Bad prayers? Surely not, you say. Prayer is good, always good. Doesn't God always hear our prayers?

The answer may surprise you. It all revolves around several meanings of the word "will."

 

God tells us in His Word, "This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us" (I John 5:14). That sounds a lot more restrictive than it is in reality. God gives us over 6000 promises in His Word that we can claim according to His covenants with us. Some of those promises are amazingly broad, especially when you consider that God says He gives His beloved children "far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think" (Eph. 3:20).

 

All that being said, the fact is that many good people pray some terribly bad prayers. And they can actually do harm to themselves and others. I know. I've often been the victim.

 

As I said, the answer revolves around the word "will." First of all, God expects us to know His Word so that we can pray according to His will. His will is revealed in His Word, as well as in revelation from the Holy Spirit that never contradicts the Word (John 16:13-14).

 

Sometimes we don't get answers, at least the ones we want, because we do not pray according to the Word. We pray our own selfish desires -- or even worse.

 

We sometimes do something in prayer that God would never do. God gave us free will. Even He does not force a person's will. He gave us dominion over all the earth (Gen. 1:26-27) -- but not over other people! If He does not try to control the will of others, why should we?

 

"Oh, God, make my husband stop being so stupid about our finances and let me have that luxury item he says we don't have the money for right now!" "Make him love me!" Those kinds of prayers are prayers that try to control the will of others, something God never does. Oh, but witches do it all the time!

 

Oh yes, it is indeed a witchcraft prayer -- a controlling prayer. And surprise, surprise -- God doesn't even hear it. Satan does. He's the one who inspires witches, even some of them who say they don't believe in the devil, to pray controlling prayers and cast spells on people to make them do things against their will.

 

God has nothing to do with the prayers of some Christians, prayers that are more witches' brew than prayers of love. Prayers patterned after Satan's format go down, not up. They go right to him and the demons -- and they have to answer these prayers. They will enforce our words if those words are not God's words (Prov. 18:21). Speak Satan's words -- get satanic results. It will boomerang back on us and will cause harm, sometimes even physical harm and pain to another Christian.

 

Far fetched, you say? You can believe that if you so desire. I have, however, been attacked with pain that disappeared only when I said a counteractive prayer against the wrong ones, forgiving those who prayed it.

Once I was about to give an important and controversial sermon. That morning I woke up with a devil of an ache in my throat and a voice that was about to be extinguished. It was indeed a devil of an ache. It came from the devil and demons who simply enforced a wrong prayer. I realized the source -- a "friend" who knew about the sermon. She didn't want it given, believing that it was false. So she prayed for God to shut my mouth so I could not deliver it. She thought she was doing God a service. Not so. It was a devil of a prayer. And the devil or demons, who come only to kill and destroy, answered it.

 

The moment I prayed the special prayer God gave us for such occasions and did communion, the devil of an ache went away and my voice returned. Coincidence? I know better.

 

Whether you believe my true story or not, you must admit that praying against someone's will is not what God tells us to do. It is certainly not praying according to the will of God. God sets before us the choice of the way of life and blessings and the way of death and curses (Deut. 30:19). He encourages us with strong words to choose life, but He never forces us to do so. He gave Adam freedom to sin, and he did. He gives us freedom to pray wrong prayers, and we do.

 

It's time Christians stopped this demonic practice often rooted in unforgiveness. The wife who prayed against her husband's will in the example cited earlier was not in a forgiving attitude toward her mate.

I must not leave you hanging. Here is the prayer you can say when you sense that someone is praying a wrong prayer about you. If it is indeed a prayer of control, it becomes Christian witchcraft (sic --it is indeed sick, isn't it). It is thus wise to seal it in communion.

 

Here's your loving, forgiving prayer of counterattack: “Father, I hereby reject and nullify all prayers [and/or prophecies] that have been said on my behalf that are not according to Your will for my life or my family’s. I break off all the effects and plans of the enemy that were thus authorized.”

 

The following should be added if you know you are "under attack" with physical symptoms from these kind of prayers (Communion is highly recommended):

 

 

 

You may need to ask Your Father in heaven to grant you the spirit of forgiveness before you say the prayer. Some people are hard to forgive, playing "dirty pool" as my mother would say, and you may need some help.

 

It's time we learned how to pray. But that is the subject of another article. Stay tuned -- to God's will and His Word.