Notes from “Violent Prayer” by Chris Tiegreen.

A different way of thinking about prayer

“Our Prayers do not make people out to be the targets. Violent prayer is not about calling down fire on an unrepentant city as the disciples asked when they faced rejection.”

Luke 9:51-56 (NET Bible) Now when the days drew near for him to be taken up, Jesus set out resolutely to go to Jerusalem. He sent messengers on ahead of him. As they went along, they entered a Samaritan village to make things ready in advance for him, but the villagers refused to welcome him, because he was determined to go to Jerusalem. Now when his disciples James and John saw this, they said, “Lord, do you want us to call fire to come down from heaven and consume them?” But Jesus turned and rebuked them, and they went on to another village.

“VIOLENT PRAYER AGGRESSIVELY AND FIERCELY CHALLENGES THE ENEMY’S AGENDA AND DESTROYS OR DOES VIOLENCE TO HIS WORKS. The fuel for our violent prayer is often the “negative, hostile” emotions welling up inside us as we perceive the actions of the enemy both in our lives and in the lives of those around us.” RELEASE IT IN PRAYER.

“We know about quiet prayers and those are good… peaceful prayers of thanks, emotional prayers when we are distress, passive prayers of hope, love and compassion. But violent prayer asks us to go into battle, wield a sword  and take a side . It asks us to actively wage war against the forces of darkness. WE need to exact militant and sometimes violent prayer.”

WAR Uncensored

“We live in a fallen world where the flesh corrupts our motives and an enemy interferes with our spiritual growth. We are former citizens of a kingdom of darkness who have been reborn into a kingdom of light. But we are still surrounded by the darkness”- which threatens us as outsiders and seeks to destroy us. Matt 11:12-15 (NET Bible) From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven has suffered violence, and forceful people lay hold of it. For all the prophets and the law prophesied until John appeared. And if you are willing to accept it, he is Elijah, who is to come. The one who has ears had better listen!

There is an intruder in our communications with God. An enemy that harasses us so much that at times we misunderstand the time, energy and the passion that must go into our prayer.

TIME-we live in a society where time has been micro-analyzed so that we take as little time as possible to get an expected end…instant coffee, microwave dinners, entertainment at the push of a button, information on the internet superhighway, money at the ATM, fast food that must be done in less than 5 minutes or else. We have come to expect an answer to our problems within a short space of time. “WAITING IS INEFFICIENT AND ANNOYING”. Time has been reduced to economics…cost vs benefit. How much will it cost me and what will I get for it in return. The return on my investment. I want as much as I can get from my investment.