I want to be a joy fighter and a warrior princess for Jesus. Really, I do. But most days, I am fighting worry and trying not to whine about my problems. I wish I could tell you that I wake up with a worshipful disposition. I want to be that woman who trusts God and walks with a calm assurance He is in control. But instead, I limp along through a valley of doubt and desperately cling to Jesus. When life knocks me to my knees, only Jesus can pick me up from the pit an give me a firm place to stand.

I know Jesus is trustworthy and faithful. I know it deep down in my heart.

I believe He is in control, and I am called more than a conqueror because of Christ. I believe this is true.

Yet, I still fight fear. My stomach still goes topsy turvy whenever life is hard. I still struggle and strive to fix it myself.

One of the best ways to push past the feelings of anxiety is to just fall flat on my face in prayer.

Prayer quiets my heart and reminds me He is God. My God is bigger than bad days.

I want to learn to fight in prayer, rather than fixate on m problems. I am a slow learner, and I really needed help in this area.  So, I decided to create my own school of prayer and enroll as the only student. I purchased several fabulous books to create my personal prayer curriculum.

Maybe like me you want to learn to pray with power. If you’d like to go to prayer warrior school, I am going to start your education by sharing 5 fabulous reads with you today.

5 Sweet Reads to Help Spark Your Prayer Life:

The Circle Maker

Mark Batterson provides prayer principles that will transform your future if faithfully put into practice.  He blends Scripture, history, and personal accounts into a compelling call to pray bold prayers — prayers that move mountains and make miracles happen. Batterson believes miracles are the fruit of faithful prayer:  “The greatest moments in life are the miraculous moments when human impotence and divine omnipotence intersect — and they intersect when we draw a circle around the impossible situations in our lives and invite God to intervene” (p. 13). He proposes that we should draw prayer circles by “dreaming big,” “praying hard,” and “thinking long.”  The kind of prayers that God answers require a “leap of faith,” faithful persistence, and “putting feet to our faith” by partnering with God and getting our hands dirty.  Prayers are the foundation to an eternal legacy for our families — the seeds we plant through prayer are harvested long after we have passed on into glory. This book motivated me to get on  my knees with greater fervency.  I had never read anything by Mark Batterson before, but I love his passion for God.  I needed to read this book.  It’s a “must read” that will change your life.

Prayer:  Finding the Heart’s True Home

Richard Foster describes the three “movements” of prayer – moving inward toward transformation, moving upward toward intimacy, and moving outward toward ministry.   Prayer is a defined as “an ongoing and growing love relationship with God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit” (p. 13).  Through prayer, we “come home.” Foster spends an entire chapter unpacking how prayer is formative:  “None of us will keep up a life of prayer unless we are prepared to change.  We will either give it up or turn it into a little system that maintains a form of godliness but denies the power of it–which is the same thing as giving it up” (p. 57).  In discussing “Contemplative Prayer,”  Foster suggests asking yourself “questions of examination.”  I now write these into the front page of every new journal and refer to them often when I need a “heart check”:  “Am I becoming less afraid of being known and owned by God?”  “Is prayer developing in me as a welcome discipline?” “Is it becoming easier for me to receive constructive criticism?” “Am I learning to move beyond personal offense and freely forgive those who have wronged me?” This book expanded my understanding of prayer, and I am so thankful for Foster’s wisdom.

The Praying Life: Connecting with God in a Distracting World

Paul Miller’s book on prayer is unique and encouraging.  He allows us to see how he has personally grown in His intimacy with Christ and with his family by persevering in prayer that is honest before God during difficult times.    God teaches us to really pray in the schoolroom of suffering. Miller challenges:  “We can’t pray effectively until we get in touch with our inner brat.  When we see our own self-will, it opens the door to doing things through God.  Instead of singing Frank Sinatra’s song ‘My Way,’ we enter into God’s story and watch Him do it His way.  No one works like Him” (p. 161). This book was a game changer for me.  I will return to it often.  One prayer practice that Miller shared that I hope to start using is choosing a “prayer verse” for each of your loved ones.  He writes it on a 3×5 card and prays that Scripture daily for each person on his list.

Fervent: A Woman’s Battle Plan to Serious, Specific, and Strategic Prayer

Priscilla Shirer challenges her readers to create a personalized prayer strategy by selecting specific Scriptures to use for pinpoint petitions in the areas of their focus, identity, passion, family, past, fears, purity, pressures, hurts, and relationships. Just as a soldier needs a battle plan, we must create a blueprint for intercession that will empower us to prevail over the schemes of  the adversary.  By framing our supplications with praise, repentance, asking, and the yes promises of Scripture, we invite God to pour out His strength and position us for victory. Shirrer believes: “Prayer is what greases the friction between us, lubricating the grit and flecks of irritability that work themselves into the system, preventing the normal wear and tear of life from causing us to grate against or rub one another” (pp. 172-173). What struck me the most about this book was the importance of praying specific prayers for myself. I am used to interceding with intention for my spouse, family, and loved ones, but never spent a big chunk of time really praying a covering over targeted areas that impact my effectiveness.  Shirer’s book made me think about how I needed to arm myself against the schemes of the enemy to defeat my passion and purpose.

Whispers of Hope: 10 Weeks of Devotional Prayer

Beth Moore helps her readers put prayer into practice by pairing Scripture reading with prayer journaling. Each of the 70 devotionals is followed by a journal entry using the “P.R.A.I.S.E” format: Praise, Repentance, Acknowledgement of God’s authority, Intercession, Supplication for Self, and Equipping (asking God to empower you for a victorious day).  Moore issues a challenge: “Beloved, we’re living in the lions’ den. Victory is ours when we walk with God daily in habitual prayer, when we know His Word well enough to trust His sovereignty, and when we cast ourselves on Him and make an honest plea for help. He derives great satisfaction from shutting that lion’s mouth” (p. 41).  I loved starting my mornings with this devotional, and I was convicted by how Moore said we are called to “be a neon sign” for God in this dark world: “We are stones rolled away, giving them [people who have given up on finding real life] a glance in the empty tomb. We provide evidence that Jesus is the Resurrection and the Life. Do yourself and your neighbors a big favor. Don’t wait for death to really live. Tell God you want to be a neon sign of life–lingering proof of the resurrection” (p. 23).

If you are on a budget can’t afford to buy a book, I’ve got good news. Friends, you can enroll in prayer warrior school today without spending a dime. You can ask Jesus to teach you.

To help get you started, I’m sharing a copy of My Pray Big Prayer Calendar with you. Sign up today as a member of the Wildfire Faith Community and  grab a copy in our Faith Fuel Library. Print out your copy and start each morning inviting God to strengthen your faith and breathe fresh wind into your weary spirit.  

WANT TO GO DEEPER AND develop a vibrant prayer life? CHECK OUT MY COACHING SERVICES TO HELP YOU REKINDLE A SPIRITUAL TRANSFORMATION.

⇓

⇓

ARE YOU LOOKING FOR RESOURCES TO FIRE UP YOUR FAITH?

Friends: As a social media influencer, I have a sweet list of my favorite resources to fuel a wildfire faith in my very own shop on Amazon.  (Note: I will get a little something back if you follow any of the links in this post and buy anything on this page. Thanks in advance if you do.).