What are the attributes of a prayer warrior?
Some soldiers can use weapons of war more effectively than others. The use of prayer for maximum effectiveness is somewhat clouded in mystery. But the effective prayer warrior is generally characterized by all or at least some of the following attributes:
Prayer itself frequently includes:
However, my prayer petitions may not be granted even if I have the attributes of a prayer warrior and my prayers are appropriate. For example, I may be certain my faith is larger than a mustard seed but I cannot move mountains (Mat 17:20 cf 21:21, 22) nor can I place my hands on the sick and see them healed (Acts 28:8). The Holy Spirit may want to grant my petitions in such matters but He is thwarted by forces of darkness exercising free will, using powerful weapons and utilizing a complex network of constraints (Dan 10:12-13, 20-21); but also, the Holy Spirit is thwarted by my own inadequate personal attributes as a prayer warrior.
Consider, for illustration, this simplistic hypothetical “constraint on effectiveness” for the weapon of prayer. What if the degree to which my prayer will be answered is expressed by a number between zero and one which is equal to the probability that I am characterized, on any given day, by all twenty one independent prayer warrior attributes listed above? If the probability that I am characterized by each individual attribute is 0.8, then the probability that I am [a confessor of sin and remorseful and repentant and faithful and obedient and humble … and rejecting idols] is 0.821 = 0.009. Or instead, what if the probability is virtually zero that I am characterized by one particular attribute? The outcome would be the same: marginally effective prayer.
Consider another vantage. Satan is accusing us 24/7 probably with the frequency of cosmic gamma burst radiation (Rev 12:10). Jesus Christ is interceding on our behalf (Heb 7:25) for each accusation. But unlike the characters in a Perry Mason episode, the cold facts about our shortcomings are known at the outset by both the prosecution and the defense. This spiritual courtroom is about establishing, not the existence, but the consequences of undeniable sins. Our guilt before God is removed by the great gift of salvation by which we are redeemed, forgiven, justified, adopted, regenerated, guided along the path of sanctification, reconciled with fellow believers, united in the church of Jesus Christ and looking forward to glorification. But our sorry behavior, even after we have been saved, still has consequences in this life. Satan not only wants the unsaved to join him in eternal damnation, he would also like to minimize God’s response to the prayers of the saved. Could our sinful nature and behavior along with our inadequate prayer warrior attributes, by the Rules of Engagement, continually lower the effectiveness of our prayers? We could ask God for the wisdom (Jam 1:5) to comprehend precisely how the Rules of Engagement are constraining the effectiveness of our prayers. Unfortunately, the shear ferocity and frequency of Satan’s unrelenting attack and the complexity of creation make it unlikely that we could fully understand and satisfy these rules. But remember, Jesus Christ is not just a lackadaisical defense attorney going through the motions. He is an advocate who wants us to win! He wants us to overcome the shackles of constraint on the power of our prayer. Perhaps we could ask our advocate, Jesus Christ, to break the shackles on the power of our prayer by: (a) showing us how, with God’s grace, we can overcome certain constraints and (b) re-negotiating the Rules of Engagement in our favor.
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