Praying For Your Bean Patch
You have a bean patch—a sphere of influence that no one else has. You can pray for it and defend it in prayer.
I use the term “bean patch” from the example of persistence and bravery of one of David’s three mighty men, Shammah, whose name means “God is there.” He defended his ground and the Lord brought the victory!
“The Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils (beans) and the people (Israelites) fled from the Philistines. But he (Shammah) took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory.” (2 Samuel 23:11)
When you define and pray for your own bean patch it probably includes your family and close friends; your neighborhood; your city; (Jeremiah 29:4-14 says to seek the welfare of the city); your own nation and other countries God puts on your heart; other people or concerns.
No matter how ordinary or chaotic you may think your life is—you have the potential to move spiritual mountains—through consistent, persistent prayer. Power: Praying God’s will with the empowering of the Holy Spirit and the Bible. Passion: Not only do we have a passion for our Lord, but we have a cause we are passionate about. Purpose: We want to see results. We have a desire to see someone blessed or saved or perhaps delivered from a bondage. Persistence: It is always too soon to quit praying.
Sometimes we need to add warfare—to stand against the enemy’s tactics. How? By quoting the Scriptures. When the enemy tempted Jesus in the wilderness, He said, “Be gone, Satan, for it is written” and then He quoted what God had said. Declare aloud what Jesus said, “It is written.” (Luke 4:8)
Helpful Prayer Points
- Be specific and persistent. Jesus tells a parable about a man who came at midnight seeking specifically three loaves of bread and was persistent in asking. Jesus said to ask, seek, knock! (Luke. 11:5-13)
- Pray Scripture passages aloud. Personalize them. Say, “It is written.” (Luke 4:8) God watches over His word to perform it. Faith cometh by hearing. (Romans 10:17)
- Write prayers in a notebook (including practical ones, scriptural ones)
- Plant waiting prayers for the future: friends, career, spouses.
- Get a prayer partner. (Matt l8:19). Every Christian needs a special friend who will pray with him/her on a regular basis and about special situations. Married couples are often powerful prayer partners). Get yourself a prayer support team.
- Be open to the Holy Spirit (Romans 8:26-27). Never presume God is going to answer in our exact time frame.
It is needful for us to ask the Holy Spirit to show us how to pray so our prayers are aligned with God’s will. Other things to consider when covering your bean patch in prayer include:
Biblical Weapons and Principles
- The word of God is living and powerful sharper than any two-edged sword. (Hebrews 4:12)
- The name of Jesus—our authority. (Mark 16:17; Luke 10: 18-19)
- The blood of Jesus. (I John 1:7-9; John 1:29)
- Praise. To glorify God, terrify the enemy. (2 Chronicles 20:22-31)
- Joy and laughter. (Psalm 126:1-2; Genesis 21:6)
- Pray as led by the Holy Spirit. (Romans 8: 28; Ephesians 6:18; Jude verse 20)
- Fasting. (Isaiah 58:6; Nehemiah 1:4;7; Matthew 4:2; Matthew 6:16-18)
- Forgiveness. Paul said, “I forgive for your sake in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes.” (2 Cor.2:10)
- Ask God for harvesters. “Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field.
- (Matthew 9:38)
Of course, there are other prayer principles in Scripture. God speaks to us individually if we but ask. He longs to have communion with us! And He cares about you and your “bean patch.
”NOTE: You may want to read the books on prayer which I co-authored with Ruthanne Garlock, including, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, Warfare Prayers for Women and Grandma, I Need Your Prayers. I also wrote A Mother’s Guide to Praying for Your Children.
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