Now that you're born again, you are God's child. God is your Father, and He wants to use His infinite power and wisdom to guide, protect, grow, and preserve you. No matter what is happening outwardly—no matter what you see, hear, or perceive with your five senses—God's Word and His will for your life must have the final say. If you place other things above Him, you will short-circuit His power in your life.
There are many tools and privileges available to you in His kingdom. Here are some of them.
The Name of the Lord Jesus
Every knee under the earth, on the earth, and in heaven bows to the Name of the Lord Jesus (Philippians 2:9–11). The Bible says:
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe." ~ Proverbs 18:10
"Jesus" is the Name of the Lord. It is through and by this Name that you must pray.
In times of joy, happiness, and peace, do everything in this Name. In times of crisis, pain, or need, depend on this Name. The Lord Jesus made it clear:
"If you ask anything in My name, I will do it." ~ John 14:14
Here's what this looks like in practice: Peter and John met a crippled man at the Beautiful Gate and said, "In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk" ~ Acts 3:6. The man was healed. Throughout Scripture, God's people made sacred use of His holy Name to accomplish things for the kingdom. That same authority is yours.
Holiness
God says:
"Be holy, because I am holy." ~ 1 Peter 1:16
This is non-negotiable. God's children possess godly character and maintain a good conscience before God and man (Acts 24:16).
Living holy is only possible through God's Holy Spirit who lives in you. As you yield your body to Him and continually engage in spiritual exercises, you will produce the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22–23). If you don't, you will produce the works of the flesh listed in that same chapter (Galatians 5:19–21).
Why does this matter so urgently? Because holiness directly affects your prayers and your usefulness to God:
"The eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and His ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil." ~ 1 Peter 3:12
"Whatsoever we ask, we receive of Him, because we keep His commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in His sight." ~ 1 John 3:22
If you don't continually live in holiness, you will never mature spiritually, and you can hinder your own prayers from being answered.
Faith in God and His Word
One of the most important things the Lord Jesus taught is that when we don't receive answers to prayer, it's not always because God didn't answer. Yes, there are cases where God doesn't answer because we ask with wrong motives (James 4:3), or because we're living in sin (1 Peter 3:12), or because we're asking for something against His will (1 John 5:14). But the Lord Jesus also made it clear that faith is a factor.
Throughout the Gospels, the Lord Jesus told people their faith had healed them (Matthew 9:22, 29; Mark 10:52). And when miracles didn't happen, He attributed it to a lack of faith (Matthew 13:58; Mark 6:5–6).
Why does faith carry such power? The Bible tells us:
"Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." ~ Hebrews 11:1
The key word is "evidence." When you need assurance that something is true or will come to pass, you look for proof. The Bible is saying that your belief that God will do what He said—that very belief—is the evidence. The Greek word for "substance" implies a guarantee, a title deed. If you want your prayers to manifest in the physical world, only believe.
This is exactly what the Lord Jesus taught. In Mark 11:13–26, He cursed a fig tree. Nothing visible happened immediately. But the tree had started dying from the roots. You would have needed to be very vigilant to notice, because the most visible parts of a tree are the leaves and branches, not the roots. When the disciples saw it and were amazed, the Lord Jesus used the moment to teach them:
"What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." ~ Mark 11:24
When do you receive what you asked for? After you believe. This means there will be a time after prayer when there's no visible proof the answer has arrived. But faith is that proof. Faith is the guarantee. It doesn't matter how things look on the outside or what the physical evidence says. Faith in your heart is the better and truer evidence, and it will prevail if you don't doubt—if you keep the switch of faith turned on.
So long as what you're asking aligns with God's Word, which is His will, all you have to do is believe, and you will receive. Amen.
Prayer, Fasting, and the Power of the Holy Spirit
As a Christian baptized in the Holy Spirit, you have power in you—literal power. That power came to dwell in you when the Holy Spirit baptized you (Acts 1:8). God reminds us:
"For God hath not given us the spirit of fear, but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." ~ 2 Timothy 1:7
And many of the great things God does in our lives, He does "according to the power that worketh in us" ~ Ephesians 3:20.
Sometimes God accomplishes things from heaven. Other times, the power comes from within you. But it's your responsibility to make this power available so the Holy Spirit can help you minister it to your life and to others. The power is a gift, and it's your responsibility to stir it up (2 Timothy 1:6).
How do you make this power available?
"The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available, dynamic in its working." ~ James 5:16 AMPC
"But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost…" ~ Jude 1:20
It's all-out prayer, quantity and quality. Sometimes you have to intercede and pray until you break through in the Spirit. When that happens, a river of love will flow out of your spirit. Your faith will be built up and firmer.
In some cases, you will need to amplify your prayer, and therefore amplify the power, by adding fasting (Matthew 17:21). Sometimes you will literally feel the warm sensation of this power all over your body. Other times you won't feel anything, but you'll know within your spirit that you're filled with the Holy Spirit. Then go ahead and minister that power through the Name of the Lord Jesus. Amen.
Preaching the Gospel
Preaching the gospel not only brings people into God's kingdom, rescuing them from the devil and allowing them to experience God's blessing and love, it also helps you mature and grow as a Christian. This is one reason the Bible includes it as part of the armor of God (Ephesians 6:15). Take time to study everything that makes up the armor of God in Ephesians 6:11–18. Each tool listed there is vital, and we've already mentioned or alluded to several of them.
Now that you know some of the tools and privileges available to you, here are some situations where you can put them to use.
Healing and Health
There is not a single illness or disease, chronic or acute, that God cannot heal. Healing takes place through a combination of the tools listed above. Every knee bows to the Name of the Lord Jesus, and that includes sickness.
Never accept that a sickness is incurable or that you have only so many days to live. It doesn't matter who is saying it, even if it's a doctor. That prognosis could be accurate based on medical science, and the doctor could be right. But that's the limitation of medical science. That's not whom you're ultimately depending on. You're depending on God. And God wants you, His temple, to be healthy (3 John 1:2).
A robust and consistent prayer life, along with holy living, can keep you from falling sick. That doesn't mean you'll never get sick—you're human and not perfect. But living holy, studying God's Word, and maintaining a prayerful life will keep the power of God stirred up within you and keep your mortal body quickened, which helps prevent sickness (Romans 8:11).
If you do fall sick, the power of God through prayer in the Name of the Lord Jesus, and in some cases coupled with fasting, will always be enough to heal you.
Do we forgo medical science then? Not at all. God gave us the wisdom of medical science so we can treat ourselves. Use it wisely, but don't place its findings or opinions above God's Word. Your body is His temple, and He is your Father. He is the authority and has the final say.
Physical and Spiritual Needs, Attacks, and Emergencies
"Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." ~ Hebrews 4:16
"In time of need" means whenever there is a need: when you need help with something, when you need a spiritual gift or wisdom (James 1:5–6), when you're in danger, when you're physically or spiritually attacked, when there's a crisis or health emergency, when you need safety for travel, or when you're being attacked by wicked individuals.
In such situations, the Bible says to come boldly. Don't come whispering, scared, or shy. Be bold. Come, talk, act, and move boldly as you tap into the infinite resources of God's throne of grace. Never forget the all-powerful Name of the Lord Jesus. Come to the throne praising Him, for His mercies are abundant.
"Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." ~ Philippians 4:6–7