Jerri Phillips

I grew up in church. We had a real altar that we actually knelt at, and sometimes we stayed there the whole service. I organized 24-hour prayer chains. I prayed for lengthy spans of time.

I am no stranger to prayer.

I believe God hears sincere prayers. I don't think they have to be fancy or lengthy. I've hydroplaned in my little aluminum Toyota with a large 4-wheel drive in front of me that actually stopped at the red light. My prayer went something like, "Oh, God!" I drove home a bit shaken and a lot slower but without mishap.

Some folks tell me they don't know how to pray. I tell them it is simply talking to God and letting Him talk back. Really. That's it, and I believe the Lord honors that. I know He does. I think God enjoys simple conversation.

Sometimes, though, simple conversation isn't what we need. Sometimes circumstances demand more than a casual, "If you think about it, it would be nice." Sometimes the battle is intense, and the situation requires the big guns.

When that happens, pull out your sword. In Ephesians 6, we are told the Sword is the Word of God. Let's understand the power of this Sword. The Word of God created an entire universe in 6 days. It called people back from the dead, and it took out a giant with a stone. The Word of God closed the mouths of lions, walked three young men through a fire, and opened a sea for millions of people to walk through.

Tell me anything in your life that is bigger than any of that.

So, now that we have perspective, let's find out how to wield this Sword.

Right now I am praying over some terminal diagnoses for three people. They need healing. I don't even ask if it is God's will. God say, "Don't eat the fruit, or you'll die." Sounds like God is all about life to me, so I'm going with that. You don't have to agree but don't expect me to change my mind.

I went to http://www.biblegateway.com/ and put the word "heal" into the blank. It brought up 182 references for the NIV. I copied that list to a Word document, and then I started deleting anything I didn't feel fit my needs. When I was done, I had 7 pages of scriptures.

Then I sat on my deck, which is my prayer perch, and I started praying scripture over these people by inserting their names. Anna had a head cold earlier this week, and I did the same for her.

Here are just a few from Matthew:

Matthew 4:23[ Jesus Heals the Sick ] Jesus went throughout Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness Anna had. {among the people}.

Matthew 4:24News about him spread all over Syria, and Jerri brought to him all {Anna} who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed, and he healed her.

Matthew 9:35[ The Workers Are Few ] Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every Anna's disease and sickness.
Matthew 10:1[ Jesus Sends Out the Twelve ] He called his twelve disciples to him and gave them authority to drive out evil spirits and to heal every disease and sickness of Anna's.

Matthew 10:8Heal the sick {Anna}, raise the dead, cleanse those who have leprosy, drive out demons. Freely you have received, freely give.

You get the idea.

Maybe the issue is a prodigal. I have one right now I am praying for. I pray verses like, "It is not the will of God that (my prodigal) should perish but that he should turn from his ways and be saved." I read the story of The Prodigal where God is standing in the yard watching for My Prodigal, and My Prodigal comes home, and instead of a cranky brother, I put me in there with tears ready to kill every fatted calf we own in celebration.

If you aren't where you use a computer program, look verses up in your Bible in from the concordance in the back. One lady I know has a small book that fits in her purse, and it has a myriad of promises in it for different situations. When she needs to pray on the fly, she whips out that book, and she rips the doors of Heaven off their hinges calling forth the will of God.

Every wonder how folks can do that off the top of their heads? They read the Bible a lot, and they pray those verses at home from their prayer perch. They just have them memorized from use.

The Sword is for every believer. It isn't for the super spiritual. It is for the one who has the guts to believe for better things and to believe God wants to give them.