The Effectual Power of Prayer

Read Daniel 10:11-21 to awaken your perspective on prayer.

Many people use this acrostic as a simple reminder of the ingredients of prayer:
A-adoration

C-confession

T-thanksgiving

S-supplication

However, this guide is very limiting, because there is so much more to the vital ministry of prayer. Effectual prayer is productive and powerful, and reaps many benefits and rewards (James 5:16)

Prayer is not a formula; but a living, breathing power swirling through the cosmos and changing the face of both the physical and spiritual world (Daniel 10:11-21).

Prayer is our tool for communicating with God and for accessing the power of God in order to storm the gates of hell and to do business for God's Kingdom (Matthew 16:17-19; 2 Corinthians 10:3-5).

Before we pray, we put on the armor of God, which prepares us to draw near to God, to stand strong and to resist Satan's influence during our spiritual battle with his demonic forces (James 4:7-8).

We start with a relationship with God through Salvation, which guards our body, soul and spirit with the righteousness of God (Ephesians 6:10-12). We walk in the spirit, which gives us God's supernatural peace and power and transcends human effort and reasoning (Zechariah 4:6).

The faith of the Son of God within us shields us from the devil's fiery arrows when he fights back (Galatians 2:20). By praying the scriptures, we use the power of God's Word as our sword to do actual spiritual battle (Ephesians 6:13-17).

Prayer changes the spiritual world, as well as the physical, mental and emotional world (Mark 9:29; Psalm 107:28-30; James 5:1-16; Philippians 4:6-7). It tears down spiritual strongholds, moves mountains and makes the crooked places straight; so pray without ceasing (Matthew 17:20; Isaiah 54:2; 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

Prayer:

Father God, reveal to Your children the seriousness of our prayer ministry and the spiritual power You give to us during prayer. Help us to pray without ceasing in order to do spiritual warfare on behalf of our self and the people You bring to our mind.

Remind us to communicate with You during every moment of our day. Impress on us the importance of staying alert and praying persistently for unbelievers to come to Christ; as well as for all believers everywhere, including those in our church family and those persecuted Saints in other countries (Ephesians 6:18).

Thought for the Day:

"Prayer is a shield to the soul, a sacrifice to God, and a scourge for Satan." - John Bunyan

Is Perfection Possible?

By faith we enter a relationship with God through Jesus Christ. Our salvation is secured by Christ’s work on Calvary’s cross. It has nothing to do with our human effort, wisdom or character. However, The Bible gives us clues on how to walk in perfection. Peter calls us to apply diligence to our faith, so that we will live in moral excellence, which gives us knowledge. Knowledge comes from learning what God expects us to know and how to act upon it, which brings self-control.

Self-control allows us to walk in God’s precepts and this leads us to perseverance. This perseverance produces Godliness within our soul. Godliness guarantees that we walk in brotherly kindness. Then, once we develop kindness as our practice, God’s Agape love produces perfection in our life. God gives His Agape love to us, in order for us to love the world for Him. Each Godly quality builds upon the qualities before it.

We express Agape love to family members, fellow believers, as well as to the unregenerate sinners who still live in the world (1 Thessalonians 3:12; Matthew 5:43-48). Our heart aches for their ultimate demise in hell if they do not repent and call on Christ to save them (1 John 4:19; 1 Peter 2:9). This Agape love calls us to share the gospel with others so we can bring as many people into the glories of heaven as is possible during our lifetime.  Where do these character qualities come from? God provides us with everything necessary for life and godliness (2 Peter 1:3-4). When we submit to the Holy Spirit, He works His fruit into our personality.

Conversely, neglecting Peter’s instruction diminishes our perception of and confidence in the salvation God has provided for us, and also sets us up for failure, which reduces the rewards we receive in heaven (2 Peter 1:8-11). Christ in us gives us the hope of living in glory now and for eternity (Colossians 1:24-27). We become partakers of His divine nature (2 Peter 1:4) and live with Him by His Spirit to bring glory to Our Father (Ephesians 1:1-12; 3:10).

When we heed the prompting of the Spirit of God, we will walk in holiness before our Maker (Romans 8:1-8; 1 Corinthians 2:1-16, 3:16-17, 4:6). His righteousness gives us moral excellence as we set Biblical standards as the goal for our character. We also read in the Bible about a great cloud of witnesses who lived before us and whose example we can follow in persisting in holiness to the end, so that we do not grow weary or lose heart (Hebrews 12:1-3). People disappear from the earth all the time. Did some of them, like Enoch (Genesis 5:24), walk with God in perfection?

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, through Your sacrificial work on Calvary’s cross, You did for us what we could not do for ourselves. We gratefully receive Your free gift of eternal life (Romans 6:23). Our suffering in life is actually light and momentary when compared to the glories of living with You for eternity (2 Corinthians 4:17). Help us to walk as one with Your Spirit, to exhibit Godly character and to live as Your Agape love in this world, until You call us home to enjoy Your presence in the glories in Heaven.

Thought for the Day:

Only those who follow God’s pathway will rest in peace when they die. – Isaiah 57:2

 

Why Prayer Does Not Work

Millions of prayers go up every day. Some prayers are sent to an unknown god; others are offered to our personal Savior. We pray for all sorts of details that we deem very important and necessary for our life.

A Newsweek poll, titled "Is God Listening?” stated that if you count up the number of prayers that were answered exactly like the person who said them wanted them answered, it would only tally to around 15% of answered prayers. It also said that 13% declared they lost their faith because of God’s failure to answer their prayer.

These people insist that prayer does not work. They act like prayer is some magic formula to get what they want. They perceive God as a genie in a bottle who is bound to grant their wishes. They get angry and pout when God does not interfere in the affairs of mankind. They blame God for what sinful human choices caused.

Some people see God as an impersonal deity who is too busy to consider our needs. Others have the misconception that some prayers are not important enough to bother God with. Then some people feel that their life is too immoral and God no longer cares about them. At times, a prayer is even offered as a last resort, because the person tried everything else first and it failed.

So, what is prayer and how does it work? Prayer is an intimate dialogue with our eternal Father. It involves us sharing our needs and then praising God for the results. It also includes us listening to His response to us. Sometimes we do not hear the answer to our prayer; because we quickly send it heavenward, and then rush right off without taking the time to listen to God’s answer. At other times we never stop talking long enough to hear His answer.

There are many other reasons we do not get answers to our prayers. We may have sin, which is blocking God from hearing them (Psalm 66:18). When we pray selfishly, rather than according to God’s will, He cannot answer (James 4:3). If we have unforgiveness in our heart, God requires that we settle these issues first (Matthew 5: 23-24). Doubt will block an answered prayer (James 1: 6-7; 2 Corinthians 10:4). If we ignore the needs of others, God cannot provide our needs (Proverbs 21:13). If we rob God by withholding our tithe, He cannot bless us, as He wants to (Malachi 3: 8-12). Our faulty motives will also hinder the answers to our prayers (Proverbs 16:2).

Satan often blinds us to the fact that God really is answering our prayers. The devil will not allow us to see the answers, because he does not want us to give God any glory. He wants to hinder our faith from growing. He would rather that we get angry with God, so our heart gets cold against Him and we fall away from serving Him. This way, Satan has us right where he wants us…in the palm of his evil hand.

God actually wants us to love Him more than we want the answer for our prayer. He wants us to love Him even if He does not give us what we want. Do you love God more than you love what you prayed for?

God answers our prayers more often than we think. God often says “No”, because what we want will be harmful for us in the big scheme of life. He says “Wait” when He is working in the situation, and it will take more time for the other parties involved to be willing to cooperate with His plan. Also, He wants our faith to grow, so He will make us wait for a while to give us time to learn to trust Him.

God delights in delivering us out of our troubles and making us a testimony for the world to see...just like the three Hebrew children in the fiery furnace. Jesus met them in the incinerator and kept them safe (Daniel 3: 25). God did not answer Mary and Martha’s prayer to heal their brother, but allowed Lazarus to die. Jesus later told them, it was for God’s glory, and He raised Lazarus from the dead (John 11:14). When our loved one dies, it means that God healed them for eternity, instead of only for this lifetime on earth.

Sometimes, God just wants us to persevere in prayer. In Luke 18:5-8, He tells a parable about a persistent widow. In it He states, “And he told them a parable to the effect that they ought always to pray and not to lose heart.”  When you pray, do you get discouraged? Jesus teaches us the importance of persisting in prayer. It is not a lack of faith to pray for something more than once; that is persistence.

With every issue you experienced since dedicating your life to God, He really has resolved them one by one, even if you are not aware of it. You may be having continual trials, but that is because Satan is trying to get you to give up and to curse God (Job 2:9). If you look at these circumstances more closely, God is actually answering every one of your prayers.

In this world, we will have tribulation, but be of good cheer because Jesus already overcame these trials for us (John 16:32-33). God will use our trials to build His character in us and to further His Kingdom in the earth (Psalm 34:7,17,19). We can believe that God will deliver us out of all of our troubles (Psalm 5:15), because He promised that He would ~ not in our timing, but in His own.

Prayer:

Lord Jesus, when doubts fill my mind, Your comfort gives me renewed hope and cheer (Psalm 94:19). When I go through deep difficulties, You will not let me drown. When life gets overwhelming, You are right there with me. When I walk through the fire of oppression, You will not allow me to be totally consumed (Isaiah 43:2). Help me to trust in You no matter what this sinful world brings my way.

Thought for the Day:
The Lord is close to the brokenhearted; he rescues those whose spirits are crushed. - Psalm 34:18