Heartfelt prayer, what is it and where does the idea come from? It comes from the Lord and is the most powerful and effective mode of prayer that He has shared with us. Look at what James, the Lord’s brother, shared concerning prayer.

James 5:16 (The Passion Translation)

Confess and acknowledge how you have offended one another and then pray for one another to be instantly healed, for tremendous power is released through the passionate, heartfelt prayer of a godly believer.

Have you ever paid attention to the emotions you feel when you have been offended? Offense comes with powerful and passionate emotions that are generally against the person that has offended you. Yet in this Scripture God deliberately puts offense and prayer together? Why? Why is it so important to go to the person that YOU have offended – this is about YOU, not the other party – and apologise for hurting them (people are offended because they have been hurt) and then TO PRAY with them for healing?

Because heartfelt emotions, rooted in unforgiveness and offense are extremely powerful! These feelings come from deep within the heart and they establish who you are, what you become, and how you react. Have you ever quipped that someone has “issues”? Issues sit in our lives like big monsters waiting to hurt and devour our thoughts and emotions one more time. Paul refers to these as strong holds within our imaginations. Don’t ignore these feelings. Your feelings act as signposts to alert you to what’s going on in your heart. (2 Corinthians 10:5)

DO NOT IGNORE YOUR FEELINGS!

Heartfelt feelings, or emotions, arise when you are in a serious and intense state of mind.

Now, your mind can be in an intense and serious state concerning your circumstances to where you are governed by what you are feeling and thinking, or it can be seriously and intensely focused on God and His kingdom. It is here, in the deep and secret place of your heart where you connect with God emotionally, that the tremendous power of prayer arises.

When you begin this your emotions may be all over the place and your hurts and fears may be dominant. This is okay, because the Holy Spirit is a teacher, and a great, gentle and patient teacher. He will guide you through and lead you through your thoughts and emotions into that deep and intimate place He wants you to abide in with Him.

For today, go before God in prayer and ask Him to teach you about heartfelt prayer. Always spend a few minutes in thanksgiving and praise before you begin praying. When you’ve done that, sit quietly and THINK about what you want to pray about. Don’t be in a hurry. How are you feeling and what thoughts affect your feelings the most? Just learn to identify the thoughts and feelings that are working together in your imagination.

You can write it down if you want. Ask yourself questions like, “Why am I feeling this? Why do I think like this? Do I want to deal with this? Are my feelings and thoughts good or bad? How do I think God feels about me? Is God pleased or displeased with me? Why? Am I right or wrong? Am I self-focused? Am I God focused? Go with the questions that come to your mind.

The Holy Spirit will lead you through these questions. Do not be ashamed, embarrassed, or condemned. In your Father’s presence you are faultless and blameless. You are pure and His delight. Here He begins training you in righteousness and maturing you into a fully equipped and power son or daughter of His.

To be continued …

Love and grace to you 💞

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Heartfelt Prayer! Part 1 – Download PDF