Life has its own series of battles, but these battles are not won by those that are the most strategic, nor is it won by those that are the strongest, nor by those that are the fastest or the fittest. There’s no university that teaches you how to fight these battles, nor can a life coach, teach you how to deal with it. It’s not won through a therapy session. The only way you win these battles in life is right down on your knees. The people that are victorious in every battle of their lives are the ones that fight the battle on their knees. The reason being, you cannot win a spiritual battle with man-made philosophy or tactics. To fight a spiritual battle, you need a spiritual weapon and that weapon is prayer.

Why pray on your knees, why not pray standing up, sitting down or lying down? There’s nothing wrong in praying sitting down or standing. In case a person is unwell or resting, a person can pray even lying down. However, if you want to fight your battles in the most effective manner, it must be on your knees. Kneeling before God symbolises obedience, humility, submission, repentance, pleading and our dependence on God. Praying on your knees is more strenuous than prayer while standing or sitting, and therefore praying on your knees is more sacrificial than praying any other way.

If you are on a fitness program and working out, when do you see the most effective results? When you take it easy or when you push yourself harder? It’s the same with prayer. You need to be fervent, you need to be tenacious and you need to give your best. You need to toil, you need to be endeavour and you need to get on your knees. Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the Lord, our Maker! (Psalms 95:6 ESV).

Prayer is fighting in the spirit. You are fighting the power of darkness, you are battling with forces that are against you. A fighter fights with all his strength. When you are on your knees praying, you are spiritually fighting with all your might, with the spiritual wickedness that’s rising against you.

If you want to see real victory in your prayer life, then get on your knees and lift both your hands above your head and pray. Lifting up of hands represents surrendering to God and inviting God to fight your battles on your behalf. Let my prayer be counted as incense before you, and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice! (Psalms 141:2 ESV).

Lifting your hands above your head for prolonged periods of time is very strenuous because the blood has to work extra hard to get above your head. A few minutes with your hands up in the air and you will feel the heaviness and pain. Keep it up, as long as you possibly can. In your sorrow and pain, cry out to God for help. Let those tears roll out on your face. God always hears the cries of his faithful. When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears and delivers them out of all their troubles. (Psalms 34:17 ESV). The Lord is near to all who call on him, to all who call on him in truth. He fulfils the desire of those who fear him; he also hears their cry and saves them (Psalm 145:18-19 ESV).

Jesus was God himself. He humbled himself in front of his Heavenly Father and cried out in prayer. How much more should we pray and cry out to God for help, when we are in trouble? In the days of his flesh, Jesus offered up prayers and supplications, with loud cries and tears, to him who was able to save him from death, and he was heard because of his reverence (Hebrews 5:7 ESV).

Lifting up of hands in prayer brings victory. Moses prayed for victory over his enemy, the Amalekites, and he prayed with his hands lifted up. As long as Moses’ hands were up, Israel prevailed in battle, but whenever he would rest his hands, the Amalekites prevailed. Many times, in life we remain defeated because we fail to get on our knees and fail to lift up our hands surrendering our battles to God. As long as Moses held up his hands, the Israelites were winning, but whenever he lowered his hands, the Amalekites were winning (Exodus 17:11 NIV).

When I am troubled, I lift my troubles to God in prayer and I can with certainty know that God has answered my prayer when God’s peace rests upon me. Search for God’s peace as an answer to your prayer. Do not be anxious about anything. Instead, in every situation, through prayer and petition with thanksgiving, tell your requests to God, and the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus (Philippians 4:6-7 NET).

If you want certainty in prayer and God’s peace to rest upon you, first of all pray according to the will of God. When you pray to God according to His divine will, you can be assured that your prayer will be answered. And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us. And if we know that he hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests that we have asked of him (1 John 5: 14-15 ESV).

Secondly, pray with a heart that is repentant and at peace with others. Remember people are not our enemies, our only enemy is the devil. If you hold bitterness and unforgiveness towards others, your prayers will not be answered. God wants us to have the right attitude towards others while we pray. He doesn’t want us to hold a grudge or remain angry with anyone. God’s desire is that we remain in peace with everyone, walk in humility and forgive one another as He has graciously forgiven us. I desire then that in every place the men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarrelling (1 Timothy 2:8 ESV). Our prayers should also include people that have hurt us. It is God’s will that we pray for those who ill-treat us, asking God to bless them in return. But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you (Matthew 5:44 ESV).

Thirdly, pray in faith, knowing and believing that the prayer of a righteous person will be answered. “And whatever you ask in prayer, you will receive, if you have faith” (Matthew 21:22 ESV).

Many times, in life we fight our battles on our own and remain defeated when we could have surrendered it to God. Let Him fight it for us and we can experience victory. Praying on your knees with hands lifted up may be hard at first, but the victory that comes through prayer is beyond measure. The hardest thing in life is fighting your battles on your own. Why take the harder way when there is an easier way? Why live defeated when you can live victoriously?

“Come to me, all who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light” (Matthew 11:28-30 ESV).

I pray for all of you that read this, that God may give you the grace to know Him and that you may get on your knees, get saved and grow …

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