Prayer excerpts from the book “Wielding God’s Sword” by Janis M. Betz
I often use the term “Pray Out, Pray In,” which means to pray out the negative speaking and thoughts of what you are worried or anxious about and then pray in the positive speaking and thoughts of what you want to happen. Use the verse in James 1:17 as a guide and pray in, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights.” Pray in what good gift or perfect gift you want to happen. Avoid using the negative words “no” or “not” in your prayer. For example, when traveling in an ice storm, I did not pray that I would not have an accident. I prayed to God in a thanksgiving format to get me home safely, which is what I wanted to happen. When you use the negatives “no” and “not” with what you fear, i.e., accident, you attract what you do not want to happen. I encourage you to read Dr. Fisher’s testimony on prayer in Addendum 1.
Instead of brooding about what you are anxious or fearful of happening, make your prayer, thought, and speech focus on what you want to see happen. Pray in a connection to the fulfillment of God’s promises in the Bible. Speak out these promises, such as my Heavenly Father cares about me and what happens, and He will lift me up and give His angels charge over me to help me in all my ways (Matthew 6:25-39 and Psalm 91:11).
Many things need to be prayed out. A typical event I see that needs to be prayed out is “taking offense,” which comes in many scenarios and situations. To be offended is the state of being insulted or morally outraged. No matter why you harbor offense, it opens the door to negative spirit activity and worsens the situation. It may also weaken your body and immune system, leading to sickness. Harboring unforgiveness also opens the door to negative spirit activity. Offense and unforgiveness go hand in hand and must be prayed out. Take authority over these two behaviors or any other negative emotions or sins, bind them up, cover them with the blood of Jesus, and command them to leave and never to return. Ask God to put a spiritual wedge and barrier between you and the person or situation generating the offense, and pray out all negative effects on you. View this barrier as a plexiglass between you and the person or situation. As you are with this person or in a bad situation, continually ask God to have the negative be absorbed into the ground. Ask God to bring in the good you want to happen.
By nature, we have a hard time forgiving and giving up offenses. Pray for the gift and the ability to forgive and let go of offenses. I like what Philippians 3:13 says, “Brethren, I do not count myself to have apprehended; but one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind and reaching forward to those things which are ahead.” The start in giving up an offense is to put it behind you and look forward to a better situation. Ask God to remove or ground “pray” out the emotion of the person offending. Also, continually pray out your feelings of offense. Pray in what you want to happen. For example, I have a friend who was often offended by her husband’s unkind words. First, I asked God to open up her spiritual alimentary canal and drain out all her offenses, negative emotions, and stressors into the ground element. Second, I prayed that God would bring a spirit of kindness into her husband and that he would speak more kindly to her. In other words, we prayed out the emotion of offense in her and prayed in the spirit of kindness in him. She reported that her husband spoke more kindly the whole week. The alimentary canal is another name for the digestive tract, where food goes in and bowel content comes out. The spiritual alimentary canal is a visualization where positive comes in, and negative goes out.
Directed Prayer
First, pray to bring in the light of Jesus Christ and declare that the darkness cannot comprehend. John 1:5 states, “And the light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not comprehend it.” Jesus is the light. He spoke in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world.” I will also bring in the Shekinah glory light of the LORD God (Adonai) and the light of the fire of the Holy Spirit. Shekinah means the dwelling of God, such as the cloud and fire that led the Israelites in the wilderness.
Second, command or decree that whatever is being hidden must be revealed, and whatever is being done in secret must come into the light of Jesus Christ. Mark 4:22 states, “For there is nothing hidden which will not be revealed, nor has anything been kept secret but that it should come to light.” Viewing the Christ crucified picture in Addendum 5 will be helpful in revealing any spiritual influence or affliction.
Third, pray and take the authority that Jesus Christ has given you over the emotional trauma or sin and the corresponding negative spirit(s). In Luke 10:19, Jesus states, “Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Fourth, pray to bring in every weapon mighty in God (Yehovah Tsaba) to remove the emotional trauma, emotional strongholds, and soul wounds from word curse arguments that you spoke over yourself or spoken by someone else as stated in 2Corinthians 10:4-5, “For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.” Ask the LORD God, in the name of Jesus, to remove and take the emotional trauma(s), stronghold(s), sin(s), soul wound(s), and all corresponding spirits and render them banished and powerless.
Fifth, pray to bring in what emotion you want or what healing you wish to receive. James 1:17 is a good model for this prayer, which states, “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” Name what perfect and good gift you want and bring in to have healing. Apply the light of the Father our LORD into your being and situation. Bringing in the fruit of the Spirit is a great start. Galatians 5:22-23 states, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.”
Release, Remove, Barrier Prayer
Some people absorb other people’s emotions and negativity, which is not good.
- Recognize that you may be doing this, pray it out, and let it go.
- Pray in what you want to see for that person, yourself, or your situation.
- Pray to release any emotional or negative attachments. Be specific. Name it.
- Put a spiritual, protective wedge and barrier between you and the other person or situation.
Command or decree that their negative emotion and energy are removed, grounded, and rendered ineffective. Grounding means to have the earth element absorb the negative energy, emotion, and stress. I often pray and ask God to open my spiritual alimentary canal and drain out the negative emotion, energy, and stress. The alimentary canal is another term for the gastrointestinal system, where food comes in and bowel content comes out. Spiritually, if negative comes in, then negative needs to go out. To bring in positive, feed on spiritually good things like reading your Bible, listening to praise and worship music, and studying and listening to Christian teaching.
