Prayer, Victory, and the Promised Land: A Handbook for Anyone Who Wants to Grow in Jesus

By Dale A. Rogers

Would you like to develop your relationship with Jesus to a much greater degree than you believed possible? Would you like to improve your prayer life? It is much simpler than you may think! In Prayer, Victory, and the Promised Land, author Dale Rogers presents a style of prayer that has proven to work, and explains why it works. Effective prayer is the key to developing your relationship with Jesus. It is also the key to solving the many issues and problems everyone faces in life. Prayers for a variety of issues are provided along with instructions on how to pray.

• Language: English
• Publisher: LifeRich Publishing
• Release date: Mar 1, 2022
• ISBN: 9781489738820

Dale A. Rogers

Dale Rogers is a teacher and revivalist and has been an elder, served on the church board, taught and preached. He has had his own radio show and is the founder of Power To Excel Ministries.

Book preview

Copyright © 2022 Dale A. Rogers.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced by any means,

graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping or by

any information storage retrieval system without the written permission of the author

except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles and reviews.

This book is a work of non-fiction. Unless otherwise noted, the author and the publisher

make no explicit guarantees as to the accuracy of the information contained in this book

and in some cases, names of people and places have been altered to protect their privacy.

LifeRich Publishing is a registered trademark of The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc.

LifeRich Publishing

1663 Liberty Drive

Bloomington, IN 47403

www.liferichpublishing.com

844-686-9607

Because of the dynamic nature of the Internet, any web addresses or links contained in

this book may have changed since publication and may no longer be valid. The views

expressed in this work are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the

views of the publisher, and the publisher hereby disclaims any responsibility for them.

Any people depicted in stock imagery provided by Getty Images are models,

and such images are being used for illustrative purposes only.

Certain stock imagery © Getty Images.

Cover Image: File ID 10427635 © IgOrzh | Dreamstime.com

Scripture quotations taken from the New American Standard Bible®, Copyright

© 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The

Lockman Foundation. Used by permission. (www.Lockman.org)

Scripture taken from the King James Version of the Bible.

Scripture taken from the Amplified Bible, copyright © 1954, 1958, 1962,

1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

Scripture quotations marked (TLV) are taken from the Holy Bible, Tree of Life Version,

Messianic Jewish Bible Society, 2017. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3881-3 (sc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3880-6 (hc)

ISBN: 978-1-4897-3882-0 (e)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021921236

LifeRich Publishing rev. date: 05/15/2023

CONTENTS

Acknowledgment

Preface

Chapter 1     Introduction

1.1    Religion and Relationship

Chapter 2     Repentance and Revival

2.1    The Gravity of Sin

2.2    Salvation and Judgment

2.3    The Separation of Church and State

2.4    Obedience and Disobedience

Chapter 3     Precursors to Repentance

3.1    Brokenness

3.2    Humility

3.3    Maintaining Humility

Chapter 4     Hindrances

4.1    Church Leadership

4.2    The Spirit of Entertainment

4.3    Spiritual Laziness

4.4    The Traditions of Man

4.5    The Deceptive Nature of Wealth

Chapter 5     God’s Warnings

5.1    The Parable of the Ten Virgins

5.2    The Parable of the Talents

Chapter 6     The Importance of Relationship

6.1    The Holy Spirit

6.2    The Fear of the Lord

Chapter 7     Spiritual Gifts

7.1    Finding Your Spiritual Gifts

7.2    Miracles

Chapter 8     Who You Are In Jesus Christ

8.1    A Nation of Priests

8.2    Children of the King

8.3    Rights, Privileges, Responsibilities

8.4    Power of The Spoken Word

Chapter 9     Spiritual Warfare

9.1    The Warrior Mindset

9.2    Mercy

9.3    Authority

9.5    Pressing Forward

9.6    The Importance of Persistence

9.7    To Conquer

Chapter 10   Victory and the Promised Land

10.1    Entering the Promised Land

10.2    Prayer

10.3    Faith and Rest

10.4    Stepping Out

10.5    The Victorious Life

10.6    Worldly Benefits of the Promised Land

Chapter 11   Prayer

11.1    Effective Prayer

11.2    How to Pray

11.3    Write Your Own Prayers

11.4    Be Mindful of the Enemy

11.5    Fasting

11.6    Praise, Worship, and Thanksgiving

11.7    A Note on Prayers

Chapter 12   Prayers To Start With

12.1    Scripture Reading

12.2    Confession

12.3    Prayers

Chapter 13   Morning Prayers

13.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

13.2    Prayers

Chapter 14   Evening Prayers

14.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

14.2    Prayers

Chapter 15   Prayers for Spiritual Growth

15.1    Scripture Reading

15.2    Confession

15.3    Prayers

Chapter 16   Prayers for Cleansing the Mind

16.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

16.2    Prayers

Chapter 17   Prayers for the Home

17.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

17.2    Prayers

Chapter 18   Prayers Against Witchcraft

18.1    Tattoos

18.2    Scripture Reading

18.3    Confession

18.4    Prayers

Chapter 19   Health

19.1    Scriptural Facts About Foods

19.2    Give Credit

19.3    Scripture Reading and Confession

19.4    Prayers

Chapter 20   Salvation for Others

20.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

20.2    Prayers

Chapter 21   Finances and Employment

21.1    Scripture Reading

21.2    Prayer and Confession

Chapter 22   Family Relations

22.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

22.2    Prayers

Chapter 23   Ungodly Influences

23.1    Scripture Reading

23.2    Confession

23.3    Prayers

Chapter 24   Anger

24.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

24.2    Prayers

Chapter 25   Anxiety, Fear, and Worry

25.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

25.2    Prayers

Chapter 26   Depression and Suicide

26.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

26.2    Prayers

Chapter 27   Failure at the Edge of Breakthroughs

27.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

27.2    Prayers

Chapter 28   Generational Problems

28.1    Scripture Reading

28.2    Confession

28.3    Prayers

Chapter 29   Power to Excel and Prosper

29.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

29.2    Prayers

Chapter 30   Sexual Sins

30.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

30.2    Prayers

Chapter 31   Finding the Right Spouse

31.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

31.2    Prayers

Chapter 32   Prayers Against Marriage Destroyers

32.1    Scripture Reading and Confession

32.2    Prayers

Chapter 33   Epilogue

Appendix A

References

LIST OF FIGURES

Figure 9-1: Spiritual Growth Throughout Life.

ACKNOWLEDGMENT

I give all the praise, glory, and honor to my Lord Jesus Christ for all He has done. Without Him, nothing would be possible (John 15:5). Jesus has brought me to places in my life that I never considered possible. Jesus provided all the material for this book. I just typed it in my computer. I would like to thank my wonderful wife for her unceasing love, support, and encouragement in completing this book. Her encouragement and support have been immeasurable. Many thanks to my sister. Her efforts with editing were vitally important to the completion of this book. I would also like to offer many thanks to Rick Meyers, who wrote the e-Sword program. I used e-Sword extensively in the writing of this book. Good job Rick!

⁵But I have trusted in Your lovingkindness; My heart shall rejoice in Your salvation. ⁶I will sing to the LORD, Because He has dealt bountifully with me.

—Psalms 13:5–6 (NASB)

PREFACE

In 1975 I was in the Air Force. In January of that year I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. It was a pretty dramatic salvation experience. It all started when I had just stepped out of the shower after mulling over the troubles and problems in my life when God showed up in my bathroom. The presence of the Holy Spirit was powerful. This was the first time in my life that I had come face to face with the reality that God was alive and real. He lifted all my sins and problems off of me and showed me His forgiveness, love, mercy, holiness, and so on. What really shook me up was seeing His holiness compared to my feeble, sinful nature. No one else was around and no one walked me through the sinner’s prayer. It was just Jesus and me. At this time, I had no idea what to do with such a profound experience. It wasn’t until a few days or so later that He made it clear what I needed to do. Once I understood, I asked Jesus to be my Lord and Savior. Such a dramatic experience set the stage for what was yet to come. During that period, God also made it clear as to what He wanted me to do for a career, and that was to get a degree in engineering. After leaving the Air Force I went to college and received a Bachelor’s degree in electrical engineering. I later earned a Master’s degree in the same field.

The church I attended after getting saved was pretty good, and the pastor and I became friends for many years until he passed away in 2010. Not long after I became a Christian, I went to church on a Sunday morning and while standing in the foyer I found myself grieving over the cavalier and carnal attitude I saw among some of the people. It upset me quite a bit and I wanted no part with this attitude. I considered it dangerous given the sacrifice Jesus made for all of us. While I was still standing there in the church foyer, I told God I didn’t want any part of such an attitude and that He could do whatever He wanted with me. Perhaps several weeks went by. Standing in the foyer again before services started, the Holy Spirit presented me with a decision. I could either choose a nominal Christian life and never go beyond the boundaries of church culture, or I could choose a different path. While on this path, I could expect trials and tribulations but it would lead me to a place that would be far greater in my relationship with Jesus. I chose the latter because I knew this is where He wanted me to go but it wasn’t without fear of the unknown, and what those trials and tribulations would be. Jesus took me down a path that very few people have had the privilege to go. Since then I have had a lifetime of supernatural experiences, many quite dramatic. God would take me places, teach me spiritual warfare, and many other things about the various realms written about in the Bible. These experiences have continued throughout my life.

Not long after deciding to take the more difficult path, I had a dream that was clearly from God. This dream indicated what I would be doing in later years as a part of my ministry.

The dream started when I found myself being ushered into a spectacular mansion. The one ushering me took me down a grand hallway that was magnificent and looked like ones in some European castles with elaborate and valuable decorations. As I walked down this hall, I came to someone who I recognized was Jesus. At this point, the whole scene changed. I found myself in the back courtyard of a large house. It was constructed like the homes of centuries past in the Middle East. The outer walls were similar to adobe with flat roofs of several levels. In the courtyard area were a number of people that I recognized from church. The place was filthy as were the people. They were undisciplined, unruly, and had a cavalier attitude about their relationship with Jesus. The dirt represented sin. There was a canvas awning covering much of this area to provide a modest level of protection from the elements. The people could have been living in the house where they would be in a much more secure and clean environment but because of their sin and failure to live according to God’s word, they weren’t permitted to. The sad part of this scene is that no one was even aware of the decrepit conditions in which they lived.

I had the opportunity to observe this for a little while. At some point someone shouted, The enemy is coming! The enemy is coming! Everyone then scrambled up to the roof and positioned themselves around the perimeter. I looked over a hill nearby and saw enemy troops coming toward the house which they then surrounded. It was a frightful scene as I perceived the enemy soldiers were quite powerful, determined, and without mercy. Much to my shock, most of the people on the roof started socializing with the enemy. Some even grabbed hold of the enemy soldiers they were talking to and brought them up on the roof where they had a most lively conversation and were joking and laughing. I was incensed. Such behavior was completely unacceptable.

After this battle was over and the enemy gone, I decided the people needed to be trained in warfare. I had the entire group standing in a military formation where I started to teach. The dream then ended.

This dream indicated the spiritual gift God would give me and what I would do with it. Many years passed until I was ready for the task at hand, and it was only in recent years that the Holy Spirit gave me a more formal commission through Joshua 1:6. Not long after, I had my own radio show on a local Christian station where I taught about the need for revival and what people needed to do to realize it. Unfortunately, it was cut short because of the extensive business travel I got stuck on. This set the stage for writing this book. Portions of this book consist of lessons and sermons I had written over the years. I have also taught Sunday school lessons to the entire church as well as preached for the pastor when he was out of town.

CHAPTER 1

Introduction

Prayer, victory, and the promised land. These three terms encompass far more than most people realize. They comprise far more than simple prayers on Sunday morning, victory over death and sin, or enjoying the presence and fellowship of the Holy Spirit. Victory over death and sin is a fundamental truth about the plan of redemption realized through Jesus Christ but there is much, much more. The goal of this book is to shed light on this path, to renew the vision that so many have lost sight of, and to provide instruction on how to get there. True victory is that state of growth in your relationship with Jesus when you will be doing the things He did, and more (John 14:12). The promised land involves the exploration of His creation and things of a heavenly spiritual nature to a degree that no one can fathom unless they have lived it. In other words, the promised land encompasses both the spiritual and the physical. There are no limits to what can be realized! Any perceived boundaries are due to our human limitations and frailties, and not on anything God may appear to have placed in the way. Prayer is the primary means of building your relationship with Jesus to the point these goals are realized. The benefits of accomplishing these goals are immeasurable and none of it is out of reach.

but just as it is written, THINGS WHICH EYE HAS NOT SEEN AND EAR HAS NOT HEARD, AND which HAVE NOT ENTERED THE HEART OF MAN, ALL THAT GOD HAS PREPARED FOR THOSE WHO LOVE HIM.

—1 Corinthians 2:9 (NASB)

The Lord Jesus Christ has provided His people with incredible resources. He has given us all the resources we need through the Bible and the Holy Spirit to live this victory and to enter into the promised land. The journey is simple but it takes work.

Throughout this book you will find that the Father, Jesus, and Holy Spirit are referred to interchangeably. The concept of the trinity may be difficult to grasp because of our limited understanding but the three are indeed one.

In order to understand what needs to be accomplished to realize the goals presented in this book, the problems we are all faced with today as Christians must first be identified and dealt with. Chapters 1 through 5 identify many of these problems and the dangers they present. The remaining chapters present the solution.

Few people in past generations have explored what it means to attain a lasting victory or to enter the promised land written about in the Old Testament. The journey into the promised land is provided as an analogy through the experiences Israel had when they entered the promised land written about primarily in the books of Exodus and Joshua.

Most have no idea what that state of victory means or what the promised land is, much less how to get there. People adhere to the idea that they need to follow Jesus here and there. Although being a follower has it merits, almost no one understands that we have not just the freedom, but the responsibility to take the initiative and push forward to gain this victory. There is nothing wrong taking initiative so long as one stays within the boundaries of the His Word and will. Those boundaries are defined in the Bible and by the Holy Spirit. Taking the initiative does not imply that one is not following Jesus. Rather, Jesus expects us to do so. To be clear, I am not saying we should get ahead of our Lord, but rather we are to take the initiative to fulfill the responsibilities laid out in His Word. The Apostle Paul wrote about this in Philippians 3. We should all do likewise.

The state of the church today is sad. We are clearly in the age of the apostasy written about in 2 Thessalonians 2:3. This does not mean you have to go along with the crowd. God never closes the door to victory to His people! All that remains is for each of us to make the decision and go after it.

Living a truly victorious life and entering into the promised land are based on one’s relationship with Jesus. The primary tool at our disposal to realize this goal is prayer. It takes work, dedication, persistence, and surrender to the Holy Spirit. The results of this work are more valuable than anyone can possibly imagine.

The effectiveness of prayer is dependent upon a variety of factors, the greatest of which is faith based on one’s relationship with Jesus. Prayer and building a relationship with Jesus are a continuous cycle stressed throughout this book as the primary goal for all Christians. Prayer and one’s relationship with Jesus are inseparably linked.

With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit,

—Ephesians 6:18a (NASB)

Through relationship, and the prayer that helps to build it, we are able to fulfill the responsibilities we have as Christians. When reading the Bible, you will find that from cover to cover, the primary theme is all about the relationship between God and humanity.

The subject of sin must also be addressed. There is a great need for the church to face and deal with sin. A church culture with such a cavalier attitude toward sin is dangerous. Sin is an issue, however unpleasant, that we will all face and deal with sooner or later. Far better to deal with it now than wait until judgment day. The church in general is so compromised with the world that people don’t even recognize the sins they commit. In order for people to repent of their sins they first need to know what they are.

³For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, ⁴and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths.

—2 Timothy 4:3–4 (NASB)

Unfortunately, in today’s churches the trend is to only preach and teach feel good messages rather than to preach and teach the truth. They have entertainment that is often used as an emotional substitute for true worship. Only after true repentance comes will true worship will be realized.

The benefits of walking with Jesus in a holy and righteous manner are immeasurable. Maintaining a lifestyle of holiness and righteousness does take work but the results are so sweet and glorious it is more than worth the effort.

Churches, denominations, and ministries throughout the world today have mechanisms in place for people to submit prayer requests. This is not an ideal situation. People become conditioned to rely on others whom they view as being closer to God, more anointed, more faithful, etc., rather than relying on their own prayers and relationship with Jesus. The outcome is that people seldom mature to the point that their own faith grows and their own prayers are effective. They forever remain in their spiritual diapers. Of course, people do need help and prayer support from time to time regardless of their spiritual level, however that need will diminish as one becomes more mature. The saying, If you give a man a fish you feed him for a day but if you teach a man to fish you feed him for a lifetime, is applicable for prayer too.

Learn how to rely on Jesus and to build faith by building your relationship with Him through prayer. Part of this growth process is learning to surrender to the Holy Spirit. It will take work and it isn’t always easy. Each of us is stubborn in our own way (self dies hard) so surrendering to the Holy Spirit is a process that will put you in situations that are not always comfortable and easy. These lessons can be quite difficult at times.

²Consider it all joy, my brethren, when you encounter various trials, ³knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. ⁴And let endurance have its perfect result, so that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing.

—James 1:2–4 (NASB)

Another analogy of growth is the process of going through basic training for the military. In basic training a prospective soldier learns the discipline and ways of warfare so they can fulfill the responsibilities their leaders give them. So too, we as Christians must be educated in our relationship with Jesus, the responsibilities we have, and how to do what it takes to grow. We must then put this education into practice. The primary source of education is the Bible and the Holy Spirit (John 14:26). We must discipline ourselves to accomplish our responsibilities.

The church today is much different than it was during the time the book of Acts writes about, or even 60 years ago. Today the church for the most part is apostate and sound asleep. Many people, even though realizing the apostate state of the church and what scripture has to say about it, choose to remain asleep thinking they are okay. Some just wait for others to stand up and take a leadership role. Neither approach will work.

Bible Reading: Luke 12:35–46

Today is the day of salvation. Now is the time to prepare to meet Jesus.

Churches often offer instruction on what we need to do without telling us how, or if so, give vague and weak terms that only scratch the surface. Not only are we told that we should accept the attacks of the devil (defeat) without complaining or doing anything about it, we are also instructed to treat defeat as a measure of spiritual maturity and wear it as a badge of honor. This teaching is heresy and is taught by cowards! You can have an overwhelming victory through Jesus, but you have to go after it.

But in all these things we overwhelmingly conquer through Him who loved us.

—Romans 8:37 (NASB)

but thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

—1 Corinthians 15:57 (NASB)

One’s relationship with Jesus transcends everything else in life and must be the top priority and focus. Virtually everything else is secondary.

The time has come for all of us to wake up and accept our God-ordained responsibilities and to make disciples of all the nations. The primary tool we as Christians have at our disposal to make this happen is prayer.

The church has a job description and it is summarized in Matthew and is known as The Great Commission.

¹⁹Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, ²⁰teaching them to observe all that I commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.

—Matthew 28:19–20 (NASB)

The above verses from Matthew provide a top-level description of our responsibilities. Underneath this heading, various jobs and functions within the church need to be accomplished to realize the goal. Similarly, a corporation will have a CEO with a high-level job description that may be as simple as, lead this company and make it profitable. Underneath the CEO will be people working many different positions in order to realize that goal.