Together or By Myself

People often ask why we are so adamant about them going through our Life Solutions course with a partner (spouse, family member, friend). Won't it work if I just follow the framework on my own and pray for myself?

There are two reasons that working the framework on your own is not as effective as having someone who can pray for you and make declarations over you.

First, God gave us the pattern of praying with someone else in James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer or a righteous man avails much. We call this relationship the James 5:16 Partner. It is someone who can pronounce healing and forgiveness over you. It is someone who can be a representation of Jesus in the flesh to help you heal and break free. The James 5:16 Partner is also someone who can decree over you the truth in place of the lies you have believed and agreed with.

For the past few weeks, I have been struggling with someone I am training at work. This individual refuses to take direction, won’t listen to those who have expertise in our systems and processes and then lies when she is questioned by her supervisor and says, “No one ever told me how to do it” knowing that I am the one who trained her how to do it. Needless to say, this caused me wounds as I felt undervalued, disrespected and that she was basically saying “Chris is not a good trainer.” I have prayed over the wounds and judgments on my own several times; but, this morning when my wife and I were out for a walk, I was able to debrief with her about my week. She prayed through the wounds and judgements with me, and I felt an immediate release. Something changed when I heard her pronounce forgiveness over me and decree all of the things I am free to do now that the wounds have been healed and the judgements have been broken. I experienced greater freedom when I prayed with my James 5:16 Partner than I did when I prayed on my own.

Second, many times, we do not recognize that we are wounded. Sometimes, we are too hurt to realize or deal with the wounds. And, sometimes we think, “It’s not that big of a deal. It didn’t really hurt me.” When we have a James 5:16 Partner who knows how to identify wounds, judgments, expectations and vows, they can point them out to us when we can’t see them ourselves. They can hear it in your voice, in how you tell the story, in your tone and inflection. My wife, Jenie, had a particularly difficult week this week being pulled in many different directions between work, extended family and issues with the septic tank (pew!!!). When we had a chance to sit down and talk, I listened and noted the wounds and judgments as she spoke. I was then able to pray for the wounds, and she released her judgments. When we were done, I could see relief in her eyes as a burden was removed. The situations didn’t change, but she was no longer carrying the weight and pain from those situations.

This is an integral part of how we “do life,” and it helps us stay healed, whole and free. I encourage you to find a James 5:16 Partner, learn the Life Solutions Framework© together and meet regularly to pray and decree healing and truth over each other. Following this process on a regular basis will transform your life!