100 Prayer Postures for Intercessors (translated from P Elijah Kim)

1 Be honest about what you are seeking in prayer

♣ God actually desires to hear what we desire in prayer (John 15:7,16)

2 Get rid of any impatient attitude or spirit

♣ God loves us more than Himself and that is why He answers our prayer at the perfect time. Though at times it seems as if God is silent or delaying in answering prayers, He wants to answer our prayers at the perfect time in the most perfect way

3 Begin with repentance

♣ Because prayer is conversing with the Holy God, there is no answered prayers when there is sin

4 Pray with the desire to see God’s will be done

♣ Prayer is not seeing my will done, but our Father God’s will accomplished and that is why we must pray not according to our lusts but His will alone

5 Believe that God is listening

♣ Listening to prayer is a part of God’s attribute and character. And God is indeed love

6 Pray in the Holy Spirit

♣ The Holy Spirit is our helper in prayer and the Spirit who eagerly intercedes for us

7 Pray believing that you have received what you are asking for

♣ Jesus Christ said believe you have received what you asked for in Mark 11:24. Faith is the heartbeat of prayer

8 Pray with a contrite spirit

♣ God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble. (Proverbs 3:34) He will not disregard a lowly and contrite spirit (Psalm 51:17)

9 Pray with thanksgiving

♣ The Apostle Paul stressed that we should be anxious for nothing but with thanksgiving pray to God (Php. 4:6)

10 Pray after having forgiven others

♣ God is a God of forgiveness and does not regard the prayer of the angry and unforgiving, so remember how God has forgiven you

11 Pray with all your strength

♣  Only when we pray with all our strength and are entranced into the passion of prayer can we experience and receive the power of God (Jer. 29:13)

12 Pray on bended knees

♣ Even today God is pouring out His Spirit and power to men of knees, not mouths. God never passes by men of prayer on knees.   

13 Pray with perseverance, never giving up

♣ Prayer that is not diligent is like trying to catch foxes with dead dogs

14 Pray without being discouraged

♣ Praying with worry, discouragement, hopelessness and then after prayer being worried, discouraged, and hopeless never brings answers to prayer (Gal. 6:9)

15 Pray until the very end

♣ Praying until the very end certainly brings God’s power and His answers (Gen. 32:36)

16 Pray without ceasing

♣ If prayer becomes your lifestyle, and your lifestyle prayer, then even short-brief prayers will be answered by God to you (1 Sam. 12:23)

17 Pray in all occasions, at every opportunity

♣ Praying in all occasions, moment to moment in alertness, evades all temptations of Satan and there is no chance for him to trick you (Gen. 24:63)

18 Pray very specifically

♣ As we make our requests specific to our earthly parents we must clearly tell our requests to our Heavenly Father in prayer (Luke 11:5)

19 Pray with faith

♣ Only prayers offered by faith has the power to move the Almighty God (James 1:6-8)

20 Pray honestly and sincerely

♣ God does not rejoice in many utters of words alone but sincere and honest prayers (Mt. 6:7)

21 Offer up prayers that are pleasing to God

♣ God fills every need of His children that are pleasing in His sight (Mt. 6:33)

22 Pray surrendering everything to God’s will

♣ Seeking God’s will is praying not in with a smaller vision but with the bigger vision which God desires from us (Mark 14:36)

23 Pray early in the morning

♣ Most of the major miracles in the Bible occurred during early morning. Prayer that is offered up late is like wasted prayer (Mark 1:35)

24 Pray with fasting

♣ Our Lord fasted 40 days before entering public ministry and many characters in the Bible experienced answers to prayers after fasting

25 Pray while holding onto the promises of His Word

♣ The characters in the Old Testament received answered prayers as they held onto the promises God gave their ancestors and forefathers

26 Pray while facing the wall

♣ King Hezekiah humbled himself and prayed for God to remove His anger as he faced the wall and prayed in humility (2 Chr. 32:24-26)

27 Pray with praise

♣ Paul and Silas experienced the opening of the prison doors while praying and praising God. The prison did not imprison then, but they imprisoned the prison

28 Pray deep prayers

♣ Joshua was able to stop the sun in its place in deep prayer to God (Jos. 10:12)

29 Pray repetitious prayers

♣ Repetitious and constant prayers are like water that eventually erode and break even rocks

30 Pray wrestling prayers

♣ Jacob was able to experience blessings in prayer as he wrestled in prayer with God

31 Pray so that God does not have time to rest

♣ Constant prayer that gives God no rest is indeed the type of prayer that will move the throne of God Himself (Isa. 62:6,7)

32 Pray without retreating

♣ Shrinking back equals saying no to God’s power and resources (Hebrews 10:38)

33 Do not pray that weaknesses to disappear, but through the weakness to be made strong

♣ God shames the strong through the weak

34 Pray with weapons wielded in your hand: prayer requires action as well

♣ Nehemiah prayed while holding onto a weapon, prepared to fight. Remember to prepare your weapons while praying (Neh. 4:23)

35 Pray with a very specific purpose and vision

♣ Bartimaeus of the New Testament prayed with a specific desire to gain his sight and cried out to the Lord and as a result experienced new sight (Mt. 9:27-31)

36 Pray while picturing and envisioning by faith

♣ And hold onto that vision while praying. Praying without vision is useless

37 Do not offer up non-specific prayers

♣ Hazy prayers have hazy answers and specific prayers have specific answers

38 Pray while denying yourself

♣ Exalt Jesus and lower oneself: this is the prayer of all prayers

39 Raise up co-workers in prayer and intercessor friends

♣ Moses prayed at the mountain top with Aaron and Hur. One can stand even during defeat when one has prayer partners

40 Do not pray religiously to look good to others

♣ God desires to hear the prayers of those who have attitudes of do or die

41 Pray while diligently serving in the local Body of Christ, the Church

♣ God blesses us to the degree that we work

42 Pray until you get drunk

♣ Hannah prayed until she appeared to be drunk to others and as a result received Samuel from God

43 Pray with regular hours throughout the day, everyday

♣ Jesus Christ had regular hours of prayer and His disciples also had regular set-aside hours of prayer. (Luke 22:39, Acts 3:1)

44 Pray without any idols in your heart

♣ An idol is anything we love more than God. If we are to pray efficiently we need to answer affirmatively and unquestionably to the question “Is Jesus my number one in my life?”

45 Pray without being stingy

♣ A well is only as useful as we use it and only when we use it can it hold new water. In order to experience the power of prayer daily in fresh ways we must be in the habit of drawing water to give to others (Mt. 7:2)

46 Pray without doubting

♣ Doubting is making God out to be a liar (James 1:6,7)

47 Pray without anger or bitterness

♣ Having anger toward others is like praying to God while He is covering up His ears. The heart to want to curse others is the worst enemy of prayer (Mark 11:25)

48 Pray fervently

♣ Praying with an indifferent or cold heart is like pouring out water on God’s fire

49 Pray with humility

♣ God loves answering prayers of those who have humbled themselves (Luke 18:9-14)

50 Pray with your specific intentions

♣ Daniel was not just a man who prayed fervently. He prayed with the specific intent of wanting to see God’s glory exalted and that is why God’s power was with him. (Daniel 6)

51 Pray without being shaken by your physical location and environment

♣ We do not pray simply because we are in convenient locations. Jesus prayed in places where it is not customary to because of His praying lifestyle (Mark 1:35)

52 If you do not want to pray, do not think about meeting Jesus

♣ It is a burden for Jesus to encounter people who do not desire to pray

53 Do not be discouraged

♣ Discouragement is like pouring cold water on the fire of prayer

54 Do not think that answered prayers are only those that we prayed our way, expecting answers our way alone

♣ Our God who answers our prayers is the God who works all things for the good of those who love Him (Rom. 8:28)

55 Pray with the right prayer contents

♣ Praying with righteous intentions brings forth the power and fervency of prayer

56 Pray seeking His Kingdom and His righteousness

♣ Then God will add everything else to you (Mt. 6:38)

57 Pray with a life of integrity

♣ God sees our lifestyle before He hears the words of our prayer

58 Pray that your soul prospers

♣ Our souls must be strong if we are to receive the good guidance of God (3 John 1:2)

59 Pray for more understanding and deeper revelation

♣ With understanding and revelation we can light up the fire on the altar of incense and bring it to the very throne of God

60 Pray that you may first understand the Word of God

♣ Only with the understanding of God’s Word can one pour out one’s heart and soul to God in prayer

61 Pray with endurance

♣ Some prayers are answered after one prayer, while other prayers take a lifetime to receive the answer

62 Pray with your life on the line, do or die attitude

♣ Hannah did not pray elegant prayers but her genuine thirst and desire for an answer allowed her to experience God’s answer to her prayer

63 Pray with a heart of surrender to the Lord

♣ It is more important to have the right attitude in prayer to the Lord than just the right contents in prayer

64 Love God more than the answered prayers themselves

♣ God enjoys a right and close relationship with us than just an attitude of trying to get something from Him

65 Pray while relying on the authority and power of God

♣ David victoriously defeated Goliath because he relied on the absolute sovereignty and authority of God (1 Sam. 17:34,35)

66 Do not pray out of His character

♣ This is like swearing to God

67 Pray while you are still young, before you get older and are unhealthier

♣ Prayer is not for those who have nothing else to do, but for those who truly believe in His ability

68 Pray while keeping the Sabbath

♣ God does not listen to the prayer of those who rob Him of His due time and worship

69 Make an effort to live a holy and blameless life

♣ God does not listen to the prayer of the loud but the prayer of the upright and holy

70 Do not pray half-heartedly or ritualistically, but with all your heart sincerely

♣ God does not like religious or practiced prayers but the prayer of those who sincerely desire God Himself and those who are repenting of their own sins, humble, and meek   

71 Do not be just one who reflects upon prayers but an actual doer of prayers

♣ One who does not have a present prayer-life now is like one who just put out any fire of his yesterday’s prayer life

72 Stay in touch with God’s love everyday through prayer

♣ This is precisely what it means to experience and live in the grace of prayer

73 Make it your prayer request to be always able to pray

♣ Only the trees that are planted by streams of living water can bear fruit (Psalm 1)

74 Prayer is not automatically sustained

♣ Even if we experienced waterfalls of grace through prayer in the past, one can lose the stream if he does not take care of his soul today, because there is no guarantee that prayer life will continue. That is why you can experience a wall in prayer today and face the challenge of not wanting to pray

75 Pray with tears

♣ One who experiences God’s grace will have more and more tears

76 Prayer is sowing

♣ Sowing in lots of prayer will bring lots of reaping in life

77 God does not work alone but through the prayers of His people

♣ desires and is pleased to achieve great and mighty things

78 Pray with an assurance of victory

♣ Caleb in his old age was able to enter the land of Canaan and experience God’s blessing because he has the assurance that God will give him victory

79 Prayer is the journey of discovering God’s will and also a process of learning how to hear from Him

♣  That is why when there is plentiful prayer one can clearly know God’s will and guidance and not live a life of rebellion or disobedience

80 Prayer is receiving the watering of God

♣ Just as new life springs up where there is much water, only those who are praying can receive the new power and life of God

81 Prayer revives the soul

♣ The watering of prayer can bring life to any lukewarm or dead soul

82 Do not resort to prayer as an emergency parachute: pray regularly before disaster strikes

♣ Prayer is an offensive weapon, not a parachute bag. Holding onto prayer is the only way to move the Heavens and the earth

83 Pray while dying to the self

♣ Only when the seed falls to the ground and dies can it bear much fruit. In the same way, when one surrenders one’s thoughts, opinions, and self can one bear much fruit in prayer

84 Pray for your spiritual health

♣ No matter how good a tree looks, if it is sick it will not bear much fruit. In the same way, if one’s spirit is unhealthy or sick he or she cannot bear much fruit in prayer

85 Prayer is not pouring out words but pouring out more of your heart

♣ So pray while pouring out your heart. That is the basic principle in receiving answered prayers  

86 Pray regularly at God’s sanctuary, at the Church

♣ God is everywhere when we pray, but is pleased when we pray in His House of Prayer

87 Pray with childlike heart and faith

♣ Prayer is not an exchange of goods nor a marketplace. As the Lord knows us we must seek to know Him, and as our relationship with Him becomes dearly precious we will experience many answers as we pray with childlike faith in Him

88 Pray while pouring out your entire self to God in devotion

♣ God beautifully answers the prayers of those who are denying themselves in a lifestyle of prayer and devotion to Him

89 Pray anytime, anywhere

♣ It is not perfect circumstances that is the foundation of our Christian life, but rather our relationship with Him that is the anchor of our faith lives

90 Live a lifestyle of obedience to God’s Word and commands

♣ If a lifestyle of obedience to God backs up our prayer lives, then our prayer lives will automatically gain more and more momentum and strength

91 Pray with a firm resolution to God

♣ The prophet Daniel prayed with a firm resolution and determination and as a result had God’s power and favor with Him

92 Pray for revival from God

♣ The key to bringing God’s revival is to have our own hearts revived in hunger for God

93 Pray with a balance with the Word of God

♣ Reading the Word of God without praying is like someone planting seeds without giving it any water, and praying without reading and receiving grace through the Word of God is like someone who plants glass marbles instead of seeds, and gives it water.

94 Strive to become a godly Christian

♣ God likes answering the prayer of His saints, those who are godly

95 Make your family a happy family

♣ There can be no godly prayer without godly family spirituality and atmosphere

96 A life that is not respected by either your wife or husband can be a life that is also not respected by God

♣ Therefore in order to receive God’s respect, have the respect of your spouse first

97 Pray in an attractive way to God, with focus

♣ Just as we are attracted to people of focus and intention, God too is attracted to the prayers of those who are passionate and focused, instead of those who are offering up hazy prayers

98 Know your specific prayer requests

♣ Unclear and unspecific prayers have no answers from God and are not respected in God’s Kingdom

99 Though we often times pray to have our needs met, the main purpose of prayer is to become more like Jesus.

♣ The main end-purpose of prayer is to become more like Jesus Christ. If you are pouring our your heart to have His personality and character, then your prayers are already being answered

100 Pray like a tank driver.

♣ Someone who prays infrequently here and there is like a police car driver, but one who prays frequently and pours out hours upon hours before God is like a tank driver against the enemy.

The Secret to becoming a Prayer Warrior, by Bill Hybels

If we are to play the piano, basketball, and be healthy we must have a regular discipline of such practices. Regular practice develops a habit and we must intentionally make regular times to practice them. If we are to create a habit of living in God’s presence then we have to make the time to pray, at least once a day, everyday, without excuse so we can focus on God.