This guide is intended to be only an outline, surrendered to the leading of the Holy Spirit as a flexible tool to help you in your hour of worship and intercession.
It is not a formula, and you do not have to follow it to the letter. Your times of prayer may vary greatly from one week to the next, as the Spirit leads you. Below, you will find a brief outline, followed by further explanation.
60-Minute Outline for Prayer
Read a current Prayer Alert—2 minutes
Offer thanksgiving and praise—3 minutes
Sing and pray in the Spirit—5 minutes
Read Scripture—5 minutes
Pray for revival in the church—10 minutes
Sing and pray in the Spirit—5 minutes
Pray for Israel—10 minutes
Sing and pray in the Spirit—5 minutes
Pray for a youth awakening—10 minutes
Offer thanksgiving and praise—5 minutes
A Few Instructions
Based on this outline, here are a few simple instructions to help you make your time effective.
I encourage you to begin by reading a Prayer Alert sent by our ministry or any of the number of ministries now engaged in global intercession. Then proceed to offer thanksgiving and praise to the Lord. Remember, Psalm 100 instructs us to enter into His gates with thanksgiving and into His courts with praise. You can enter God’s throne room with thanksgiving and praise!
If you find music helpful, play an instrument or use an instrumental worship CD in the background. Do whatever will make your time the most effective.
One of my emphases is to engage in Spirit-led and Spirit-empowered worship and prayer. Therefore, consider singing and praying in the Holy Spirit or praying by using the gift of tongues (see 1 Cor. 14) as a part of your time. If you have not yet been released into this dimension of prayer, do not worry. You can participate by simply worshipping the Lord periodically throughout your hour. Remember, the Lord inhabits the praises of His people. You are one of His people, and He will inhabit your praises.
It is vital to be Spirit-led and Word-grounded in your times of intercession. Every so often, the Prayer Alert will direct you to read a Scripture passage that will fuel your faith. At other times, it will be left up to you to select a short portion of the Bible to read.
As you proceed into the current “burdens or themes” in prayer, make it practical. Call out to the Lord for revival in the church. Pray for your region, nation and the church in your city to come alive in Jesus’ name!
You should be aware that the Holy Spirit might “land on” one of them, such as revival in the church, and you will not be able to get away from it. That is great! Follow His lead; that is the goal. Other times, you will not be aware of a particular leading of the Spirit, so you will simply pray through this outline or one that you have devised. Either way is good. Just be faithful in your hourly watch.
Also note that crisis intercession does not appear as a special section in this prayer outline. That is because the Holy Spirit will highlight crisis intercession whenever necessary. Again, there might be times when your entire hour or another day or hour will be spent entirely on crisis intercession. That is wonderful. Intercessors are to be flexible instruments in the Lord’s hand.
You will notice that the outline keeps coming back to singing and praying in the Spirit. This is important! Your faith will be charged, and your prayers will then be supernaturally guided if you worship the Lord and pray in the Spirit frequently.
You will also notice that the hour not only begins with thanksgiving and praise, but it also ends with it. Thank Him and praise Him for His answers to your prayers. Thank Him and praise Him that He is raising up intercessors all over the globe.
Rejoice that the fire of the Moravian lampstand is not going out and that the continuous chorus of prayer is swelling even as you speak. Offer up a shout if you want. Thank the Lord that He has heard you and many other intercessors around the globe who are taking their place as watchmen on the walls for such a time as this.
May these simple guidelines help you to be effective in your times of prayer each day! {eoa}
James W. Goll is the president of God Encounters Ministries and has traveled around the world sharing the love of Jesus, imparting the power of intercession, prophetic ministry and life in the Spirit. He has recorded numerous classes with corresponding study guides and is the author of more than 40 books, including The Seer, The Lost Art of Intercession, The Coming Israel Awakening and The Lifestyle of a Prophet. James is the father of four wonderful children with a growing number of grandchildren, and makes his home in Franklin, Tennessee.
For the original article, visit godencounters.com.
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