Podcast Summary: Praying From Your Position In Christ

Podcast: Dufresne Ministries Podcast
Guests: Joel & Amy Siegel
Location: Paducah, KY | JTH Crusades 2024 | Thursday AM
Date: May 9, 2024
Duration: ~69 minutes

Overview

This episode, “Praying from Your Position in Christ,” features Joel and Amy Siegel teaching on how a believer’s identity and union with Christ should radically change both our approach to prayer and the results we experience. Focusing heavily on passages from Ephesians, they emphasize the importance of praying from a place of victory, inheritance, and oneness with Jesus, rather than pleading from a distance. The session is both teaching and impartation, closing with corporate prayer and a practical illustration from daily life.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Flow of the Spirit in Prayer (00:08–07:00)

• Learning to Yield: The episode opens with encouragement to continually learn and flow with God’s Spirit. Joel likens deeper spiritual experiences to wading into deeper waters: as the water rises, so must our reliance and awareness of God’s presence grow.
  • Quote: “When you get in water, you can do things you couldn’t do… but your flesh is confronted with that water. It’s the same with the substance of God." (02:35, Joel)

2. Effectiveness vs. Busyness in Prayer (07:01–11:00)

• Prayer That Gets Results: Joel cautions against being spiritually busy with no real effect—comparing ineffective prayer to a hamster wheel. He reads from 1 Peter 4:7 (Amplified):
  • “The end and culmination of all things has now come near. So be sound minded and alert for the practice of prayer.” (10:05, Joel paraphrasing)
• Everyone’s Responsibility: Prayer is not just for “prayer warriors”—it’s a universal Christian calling, not an alternative to service in other areas.

3. New Testament Realities vs. Old Testament Prayers (11:01–21:00)

• Difference of Covenants: Joel contrasts Old Testament prayer (distant, trying to move God) with New Testament prayer (rooted in union/onenness with God).
  • Quote: “If you just get your theology on prayer from the Gospels, you’ll emphasize things like getting God to do things, getting God to answer, and you’ll always be aware of a great distance. But in the New Testament, it emphasizes oneness, union.” (17:45, Joel)
• Praying to See/Know, Not to Get: In Christ, prayer shifts from asking God “to do” to asking for revelation on what He’s already done.

4. A Miracle of Inheritance: The Prison Epistles (21:01–28:00)

• Historical Perspective: Joel shares (with humor) the backstory of how the letters like Ephesians, written by Paul in prison and delivered, possibly by a former runaway slave, made it to us—a miracle of God’s providence.
• Ephesians 1 "The Ephesian Prayers":
  • Paul’s model—mostly thanksgiving and asking that believers would see what already belongs to them, not laborious or manipulative prayer:
    • “Making mention… just giving thanks. That’s a great way to pray." (26:07, Joel)

5. Always in Communion: Prayer as a Lifestyle (28:01–33:00)

• Not Just a Designated Time: Joel and Amy encourage continual conversation with God—even as daily life is busy.
  • Quote: “Don’t get the idea that prayer is a labor you have to quit your job to do. Take your place in prayer all the time—it’s a walk with Him.” (29:45, Joel)
• Times of Refreshing: Seasons of intense prayer do exist, but “living full” is always possible.

6. Identity and Inheritance in Ephesians (33:01–48:00)

• What Paul Prays For:
  • That God would grant “a spirit of wisdom and revelation… that you might know the hope of His calling, the riches of His glory, and the greatness of His power.” (Ephesians 1:17-19)
• You Carry God’s Power:
  • Not only ministers: “You can heal. His power, but you can heal.” (40:40, Joel)
  • Lighthearted: “Next t-shirt: Jesus the Healer… and you. Jesus and sons.” (40:50, Joel)
• Most Prayers Are Requests for What’s Already Ours:
  • “Most of what they’re asking God to do has already been done. Most of what they’re asking God to give, they already have.” (42:10, Joel)

7. Living in the Finished Work

• Redemption is Finished:
  • Jesus’ blood, death, and resurrection fully dealt with sin, sickness, and poverty. What the New Testament calls believers to do is see and receive.
  • Quote: “God doesn’t need to give salvation to anybody… What’s been given must just be received.” (46:02, Joel)
• Prayer Should Flow from a ‘Seated with Christ’ Mentality:
  • Our union with Christ means we pray from a position of authority and victory, not as powerless outsiders.

8. Practical Illustration—The Soggy Shoes (55:53–58:58, Amy)

• Spiritual Delivery Example:
  • Amy recounts ordering shoes that were delivered but hidden under snow. They were “delivered” but undiscovered until the snow (obstacle) melted. The point: many blessings are “delivered” in Christ, but need revelation to be accessed.
  • Quote: “Things can be delivered to people’s doorstep… but because we just kind of take a quick glance, say, ‘I don’t see it, must not be here,’ that’s why Paul said, pray. We need the Spirit’s help to see.” (58:11, Amy)

9. Corporate Prayer and Impartation (59:23–68:41)

• Standing From Our Place in Christ:
  • The group prays from their “seated with Christ” position, affirming authority, healing, miracles, and revelation for the saints.
• Key Prayer Segments:
  • That believers would “see and know” their inheritance (60:12)
  • Declaring “easy access, easy access” to healing, prosperity, restoration (62:45, 64:41)
  • Quote: “Receiving is easy when you see.” (65:38, Joel)

10. The Ripple Effect of Spiritual Sight (68:27–69:12)

• Our Intercession Helps Others “See”
  • Quote: “Our prayer life will help melt that snow in someone else’s life so they can see what belongs to them… It removes blinders and allows them to easily see what they didn’t see before.” (68:27 & 68:58, Amy)
• This Affects Individuals, the Church, and Even Nations

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• “If you don’t think right, you won’t pray right.” (12:20, Joel)
• “The New Testament doesn’t emphasize distance—it emphasizes oneness.” (17:49, Joel)
• “Most of what they’re praying for God to do has already been done…” (42:10, Joel)
• “Receiving is easy when you see.” (65:38, Joel)
• “Our prayer life will help melt that snow in someone else’s life so that they can see what belongs to them.” (68:27, Amy)

Important Timestamps

• Main Message Start: 00:08
• Effectiveness in Prayer & 1 Peter 4:7: 10:00
• Difference Between Old vs. New Testament Prayer: 17:45
• Ephesian Prayers & Thanksgiving: 26:07
• Being Blessed, Not Trying to Get Blessed: 42:00
• You Can Heal! (Authority of the Believer): 40:40
• Amy’s Soggy Shoes Illustration: 55:53
• Corporate Prayer Focus: 59:23 – 68:13
• Prayer’s Effect on the Wider Body: 68:27

Conclusion

This episode powerfully reframes Christian prayer through the lens of union with Christ:

• The believer is already seated in a place of victory and blessing.
• Rather than seeking distance-closing intervention, prayer becomes a means for revelation and activating what’s been delivered.
• This new perspective unleashes authority and empowers believers not only for their own lives but as agents of vision and freedom in the church and world.

Whether you’re new to Pauline prayer or seeking to level up your effectiveness, applying this perspective can transform your connection with God and your results in prayer.

To catch more teachings like this, visit Dufresne Ministries.