11.6 The prayer of faith

Many believers do not realize that there are different types of prayers with different rules. We can apply the wrong rules and end up not getting the right results. It is like playing rugby according to soccer rules.

The Apostle Paul spoke of praying to God with “all kinds of prayer” (Eph 6:18, The New Century Version). The Amplified version says, “With all manner of prayer and entreaty.” Paul was talking about more than one type of prayer.

(Eph 6:18, NCV)
Pray in the Spirit at all times with ALL KINDS OF PRAYER, asking for everything you need. To do this you must always be ready and never give up. Always pray for all God’s people.

In order to engage in prayer effectively as New Covenant priests of God, we need to first know the different types of prayer. Each of these prayers applies to different situations and the principles for each are different. Applying the right principles for each type of prayer with the help of the Holy Spirit will get us the required results.

Let us start with the prayer of faith. The prayer of faith is used to possess the covenant promises of God. It is used when the Bible gives us a specific promise and His will is clear. God’s Word is a legal covenant and it gives us a legal basis to receive His promises. The condition to receive His promises is faith.

We can only use the prayer of faith when we have spiritual authority over the subject matter. We can pray for our families, our children, our spiritual dependants, our possessions and ourselves.

However, one believer cannot exercise faith on behalf of another believer who is not a spiritual dependant. That person has to exercise his faith over his personal spiritual domain. We can pray in agreement with, intercede and make supplications for that person. These other kinds of prayer will also be covered later.