With violence raging on American streets, many are losing hope for a better tomorrow. Indeed, pessimism is gripping the nation on many fronts as the signs of the times manifest in our midst.

For the first time in American history, most Americans believe the next generation will be worse off than them, according to a CNNMoney/E*Trade survey. At the same time, strange viruses are spreading, some even causing death and blindness. There are wars and rumors of wars. The economic signs are driving people to store food and water. And persecution of Christians in America is on the rise.

I could go on and on. The point is, as a nation our hope is under attack.

On a personal level, you may have prodigal children that show no sign of turning back to the Lord despite your fervent intercession. Maybe you’re fighting health issues that look dire. Perhaps your marriage is on the brink of divorce. Maybe you’re battling weight issues you can’t overcome no matter what diet you try, financial issues that keep growing worse or some other issue that looks hopeless.

The enemy attacks our faith with fear for a strategic reason. We find that reason in Hebrews 11:1: “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.” See, you can’t have faith without hope. Your faith hangs on hope. If you partner with the fearful voices telling you things will never change—or whatever else those fearful voices are saying—you will move from faith to doubt to unbelief and eventually to hopelessness.

Prisoners of Hope

When I was in jail, falsely accused of a crime I did not commit, the situation looked hopeless. Three times I appeared before a judge seeking bail. Three times my plea was rejected—even with an ankle bracelet on home arrest; and even though I was a manager working with a large company; and even though I had a two-year-old baby whose daddy had just abandoned us.

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My attorney, a firm I paid a pretty penny to defend me against the bogus charges, told me the best I could hope for was five years in prison. That was the minimum sentence on the charge. I felt hopeless, but I had a fighting grandma who refused to tolerate injustice. She prayed and she took action. She found an attorney who was willing to stand up to the devil’s plans and pray through to the end.

During the legal battle, I got saved. I heard the voice of the Lord tell me I would be released on the 40th day. I confessed this to anyone who would listen but nobody would believe me. Beyond my grandma, my family didn’t hold out much hope. But it was just like the Lord told me it would be. After 40 days, I was released and fully vindicated.

In that jail, I learned to be a prisoner of hope. Since then, I have faced many situations that seemed hopeless. When I encounter these sorts of trials, I remember what the Lord said in Zechariah 9:12 (NKJV), “Return to the stronghold, You prisoners of hope. Even today I declare That I will restore double to you.”

Expect Double for Your Trouble

That word hope is not like the world’s hope. The world’s hope is a wish. Bible hope is an eager expectation. When you expect something, you watch for it. Think about it for a minute, if you are expecting an important call, you keep your phone right by you, make sure the ringer is on and stop doing anything that would distract you from the ring.

We need to hope in God the same way. We’ve put in a call to Him—we’ve prayed—and He is going to answer us. I don’t know why it takes so long for some situations to turn around. I don’t know why we have to keep praying and believing sometimes for years without any visible results. I do believe our prayers release God’s power into a situation and some problems demand more power to chip away at the mountain than others.

We need to guard the hope in our hearts because, again, our faith hangs on our hope. We have many Bible examples of how hope and faith pay off. Moses hoped in God when it looked like the Egyptian army was going to overtake the Israelites. Nehemiah hoped in God when naysayers tried to stop him from doing what God told him to do. David hoped in God when it looked like Saul was going to kill him. Ruth hoped in God that she could escape her past. Esther hoped in God that He would save the Jews from Haman’s wicked plot.

Whatever we’re going through, we have to hold out hope. Job in the middle of his trial said, “What strength do I have, that I should hope?” (Job 6:11, MEV). Job lost everything he had. He was on the brink of hopelessness. His wife told him to curse God and die. But he held out hope and the Lord kept His promise. Job got double for his trouble (Job 42:10).

Whatever you are going through, put your trust in the Lord. Let hope be the anchor of your soul (Heb. 6:19). Let your praise prophesy to your circumstances. I assure you, what the devil means for evil, God means for good (Gen. 50:20).

Be a prisoner of hope—and believe God for double for your trouble.

Lester Sumrall went home to be with the Lord in 1996, but his legacy continues—and his God-breathed prophetic words are still alive.

In a 1987 video capture, Sumrall, whose spiritual father was Smith Wigglesworth, shares seven prophetic insights God revealed to his heart earlier in his walk with the Lord. I wish they weren’t accurate, but it seems he heard rightly. You can watch the video to see all the warnings. I’m going to focus on just one of them.

“I said, ‘God, I don’t understand this at all.’ He said, ‘You’re going to see it and here are seven things to watch.’ And God gave me seven things to observe. Number one was, America will depart from its historic faith. Now at that time, the Supreme Court hadn’t done any of those strange things, such as permission to kill unborn babies and giving such rights to homosexuals. See, none of that happened.”

None of those things had happened when the Lord first spoke to Sumrall but many things have happened since. The man of God received these revelations before Roe v. Wade, before the Supreme Court decision to sanction homosexual marriages and before the growing persecution of Christians in America. Indeed, conditions have grown much worse since Sumrall first heard the Lord speak—and since he released these prophecies.

Departing From the Faith

Sumrall pointed to this Scripture in his teaching: “Now the Spirit clearly says that in the last times some will depart from the faith and pay attention to seducing spirits and doctrines of devils, speaking lies in hypocrisy, having their consciences seared with a hot iron…” (1 Tim. 4:1-2).

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We’ve certainly seen this happen. Numerous high-profile Christians have turned from Christ to trumpet atheism. Numbers of others have come out as gay. Entire denominations are rejecting sound Bible doctrine for fear of offending people or because the spirit of the world has deceived them. And who knows how many others have backslidden and are on the edge of the Great Falling Away?

At the same time, we see end-times theologians insisting the Lord is coming back soon while engaging in heated debates over when that will happen, if there is really a rapture, and other things we probably won’t know until we see it with our eyes. One thing is certain: Jesus will not return for a church without spot or wrinkle unless the falling away comes first … (1 Thess. 2:3). We don’t have to agree on all the signs of the times but we shouldn’t ignore the ones that are clear. And the Great Falling Away, at this point, is clear. It has started.

Believing the Devil’s Lies

We’ve witnessed more than one man of God with a major ministry platform bow a knee to doctrines like universalism, deceiving and being deceived with this deadly heresy. Despite many in the church lifting their voice against heretical teachings, these deceived ministers hold fast to their demonic doctrine.

We’ve also watched famous pastors speak lies in hypocrisy—lies that left many hurt, wounded, and disillusioned—and yet they remain adored and adorned in the megachurches that made their name great. Clearly, the conscience of some influential church leaders has already been seared with a hot iron (1 Tim. 4:2). Some have become the proverbial blind leading the blind.

The Bible tells us to work out our salvation with fear and trembling (Phil. 2:12). We need to get at it because this is sure: Jesus is coming back for a glorious church without spot or wrinkle (Eph. 5:27). I believe the spots and wrinkles will fall away before His return. The gates of hell are trying to prevail against the church and will ultimately fail, but not before enticing some believers into heresy, idolatry and other sin.

I don’t believe in once-saved, always-saved doctrines. I believe you can lose your salvation. I don’t think it happens overnight. I think it’s a slow progression down the slippery slope of deception. I often ask people who are deceived this question: “How would you know if you were deceived?” I’ve never met one who was deceived find an answer for the question. Rather, they insist that they cannot be deceived or that they would know if they were. If we don’t think we could be deceived, we’re deceived already. And if we are deceived, we wouldn’t know it unless the Holy Spirit broke in and opened the eyes of our heart.

So is the Great Falling Away already underway? I believe it is. We’re seeing full-blown apostasy in the church. We need to be watchful and pray. I pray that the Lord would count me faithful, that I would not be deceived in these last days, and that I might be a pure vessel the Lord can use to sound the alarm. What about you? {eoa}

When Jesus said false prophets would rise in the last days, He wasn’t exaggerating. We’re certainly in a season of accelerated false prophet activity.

Check out this message I received:

I’ve made a mistake. In this season of transition, there have been piles of bills, problematic equations and mountains of new financial challenges that seemed poised to try to overtake me. At times it has overwhelmed me, but never has it interfered with me going before the Lord with your situation(s). This morning, as I was in my prayer chambers meditating on the Word of the Lord for you and countless others, the Lord screamed a mighty scream in the form of a strong wind blowing from the north and commanded me to look up from which cometh my help.

The Spirit revealed to me a little mistake that I was making. While I have been running around left and right trying to balance my financial challenges, I momentarily forgot the reason the Lord has placed me in a season of famine. With over $100,000 in financial endeavors, I have been holding on to your breakthrough by keeping this a secret from you. You see, when a prophet is in a season of famine, God is looking to release to those who would lift him out of the famine, a miracle of breakthrough.

As your personal prophet, it is unlawful for me to hold onto your breakthrough! Precious one, this one little mistake has already cost me over $100,000 but I will not allow it to cost you your breakthrough. God has commanded me to ask every faithful partner who’s ready for a miraculous breakthrough to help lift this financial boulder off the shoulders of the prophet with a powerful donation of faith in the amounts of either $300 or $1000.

If you stand with me with the $397 donation, I will send you an MP3 or CD (CD upon request) with the company of prophets and myself speaking a word of breakthrough into your situation for the next twelve months. Beloved of God, I need your support in this season … I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help. My help cometh from the LORD, which made heaven and earth (Psalms 121:1-2).

Building a Ministry on Money Miracles

There’s so much wrong with this email I don’t know where to begin. It’s a picture of a growing camp in the prophetic movement that is building its ministry on money miracles.

Listen to Jennifer’s podcast about a disturbing prophetic scam.

Don’t get me wrong. I believe God can miraculously provide money. I remember once I was in North Florida, stuck in the dark after my car broke down. I was broke, busted and disgusted, as they say, with only a few pennies in my bank account and a few dollars in my purse. I didn’t know what to do, so I prayed.

When I looked through my purse again, I found a crisp, clean $100 bill that paved the way for me to stay indoors that night and eat breakfast the next day. I’ve also seen supernatural debt cancellation in my ministry. Like I recently wrote on my Facebook page: “Beware of puffed up preachers who sip from ‘pimp cups’ and pack their pockets with cash that belongs in your purse!”

There’s nothing wrong with taking up an offering, but when you make promises God won’t keep, when you emphasize money miracles as an earmark of your ministry, and when you pressure people to give, there’s rotten fruit. It’s called the love of money, which is a root of all kinds of evil (1 Tim. 6:10). The Bible says you cannot serve both God and mammon (Matt. 6:24). Sadly, many preachers and prophets are serving mammon.

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False Prophets Really Are Rising

Yes, false prophets are rising in many ways, shapes and forms. There were the false prophets that were concerned with people turning into werewolves. That was worse than the false prophet who insists he was framed for selling photos from his trip to heaven. Let’s not forget the false prophet who got busted in Washington in a prayer scam sting. Oh, remember the false Presbyterian teacher who denied Jesus rose from the dead? Then there are the prophets of doom and gloom who prophesy natural disasters on specific dates—and the disasters don’t come to pass.

Beloved, don’t miss the signs of the times. Jesus said, “Then many will fall away, and betray one another, and hate one another. And many false prophets will rise and will deceive many. Because iniquity will abound, the love of many will grow cold.  But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come” (Matt. 24:10-14).

The church needs prophets who can rightly discern the moving of the Lord—and the moving of the enemy. We need prophets who will stand in the gap and make up the hedge so the enemy cannot infiltrate.

Anyone with a sensitive spirit can pick up on the rising level of spiritual warfare in this hour. Just look at the attacks on major cities in our nation. Just look at the persecution of Christians. Just look at the number of church leaders who have fallen. Just look at how many churches are closing. Just look. Clearly, darkness is raging against the church.

Spiritual warfare is real, despite some who insist we don’t have to fight because the devil is already defeated. Spiritual warfare is biblical, despite those who argue we should ignore the operations of the devil. Spiritual warfare is necessary because principalities, powers, rulers of the darkness of this age, spiritual hosts of wickedness (Eph. 6:12) and other forces are raging against all those who call Christ Lord.

Listen to Jennifer’s podcast on the rising deception in prophetic ministry.

Why Are Prophets Arguing About Warfare?

As I share in my book, The Making of a Prophet, one of my apostolic mentors offered me six words of advice: Warfare goes along with prophetic ministry.

I understand why some denominations don’t believe in spiritual warfare, even though I don’t agree. But prophets who insist we should not put any focus on spirits like Jezebel, Python, Absalom or other demonic culprits that work to wreck lives, ministries, cities and nations puzzle me. After all, spiritual warfare is part of the prophet’s mantle.

Look at Elijah in the showdown at Mount Carmel (1 Kin. 18:17-39). He engaged in natural warfare to slay 850 false prophets who were propagating Jezebel’s false religion. This is a mirror of the spiritual warfare we fight against wicked spirits today. Elijah also battled the spirit of death in his ministry—as did Jesus Himself—raising someone from the dead. Elisha battled the spirit of infirmity. I could go on and on. You can’t separate a prophet from spiritual warfare realities.

Moreover, I believe it’s dangerous for prophetic ministries to trumpet a message insisting that we should not sound the alarm about the enemy’s plots and plans. Paul clearly warned us not to be ignorant of the devil’s devices (2 Cor. 2:11). James instructs us to submit ourselves to God, resist the devil and he will flee (James 4:7). We can’t resist a devil we don’t discern—or one we ignore. Prophets are watchmen charged with sounding the alarm.

Peter warned us to, “Be sober and watchful, because your adversary the devil walks around as a roaring lion, seeking whom he may devour. Resist him firmly in the faith” (1 Pet. 5:8-9). The Amplified translation of verse 9 says to “withstand him; be firm in faith [against his onset—rooted, established, strong, immovable, and determined].” You can’t withstand something you aren’t willing to look at.

Is Hypergrace Infiltrating the Prophetic?

Claiming we only had to repent in the moment of salvation and never again is one of the prime markers of the hypergrace movement. Clearly, we need to ask for forgiveness of our daily sins to avoid hindering our fellowship with the Father. But could this doctrine of man that argues we should focus on Jesus and ignore the devil find its roots in hypergrace? I have to wonder.

Bishop J.C. Ryle, the first Anglican bishop in Liverpool, England, was faced with the hypergrace message in the 1800s. He wrote, “We must fight. There are no promises in the Lord Jesus Christ’s Epistles to the Seven Churches, except to those who ‘overcome.’ Where there is grace there will be conflict. The believer is a soldier. There is no holiness without a warfare. Saved souls will always be found to have fought a fight. It is a fight of absolute necessity. Let us not think in this war we can remain neutral and sit still … We have no choice or option. We must either fight or be lost. It is a fight of universal necessity. … The foe we have to do with keeps no holidays, never slumbers, and never sleeps. So long as we have breath in our bodies we must keep on our armour, and remember the enemy’s ground. ‘Even on the brink of Jordan,” said a dying saint, ‘I find Satan nibbling at my heels.’ We must fight till we die.”

Whatever the root of this anti-spiritual warfare sentiment in the prophetic movement, it’s dangerous and those who adhere to it may wind up needless casualties of war in much the same way as are those who take on principalities and powers without the Lord’s leading.

I’ll end with this, a comment I posted to my Facebook page when I learned of the growing emphasis among some prophetic ministries to criticize those who sound the alarm about wicked spirits arising in various seasons:

“It so grieves me to see prophetic ministries gain popularity by attacking leaders who believe in the reality of spiritual warfare. By the mercies of God, I beseech you to stop letting the devil use you to tear down those presenting balanced truth clearly presented in the Word of God.” {eoa}

Warfare is a way of life for me. I am careful to put my armor on, stay alert to the spirit realm, and walk as closely to the Holy Spirit as I possibly can.

Still, there are seasons where the battle rages and I grow weary. There are times when I need reinforcements in the face of surging enemies that are intent on killing me, stealing what is rightfully mine and destroying my family and ministry.

Listen to Jennifer’s podcast: Paul’s Secret Warfare Weapon?

Although I’ve long understood the need for intercessors, an email from a general in the faith this week—and an expert in spiritual war—reminded me of just how important prayer partners are. After asking about the warfare against me after my book, Jezebel’s Puppets, his email read:

“With the undoing of moral restraint in our nation, and the intimidating nature of Jezebel against those who speak against it, I was wondering how you were doing. … I know a few folks who have taken a strong public stand against this spirit who subsequently experienced some added battle. Just wanted to make sure you have folks praying for you. … The biggest factor is to have intercessors who can pray for you regularly and also spontaneously. Part of the Ephesians 6 dress code is where Paul adds, ‘And pray for me.’ He knew all the mechanics of warfare, but he also knew he personally needed prayer.”

A Revelation of Reinforcements

Let’s look at these Scriptures first hand. Paul exhorted the church at Ephesus—and really all believers—to be strong in the Lord and in the power of His might.

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“Put on the whole armor of God that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For our fight is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, and against spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore take up the whole armor of God that you may be able to resist in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your waist girded with truth, having put on the breastplate of righteousness, having your feet fitted with the readiness of the gospel of peace, and above all, taking the shield of faith, with which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the evil one. Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God. Pray in the Spirit always with all kinds of prayer and supplication. To that end be alert with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints” (Eph. 6:11-18).

That’s where many spiritual warriors stop. But it’s not where Paul the apostle stopped. He had another weapon against the wiles of the wicked one. He had reinforcements that were making intercession for him from Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the Earth. He didn’t just hope they might pray when the Holy Spirit brought him to mind—he petitioned for their prayers.

Paul’s Persistent Prayer Requests

Once we get past the whole armor of God and personal prayer challenge, we see Paul the apostle reaching out for spiritual warriors to join his intercessory prayer team: “Pray for me, that the power to speak may be given to me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains, that I may speak boldly as I ought to speak” (Eph. 6:19).

Paul asked for prayer for God to provide an opportunity to speak, be heard and spread the gospel message clearly (Col. 4:3-4); that people would accept his message and believers would accept his God-given wisdom (2 Thess. 3:1-2); for deliverance from the Jews (Rom. 15:30); for deliverance from challenging circumstances and prison (2 Cor. 1:11; Phil. 1:19, Philemon 1:22); that he could see in person those to whom he was writing (Rom. 1:8; 1 Thess. 3:10).

Of course, we know that Paul returned the favor and prayed for his spiritual sons, co-laborers, churches and even his enemies. Prayer is a partnership. You need prayer, your family needs prayer—and the leaders in the body who are out there fighting devils, equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, and preaching the gospel need your prayers. I need your prayers. So I ask, as Paul did, pray for me. If you’d like to join my intercessory prayer team shoot me an email at @. {eoa}

Reading my incoming email is almost like watching a fantastical-thriller-mystery-adventure-tearjerker film in 3D. Beyond the desperate prayer requests sad enough to break your heart and the fraught cries for prophetic words and wise advice, some messages are especially memorable for odd reasons.

I remember a young man from a faraway city who wanted to attend one of our conferences at Awakening House of Prayer and stay an extra five days so we could cast out all his demons, pray over his friends’ clothing and otherwise battle the myriad of devils plaguing his life. I remember the creepy marriage proposals and the bad poetry that comes along with them. I remember the urgent plea for five warriors to commit to 15 minutes of prayer for 45 days against the spirit of Absalom’s vicious attacks.

Listen to Jennifer’s podcast: Gaining Discernment in Spiritual Warfare

Thankfully, I know better than to cast out demons from unbelieving strangers who happen upon the prayer room (though the recognition as an effective deliverance minister honors me). I know better than to entertain the love letters and form soul ties with lonely men on the internet. And I know better than to fight someone else’s battles—even for and especially for a price.

Who Paid Jehu?

Don’t get me wrong. I’m all for battling territorial spirits when the Holy Spirit is leading me. God always leads us into triumph in Christ Jesus (2 Cor. 2:14). I’m all for casting out devils when they manifest and ministering deliverance to our members at the AHOP. But taking on someone else’s warfare is not wise and can be dangerous.

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I remember the time a woman wanted to hire me to fight a generational battle with “Jezebel siblings.” She explained that the accountants, lawyers, financial brokers, realtors, judges and politicians involved are all Freemasons. As the only Christian in her family, I can only imagine the overwhelming and seemingly insurmountable opposition she faced over her parents’ estate. That’s why I write books like Jezebel’s Puppets.

This woman—we’ll call her Jane—had been battling these crafty devils for about a decade, and it was all coming to a head in the moment she contacted my office with an anxious plea for support, direction, prophetic insight and any other help we could offer. She wanted to fly down that very day and stay through Sunday so we could fight her battle, specifically prayer walking around the building.

Next came the offer of payment, along with a clear qualifier that she didn’t have much money left after battling Jezebel and the Free Masons for eight years. Jane’s P.S. mentioned a prayer request for payment of interest on all the money the devil stole. I really feel for the woman of God and, at some earlier days in my walk with God, may have banded together with her and stormed the gates of hell. But that’s not wisdom.

Shall I Go Up?

Although we war from a place of victory, rushing into spiritual warfare outside of God’s timing can lead to defeat. Although we are taught to remain on the offensive, presuming to enter a battle God has not called us to fight can be a dangerous mistake. And although we’re in a spiritual war, the battle really is the Lord’s.

David built quite a reputation for warfare—and it appears I have too. But David asked the Lord time and time again, “Shall I go up?” before running to the battle line. “Shall I go up?” Every spiritual warrior needs to ask this question before engaging the enemy. In other words, we need to be led by the Holy Spirit into battle if we want God to lead us into triumph. If we lose a battle, it could very well be that the Holy Spirit didn’t lead us into the spiritual skirmish in the first place.

David displayed humility in his query, and I have learned to do the same. Ahab, Jezebel’s husband and a mighty warrior who posted many victories, was certainly full of pride. God’s prophet Micaiah clearly told him what no other false prophet on his payroll dared: that he would lose if he went to battle in Ramoth Gilead (1 Kings 22:17-23). Instead of heeding the voice of God’s prophet, proud Ahab arrested the man of God and ran to the battle line anyway. He was killed in battle.

Before you run to the battle line, ask the Holy Spirit, “Shall I go up?” Then obey what He tells you. It could be He’s assigned someone else to “go up” and defeat the enemy. It could be that God is taking the battle into His own hands. Or it could be that you aren’t yet skilled enough in battle to take on the enemy that’s rising up. The reason doesn’t matter. What matters is being in the will of God, even in our spiritual warfare.

Oh, and don’t take money to fight people’s battles. Were not spiritual henchmen or gangsters.{eoa}

I was in a faith crisis. I had just left a spiritually abusive church and didn’t know where to go from there. I didn’t know who to trust or what to believe. I wasn’t sure if I could darken the door of a church ever again.

That’s when a friend recommended I soak to the 24/7 livestream out of International House of Prayer (IHOP) in Kansas City. I went to sleep listening to prophetic singers and musicians declaring the Word of God over my life. I woke up to devotional music led by worshippers with a passion for Jesus. It was healing to my weary soul.

Eventually, I started listening to IHOP Director Mike Bickle’s expansive online teaching library. His approach to prayer and intercession was much more intimate than the spiritual warfare-only camps I knew. His teachings on the Sermon on the Mount lifestyle challenged my faith. And his in-depth Bible studies on the Song of Solomon, Revelation and Daniel exposed me to Scripture angles I had never considered. I was inspired.

Two years later, the Holy Spirit told me to make prayer my life’s work. I launched Awakening House of Prayer in the Fort Lauderdale area with a mandate for day-and-night prayer, equipping the saints for the work of the ministry, standing for unborn life, exercising the gifts of the Spirit and pursuing holiness.

The thing is, I never enjoyed prayer. It was drudgery—and I was scared to pray publicly. In fact, as a young Christian, when corporate prayer meetings were going on, I would hide in the bathroom, hoping the leader wouldn’t call on me to make intercession. Prayer was boring, and I wasn’t sure how effective it was despite James’ argument that the effective fervent prayer of a righteous person makes tremendous power available (James 5:16).

Mike not only taught me new ways to study the Bible; he taught me how to make prayer more enjoyable—and more effective. IHOP has 16 values of enjoyable prayer, and employing just a few of these in your prayer life can make all the difference. Some of the most impactful from the list in my own prayer life are:

Enjoying intimacy with a beautiful God: When you realize God is not mad at you—that He actually likes you and takes delight in your weak prayers—it changes your perspective on prayer. Instead of begging and pleading with a faint hope that He might hear you, you are confident that He not only hears you but will answer you (1 John 5:14-15).

The necessity of combining worship with intercession: I realize old-school intercessors lay prostrate on the floor with only the sound of travail to accompany them, but praying with worship music sets the stage for intimacy and fuels your passion to pray.

Praying in the Spirit and spontaneous singing: Praying in the Spirit has long been part and parcel of my prayer life because I need to build myself up in my most holy faith (Jude 20). Plus, I don’t know how to pray as I ought (Rom. 8:26). But spontaneous singing also makes prayer enjoyable. Paul said he would sing with the Spirit and his understanding (1 Cor. 14:14-15).

God-centered spiritual warfare: I mentioned I came out of spiritual warfare camps that were excessive. But spiritual warfare is still vital. Putting God in the center means we are agreeing with God and His Word rather than hyperfocusing on talking to the devil. There are times to rebuke the devil, and we certainly bind and loose, but agreeing with and declaring God’s promises is more fruitful and enjoyable than screaming at the devil.

Mike also taught me to set a time to pray, create a prayer list, pray-read the Word and pray the apostolic prayers to strengthen our inner man. If we don’t make an appointment with God to pray, chances are something else will distract our hearts from this mandate. Creating a prayer list helps fuel our prayer time. We may or may not use the list, but it comes in handy when you don’t feel inspired.

Pray-reading the Word is essentially reading the Word while having a conversation with God about what it says. You can also pray the promises of God in Scripture. Finally, Mike echoes the late Kenneth Hagin’s practice of praying the apostolic prayers in Paul’s epistles. These prayers open the eyes of your heart and strengthen your spirit.  I encourage you to do everything you can to make prayer more enjoyable, because nothing happens without prayer.

Jennifer LeClaire is senior editor of Charisma, director of the Awakening House of Prayer, a senior leader of the New Breed Revival Network and author of many books, including Jezebel’s Puppets: Exposing the Agenda of False Prophets. Visit her online at .