Pastor Henry kneeling face-down in prayer before a large golden key
One hour in the Holy Ghost

Keys to an
Effective
Prayer Life.

Prayer is not measured only by whether God answers a request. We must also ask whether we encountered Him—and whether that encounter changed us.

Why we remain in prayer

Intimacy makes the intercessor effective.

I believe these five things should happen in a Christian’s life each time we pray. We should not measure prayer only by whether God answers a request. We should also ask whether we encountered Him and whether that encounter changed us.

This is why, at Courts of Prayer, we encourage one hour of praying in the Holy Ghost. Praying in the Holy Ghost is a key to intimacy with God. As we remain with Him, we give the flesh time to yield, make room for cleansing, and become attentive to His heart. That intimacy makes an intercessor more effective: the intercessor deals with the flesh, touches God, and carries God’s heart into prayer for others. The hour is an invitation to remain with Him through this process, rather than leave as soon as we have spoken our requests.

01
Yielding

The Dying of the Flesh

We can begin to pray while still carrying distraction, anger, worry, and the demands of our own will. The first thing I believe we should experience is the flesh yielding as we remain before God. James connects conflicts within us to desires at work in our lives, then speaks of asking and not receiving because we ask wrongly (James 4:1–3). We need to examine what is driving our prayers.

John the Baptist said of Jesus, “He must increase, but I must decrease” (John 3:30). In Gethsemane, Jesus brought His anguish to the Father and said, “Not as I will, but as thou wilt” (Matthew 26:39). We may enter prayer troubled, but we should remain before God until our will is ready to submit to His.

02
Going deeper

Changing Gears

As the flesh yields, I believe we should experience prayer moving deeper. I call this changing gears. What began as an effort to quiet our thoughts becomes a growing awareness of God. We may experience peace, urgency, clearer understanding, or a stronger desire to press into His presence. We should pay attention to that progression without demanding that it feel the same for everyone.

John fell before the risen Jesus in Revelation 1:17. Later, he heard, “Come up hither,” and was shown the throne in heaven (Revelation 4:1–2). His encounter unfolded in stages. When we remain in prayer, we should be open to more than the first moment of attention. We press on, becoming more receptive to God and more responsive to what He shows us.

03
Cleansing

Flush the Toilet

The language is plain because the work is necessary. We may become quiet in prayer while still carrying resentment, sinful habits, harmful thoughts, or words we are ready to speak. The flesh has yielded for a moment, but we have not dealt with what it brought into God’s presence.

To flush the toilet is to identify those things honestly, confess them, and ask the Holy Spirit to cleanse us. We then act on what God has shown us. That may mean apologizing, abandoning a habit, or refusing to return to an old response. James describes someone who sees himself in a mirror and then forgets what he saw (James 1:23–25). I believe prayer should change how we live after we leave it.

04
Receiving from Christ

The Exchange

After cleansing, I believe we should wait for the exchange. We bring fear, bitterness, weariness, or confusion before God, and receive what He wants to form in us: faith, peace, courage, love, or direction. We should not leave prayer merely feeling emptied. We should leave carrying something of Christ.

Jesus invites the weary to come to Him and take His yoke upon them (Matthew 11:28–30). He gives us a way to walk with Him. Scripture also says that those who are in Christ are made new (2 Corinthians 5:17) and calls believers the “sweet savour of Christ” (2 Corinthians 2:15). Before leaving prayer, ask: What have I surrendered? What has God given me? How will that exchange affect the way I live today?

05
Communion

Touch God, See Jesus, Hear Him

This is the heart of every other key. Prayer is communion, and I believe we should seek a real encounter with God each time we pray. To see Jesus is to seek His heart—what moves Him, what pleases Him, and what He desires. “Thy face, LORD, will I seek” (Psalm 27:8).

To hear Him is to listen for His direction and respond. Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice … and they follow me” (John 10:27). To touch God is to draw near and receive His grace, allowing His presence to affect us. These encounters may not involve a literal vision, an audible voice, or a physical sensation. Their mark is intimacy that changes us. An intercessor who knows God’s heart can pray for others with greater faithfulness and understanding.

Remain with Him

Give prayer time to do its transforming work.

One hour in the Holy Ghost is an invitation to move beyond requests into surrender, cleansing, exchange, and communion with God.

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