.....For
most Christians, prayerwalking is a new and rather strange
concept. As with anything new, people may be skeptical and
wonder why they should consider this practice. There are
some vital reasons why you need to consider this practice.
Prayerwalking is not a technique that has been devised in
order to get results. It is not a gimmick to get God to
hear you. You may be wondering, "God can hear me when
I am praying in my living room or in my church. Why should
I walk all over the place praying?" There are some
vital reasons why you need to consider this practice.
.....The
first reason to consider this practice is because it helps
the struggling intercessor. For most believers, prayer can
be difficult and at times boring. And, let's face it, most
prayer meetings in churches are boring. They consist of
people using and repeating the same phrases and clichés
that they have always used. Prayerwalking can stimulate
new ways to pray. It stirs believers to pray in fresh and
new ways. It can bring new life and power to the believer's
prayer closet. It can bring new life and power to the church
prayer meeting. It can refresh a church's prayer ministry.
It is not a replacement for prayer meeting or any other
responsibility of the believers. Yet, it can be a catalyst
for stirring believers to gather in homes and church buildings
to pursue focused and fervent intercession.
.....Prayerwalking
can give you a heart for the lost and hurting people around
you. As you walk down roads and streets or station yourself
at points, you come to realize that the people you are praying
for are not just names on a prayer list. You discover that
these people are lost, enslaved by sin and headed for an
eternity in hell. You begin to realize the pain and the
heartache of people who are suffering in your neighborhood,
your community, or your city. This can motivate you to intercede
with intensity. You can no longer go down a prayer list
simply calling out names and asking God to bless them. This
creates a heart in you for lost and hurting people. It creates
a longing to stand in the gap for them.
.....This
practice can also show you needs and opportunities that
you've never seen before in your city or community. Many
of our prayers concern only our own interests. In church
prayer meetings, the focus of the praying is primarily for
the members and their loved ones and activities of that
church. Our vision is turned inward rather than outward.
Our praying has simply become focused on ourselves and the
people that we know and that need our prayers. Prayerwalking
will provide the opportunity to see the needs of a lost
and hurting community or city. It will reveal opportunities
to minister that have been hidden from our eyes by self-interest
and selfishness.
.....Prayerwalking
will mobilize and energize believers to evangelize and minister
to people. It will create the desire to evangelize and minister
because people have a tendency to pursue what they have
prayed for. Added to this, people tend to be involved with
what they have seen. These factors motivate believers to
reach and minister to those for whom they have prayed. Prayerwalking
is not an end in itself. It leads to all types of ministry,
not the least of which is evangelism and prayer.
.....Prayerwalking
helps you to focus your faith. As you walk through a city
or community, you begin to see specific needs. Your mind
and heart become saturated with the opportunities that are
around you. As these things happen, you begin to call on
God and believe God for the salvation, healing, deliverance,
and blessing of people. You start believing God for specific
blessings in the lives of those around you. You are put
in a position where you trust God for specific blessings
for specific people. You can no longer say, "Lord bless
our city" or "Lord, bless our community."
Your faith is focused to believe God for blessings in the
lives of people in your community or city. You see the need
and you are motivated to trust God for the blessing. When
you draw close to who you are praying for, it strengthens
your faith to plead with and believe God for what is needed
in their lives. This focused, strengthened faith is crucial
to receiving an answer from the Lord. The Word of God states
in James 1:6-7, "But let him ask in faith, with no
doubting, for he who doubts is like a wave of the sea driven
and tossed by the wind. For let not that man suppose that
he will receive anything from the Lord."
.....Prayerwalking
also helps you to agree in prayer. Power in prayer does
not come through loud cries or eloquence. It comes when
believers join together in agreement in prayer concerning
a burden. As you prayerwalk, you can join others in specific
intercession for people and their needs, agreeing that God's
power and blessing has to be released into this situation.
Agreeing in prayer is the desperate and united plea of believers
who have been joined together by a common burden. It is
the plea that the power of Jesus Christ, who is in their
midst, might flow into and bring change in the situation
(Matthew 18:19-20). Believers join in agreement and faith,
pleading that the power of Jesus Christ will bring about
the necessary changes. It is the desperate dependence on
Jesus Christ to transform lives and situations, being expressed
in prayer and faith.
.....Focusing
on the same subject can be tough while sitting in a circle
in a room. Yet, when you walk a street or road or stand
in front of a building, you are confronted by the needs.
You come to a clear understanding of what is needed. You
see the problem with clearer vision. For this reason, it
becomes easier to share the same concern and the same level
of intensity. Prayerwalking can give sharper focus and intensity
to the agreement of believers in prayer.
.....Prayerwalking
will enable you to pray specific, pointed prayers. You will
begin to see needs and opportunities that are around you.
This will enable you to make razor-sharp requests of the
Lord. You will be praying for specific families with names
and faces. You will be praying for specific places and needs.
This will generate more power and certainty to your prayers.
As you walk, your perception is heightened and your prayers
can be far more directed by the Holy Spirit of God.
Dr. Kevin Meador © 2005....................CLICK
HERE to view a MS WORD version of this guide.
