Many want it! Few have it! - You can’t do without it!
You show me a great man or woman of God, and I will show you a man or woman of prayer! We all know that prayer changes the world, but it is estimated that the average church member prays less then 20 minutes a week! God put this message in my heart for you today. Please read this prayerfully and let the Holy Spirit minister to you.
How important is prayer?
Through prayer, you are connected to the power of God! John 15:5 says: He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing. If the devil can steal your prayer life away from you, he has gotten you where he wants you. Without prayer, you cannot be a threat to Satan or to the kingdom of darkness. It hurts me to see how much potential is being lost in the kingdom of God through a lack of prayer. It has been said, “little prayer means little power, much prayer means much power.”
The Bible says in Mark 11:24: Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. Effective prayer completely changes your impossible situations. You will see the mighty hand of God, the creator, who spoke the word and the stars appeared in space, at work in your life and ministry! Take it from me, IT WORKS!!! Please don’t settle for less then the best that God has for you!
My environment does not allow me to pray more. What should I do?
If you are a prayerless Christian, you have only yourself to blame. You make the choices of what you do in life. You will make time for the things that are a priority to you. Consider the person that has just fallen in love. Even with a very busy schedule, miraculously, they have the time to date.
My mother had eight children. She was so busy during the day, that there was just no time for prayer. The amazing thing is that she took time to pray. She could have come up with all kind of excuses, but I often heard her in the very early hours of the morning and late in the night praying earnestly for her family, for the lost, for the church. My eldest brother told of coming in from being out in his sinful life and trying to enter the house quietly hearing mom praying, calling out his name. I believe, that I am in the ministry as a missionary today because of those prayers. Stop making excuses and start being honest with yourself. Do you want a vibrant prayer life or not?
How much time should I spend in prayer?
How much should we pray? Is half an hour, daily, enough? The Bible does not tell us how long we should pray, but it does gives the principles of what God expects from us regarding our resources. Most Christians will not dispute the fact, that we need to give our tithe (10%) of our income. We do it, and experience how God brings a rich return on our investments. Time is also a God given resource. I am convinced that we need to give God the tithe (10%) of our time as well. It is normal and healthy for a Christian to give God 2.4 hours a day in communion with God. I find that I walk and pray, drive and pray, and it makes a difference. The pray without ceasing mandate is ours. I get little time to stop and take time specifically during the day. However I have learned that prayer is lifestyle of you and God. Communing as friend to friend.
How can I handle discouragement?
The Holy Spirit is constantly dealing with us regarding prayer. I have observed a great danger for Christians that have recently gotten a breakthrough in prayer. After having stuck with it for about 2 weeks, the enemy comes and will present you with much evidence to prove that prayer does not work. Most people give up at this point. Instead of pressing through and getting the victory, thus seeing the power of God manifested in their lives, they cower back into the old life of defeat. Later these Christians look back at life’s situations and begin to complain about all the terrible things that have happened to them, when all the time God had a greater plan for their lives. There they stand, defeated, feeling sorry for themselves. Commit yourself to pray. Stick with it and get the full blessing that God has for you! It is worth it!!!
How can I learn to pray?
The best school of prayer is praying! There are scores of books written on prayer, but if you use the time in prayer instead of reading, you will learn much more about prayer then by reading many books on the subject. Books and articles are good, but praying is much better! One of the biggest problems in the Church today is that we talk a lot about prayer, but we do not pray. We talk a lot about evangelism, but we don’t evangelize. God is looking for men and women of action!
Let literature enhance what is already happening in your life.
There was a time in my life when praying 15 minutes a day was a great accomplishment. I felt quite good about myself until God began to deal with me. In the time span of one week, the Holy Spirit spoke to me 5 times. After the fifth time, I knew God was serious. I grabbed my Bible, went into a room where I was alone and repented with many tears before the Lord. The Holy Spirit was so present in that room. I will never forget that day. I got my breakthrough in prayer. After one and a half hours I came out a changed man. I had never prayed alone that long in all my life. Since then God has given me growth in my prayer life. I have had to learn to overcome discouragement, dry times and many attacks from the devil, but being close to God has become such a treasure to me. I don’t want to live without it.
I challenge you in Jesus name: Don’t let the devil steal the best thing in life! Yes it takes discipline and hard work, but the return is knowing God. It will make a difference in all you do!
In writing my research for the PHD. Intercultural Education, I interviewed pastors in India who were graduates of Tamil Bible College. These men through mentoring of other great pastors, and by training have developed lives of prayer. I was amazed at the number of the pastor’s that I interviewed who arose early in the morning to pray giving at least an hour for personal prayer, then leading their family and home, then the church. By the time they would start their day the had committed three or more hours praying, leading prayer and practicing prayer.
Prayer is a key to moving the hand of God, to having an anointed life and ministry, and touching the world in which we live. If you think you can do without it you will! The results will show in little power, and ineffective results.. If you can’t do with out it and you pray, the results will be evident as well.
Bless you. As we learn to pray.
Labels: A Breakthrough in YOUR PRAYER LIFE
