Prayer Strategies
Several different prayer strategies are listed here to help you effectively pray for people to come to Christ.
Prayer Models:
"Blessing the Spirit" Prayer Model
KENNETH E. HAGIN PRAYER MODEL
The following prayer is adapted from the book The Art of Prayer by Kenneth E. Hagin, pg. 41.
Prayer:
In the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, I break the power of the devil over __________'s life, and I claim his/her deliverance from the blindness and bondage of satan. I claim his/her full salvation in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Explanation:
Kenneth Hagin has been fasting and praying for his brother's salvation off and on for 15 years with no apparent results.
One day, when reading the verse below, Kenneth Hagin gained an important revelation on how to effectively pray for the lost.
2 Corinthians 4:3-4
3 But even if our gospel is veiled, it is veiled to those who are perishing, 4 whose minds the god of this age has blinded, who do not believe, lest the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine on them.
He shared on page 41 of The Art of Prayer:
“I could hear the Spirt of God challenging me, 'You've approached it wrongly. You've worked on the wrong end of the thing. You've fasted and prayed that I would do something and I've done all I'm ever going to do. The blood has already been shed. The Gospel has already been given. The light is already here. It can't shine in because of what the devil has done. What you've got to do is break the power of the devil over them.'”
In the following article, Hagin shares more detail: How to Win Your Unsaved Loved Ones- Part 2
DUTCH SHEETS PRAYER MODEL
Adapted from Dutch Sheet's book, Intercessory Prayer.
Pray:
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That God would lift the veil off of them. (Ephesians 1:17-19)
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For the Holy Spirit to hover over them to protect and guide them (Genesis 1:2 & Psalm 91)
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For godly people to be in their pathway each day. (Matthew 9:38)
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To cast down anything that would exalt itself against the knowledge of God, specifically pride & rebellion. (2 Corinthians 10:5)
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To cast down all known strongholds, thought patterns, opinions on religion, materialism, and fear. (2 Corinthians 10:4-5)
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To bind Satan, to keep him from taking them captive and to bind all wicked thoughts and lies Satan would try to place in their mind. (Matthew 16:17-19)
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That the Holy Spirit would convict them of their sin and reveal their need of Him. (John 16:8-9)
JAMES GOLL PRAYER MODEL
Salvation Intercession: Practical Ways of Praying for Your Loved Ones into God's Family, By James Goll
(From the Elijalist, also some minor adaptations are from a similar Facebook post by him).
1. Ask God to soften their hearts. Pray for the condition of their hearts to change.
Ezekiel 11:19 (AMP) And I will give them one heart [a new heart] and I will put a new spirit within them; and I will take the stony [unnaturally hardened] heart out of their flesh, and will give them a heart of flesh [sensitive and responsive to the touch of their God].
2. Ask God to send a spirit of conviction. Ask for the release of the spirit of conviction of sin, righteousness, and judgment to come.
John 16:8 (NASB) And He, when He comes, will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment.
3. Ask God to send a spirit of revelation. Ask for the spirit of wisdom and revelation (dreams, visions, angelic visitations).
Ephesians 1:17-19 (NASB) [I pray] that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you a spirit of wisdom and of revelation in the knowledge of Him. I pray that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened, so that you will know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe...
4. Ask God to bring His Word to remembrance. Ask the Lord to bring to their remembrance any of the good words of God that they were taught from their childhood to this day.
John 14:26 (NASB) But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all that I said to you.
Isaiah 55:11 (NASB) So will My word be which goes forth from My mouth; it will not return to Me empty, without accomplishing what I desire, and without succeeding in the matter for which I sent it.
5. Pray prayers of forgiveness.
Forgive your mother, father, son, daughter, your friends and other loved ones. Forgiveness is the master key that unlocks the prison door to a heart of stone. Through forgiveness comes a place of identification. The model prayer of Jesus is not an individual prayer. It is a corporate prayer: "Our Father which art in Heaven...Give us this day our daily bread...forgive us our debts [sins]..." (see Matthew 6:9-15).
6. Pray for laborers for the harvest. This is a prayer that the Lord Jesus Himself recommended.
Matthew 9:38 (NIV) Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.
7. Pray for a revelation of eternity.
In some ways, praying for a revelation of eternity is like praying for the release of a spirit of conviction. Here, however, you're asking the Lord to give a person an awareness of the realities of both Heaven and Hell. Many people live their whole lives as if this world is all there is. They need to have their eyes opened to the startling reality of an eternal Heaven and Hell. They also need to recognize that no one is righteous enough to make it to Heaven without Jesus. You can combine this prayer with a prayer for revelation, asking even for dreams of Heaven and Hell. You can also combine it with a prayer for remembrance of something they once heard about Heaven or Hell. People need a revelation of eternity before they will consider Jesus' invitation to join Him in Heaven.
8. Resist the enemy in Jesus' name.
Pray to break the powers of darkness that are generational and hindering your loved ones from the saving power of Jesus' Blood. (See my study guide, Deliverance from Darkness, for more on this subject.)
9. Solicit other people's prayers. Enroll other intercessors to pray for your loved ones.
Ephesians 6:19-20 (NASB) ...pray on my behalf, that utterance may be given to me in the opening of my mouth, to make known with boldness the mystery of the Gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in proclaiming it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
2 Corinthians 1:10-11 (NASB) ...And He will yet deliver us, you also joining in helping us through your prayers, so that thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf for the favor bestowed on us through the prayers of many.
10. Pray for a revelation of God's love.
This may be the most important point. Ask God to overwhelm your loved one(s) with His love. (Don't pray for bad things to happen to them.) It's the kindness of God that draws us to repentance.
1. Romans 2:4 (NKJV) Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, forbearance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness is intended to lead you to repentance?
2. Romans 12:14, 19 (NKJV)- “Bless those who persecute you; bless and do not curse.... Beloved, do not avenge yourselves, but rather give place to wrath; for it is written, 'Vengeance is Mine, I will repay,' says the Lord.
Of course, He will use difficult circumstances to make someone desperate, but don't pray for Him to send difficulties. Don't partner with the devil's work. Partner with God, who is good all the time, and pray for a revelation of God's love in the midst of whatever happens. Otherwise, times of crisis will be wasted. If the person doesn't grasp the fact that God loves him or her right in the middle of a grave situation, the person may simply walk away, adjust to it, or otherwise not gain any eternal benefit from it.
We can release our faith and believe the Lord for more of His presence to come to our family, friends and co-workers. We stand as prophets, priests, and kings of our own families and spheres of authority before the Lord. We can let revival begin in our own homes, and families, and friends for the glory of God's great name.
Let's be a Salvation House of Prayer! Let's lift names before the throne of the Almighty of family, friends, and co-workers and ask the Lord of the Harvest to save them through the power of His divine love!
Praying to the Lord of the Harvest!
Prayer:
Lord, we bring our family members to You right now. We bless them in Jesus' great name. We call forth that You soften their hearts and release the spirit of conviction upon them. We pray that You reveal the goodness of God to them and draw them to repentance. Bring to their remembrance all the good Word of God they have been taught from their childhood even until now. Release laborers across their path that will move in power and kindness. Release demonstrations of Your amazing love to them for Your holy name's sake. We pray our family members into God's eternal family, in Jesus' name!
James W. Goll & the PrayerStorm Team
Encounters Network and PrayerStorm
"BLESSING THE SPIRIT" PRAYER MODEL
Father, I come before Your throne, asking You to forgive _____________ for any and all things that caused him/her to harden his/her heart and block his/her ears from hearing the truth of the gospel. I declare that the Blood of Jesus cancels the affects of these things, making null and void all hindrances and blockages to salvation.
In the name of Jesus, I command all activity of the enemy in _____________'s life to cease and desist immediately. In the name of Jesus, I bless _____________'s human spirit to rise up and turn to face his/her Creator, to come to know our Lord & Savior Jesus Christ.
Thank You, Father, for Your love, grace, mercy to us and just judgement of the enemy of our soul.