Learning the Prayer of Faith for Healing from Agnes Sanford
1. "Choose the person for whom you want to pray."
Keep in mind that at the very beginning your faith is small. Therefore, it is best not to choose something like opening the eyes of a blind person. Agnes advises that one make their choice, "according to the desires of your heart tempered by common sense and ruled by the law of love." It is also important that we check to make sure that we believe this healing can take place, or even dare to believe.
2. "Hold up your prayer-object before God and check it again by praying the prayer of guidance."
In this step we ask God if we should pray for a persons healing. If you struggle hearing a "Yes" or "No," Agnes recommends paying attention to how you feel. "If you feel cheered and strengthened as you consider praying for someone, you will know that it is God's green light. If you feel dull and unhappy, God is probably saying, 'No, in this case the way is not open for healing.'"
Sometimes it may not be the case that we should be the ones praying, perhaps our prayer life needs to grow and deepen, like the disciples in Matthew 17:19-21. Perhaps there is a barrier to the healing that needs to be prayed for before the prayer for healing. Or, perhaps, this persons healing will come in being united to Christ through death. "If we check with God's Spirit and His answer is no, what shall we do? Change our prayer objective. Try something smaller in scope."
Prayer is not a matter of trying to persuade God to give us what we want. Prayer is giving ourselves to God so that He can work through what He wants. And the first step in all successful prayer is to find out what He wants."
3. Create in your mind the picture of that person well.
If in our mind we continue to see them as sick it will hinder our prayer of faith. We must then use our holy imagination to see them the way God sees them, and call that vision into reality.
Do not complicate this step, rather approach it as inventors do. Inventors see, for example, the light bulb working in their minds long before it is working in physical reality. Then they work to bring the vision in their mind into being. In much the same way, we see the person well and begin to work/pray their wellness into being."
If the inner being is clogged by negative thoughts of doubt, those thoughts make a barrier so that God's healing power cannot work through a man." This changing of the thoughts is vigilant work. One will quickly discover that it's not just as simple as thinking differently, but it will necessarily require living differently."
Keeping of our thoughts and the developing of our faith necessitates a holy and consecrated and sacrificial life." Or, as Jesus said, "Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
4. Speak
"In every case where our Lord healed he spoke the word that actually calls into being, or draws toward one, an essence of power: a living, moving energy that God sends forth to accomplish His will."
As his disciples we follow the example he gave us by calling forth healing into existence. This is not the time for conditional statements (If it be thy will), but for a command. For we are actually releasing the healing Logos of God to accomplish the will of God. Therefore our speaking must be clear and issued with confidence in Jesus' name.
These steps come from Behold Your God.