This message was shared by Apostle Kathryn Krick, Lead Pastor/Apostle of 5F Church, in Los Angeles, CA, on December 28, 2024. To watch the full video, scroll to the bottom of this post. We pray this teaching blesses you and equips you to walk as a powerful vessel of God. 

In Part 1 of this series, Praying the Jesus Way, I began teaching an important foundation. To see that message and to view the entire series, go to the Praying the Jesus Way Playlist. 

1 Corinthians 14:15

So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding.

Last Sunday, I began to teach on this verse, on praying with an understanding of God’s mind. We are called to have the mind of Christ, but that doesn’t come automatically. It comes by choosing to renew your mind to the truth—the new wine revelation, the anointed word that has been released to you—that gives you an understanding of God’s mind, rather than the religious doctrine you probably grew up in or were taught for a long time.

To pray with understanding means to have the mind of Christ—to renew your mind so that it is aligned with His. Part of having the mind of Christ means having understanding of the spiritual realm, the Kingdom of God, and how it operates in God’s ways, rather than just having a minimal belief that God exists. That minimal belief results in praying and acting however you want, or just according to what religion has taught you. The Pharisees were missing so much revelation about the mind of God, the Kingdom of God, the spiritual realm, the mysteries, the deeper things of God’s ways. They believed in God, they knew He was real, but the way they were praying, fasting, and walking as believers was without understanding. To pray with understanding is first to understand: God is good, always. God’s plans are good. “I have been given an inheritance from God, a co-inheritance with Christ, and that inheritance is an abundant life as a child of God.”

John 10:10

The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.

Your inheritance as a child of God is an abundant life. That means healing—by His stripes we are healed (Isaiah 53:5)—freedom, deliverance from demonic strongholds and oppression, and freedom from curses, including generational curses. That’s part of your inheritance. It also includes abundance in every area: abundance of provision, more than enough. Because you are a child of the King, and your King owns all the riches in the world, you will not lack. The devil comes to steal, kill, and destroy—including finances—but Jesus has come to destroy the works of the devil. Now you have an inheritance of abundance.

It’s about understanding: “I’ve been given this inheritance of healing, freedom, and abundant life. I am a child of the King, and the Kingdom is backing me. I have victory over the devil when I walk as a true child: surrendered, obedient to God, and humble.” God has also said that we are called to walk in dominion on this earth. So we will take authority in Christ, and the devil and demons must submit. Whatever comes from the enemy must submit to that dominion. That is the understanding we walk in and pray in. We also understand that God wants us to be taken care of. We are His beloved sons and daughters. We understand that God is omnipotent (all-powerful), omniscient (all-knowing), and omnipresent (everywhere). When we have this understanding, our prayers become simple. We know it is not hard to reach God. He is all-knowing, everywhere, and He lives in you. We know that when we pray, He hears. He knows our minds and our prayers before we even speak them. We don’t have to struggle to get Him to hear us. When we pray with understanding, we pray in simplicity and confidence—confidence in who we are, who God is, and in the Kingdom. We have a whole Kingdom backing us. We have angels working on our behalf. We are called to be confident sons and daughters.

That’s what it means to pray with understanding.

But when you don’t pray with understanding, when you lack revelation of these truths about God and His Kingdom, you start to fall into religious illusions. You think, “God hasn’t answered my prayer yet, so maybe I need to do religious things to get Him to hear.” You think maybe He didn’t hear or that He won’t respond unless you add things, like many days of fasting. You think you need to try harder in your own strength to get His attention and get your prayers answered.

God reminded me of something as I prepared this message. Acting and singing were my biggest passions. I was the lead in my high school musical for three years, but two years before that, I was painfully shy—so much so that I spoke out loud one time and someone turned around and said “Did you just speak?” I could talk with a couple of close friends, but if there were five or six people, I felt like there were a lot of eyes on me and I worried whether what I’d say would matter or be liked. When I performed, though, I had no fear—I knew I would do well because I put in the work, I knew my lines, and singing/acting was my gift. I had confidence in that “performance.”

But public speaking—being myself, using my own words and mind—terrified me. In college, presenting to ten people, my mind would just go blank. Every time. That was my weakness and fear. I loved performing while singing or acting, but I was terrified when I had to speak in public. God gave me this revelation: religion can feel like performance—and that’s comfortable. It doesn’t require engaging your mind with the mind of Christ. True relationship requires getting out of your comfort zone: seeking God, using your heart and mind, quieting distractions, and listening for the Holy Spirit. That takes effort and faith. Sometimes it’s quiet, and it feels uncomfortable. Religious “programs” are easier: “I’ll fast these many days. I’ll pray for two hours and say impressive, spiritual-sounding words.” It can become a performance—feeling impressive, spiritual, and “on fire”—and afterwards you check the box: “I did my duty.” Then you go back to autopilot and you turn your ear from God. That’s Pharisee territory—fasting, praying, doing all the religious things, even questioning Jesus for not following their schedule. 

Jesus, however, followed the Father’s voice. He prayed with understanding and simplicity. We  never see Jesus praying in a religious way. Scripture shows Him often going away to quiet places to pray, but never performing ritualistic prayers like the Pharisees. He was praying with the understanding of who God is and His kingdom. When He ministered, it was simple: “Be healed,” and they were healed. “Demon, go,” and it left. “Rise,” and the dead were raised. “Get up, take your mat,” and the lame walked. He didn’t work Himself into a performance. There wasn't a huge effort. It wasn’t, “Everyone pray with me right now, shout loudly, lay hands, God heal him, heal him.” That would have been fake and performative.

When Jesus prayed,  it was simple. He knew who His Father was and is, that He was anointed to preach good news, heal the sick, set captives free, and raise the dead, and that He’d been given power and authority to do it. He knew the Kingdom government backed His assignment, so there was no struggle—only faith and authority.

In summary, praying with understanding is having faith—believing all these truths about who God is and how His kingdom operates. With faith, Jesus knew, “I'm going to declare healing, and the power of God that God put in me to do this job is going to move through me, and that person is going to be healed. Be healed.” Jesus could simply declare healing because He knew the power of God would move through Him for the assignment He carried. IT MUST HAPPEN. Miracles happened because He was anointed and prayed with understanding—not religious effort. We are seeing miracles here at 5F Church—mightily, easily, without struggle—because the anointing is here. God poured His anointing on me and called me to be His servant, like the apostles who prayed as Jesus prayed in Acts—healing the sick and delivering the oppressed. He’s also called me to walk in childlike faith and to pray with understanding and simplicity. We do things God's Kingdom way, in order, not in chaos or religion, and because I pray with faith and understanding.

If I adopted the trendy, religious way to pray to gain popularity or ministry friends, we would not see God move as we’re seeing now. This matters: as God’s servant, I must pray the Jesus way. Don’t be enticed by religion because it’s easier—just like performing used to be easier for me. This is a temptation for some people. Today, the mainstream Christian way is often old wine. There’s a lot of religion and not enough new wine, and the evidence is a lack of fruit—few signs, miracles, and demonstrations of power, by and large. Why? Because there's no new wine and many aren’t praying with understanding or doing things God’s way. Since that's the popular Christian way of praying and fasting—the religious way—you can start to think: 

1. “People will accept me.”
2. “Most people do it this way, so I'll just do it that way, too.”

Religion becomes a checklist: fasting, praying, and reading are done as performance, making you feel like a good Christian, instead of walking with God, listening for His conviction, and praying with understanding.

A relationship with God—and prayer in general—is about walking in faith, following His principles, understanding the Kingdom of God, how the Kingdom of God operates, and communion with God. That’s what your relationship with God is supposed to be about.

Relationship with God is about:

• Walking in faith
  
• Following His principles
  
• Understanding the Kingdom of God and how it operates
  
• Communion with God

I talked about walking in faith, and now I want to talk about following His principles and understanding the Kingdom of God.

Acts 5:14-16

Yet more and more people believed and were brought to the Lord—crowds of both men and women. As a result of the Apostles’ work, sick people were brought out into the streets on beds and mats so that Peter’s shadow might fall across some of them as he went by. Crowds came from the villages around Jerusalem, bringing their sick and those possessed by evil spirits, and they were all healed.

This Scripture shows us God’s Kingdom way of healing and delivering. It is locating God’s Kingdom on this earth in the Body of Christ, locating the kingdom Kingdom , locating the servants of God whom God has anointed. In the Acts church, Peter was one of them. Peter was one of the leaders and was one of the generals who carried high-level anointing and authority. So the people found where the Kingdom government was, because where you find the Kingdom government is where you find God’s power, with miracles taking place. 

Today people are not praying with understanding about God’s Kingdom and His ways. They are praying in their room, “God, heal me”—for years. But they are not praying with understanding. In the Bible, God shows us how He heals and delivers. It’s not random, for the most part. God does whatever He wants, and sometimes He doesn’t use a servant of God to heal—but those are the outliers. His main way, His main principle, is to use vessels He has anointed. So people pray in their rooms for years and nothing happens. God heard their prayer, but they are not praying with understanding. I shared this Scripture last week: “You don’t receive because you don’t ask.” The revelation of that is: you are not praying; you are not asking with understanding.

1. What you are supposed to do is: if you find sickness in your body, you find demonic oppression, or you find lack of provision—whatever it is—you ask God. You make your request to Him: “Lord, heal me. I believe You will heal me. By His stripes I am healed. Heal me, Lord. I want to receive Your healing and Your freedom.” But God has already spoken to you how you find that prayer answered, where He is going to answer that prayer—His way of answering the prayer.
2. So now you pray, and then you do something—you follow God’s Word. You find where God is moving in power, and you simply position yourself under the shadow, just as they did in the times of Peter. And all were healed. All were free. (Acts 5:16)

Why were all healed? Why were all free? Because they were in line with God’s ways. One of the biggest reasons people are not receiving miracles today and are not walking in abundant life is simply that they are not following God’s ways and principles. God is saying, “This is how I heal. This is how I free. Just go do it, and you’ll find Me there. Seek Me with all of your heart, and then you’ll find Me.”

But people are seeking God, not with all their heart, but with religion, with performance, with ritual, with pride.

God says, “When you humble yourself, then I will heal your land (2 Chronicles 7:14). When you humble yourself, then you will hear My voice and My Word. You will get rid of this nonsense Pharisee religious garbage that people are speaking in your ear. You will reject those lies. You will be unashamed of Me. And you will come to the Apostle Peters of today—servants of God walking in the anointing—and you will be healed and be free.”

This is an example of God’s ways and principles. And there are so many more, like His way of bringing protection, of equipping His people, of releasing impartation in the church through His anointed servants—five-fold ministers. He calls every one of His children to go to where His power is, in a church—to plant themselves in a church where God is moving in power, where God is calling them. That’s how they will have a covering of protection over them. That’s how they will be equipped, their eyes will open up, they will go from baby to mature believer, they will have revelation of the Kingdom, and they will be able to read the Word of God with understanding and revelation because they have been equipped in a house of God, and they will receive the impartation of anointing. They will be powerful vessels of God. They will have signs following them.

But people are in their rooms, praying for days, saying, “Anoint me, Lord, I’ll do whatever you want; send me, Lord, to the ends of the earth.” People pray these lofty prayers over and over for hours, thinking they are being spiritual. Meanwhile, they are dry as a desert, with not a drop of anointing. If they could simply say, “Lord, I surrender. I want to be used by You however You please,” in their normal voice—the same way they talk to people—that would honor God. They would respect Him enough to talk to Him as a person, not as an actor. They would speak with simplicity, from the heart. They would say, “Lord, I surrender, and I just want to be used by You. However You want to use my life, I will do it. I read in Your Word that these signs shall follow us. That we shall heal the sick and cast out demons. I read in Your Word that we are supposed to be anointed. Lord, anoint me. Use me in power, however you want.”  

You pray that, with understanding, and you don’t ignore the Word. You find the five-fold ministry God gave to equip the body and impart anointing (Ephesians 4:11-16.) You see Timothy being the spiritual son of Apostle Paul. You find God’s ways in His Word. So you say, “OK, God has been showing me these videos of this servant of God walking in anointing. People are testifying of so many miracles they’ve received. They are walking in impartation and seeing the power of God flow through their lives.” This is God speaking through wisdom, through understanding of His ways. This is God speaking. “I need to go to this church.” Then you go, and God heals you, delivers you if you need it, and pours His anointing in you. Now you are walking in the anointing. Your prayer is answered, but you must pray with understanding and follow God’s ways.

People are praying for revival. They are fasting for months, fasting and praying for revival, but REVIVAL IS HERE. It is like the Pharisees who said, “Lord, when will You bring Your Messiah? We are fasting and praying for Him to come.” And there is Jesus, standing before them, and they mock Him, ridicule Him, and say He is from the devil. The next day they pray again, “Lord, send Your Messiah. We will fast more for You to send us our Messiah.” That is how it is today. Revival is here, and when you are praying and fasting for a revival God has already brought, you are wasting time. You are not being useful for the Kingdom. You were called to do God’s ways—to come where His power is, to receive anointing and impartation of anointing, to humble yourself so you can be effective for the kingdom. 

This illustrates religion today: people are praying and fasting, saying, “Lord, anoint me. Send revival.” They are doing religious things, but meanwhile they could be going where the power of God is—to be set free, healed, receive impartation, cast out demons, heal the sick, and advance the Kingdom of God.

It’s a waste of time. God is not saying, “I want you to fast for all these days and pray these performance prayers. Then I will move.” That's NOT God. He does not want you to waste your time on performance prayers. He does not make you waste your time with religious acts when you could be serving Him and actually working for the kingdom. He is simple, caring about His people being reached. It is better to pray simply, with fewer words, and believe that God will do it, and then to go and do what His principles require to receive that request and trust in His timing.

Let me teach you how to pray the Jesus way. If you have a request, like for provision, pray: “Lord, I believe You have all the riches in Your Kingdom, and I am Your child. I believe you want to provide and will provide for me.”

Matthew 6:25-33

This is why I tell you not to worry about everyday life—whether you have enough food and drink or enough clothes to wear. Isn’t life more than food and your body more than clothing? Look at the birds. They do not plant or harvest or store food in barns, yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not far more valuable to Him than they are? Can all your worries add a single moment to your life? Why worry about clothing? Look at the lilies of the field and how they grow. They do not work or make their clothing, yet Solomon in all his glory was not dressed as beautifully as they are. If God cares so wonderfully for wildflowers that are here today and thrown into the fire tomorrow, He will certainly care for you. Why do you have so little faith? Do not worry about what you will eat, drink, or wear. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

This is the mind of Christ! God has all of the riches and He wants to provide for you. Worrying should NEVER be happening. NEVER. That's not faith. 

Matthew 6:31-33

Do not worry about what you will eat, drink, or wear. These things dominate the thoughts of unbelievers, but your heavenly Father already knows your needs. Seek the kingdom of God above all else and live righteously, and He will give you everything you need.

Seeking the Kingdom of God involves the work of God, advancing His Kingdom , and seeking His power. The Bible says the Kingdom of God is not a matter of talk, but of power (1 Corinthians 4:20). If you seek the Kingdom of God, you are seeking His power to do the works. You are seeking His anointed church—to be a part of it, to receive from there, to contribute, to serve, to sow, to be equipped, and to receive impartation so you can contribute in every way to the Kingdom work. Seek first the Kingdom. This does not mean just going into your room to pray in a religious way. Seek first the kingdom of God, live righteously, and He will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:33). You will see abundant life come to you when you actually seek first the Kingdom of God. Do not just apply this to your religious life, living in a lukewarm church, continuing in the popular mainstream Christian way today. 

Seek first the kingdom of God, and all these things will be given (Matthew 6:33). When you are surrendered to God, obedient, planted where God’s power is, and being a true disciple, there is nothing to worry about. When things crop up—if you need healing or freedom—go, position yourself under Peter’s shadow, where the power of God is moving in your church, and receive healing and freedom.

Steve:

I had mild sciatic nerve pain for weeks. Apostle (Kathryn Krick) was ministering and she said, “I see God touching somebody’s thigh right now.” I said, “I receive it.” I started feeling warmth under the thigh, and the pain left completely. I was expecting, and I didn't know what God had for me, but I knew that the anointing was powerful enough to locate my every need. 

Apostle Kathryn:

Steve plays guitar here at church. He seeks first the Kingdom of God, he serves weekly, and he comes every Sunday. He is planted, a true disciple. Something crops up—he needs healing—and he positions himself where the anointing is. The power of God touches him. Seek first the kingdom of God above all else, live righteously, and He will give you everything you need (Matthew 6:33).

Some people reject the power of God. They prefer lukewarm churches and mainstream Christianity, and they miss out greatly. They are not seeking first the kingdom and are not receiving the benefits—provision, healing, freedom—that we should receive as children of God. Even easily, on a Wednesday, tuning in online, these blessings are available.

It is crucial to seek first the Kingdom of God and do everything God's ways to see your prayers answered. Pray with understanding of this Scripture. 

Instead of praying, worrying, “Lord, I don't know how I'm going to pay for my bills this month. I don't want to go on the streets. I'm worried.” That is not praying with understanding of this Scripture, and it's important because it's FAITH that unlocks these miracles. When you pray the Jesus way, you get the Jesus result: the fruits, the blessings, and the miracles. 

Pray with understanding and faith like this: “Lord, I request this provision. I ask for this. I ask for this money to pay my bills this month.” That is the prayer. You do not need to repeat it, add tongues, fasting, or dramatic words to make it more effective. Pray simply. 

Next, be planted and ready to receive the anointing. Then go and knock on doors, seek opportunities, and be active. If provision is needed, look for work or a higher-paying job. Follow God’s principles: If we do not work, we shall not eat. (2 Thessalonians 3:10). “Those who work hard are blessed and prosperous” (Proverbs 28:19, Proverbs 13:4). Follow God’s principles, and the Kingdom government is backing you up, moving on your behalf, opening doors. Walk in that faith and expectancy. Come where God’s power is. 

Many times, it will not even be a specific request. Maybe a sickness, oppression, or lack of provision happened during the week. But you are planted where God’s power is, and you have faith. This anointing is being released to you every week, multiple times. It is being released to you. If you find something you need a miracle for, you do not even have to say, “Lord, give me this. I need this.” Most of the time, you can simply walk in faith, knowing you have everything you need. You need to position yourself, expect, and come with faith. Maybe something happened during the week, and you did not ask, but you come expectant: “I need healing. I need freedom as I come to meet Jesus, the Anointed One, today. I am coming where His power is being released, and I will receive my miracle.” When you come, I declare over all of you and release the anointing. I do not need to say the very specific sickness to go. Jesus does every miracle, and He knows what you need. I release the anointing, and God does what He wants with it. I speak healing to every person. When that word goes forth, whatever sickness or pain you have, that anointing will locate you and heal you. When I say every single demonic spirit must go, this anointing will locate every demon, and they will leave. I do not need to name every spirit—addiction, depression, anxiety. Many times, when I do, it is to help people who lack faith, but it is not necessary. 

Lift your faith and know that whatever you need, this anointing, the power of God, Jesus Himself, will locate you and release that miracle. For example, if you need provision, come to church expectantly. You can pray simply, “Lord, I believe in Your power that is moving at 5F Church. I believe that I will be healed. I believe that I will be free here. I believe You are going to touch me, and I thank You in advance, Lord. I believe You will release the provision to me today.”

Come expectant, with faith, and simply receive. Show God respect—thank Him with a sacrifice or offering—not because you need to, but to value what you have received, so you do not lose it. If we treat blessings as cheap, it is easier to lose them. Simply receive the words declared. Let’s say Monday and Tuesday come, and you have not yet seen provision. The wrong way to pray would be, “Lord, please give me provision.” The right way is, “I believe that the Word declared on Sunday by Apostle Kathryn has touched me. I believe that the anointing is working in the spiritual realm. Doors are opening, and provision is surely being released. I believe, and I thank You, Jesus. I received it. I thank You, Lord.” If necessary, you still take action—look for a job or opportunities. If it is healing, most cases only require faith and thanksgiving. Do not repeat or keep requesting the prayer; it will manifest in God’s timing.

Praying the Jesus way is communion with God—friendship, intimacy.

Prayer includes:

1. Requesting miracles you need urgently: healing, freedom, destruction of the works of the devil.
   
2. Requesting desires of your heart: husband, wife, children, house.
   
3. Interceding as a member of the body of Christ: praying for revival, praying for things not about you.
   
4. Walking in authority: praying as you walk in authority in Christ.

Today, we focused on how to pray when you need miracles. This is one aspect of prayer.

I am so excited for how your lives will change from this Word. It is time to start praying with understanding, in simplicity, like a child, and like Jesus.