Spray and Pray

The Lord is calling the Church to engage in specific, Spirit-directed prayer without the blurring effect of emotion. It is an aggressive kind of target-specific prayer that has the potential to intervene in the affairs of this world and set the captives free. 

When I was a Combat Firearms Instructor and Range Master, I would put police officers under the stress of timed shooting segments to replicate firing their weapons in a combat scenario. The induced pressure revealed weakness in the fundamentals of shooting under the influence of stress.

A phrase was developed to describe how some officers shot under stress. It is called “spray and pray.” Spray and pray refers to someone who keeps pulling the trigger, hoping to hit something. It is not a good tactic since a mag dump rarely puts rounds on target and can place citizens and fellow officers in jeopardy.

As I look at the Church today, I see prayers being offered without specific target acquisition. They are generic in nature. Prayers without a target have little impact. This kind of prayer happens when emotion, not revelation, defines our target. I recall several times when police officers under stress shot the wrong target on the firing range. Self-control, a fruit of the Spirit, is needed in our prayer life or we will emotionally fire off prayers hoping they hit something but missing the target of what can bring change and freedom to those living in hellish situations.

As believers, we are standing on the firing line of prayer. How we aim our prayers will determine their point of impact. So much is happening in our world that needs precisely aimed prayers. The nations of the world are in an uproar. A significant global reset is taking place, and it is producing upheaval and creating fear. If we are not aware of what is happening in our world, we will not have specific targets to acquire for the prayers we offer.

This is an updated edition of a post originally published on Garris Elkins

Featured Image by Tengyart on Unsplash

About the Author

Garris Elkins is a Kingdom Winds Contributor. He and his wife, Jan, serve the global Church through writing, speaking, and mentoring. They live in southern Oregon, tucked away in the foothills of the Rogue Valley. Their shared desire is to have each person learn how to hear the heart of God and become a transforming voice in their culture.

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