Praying From Victory

Praying from Victory

He disarmed the spiritual rulers and authorities. He shamed them publicly by his victory over them on the cross. Colossians 2:15

MANY CHRISTIANS HAVE BEEN TRAINED TO PRAY as if trying to obtain a victory in their petitions. That isn’t a wrong perspective; many victories are won on our knees. But neither is it the whole story. In fact, one of the reasons we pray in Jesus’ name is that he has already won the victory. He isn’t trying to become the King; he already is. And we aren’t trying to gain a victory in our relationship with him; we can simply enter into the victory he has already gained. Our prayers are not trying to establish a new truth; they are anchored in the truth of what already is. We just need to claim his victory rather than plead for it.

This is one of many examples of our call to Kingdom thinking. There’s a reason we’re told to renew our minds; we have to learn to think like members of a royal priesthood. If we want to inherit the Kingdom of God—not simply experience salvation but the full range of Kingdom realities—we have to train ourselves to think in Kingdom ways. That means praying often from victory rather than for it.

Learn to shift from prayers of wishful thinking to prayers of victory. Pray with full knowledge that the battle has already been won. You will be praying into effect a victory that is already real but simply needs to be made manifest. Jesus gave us the basis for this kind of prayer when he declared his death and resurrection as the time when Satan would be cast out (John 12:31). He disarmed spiritual adversaries and authorities. He handed the keys of the Kingdom to his followers. He told us to pray in his name—the name of the victor who is seated above every other authority and power. We are there with him, in victory, with petitions on our lips. We pray as those whose answers have already been won.

We tread the road the saints above with shouts of triumph trod. . . . The faith by which they conquered death is still our shining shield.