Prayer: Your Opportunity to Change Adverse Situations! Never stop praying, especially for others…stay alert and keep praying for God’s people (Ephesians 6:18 CEV). Someone once said that the only ingredient for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. This statement is indeed true, especially because a lot of Christians try to make God responsible for what is actually their responsibility. They make such statements like, “If God didn’t want that thing to happen, why did He let it happen?” The authority to change things on the earth has been delegated to us. We have the responsibility of changing things, and one of the ways we do this is through prayer.The Bible gives us an example of the consequence of not taking up our responsibility. Herod had arrested James, the brother of John. Probably the brethren were thinking, “Herod doesn’t know the anointing on Brother James; he’ll be out of there in no time.” They did nothing. Suddenly someone rushed in with the news: “Brother James has been killed!” James was no ordinary disciple; he was one of the three closest disciples to Jesus. While they were still wondering – “Jesus, why didn’t you do something?” another bad news came: “Peter has been arrested.” By this time, the disciples knew they had to do something! The Bible says, “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him” (Acts 12:5); and as they prayed, Peter was miraculously set free by an angel (Acts 12:7). Oh! If only they had responded by praying earlier, James wouldn’t have been killed. Learn to take up your responsibility of prayer. You don’t have to wait for evil to strike home before you learn to pray and cause changes in the Name of Jesus. Remember that God has given you the dominion and the authority to alter the course of events in the earth. It’s your responsibility, not His. Expect A Miracle when You Pray! In our day, we cannot overemphasize the need and importance of miracles. It is the calling of every Christian to live in the realm of the supernatural. Miracles are the acts of God; He demonstrates His love and closeness to us through the supernatural manifestations in our lives. How do you explain that you pray to a God you do not see? Praying and expecting an answer reveals a desire for the miraculous. It shows the depth of a man’s desire to communicate with the supernatural. Every answered prayer is a miracle, irrespective of what is prayed about. Often times, God demonstrates His sovereignty by performing a miracle for you when you are not expecting it or when you think you don’t deserve it; He shows up on your behalf in His love for you. People pray everywhere irrespective of their religions and expect an answer because it is wrong to pray without expecting an answer. Your expectation of an answer is faith; when He answers, there is a miracle! Expect God to answer your prayers today. There is a miracle for you right where you are; receive it. Receive that healing in your body; receive that divine intervention you need in your business, family and in your ministry, in Jesus’ Name. Amen. Become Committed to Prayer . As Christians, we must strive at having effective prayer lives. Prayer is not only a fellowship, it’s also a labour. And it’s wrong for us to pray only when we feel like it. Our bodies and minds may not enjoy praying and can rebel against it because prayer doesn’t appeal to our minds and senses. Many times we make the mistake of putting off praying till the end of the day, but by the time we are through with the activities of the day, we are so tired and drowsy and our thoughts start wondering while we are praying. At this stage, labour comes into prayer; a fight to keep yourself on track against the dictates of the flesh. This requires ample training and you must be resolved to stick with your prayer schedule. Some Christians may find it difficult to do this, but the reason is they haven’t been able to discipline their flesh. If you can train your mind and body to go to work every day of the week, without ever considering getting to work late, or missing work for a day; then you can train yourself to pray regularly and also on time. Learn the importance of prayer and be willing to make sacrifices for your prayer life. Don’t depend on ‘emergency prayers’; consistency is the key. There are so many things that would compete with your prayer time, but there’s a lot you can achieve on your knees. Stay connected to God and make a fresh commitment to your personal prayer life today. Strengthen Your Heart If you desire that your dreams come to pass; to have an understanding of God in reality; to know and serve Him with wholehearted devotion; to know and fellowship with Him every day and grow in the knowledge of God, then you ought to be a praying person. Sometimes you may not know which way to go. There may be several options presented to you and you don’t know which is God’s way. That’s when you ought to pray. As you start praying in the Holy Ghost, your heart will become strengthened in the direction you should go. When Paul prayed that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith, he was not talking about the Man Christ, but His anointing. He prayed that the anointing of the anointed one will dwell in your hearts by faith. Always pray this prayer when the pressure comes; then you will find your heart always strengthened and directed towards the will of God even when the pressure mounts against you. You will grow closer to God and become more sensitive to His voice. Intercede for your Leaders. Praying for the leaders of your country is the only effective mechanism that can bring about a government that will be responsive and genuinely cater for the yearnings of the overwhelming majority. There is no amount of political or social agitation that can reverse the dismal state of the economy of any nation except the prayers of God’s people. The socio-political or economic progress of your nation is not dependent on politicians and those in government; it is solely dependent on your words and the fervency of your prayers for those at the hem of affairs in your country! Even if they are not born again, you’re obliged to pray for them. You may have issues with their leadership style; you may not share same political ideologies with them, yet you still have the responsibility of interceding for them as a Christian. Learn to bless your country; refrain from speaking in negative terms against your country. Change the situation through prayers and a good confession. Proverbs 11:11 exhorts: “by the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.” Never gang up with unbelievers to speak negatively about your country. Exalt your nation by speaking words of blessing. Your contribution to nation building is your divine responsibility and it calls for your unreserved patriotic spirit!
Posted on: Wed, 12 Jun 2013 19:20:31 +0000
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