When I seemed to be getting nowhere in [one spiritual] battle, I finally cried out in desperation, "Lord, what and how am I to pray for my enemies? Those beloved ones who slander me and the work you've given me to do?"

Several days later, as I was praying, [God gave me a blueprint for prayer in this situation.] It contains sound principles that everybody seems to need once the battle is joined:

1. Pray that the eyes of all who surround these persons be opened to see the situation as it really is.
   
   
2. Pray that their associates will be given ways to speak truth and light into the situation.
   
   In these first two steps, we are praying for godly illumination and wisdom for the persons who can minister truth and peace into the situation, while at the same time we are praying for their safety We are asking that these stable people be spared from getting caught up in the dark net of spiritual confusion and deception—a very present danger in spiritual warfare—and that they be enabled to aid others who are ensnared.
   
   As I meditated on these first two ways of prayer, the Lord greatly ministered the story of David and Goliath to me, this truth from 1 Samuel 17:47 in particular: "… it is not by sword or spear that the Lord saves; for the battle is the Lord's."
   
   I then asked, "Jesus, what is the smooth stone, slung at your command, that will stop the Goliaths of envy, slander, murderous hate—all that is the enemy of your cross, your message?"
   
   And immediately I heard in my spirit, "Truth, truth will out—it will hit the mark."
   
   Then the following instruction is what caused us to name this way of interceding the "paint-the-dragon-red" prayer: