The best way for me to convey to you this lesson on using God's promises as your keys in prayer is to present it in the form of an example. The example I am going to give is that of prayer in the midst of persecution. How can prayer make a real difference and save you out of your trouble?

I got stirred with a desire to hold the key to my deliverance out of persecution. I found that key in the book of Isaiah chapter 54. God's prophet Isaiah wrote,

Indeed they shall surely assemble, but not because of Me. Whoever assembles against you shall fall for your sake...No weapon formed against you shall prosper, and every tongue which rises against you in judgement you shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their righteousness is from Me, says the Lord.

As I meditated on this I started to see God's power and plan in this promise. The Holy Spirit also began to establish my hold on the key it offered by showing me other scriptures that supported and enhanced it. I took to heart Deuteronomy 28:7 with Galatians 3:13-14 and also Deuteronomy 33:27.

I also heard the voice of the Spirit of God declare to me from the Word of God,

Behold, all those who were incensed against you shall be ashamed and disgraced; they shall be as nothing, and those who strive with you shall perish. You shall seek them and not find them - those who contended with you. Those who war against you shall be as nothing, as a nonexistent thing.

I knew I was ready to turn that key the promise had given me as soon as I had given it place and held it in my heart. After that I turned it the very next time a sign of persecution arose.

How did I do this? In prayer, I presented the promises of the key I quote above (Isaiah 54:17) to the Lord for fulfilment. I boldly declared out loud God's Word on my deliverance out of persecution in the earth. I spoke to cast down as barren tongues risen against me in judgement. By doing this, in the confidence arising out of knowing that I was a servant of God and I had His righteousness, I was turning the key marked "deliverance out of persecution"!

Since that time on I have watched as every weapon formed against me has come to nothing, every tongue risen against me has been put to silence and every enemy assault against me has turned away in retreat. The key Jesus gave me has given me entrance into the realm of heaven we can call "deliverance out of persecution"!

I hope you will get ahold of this key as I have. I hope you will also see in this testimony how you can receive other keys of the kingdom of heaven for all realms of our inheritance in Christ. May you come to know the Christian lifestyle that enables you to turn the keys and open the doors to all of His protection and provision.