God's Word instructs us to "pray always with all prayer." Other translations say, "all kinds of prayer" or "different kinds of prayer." The Amplified Bible says, "with all [manner of prayer]." There is more than just one kind of prayer, depending on what you desire from the Lord. Let's discuss each one in the light of God's Word.

Prayer of Dedication and Worship

Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowwful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, a my Father, if it be posssible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt (Matthew 26:36-39).

The prayer of dedication and worship holds a tremendous amount of power. We need to know how it works and when it is to be used. In the past, it has been misunderstood. When the leper came to Jesus and said, "I know You can make me well. . .if You will," Jesus said, "I will." He already knew the Father's will was healing. He did not have to pray, "If it be Thy will." God's will is to be done on earth as it is in heaven (Matthew 6:9-10). Heaven has no sickness.

The only time the word "if" would not be an expression of unbelief is in the prayer of dedication and worship. All other times, using the word "if" in prayer can create unbelief. Praying for healing then, whether it be yours or someone else's, is a prayer that changes things so do not use "If it be Thy will."

Unbelief hinders prayer. Most people pray, "If it be Thy will," thinking they are being humble. Actually, they are praying in ignorance of the Word of God.

The prayer of dedication is getting your will in line with God's will to bring success into a situation. It joins you and God, and aims you toward the same goal. So many times people are running in the opposite direction, hoping God is going to support their endeavors. You should get God involved with those endeavors before you ever move! Never be afraid to yield your will to God. He wants you to succeed! His will is always to your advantage. Proverbs 16:3 in The Amplified Bible says, "Roll your works upon the Lord [commit and trust them wholly to Him; He will cause your thoughts to become agreeable to His will, and] so shall your plans be established and succeed."

When you pray the prayer of dedication and live by it, you will experience the peace of God because you are truly trusting Him. Isaiah 26:3 says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee."

Thanksgiving and Praise

The Bible says if you pray according to God's will, you know He hears you and you have the petitions you desired of Him (1 John 5:14-15). God's Word is His will.

God is faithful. His Word can be relied on. Don't wait until you can see the manifestation before you believe you have it. That will put you over into an area of waiting and hoping. If you believe you receive when you pray, begin to praise God for the answer.

Faith involves thanksgiving and praise. Philippians 4:6 says, "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God." Thanksgiving and praise are integral parts of prayer. You and God are working together. It is your prayer and His power.

Praise is more than just words. There is power in it. God did not ordain praise just so we could brag on Him. Psalm 8:1-2 says, "0 Lord our Lord, how excellent is thy name in all the earth! who hast set thy glory above the heavens. Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast thou ordained strength because of thine enemies, that thou mightest still the enemy and the avenger." Jesus quoted this verse of scripture and said, "Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings thou hast perfected praise" (Matthew 21: 16). Strength and praise are the same according to the Word of God. God ordained praise to stop Satan in his tracks.

Once you have believed that you received because of the Word, your faith is in action. Through praise, you are throwing your faith up against that mountain of adversity in your life. Jesus said if you have faith and doubt not, you can speak to the mountain and it will be removed. You will have what you say. If you quit applying the force of faith, the mountain will not be removed. You want the mountain to keep moving until it sinks into the sea and is completely out of sight! Apply the force of faith by praising God that it is gone!

The only way Satan can stop you and your faith is through unbelief. He does not have power to stop God. He cannot stop that mountain from moving into the sea. The only way he can succeed is to make you quit applying the pressure.

The mountain may be sickness, disease, alcohol, family trouble, financial trouble or any evil work. Jesus bought and paid for the answer to all of it. You cannot face any problem that has not been taken care of through Calvary's Cross.

The psalmist David said, "I will praise thee, a Lord, with my whole heart; I will show forth all thy marvellous works. I will be glad and rejoice in thee: I will sing praise to thy name, a thou most High. When mine enemies are turned back, they shall fall and perish at thy presence" (Psalm 9: 1-3). He did not say if He said when the enemies fall back! As you praise God, those enemies will retreat. The Bible says He inhabits the praises of His people (Psalm 22:3).

Praise is not something you just feel once in a while. God is worthy of your praise. The Bible says to offer the sacrifice of praise. What did Israel do in the Old Testament when they had problems they could not overcome? The priest would offer sacrifices to God to bring Him on the scene and God would stop the onslaught of the enemy. As a new covenant believer, you are a priest of God. No other sacrifice can be offered. Jesus offered the ultimate blood sacrifice. As a priest, you offer the sacrifice of praise. Hebrews 13:15 says, "By him therefore let us offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually, that is, the fruit of our lips giving thanks to his name."

In Luke 17, Jesus ministered to 10 men who had leprosy. They said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go show yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed" (verses 13-14). Verse 15 says, "And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified [praised] God." They were all cleansed. But only one praised God unashamedly. Jesus said, "Were not the ten cleansed? but where are the nine?" Then He said to the man, " ... Thy faith hath made thee whole" (verse 19). The others were cleansed but he was made whole! His faith kept working. His mountain did not stop at the seashore or sink halfway into the sea! No trace of his mountain was left. Whatever the disease had destroyed was restored.

That is the kind of power you can have right now in your own life. If you are not familiar with praising God, or it makes you feel uncomfortable, ask God to show you how. You can start by reading the Psalms aloud. They speak of the great and mighty works of God. They praise Him for His goodness, power and mercy. God is faithful to perfect your praises!

The Prayer of Committal

If you will practice what I am about to share with you, this will be the last day you will ever have a worried thought. You can commit yourself and all the cares and worries of your mind to Him and enjoy divine peace.

God is vehemently against worry. It does not produce anything but stress, strain and death. Jesus preached against it. Paul preached against it. The whole Bible is against worry because Satan designed it.

Take Philippians 4:6-7 as a command. "Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus." The Amplified Bible says, "Do not fret or have any anxiety about anything." First Peter 5:6-7 says, "Humble yourselves thereefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time. Casting all your care upon him ... ." Not 75 percent of your care. Not everything but your kids or everything but your finances. Your confession every morning should be, "I do not have a care, because it has been cast over on my Lord." Cast out every worried thought that would trample its way into your thinking. Roll it over onto Him.

For example let's say you were standing about 20 feet away from me and I tossed my car keys to you. If someone else were to come to me and say, "Brother Copeland, I need the keys to your car. I need to use it." I would say, "I can't help you. I cast my keys over on him. I don't have them." I didn't say those keys ceased to exist, nor that he could not have them. I didn't say I couldn't get them back. If I went to get them, you would give them back to me. But if someone wants the car keys, they will have to talk to you because I cast them over on you.

That's what we need to do with our cares. We must cast them over on the Lord and not take them back! If Satan brings a worried thought to your mind, saying, What if .. , you can tell him to talk to God about it. It is in His hands, not yours!

Many people want God to supernaturally remove their worry. But that's not the way to get the peace of God. God's peace comes by acting on His Word that says to cast all of your worry and anxiety over on Him. You must replace those thoughts with the Word. Philippians 4:8 says to think on "whatsoever things are true ... honest ... just .. .lovely ... of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things."

You are the one who must control your mind. The Word says the peace of God will garrison and mount guard over your heart and mind (Philippians 4:7, The Amplified Bible). But you are going to have to do something. You must keep your thoughts under control.

Second Corinthians 10:5 says, "Casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ." People have told me they can't quit worrying. They can! Anyone can stop worrying. The verse before that says the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but powerful through God to the pulling down of strongholds. The stronggholds of Satan are in the mind. He makes suggestions like, It won't work this time, and What if .. and, But.. ..

The power of God begins to operate when you cast your care over on Him. As long as you worry about it, you only hinder the flow of His power and tie His hands.

Meditate on these three scriptures: 1 Peter 5:6-7; 2 Corinthians 10:5 and Philippians 4:6. Joshua 1:8 says if you will meditate in the Word day and night, you will be able to see how to do it. Philippians 4:9 says, "Those things, which ye have both learned, and received, and heard, and seen in me, do .... " As you give your attention to these scriptures, the Holy Spirit will reveal this truth to you and you will then be able to act on it!

Philippians 4:13 is the finale: "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me." You don't have to worry again. The greater One dwells in you. He is able to put you over. Commit to it. You will never worry again.

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