You and I have been given power from God in the Holy Spirit (Luke 24:49, 2 Timothy 1:17, etc.).  This is power – there’s no such thing as “good power” or “bad power.”  It’s raw power.  How it is used determines whether it is good or bad.

I’ve written before about how God wants us to have this power and use it.  He trusts us with His power because it’s part of how we become His witnesses (Acts 1:8).  Also, as God’s children, we have His DNA, and power is a part of His character.

One way that we use power is in prayer.  As the song goes, “History belongs to those who pray.*”  Heaven and earth move when someone filled with the Holy Spirit and with power begins to speak.

Most of us aren’t fully mature in the use of the power that God has given us.  Sometimes we even reject using power to the point where we no longer have any (I’ve sadly met plenty of Christians in this state).  Because we’re not mature, sometimes we use power for our own selfish ends – or even for the tearing down of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

There are a few reasons why a person might misuse their power in prayer:

1. Fear.  They’re afraid of one thing or another, so they pray for their will to be done so that the feared thing doesn’t happen.
2. Selfishness.  We are told to pray for our needs (Matthew 6:11, for example), but often we pray for what we want to see happen or for selfish things (James 4:2-4).  The antidote to this is praying totally surrendered to God – with a ready willingness for His will instead of our own.
3. Justice.  Most people have a strong sense of justice.  When they see injustice, they’re likely to pray for bad things to tip the scale of justice back where it belongs.
4. Evil.  Even some Christians are influenced by evil.  If the devil can get us to pray his will, he can use the power God has given us against God and God’s plans.

This is a pretty sobering list.  The people who are the objects of these prayers may experience demonic activity in their lives and homes, have remarkable non-success in life, find roadblocks in their journey with Christ, or experience unwarranted levels of chaos in life.  Their prayers and intimacy in Christ may be hampered, or they may be very tired or discouraged.

For example, I knew of a situation where a man had a lot of power.  He wanted a friend to do a specific thing and felt that it was what God wanted her to do.  So he prayed to that effect.  She began hearing this stuff from God and was convinced of it without having spoken about this situation with her friend.  The trouble was that this was not God’s will for her life – or for his.  But his prayers manipulated her (and incidentally, him) into heartbreak and a break of trust in God.

The good news is that we don’t have to be part of the problem.  Here are a few ways that we can avoid praying manipulative prayers.

1. Know your identity in Christ.  This will remove 90% of the fear in your life.
2. Choose faith.  Someone wrote, “If you can’t look at your circumstances without being discouraged, you’re living in denial, not in faith.”  Faith has confidence that God is trustworthy.  (It also doesn’t deny reality, and it is filled with wisdom.)
3. Intentionally love the people around you.  Love not only is the antithesis of fear (1 John 4:18), but it’s also the antithesis of self-focused-ness.
4. Love God with all your heart.  Again, this is the antidote to fear and selfishness.
5. Forgive.  I know it seems like the opposite of justice, but it’s the only way to live in peace with God and with people (Matthew 6:14)
6. Let God be your justice.  When we take justice into your own hands, we deny a part of God’s role in our lives (Deuteronomy 32:35).  He is very capable of being justice for you.
7. Be close to the Holy Spirit.  He’s the Spirit of Truth (John 16:13) and He can keep you from evil (2 Thessalonians 3:3).

If you find yourself in a situation where you’re the object of manipulative prayers, here are some ways to protect yourself.

1. Pray something like this: “In the name of Jesus, I break off and renounce any prayer or words spoken against me that are outside of God’s will for my life.  I pray that I will live in the will of God and see His goodness displayed in my life.”
2. Stay close to God and His word.  Intimacy with Christ is a great defense for staying free from evil.  The Holy Spirit can also reveal where some of this is coming from so that you can deal with it (for example, backing off in a relationship – this is not so that you can retaliate by praying bad things for the person who is harming you – or simply knowing that an area of your life if under attack so you can be vigilant about your choices and actions in that area).
3. Joy.  The joy of the Lord is your strength (Nehemiah 8:10), a trait of God’s presence (Psalm 16:11), a part of the Kingdome of God (Romans 14:17), a fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:22), and a vehicle through which the Holy Spirit flows into you (Romans 15:13).  In joy, there is a measure of safety against the attacks of the enemy.

To sum it up – keep on praying!  Use the power that God has given you.  As you pray, allow faith in God and His promises to determine your prayers, not the fear of selfishness that might tempt you to pray outside of the will of God.  Faith still moves mountains!

*”Convinced” by Jake Hamilton, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TkQkqn4gDN4