Nothing Fancy About It: Praying With Pastors Debbie and Billy Green (Praise House Ministries)

 Pastor Billy Green Jr. came to the broadcast after a sleepless morning. Hours earlier, he had woken from what he calls a demonic attack. He won't go into the details, but he was up for two hours. He went to the bathroom, got himself together, came back, and put blessed olive oil on his head.

 "And I prayed, and I laid, and I prayed, I prayed, until the sun came up."

 More than once, he felt it lie on his chest. But once he began calling on the blood of Jesus, he felt the power of God working through him. The protection carried such an anointing that he could feel the chills. He prayed for his wife, for his children and their mother, and for his whole household. By the time he sat down beside his wife, Pastor Debbie Green, he was weak and tired. He was also sure that God's presence was working on his behalf.

 That morning is part of why the episode took the shape it did. The couple had planned to teach. Instead, Debbie decided they should simply pray. They prayed for marriages and jobs, for the sick and the depressed, for the grieving, and for people stepping out on new journeys.

"I Can't Pray Like That"

 Before the first prayer, Billy clears away the idea that prayer has to sound a certain way.

 "Prayer is just communicating with God. There's nothing fancy about it."

 He knows how easy it is to hear someone pray in church and conclude, "I can't pray like that." But you can talk to God, he says. God already knows you and knows your heart.

 Debbie extends that invitation to people who aren't sure they belong in the conversation at all. Maybe you've been watching the broadcast, or you went to church on Sunday, hesitated, and left thinking the moment had passed. "You have not missed your chance," she tells them, before leading a prayer to receive Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Borrowed Words, Until They're Your Own

 Talking to God doesn't mean you have to come up with every word yourself. Billy holds up Prayers That Avail Much by Jermaine Copeland. The collection has a prayer for just about everything, from marriage to forgiveness, and each one is backed by scripture you can dig into more deeply.

 Debbie is honest about why a book like this helps. Sometimes we simply don't know what to say, she explains. God has given some people the gift and skill to write prayers down. Praying the Word through those prayers can help you on your journey to becoming a prayer warrior.

 Billy sees the book as a starting point, not a destination. "After a while you'll be able to pray with or without the book."

 Debbie offers another way in for anyone who can't keep pace, and she admits she prays fast. You don't have to repeat every line. Catch a few words and turn them into thanks. If she asks God to give someone a spirit of joy, you can join in by thanking God for giving you a spirit of joy.

When Wisdom Speaks First

 Billy calls wisdom precious, and he describes how it works in his own life. People walk up to him with a question, a taunt, or a problem they're carrying. Wisdom kicks in quickly and helps him discern what they're really asking. Then it tells him what to say, which direction to lead them, and which scripture to give. The Holy Spirit is working at the same time, and he hears from both.

 "Wisdom speaks before me," he says.

 So one day he asked God for more of it. He wanted the kind of wisdom Solomon had, the kind that let Solomon make decisions and help the people who came to him. Billy urges viewers to pray for the same. When the Holy Spirit and wisdom work hand in hand, he says, the power of it is a feeling he can't describe.

The Same Power on the Inside

 Billy is candid that people constantly bring him their issues and problems, and he gives them to God in prayer. But he doesn't see that as proof that he or Debbie is special. They are vessels, ordained to be a beam of light in people's lives. Their calling is to pray for people, hold their hands, and touch them. And, he insists, you have the same power to do the same thing.

 "Our titles are nothing compared to what God can give us on the inside."

 He has seen and talked with people who carry that kind of power. It isn't reserved for pastors. Whatever gift God has given you, Billy says, use it. Pray for others. Walk with God. Walk in his Word.

"You have to pray for it, you have to want it, use it."

 No title required, and nothing fancy about it.