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THE PRAYER THAT FIXES MISALIGNMENT
### A Teaching by Apostle Joshua Selman | Koinonia Global
PART ONE: THE ORIGINAL MESSAGE
THE PRAYER THAT FIXES MISALIGNMENT
One of the blessings that follows the voice of God is EASE. When you find yourself pushing and striving, it’s time to pause and return to God.
Often, the problem is not the direction you are pursuing, but the strategy you are using to pursue it. Just because you are looking forward does not mean you will go forward. Your strategy must align with your vision.
Life responds more to strategy than to intention. Vision and strategy must work in agreement for progress to occur.
For many people, the vision says progress, but the strategy says retreat. The vision says rise, but the strategy says remain stuck. Until strategy is synchronized with vision, movement will remain limited.
This is where the power of the “prayer of inquiry” comes in.
Progress requires more than sincerity; it requires understanding. There are seasons when you must stop and inquire of God.
And God answers in many ways:
– Through prophetic revelation from Scripture
– By quickening divine solutions within your spirit
– By referring you to people who have gained mastery in discernment and direction
Watch the full sermon titled “Let Us Pray-Part Three (Gaining Mastery in Prayer)” on our YouTube channel at Koinonia Global.
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PART TWO: COMMENTARY ON THE TEACHING
Introduction: The Theology of Ease
Apostle Joshua Selman opens with a profound and counter-cultural statement: “One of the blessings that follows the voice of God is EASE.” In a world that glorifies hustle, grinding, and relentless striving, this declaration reframes our understanding of how God’s purposes are fulfilled.
Ease does not mean laziness. It does not mean absence of effort. It means that when you are aligned with God’s will and operating according to His strategy, there is a supernatural lubrication to your labour. Things flow. Doors open. Obstacles become stepping stones. The resistance you previously encountered diminishes because heaven backs what heaven authored.
The Diagnostic Question
Selman provides a diagnostic tool for every believer: “When you find yourself pushing and striving, it’s time to pause and return to God.”
Pushing and striving are symptoms. They indicate that something is wrong. In the natural realm, when a machine struggles to operate, a wise engineer does not simply apply more force; he stops to diagnose the problem. Something is misaligned. Something is broken. Something needs adjustment.
Spiritually, when your efforts are producing minimal results despite maximum exertion, it is time to pause. It is time to return to God. It is time to inquire.
Direction vs. Strategy
One of the most important distinctions in this teaching is between direction and strategy. Selman notes: “Often, the problem is not the direction you are pursuing, but the strategy you are using to pursue it.”
You can be walking in the will of God—the right direction—and still experience frustration because your strategy is flawed. God may have called you to a destination, but He expects you to seek Him for the path. He may have shown you the vision, but He wants you to ask for the strategy.
Consider Israel. God’s direction was clear: the Promised Land. But their strategy at Kadesh-Barnea was flawed. They trusted human reasoning rather than divine instruction, and a journey that should have taken days took forty years.
Just because you are looking forward does not mean you will go forward. Vision without strategy is wishful thinking. Intention without alignment is frustration waiting to happen.
Vision and Strategy Must Agree
Selman states it plainly: “Life responds more to strategy than to intention.” Intention says, “I want to go there.” Strategy says, “This is how I will get there.” Intention provides motivation; strategy provides movement.
For many people, there is a fundamental disconnect:
– The vision says progress, but the strategy says retreat
– The vision says rise, but the strategy says remain stuck
– The vision says abundance, but the strategy says lack
– The vision says health, but the strategy says sickness
– The vision says peace, but the strategy says anxiety
Until strategy is synchronized with vision, movement will remain limited. You cannot climb a mountain using the strategy designed for crossing a desert. You cannot navigate a sea using the strategy designed for walking on land. Different terrains require different strategies. Different seasons require different approaches.
The Prayer of Inquiry
This is where the prayer of inquiry becomes essential. Selman introduced this concept in his broader teaching on “The Rules of Engagement,” and here he applies it specifically to the problem of misalignment.
The prayer of inquiry is not asking God for provision; it is asking for direction. It is not asking for resources; it is asking for routes. It is not asking for more strength; it is asking for smarter strategy.
Progress requires more than sincerity; it requires understanding. You can be sincere and sincerely stuck. You can be sincere and sincerely circling the same mountain. Sincerity without revelation leads to stagnation.
How God Answers
Selman identifies three primary ways God responds to the prayer of inquiry:
1. Through Prophetic Revelation from Scripture
The Bible is not merely a history book; it is a living document containing patterns, principles, and promises that apply to your situation. When you inquire of God, the Holy Spirit illuminates specific passages that speak to your circumstance. A verse you have read a hundred times suddenly becomes alive with relevance. A story you have known for years suddenly becomes a blueprint for your breakthrough.
2. By Quickening Divine Solutions Within Your Spirit
God speaks through the inward witness. He places thoughts, ideas, and insights within your spirit that you know did not originate from you. These are divine downloads—strategies that bypass human reasoning and tap into heavenly wisdom. You suddenly know what to do, even if you cannot explain how you know.
3. By Referring You to People Who Have Gained Mastery in Discernment and Direction
God uses people. He places mentors, counselors, and spiritual authorities in your life who carry grace for discernment and direction. When you are misaligned, He may send you to someone who can see what you cannot see, who can hear what you cannot hear, and who can speak words that reposition you for progress.
The Call to Pause
This teaching carries an implicit invitation: pause. In a culture of constant motion, pausing feels like failure. But in the kingdom, pausing is often the prerequisite for progress. Moses paused at the burning bush. Joshua paused at the banks of Jordan. Paul paused in Arabia. Each pause preceded breakthrough.
If you are pushing and striving, if effort is not producing results, if progress seems elusive—pause. Return to God. Inquire of the Lord. Seek strategy. And watch as the prayer that fixes misalignment restores you to the path of ease.
PART THREE: PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS
How to Pray the Prayer of Inquiry
1. Create Space for Silence
You cannot hear strategy in noise. Set aside time to be still before God. Turn off distractions. Quiet your soul.
2. Ask Specific Questions
Do not pray vague prayers. Ask specific questions: “Lord, what strategy should I use in my business?” “Lord, how should I approach this relationship?” “Lord, what is the next step in my career?”
3. Open Your Bible with Expectation
As you read Scripture, ask the Holy Spirit to illuminate passages that apply to your situation. Read not just for information but for revelation.
4. Pay Attention to Inner Impressions
God speaks through the inward witness. Notice thoughts that carry weight, peace, and consistency. Test them against Scripture, but do not dismiss them.
5. Seek Counsel from Proven Voices
Identify people who walk in discernment. Share your situation with them. Be humble enough to receive their input.
Signs That You Need the Prayer of Inquiry
- You are working harder but achieving less
- You feel stuck despite sincere effort
- Confusion persists about next steps
- Doors that should open remain closed
- You sense internal resistance to your current approach
- Others are advancing while you circle
PART FOUR: DECLARATIONS BASED ON THIS TEACHING
- I DECLARE that ease follows the voice of God, and I am listening for His voice.
- I DECLARE that I will pause when I find myself pushing and striving, and I will return to God.
- I DECLARE that my strategy aligns with my vision, and my vision aligns with God’s will.
- I DECLARE that life responds to strategy, and I operate in divine strategy.
- I DECLARE that my vision says progress, and my strategy says advance.
- I DECLARE that I walk in the prayer of inquiry, seeking direction before action.
- I DECLARE that progress requires understanding, and I receive understanding from God.
- I DECLARE that God answers my inquiry through Scripture, through inner revelation, and through wise counsel.
- I DECLARE that I am not stuck; I am positioned for breakthrough.
- I DECLARE that my pause becomes my progress, and my inquiry becomes my advancement.
PART FIVE: PRAYER OF INQUIRY
Father, I come before You acknowledging that my own strategies are insufficient. I have been pushing and striving, but progress has been limited. I pause now. I return to You.
Lord, I inquire of You: What strategy should I use? What path should I take? What adjustments do I need to make?
Speak to me through Your Word. Quicken divine solutions within my spirit. Send wise counsel across my path.
Align my vision with Your will. Align my strategy with Your wisdom. Let my movement be marked by divine ease and supernatural progress.
In Jesus’ mighty name. Amen.
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