore the power of praying from a place of confident identity in Christ!

P.S. Crafted Prayer is available at Brilliant Book House! Find it HERE.

As always, thanks for listening!

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