A Prayer Key

Prayers! Prayers!! Prayers!!! I come from a country where prayers are not taken lightly. Churches organise breakfast prayers, vigils and all sorts of prayer programmes. This is indeed encouraging because we are commanded to ‘pray without ceasing’.

However, my concern has always been that how come ‘these prayers’ are not getting the intended results as expected? Anybody can pray, be it believer or unbeliever but it is not all prayers that are heard and when God does not hear, surely there won’t be answer.

“Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector.

The Pharisee stood and prayed thus with himself, ‘God, I thank You that I am not like other men-extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even as this tax collector.

I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I possess’.

And the tax collector, standing afar off, would not so much as raise his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me a sinner!.

I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other; for everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted”.

                                                                            Luke 18:10-14 NKJV

 The Pharisee was a man of prayer. He even offered prayer of thanksgiving to God aside his faithfulness in tithing and fasting which are powerful acts that can open heavens and change difficult situations (John 6:11-12; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 17:21). Despite his actions, God did not regard him. However, the tax collector (the disregarded by men) went home justified. Why? He humbled himself.

Humility is a key to answered prayers. No matter how your commitment to a church is, without humility, it could amount to fruitless efforts in prayers.

If my people who are called by My name will HUMBLE themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven... (2 Chronicles 7:14). To be humble is to empty oneself of his/her self esteem and surrender wilfully to grace through Christ Jesus. It is to always admit that without Christ one is NOTHING. In humility there is no self justification, everything is poured out before God, be it fears, secret sins, self glorification and inadequacies of man. God is not only interested in the prayers alone but also in the vessel offering the prayers. If we, His people can humble ourselves before Him, then God’s response to us will be as that of Elijah (1 Kings 18:30-38). Indeed we can do nothing on our own, without God we are nothing. Let us be humble enough to acknowledge Him in our supplications.

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you in due time.

                                                                                 1 Peter 5:6 NKJV

Be Slow To Speak

So then, my beloved brethren, let every man be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath;

                                                                       James 1:19 NKJV

We are all admonished to hear swiftly yet slow to speak. The bible knows the reason for this. The tongue has been described as powerful and an unruly evil not because it is evil on its own, rather an untamed tongue can cause lots of havoc. This is not uncommon in the family setting whereby families and marriages have been wrecked. Loved ones have died because of abusive words from their spouses; children have become disobedient to parents because their parents have rained negative words on them through careless utterances.

A good number of people have been entrapped via their words. It seems natural for people to have the tendency to speak more than listening. However,If you want to keep your home in order,you have to be slow to speak. Most often than not, when marital crises are to be resolved, the major argument is always ‘he said this, she said that’. This means that quite a number of couples are quick to speak.  It is advisable that when one party is not saying something, do not force him or her in order to avoid rancour. Even Jesus had to be slow to speak when He was asked to talk about paying taxes to Caesar. It is good to be slow to speak; it saves us from unforeseen challenges.

There are times when there would be orchestrated attempts to force words out of our mouths. At such times we need to exercise caution. It is not compulsory or necessary to have an answer for all questions, at least not immediately. When you are asked to contribute to a matter and you have nothing to say then keep quiet. That is wisdom. Even a fool will be respected when he is careful with words.

Even a fool, when he keeps silent, is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is considered prudent.

                                                                Proverbs 17:28 NASB

Quite a number of people have lost their lives because they did not set a watch over their mouths. It takes consciousness and sincere prayers to God to be able to tame ones tongue. I pray that the LORD shall help us to guard our mouths from being entrapped by the enemies in Jesus’ name. Amen. SHALOM.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips.

                                                                        Psalms 141:3 KJV

Together We Stand

Praying is a commandment that we ought to obey (Luke 18:1). Beyond making petitions to God it is an exercise of edification to the soul. Most often we understand the need for us to pray individually. It is not wrong.

However, considering the word of God that says “five of you shall chase a hundred, and a hundred of you shall put ten thousand to flight; your enemies shall fall by the sword before you” (Leviticus 26:8) it infers that the more we are in number when we gather, the mightier we are in battle. Prayer is not only a means of communication with God but also a weapon of warfare. Christians are soldiers expected to take more grounds for Jesus and also set free the captives. When Peter the Apostle was held captive in prison, the church came together to pray for him. This is the desire of God today too. God wants the Church to come back together to unite in love, passion, and care void of ulterior motives or selfishness. This is when we can take the battle to the gates of the enemies.

When the disciples asked Jesus Christ to teach them how to pray His opening was ‘Our Father in heaven...’ (Luke 11:2). The reason is because He wants the Church to be united in prayers before God and He desires the Church to always come together as a formidable force. Brethren, we cannot do it alone. We need one another to enforce victories.

So we, numerous as we are, are one body in Christ (the Messiah) and individually we are parts one of another (mutually dependent on one another).

                                                                   Romans 12:5 AMP

In the year 2003, a member of our Church was kidnapped by ritualists in Lagos, Nigeria and was taken to their ‘den’ where men were slaughtered like rams for evil purposes,but  the Church came together and interceded for her continuously in unity until victory was enforced. A week later she was released alongside another lady but other passengers that boarded that bus with her, lost out. How painful and sad will be the experience of such families.

As Christians, we are ‘one body – one big family’. This is time for Churches to come together holding hands and calling on God to change situations in countries where there are unrests. Jesus said “It is finished (John 19:30), as the Father has sent Me, I also send you” (John 20:21). You here, refer to the body – the Church. Is there someone dying, sick, diseased or held captive? Jesus has and is sending the Church to enforce His victory. It is time we come together again as one body in truth and holiness. I conclude with the words of Jesus which says “Every kingdom divided against itself is brought to desolation; and every city or house divided against itself shall not stand” (Matthew 12:25). It is my prayers that the ‘body’ will be knitted together again as it was in the beginning and the Lord be gracious to His Church in Jesus’ name. SHALOM

And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them.

So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said:“Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them,

And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and spoke the word of God with boldness.

Now the multitude of those who believed were of one heart and one soul; neither did anyone say that any of the things he possessed was his own, but they had all things in common.

                                                        Acts 4:23,24,31,32 NKJV

The Prophet Said She Would Die

Quite a number of things have been said to our hearing of which we as Christians either rebuke or accept depending on what was heard. If it is a pronouncement of blessings,we accept it, but if it is a negative one,it is rejected, especially when we have the knowledge of it. However, there are other blessings or negative pronouncements that do not come to our hearing. For the blessings that is good, but the question is, how do we deal with negative declarations when we do not know when they are said?

A friend of mine told me that when he was set to be married, he went to a Prophet with the names of three (3) different ladies and of one, the Prophet said she would die young. My friend for reasons best known to him said he would marry her (now they are married). The interesting part is that he never told the lady about the prophecy.

After some time in the marriage, she had a dream and saw herself and her elder sister in a cage. In that dream she started praying in other tongues and suddenly she flew out of the cage. Then she woke up, knelt down and began to pray. While praying she saw a shadow come close to her and said “you have been delivered from dying young”. Glory to God! No matter the declaration against you, NEVER GIVE UP PRAYERS.

Be unceasing in prayer (praying perseveringly)      

                                                    1 Thessalonians 5:17 AMP

We are admonished to keep praying, no matter the situation. Even when a negative prophecy is given, just hold on to God he can cancel it and He will as long as you do not stop praying. My friend’s wife was and is delivered today because she kept praying even when she was unaware of the death sentence.

Friends, never be weary of praying, in due time there shall be obvious testimonies in Jesus’ name. Amen. Be strong and fervent in prayers. It is only God that has the final say not doctors, prophets or politicians. We can change things when we stand in prayers before God. It shall be well indeed. Shalom.

What Moody Said

Moody said that God put the offer of salvation in so simple a way that the whole world could grasp it. Everyone can believe. A cripple might not be able to visit the sick, but he can believe. A man who cannot see is unable to do many things, but he can believe. A deaf man cannot hear, but he can believe. Even a dying man can believe. Salvation has been placed within the reach of all, the young and old, the foolish and the brilliant, the rich and the poor, the high and the low. All may have it if they truly believe. Do you believe?

                                                                                            

                                                                                    Courtesy- Bible readings for the home.