Three Basic Parts of Prayer

Every living thing (man, animal and plant life) is defined and sustained by three functions: input, process and output. Likewise, the spiritual growth and maturity of a Christian revolves around these three processes or themes redefined as: Relationship, Transformation and Dominion.

Relationship (upward focus) involves God and man sharing a mutual interaction of love, communication and trust.

Transformation (inward focus) denotes continuous change. It involves dying to self and allowing God more control of my life: less of my will and more of His will, less of my mind and more of His mind, less of my limited human love and more of His perfect agape love: "He must increase and I must decrease."

Dominion (outward focus) concerns God sharing His authority and power with man, as a son of God, to fulfill His will and work on earth as he is directed and driven by God's perfect love. This includes engagement in the harvest field and battlefield with dominion and authority over Satan and sickness – meeting people's needs of healing, deliverance and salvation.

Every concept in the Bible that pertains to Christian living and service relates to one or more of these three key subjects or themes. These three inter-related biblical concepts should be repeated in a continuous cycle to bring spiritual maturity and fulfillment of God's purpose and will for our lives.

Three Positions or Focuses of Prayer

(Upward, Inward and Outward)

A balanced and effective prayer life will include:

- Relationship Prayer (upward focus).

- Transformation Prayer (inward focus).

- Dominion Prayer (outward focus).

Although there are other types of prayer, however, they will fit into one of these three categories. Refer to PowerPoint Charts P-2, P-3, P-4 and P-5 on the following pages of this chapter.

Isaiah's Life-changing Vision and Prayer

Isaiah felt extremely secure under the leadership, friendship and protection of King Uzziah. But Isaiah's relationship with Jehovah God was not complete; because he was trusting too much in a powerful earthly king and not enough in the heavenly King. After King Uzziah's death, Isaiah stopped by the house of God. Isaiah's vision and rededication recorded in Isaiah, Chapter 6 describes his life-changing vision and encounter with God, and illustrates these three key elements and positions in prayer.

Upward vision: Isaiah saw the Lord in His power, glory and holiness. He saw his need to renew his relationship with God. It was a vision of height -- the Lord high and lifted up: "I saw the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple." It was a vision of God's holiness: "The seraphims crying to one another: Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory."

Inward vision: He saw himself and his need for repentance, and transformation. It was a vision of depth. He saw the recesses of his own heart that needed to be cleansed and changed. It was a vision of helplessness (my needs): "Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips."

Any time we draw near to God and feel His awesome presence and holiness, we feel the need to fall at His feet in confession and repentance. And God's response will always be, like that to Isaiah: "Thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged."

Outward vision: He saw the world and the needs of others. He heard the call to step into the dominion role to do God's will and work. It was a vision of breadth that revealed a world with needs that must be met. It was a vision that revealed the desire of God's heart -- for someone to deliver His message to the world. "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" (God's needs). And finally, it was Isaiah's response that we all must make: "Then said I, Here am I; send me."

Moses' Tabernacle

These three types of prayer are also reflected in the three divisions of Moses' tabernacle. Praying through the tabernacle:

1. Starts in the outer court with transformation prayer of repentance at the altar of sacrifice, and with consecration and purity at the brazen laver.

2. Continues into the inner court, the Holy Place, with relationship prayer of thanksgiving, praise and worship at the altar of incense.

3. Continues past the veil into the Most Holy Place with dominion prayer that affect the needs of others. This is the place where the Gifts of the Spirit operate in the supernatural realm in partnership with our great omnipotent God. Here, there is access to supernatural power and dominion over Satan and sickness.

The descriptions of Relationship, Transformation and Dominion prayers on the following pages are provided as a basic guide or pattern for a balanced and effective prayer life.

However, your own words should be used in:

(1) Relationship prayer: thanking, praising, worshipping and making petitions to our wonderful heavenly Father – the King of kings and Lord of lords.

(2) Transformation prayer: confession, repentance and asking God to change us to be more like Him (less of me and more of Him).

(3) Dominion prayer: intercessory prayer and spiritual warfare prayer to impact our lost world; prayer for God's wisdom and direction in pursuing His will and work in the battlefield and harvest field.

The prayer Charts (P-3, P-4, P-5) may be printed and put on a prayer board or wall. Colored sticky notes may be used to add your own unique prayer request to each of these charts.

1.1 Relationship Prayer (upward focus)

(1) Thanksgiving (for God's love and blessings)

Psalms 100:4, 5

4 Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name. 5 For the Lord is good; his mercy is everlasting; and his truth endureth to all generations.

This Scripture illustrates what God would have us do as we enter into His presence in prayer:

- Thankfulness for His blessings and goodness.

- Praise for His power and greatness.

Thanksgiving is an attitude of the heart. It requires a recollection or recalling of what God has done for us – His bountiful blessings.

(a) Thanking God for spiritual blessings:

- Dying in our place.

- Bringing us to the knowledge of the truth.

- Directing our steps.

- The salvation experience.

- The church and the fivefold ministry. - ....

(b) Thanking God for relationship blessings: our spouse, children, grandchildren, extended family and the family of God.

(c) Thanking God for physical blessings: the resources He has graciously given us to manage (investing first in God's Kingdom and then in our kingdom):

- Time (the years of our life).

- Health (strength to pursue life and God's will).

- Wealth (finances to meet our needs: food, clothing and shelter, possessions to enjoy).

(d) Thanking God for blessings of protection from harm and danger, sickness and disease, the evils and temptations of this world.

(e) ....

(2) Praise (acknowledges God's greatness and power)

In praising God we affirm and confess His greatness and use every wonderful attribute we can think of to describe Him:

- The prophet Isaiah states that: "He is wonderful, counsellor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father and the Prince of Peace."

- He is holy, kind, forgiving, gracious, merciful, loving, faithful, generous, longsuffering, awesome, peaceful, supernatural, ...

- He is my refuge and fortress, my healer, my burden bearer and the lifter of my head.

- He is omnipotent (all powerful). He is omniscient (all knowing). He is omnipresent (everywhere). He can do anything and everything.

Throughout the Bible, the commands to "praise the Lord" are too numerous to reference here. Angels and the heavenly hosts are commanded to praise the Lord (Psalms 89:5; 103:20; 148:2). All inhabitants of the earth are instructed to praise the Lord (Psalms 138:4; Rom. 15:11). We can praise Him with singing (Isa. 12:5; Psalms 9:11), with shouting (Psalms 33:1; 98:4), with clapping (Psalms 47:1), with the dance (Psalms 150:44), and with musical instruments (1 Chron. 13:8; Psalms 108:2; 150:3-5).

God's response to thanksgiving and praise:

"As the trumpeters and singers were as one, to make one sound to be heard in praising and thanking the LORD; and when they lifted up their voice with the trumpets and cymbals and instruments of musick, and praised the LORD, saying, For he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever: that then the house was filled with a cloud, even the house of the LORD; So that the priests could not stand to minister by reason of the cloud: for the glory of the LORD had filled the house of God" (2 Chron. 5:13).

• Thanksgiving and Praise is a cure for discouragement.

(3) Worship (glorify and exalt God). Recognizing God's supremacy and authority in our life.

The dictionary defines worship as: "(1) Reverence offered a divine being or supernatural power (2) Extravagant respect or admiration for or devotion to an object of esteem (worship of God or an idol)."

The Difference in Worship and Praise: Praise is universal and can be applied to other relationships as well. We can praise our family or friends. It is simply the truthful acknowledgment of the noble acts of another. Since God has done many wonderful deeds, He is worthy of praise (Psalms 18:3). However, worship should be reserved for God alone:"Worship the Lord your God and only the Lord your God. Serve him with absolute single-heartedness" (Luke 4:8). MSG

We must exalt God for who He is, not just for what He has done for us. To truly worship God, we must humble ourselves and surrender our lives to His control -- placing Him first above everyone and everything. Worship is a lifestyle, not just an occasional verbal activity. It is impossible to worship God and anything else at the same time: "For it is written, Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Matt. 4:10).

• A good measure of our worship is the difference between how low we humble ourselves and how high we exalt our great God.

Worship is an attitude of the heart. A person can go through the outward motions and not be worshipping: "This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me" (Matt. 15:8-9). God sees the heart, and He desires and deserves sincere, heartfelt worship.

Two elements involved in being a true worshipper are Spirit and truth: "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (John 4:23, 24).

Mankind was created to worship the Lord:"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11).

Jesus warned of the consequences of withholding worship:"And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out" (Luke 19:40).

• More important than our words of worship are our actions of worship -- placing God first in our life. If anything has a higher priority, it is an idol and becomes the object of our worship.

-- From "A Look Into Your Heart"

What could your idol be? Anything that you value more than God -- even though it may be good in itself -- for this takes His place in your life. Anything that you prefer to God, whom you are called to love above all else. Your work, your career -- no time for Him. Your reputation, your status -- no honor for Him. Your family, life, husband or child -- God does not have first place in your life. Your house, your home --instead of treasure in heaven. Your vacations, your travels -- instead of time spent with God. Your health, your appearance. Every earthly thing that devalues for you the divine gifts received through fellowship with Him. Everything that is more important to you than the Lord.

(4) Petitions (request for our needs)

This includes prayer and supplication to God for our own personal needs: health, family, personal relationships, careers, finances, decisions in life; protection from harm and danger, sickness and disease, the evils and temptations of Satan.

• When we have taken our relationship prayer as far as we can with our human mind and understanding, we can then begin praying in the Spirit where the Spirit makes intercession for us.

(1) "Search Me and Change Me" Prayer:

Asking God to search me and identify any hindrances to the flow of His love and power through my life. "Search me, O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: And see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting" (Psalms 139:23, 24). We should ask God to search our hearts and in areas where we do not have His favor, ask Him to correct us with His: written Word, the preached Word, a man of God, a vision or dream, His still small Voice, and even a trial.

(2) "Repentance of Sin" Prayer:

King David's sincere prayer of repentance is recorded in Psalms, Chapter 51. Notice that he says when he is forgiven and transformed and his relationship with God restored, he will once again fulfill his dominion role of ministering to the needs of others -- teaching and converting sinners. "Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee" (Psalms 51:1, 2, 7, 9-13).

Although repentance includes sins of the flesh, early in our Christian walk we should gain dominion over the works of the flesh listed in Galatians 5:19-21.

Gal. 5:24

And those who belong to Christ Jesus (the Messiah) have crucified the flesh (the godless human nature) with its passions and appetites and desires. AMP

Rom. 6:14

For sin shall not [any longer] exert dominion over you, since now you are not under Law [as slaves], but under grace [as subjects of God's favor and mercy]. AMP

The greater lifetime struggle will be with the sins of self -- the soul (the will, the mind and the emotions):

- Our will vs. God's will.

-Our mind and ways vs. God's mind and ways.

- Our human love vs. God's perfect agape love.

When apostle Paul states: "I die daily", he was not having trouble with sins of the flesh. He was having trouble with Paul – with self.

The only solution to the sins of self is to be crucified with Christ: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).