Praying For Your “Bean Patch”
Recently, I have felt drawn to the subject of honor. God emphasizes honor in a general sense, but places special importance on honoring fathers and mothers (both spiritual and natural), and faithful individuals from past generations. I have mentioned the concept of the synergy of the ages, multiplied power through agreement with previous generations, which I teach in my book, An Appeal to Heaven.
Today, I am sharing a prayer teaching from one of my heroes on the subject. Best-selling author Quin Sherrer has co-authored 31 books, including How to Pray for Your Children, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, and Miracles Happen When You Pray. In the early 90s, Quin saw a yet unawakened writing gift in me and, for several years, encouraged me to put pen to paper. She also prayed for me. Twenty-three books and hundreds of GH15 posts later, “Thank you, Quin. I owe you much.”
In this post, Quin shares insights and biblical truths she implements personally in her prayer times. The advice is practical - all of her writings are - and easily applied. Enjoy!
“Regardless of our age, status in life, schedules, or the tenure of our walk with God, we all have the potential to move spiritual mountains through consistent, persistent prayer. I believe all Christians have an individual “bean patch”—a sphere of influence no one else has. By our steadfast prayers, we can bless it, and by our spiritual warfare, we can defend it.
“The term ‘bean patch’ comes from an example of persistence and bravery demonstrated by one of David’s mighty men, Shammah, whose name means ‘God is there.’ He partnered with God, defending his garden, and the Lord brought a victory! Here’s the passage:
“‘The Philistines were gathered into a troop where there was a plot of ground full of lentils [beans], and the [Israelites] fled from the Philistines. But [Shammah] took his stand in the midst of the plot, defended it and struck the Philistines; and the LORD brought about a great victory’ (2 Samuel 23:12).
“Notice, the victory was the Lord’s doing, but Shammah had to take his stand and defend the crop. He had a part to play! For us, this will always be the case.
“When we intercede, we stand in ‘the gap’ (Ezekiel 22:30)—meaning we stand between God and the people or situations for whom we are praying. In spiritual warfare, we stand between them and satan’s forces to stop his actions, using the weapons God has provided for us: the Word of God, the name and power of Jesus, the blood of Jesus, worship and praise, and fasting. Of course, Christ’s victory over Satan is complete and irreversible. Yet, we have a role in releasing and enforcing that victory.
“What does your ‘bean patch’ consist of? Start with your family, then ask Holy Spirit to reveal who else He would like you to pray for regularly. This could include close friends; spiritual leaders; your neighborhood; your city; your nation; other countries; and more. Don’t feel the responsibility to pray for everyone and everything. Trust Holy Spirit and trust your heart. He will give you the desire to pray for those He is assigning to you.
“At the beginning of a prayer time, make sure your heart is clean, free from any ‘junk’ that would hinder your prayers. Do not become overly introspective or sin-conscious - we are told to ‘go boldly to the throne of grace’ (Hebrews 4:16). Just ask Holy Spirit to convict you of anything that needs to be cleansed through Christ’s blood. If and when He does so, confess the sin and ask for cleansing. God is gracious and faithful to do so (1 John 1:9). Jesus taught us to pray, ‘Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us’ (Matthew 6:12). Paul said, ‘I forgive for your sake in order that no advantage be taken of us by Satan, for we are not ignorant of his schemes’ (2 Corinthians 2:10-11). After this, invite Holy Spirit to inspire and guide your prayers.
“When praying for others, I begin by asking the Father for what I call ‘the five P’s.’ They are God’s: Presence. Protection. Provision. Peace. Promises. You may feel to focus more on one or more of these. For example, when asking for protection, I pray portions of Psalm 91 over them, which includes God’s angelic protection. Also, if they don’t know Jesus as Savior and Lord, I ALWAYS pray for their salvation.
“When I feel this is complete, I pray specifically for other situations in their lives I may know about. When doing so, I might pray that they:
Have discernment, wisdom, and not be deceived in decisions facing them.
Make wise choices financially and morally.
Find favor in the marketplace, workplace, or at school.
Have the right people come into their life, at the right time.
Have a positive influence as they use their talents and skills to help others.
Experience God’s healing and/or comforting touch.
Cast their cares, worries and anxieties on the Lord, trusting Him. (1)
“Also, when praying for others, I have found it helpful and/or necessary to:
Be specific. (In Luke 11:5-13, the man in the story asked specifically for three loaves of bread.)
Persevere (Hebrews 6:12). Keep asking, seeking, knocking. It is always too soon to quit praying.
Pray Scripture passages aloud. God watches over His word to perform it (Jeremiah 1:12). Faith comes by hearing God’s Word (Romans 10:17).
Pray prayers for their future: friends, career, spouse, etc.
Pray often with a prayer partner or prayer team—in person or by phone (Matthew 18:19).
Listen for Holy Spirit’s guidance (Romans 8:26-27).
If you have a prayer language, use it often, especially when you do not know exactly what situations need prayer coverage (Romans 8:26; 1 Corinthians 14:13-15).
Don’t presume God will answer in your perceived way or time frame.
When praying for the unsaved, ask God for harvesters. ‘Therefore, ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into His harvest field’ (Matthew 9:38).
“At times, we must engage in spiritual WARFARE, standing against satan’s tactics. How? By quoting the Scriptures and standing on God’s Word. ‘The word of God is living and powerful, sharper than any two-edged sword’ (Hebrews 4:12).
“When the enemy tempted Jesus in the wilderness, Christ said, ‘Be gone, satan, for it is written,’ and then quoted what God had said. We, too, can declare, ‘Satan, be gone, it is written,’ and read aloud what Jesus said (see Luke 4:8). Of course, there are many Scriptures to quote against the enemy’s schemes. I like to pray David’s prayers in the Psalms. Speak God’s Word to the situation! (Mark 11:23-24)
Often, when experiencing obstacles and circumstances that seem impossible to overcome, we feel intimidated and wonder how to pray about them. Wayne Meyers, a great missionary to Mexico for over 50 years, once told the students at Christ for the Nations Institute, ‘Don’t tell God how big your mountain is. Tell the mountain how big your God is.’ I framed this motto for my office wall years ago.
“I tell my mountains how big my Creator, my God is. He is well able to bring the victory. Our part is to stand and defend our ‘bean patch’ in prayer and spiritual warfare. If we do, God will always do His part!”
Pray with me:
Father, Jesus cared not only for the nations, He took the time to pray for individuals. Just as He prayed, asking You to protect His disciples from the evil one, we also ask You to protect our “bean patch” from the enemy. Contend, oh Lord, with those that contend with us. Frustrate the plotting of the shrewd and evil one, so the helpless have hope. We stand on Your Word and declare that no weapon formed against us shall prosper, and every tongue that accuses us in judgment we will condemn, because this is the heritage of Your servants. Their vindication is from You. Lord, we want to be spiritual warriors who remain faithful until victory comes.
I, personally, pray for encouragement to all who read these posts and join us in prayer. My assignment is America, and most of my prayers here reflect this, but I care about all of my brothers and sisters. I speak encouragement, strength, and endurance to them now. I pray as Jesus prayed for Peter, that his faith not fail him when attacked by the enemy’s forces. Those who have fallen will get back up, and those experiencing hope deferred will heal - I release healing to their hurting hearts! I pray that physical healing will occur NOW, as people read or listen to this post - be healed, in Jesus’ name!
As they grow in prayer, may the Spirit of revelation increase in their lives. Show them their “bean patch,” their prayer assignment from You. Teach them to hear Your voice, only taking on Your assignments. And may they feel, and experience Your love for them today. I ask all this in Christ’s never failing authority. Amen.
Our decree:
We are authorized by Jesus, empowered by Holy Spirit, with our orders from God’s Word. Therefore, we take our position in Christ’s army and fight in the spiritual realm until those we love are liberated, and God’s Kingdom is advanced.
Note: If you enjoy teachings such as this one, Quin’s book entitled A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare has many applicable prayers you can use.
Today’s post was contributed by our dear friend, Quin Sherrer. You can find out more about her at QuinSherrer.com.
Click on the link below to watch the full video.
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Quin Sherrer and Ruthanne Garlock, A Woman’s Guide to Spiritual Warfare, (Bloomington, Minnesota, Chosen Books, 2017) p.224.
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