Do Not Be Lazy- Pray Through (2)

Last week we commenced this teaching on the referred topic and by His grace we shall continue today. As highlighted earlier, you are in the best position to change your situation and fortune, your are the best candidate to do it yourself. Just like no one can go through the labour pain for a woman at childbirth, so no one can do it for you as effective as it should be. Again, just as no one can ease yourself for you expect you go to the toilet and do it yourself, so there are some pertinent things cannot be done for us, we have to do it ourselves.

Prayer is as potent as God. When we pray we release Gods power and potential to the situation in question. Every situation remains the way it is until someone has prayed. Beloved, you are where you are today as a result of the prayers you prayed yesterday and where you are going tomorrow is as a result of the prayer you prayed today. Please note that you cannot pray in excess. Prayer do not waste neither do they go without being answered no matter the time lag period. It always stands as a memorial before God. Act 10 recalls the story of Cornelius; a man who sought God diligently and prayed regularly. Even though he did not know God personally, he glommed in the dark, but his prayers sought him out. While he was praying the heaven moved on his behalf and an angel was sent to deliver a message to Peter to go and preach and convert the household of Cornelius, though it was against the traditions of the Jew. Act 10:4b reads “Your prayers and your alms here come up for a memorial before God”. Note that word, “your prayers” before your alms. When we pray, heaven moves, God answers, angels carry out our instructions in the place of prayer. Assuming Cornelius did not pray, he would not have had the privilege he had, not only did he and his household received salvation, they also got baptized in the Holy Spirit with the evidence of speaking in other tongues, just because someone prayed. Act 10:44 reads, while peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit fell upon those who heard the word. There are two phase in prayers, there is the phase of breakthrough and there is also the phase of establishment. Many times, we pray and have definite breakthrough in some areas of our life but we don’t press harder to see to it that we get established in the new phase we have just gotten into. To have breakthrough is one thing, but to be established is the ultimate. Many have breakthrough financially, but do not endeavor to be established and within a short space of time, they become history. To mention but a few of great men of God in 80s and early 90s who made mighty breakthroughs but because they never sought to be established in the new phase they sooner than later phased out totally.

Paul said in Gal 4:19; My little children, for whom I labour in birth again until Christ is formed in you. Did you read that, that is the second labour. After the labour of birth as it is highlighted in Isa 66:7b, “for as soon as Zion travailed, she gave birth to her children”. That is the first labour that takes place at birth. While the second is that which takes place in the place of formation or establishment. In the case of Paul, it is that Christ may be formed in you. In other cases, it may be something else. Please note that God is not interested in lift His children up but to later drop them to their former position. However, for every phase we enter into, there is a price to pay on our knees and for every phase wherein we need to be established there is also an additional price to pay. Jam 5:17-18 reads…. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months and he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruits. Elijah a man like you and I, who did not have the privilege of the new covenant prayed and had such a great result. How much more then shall our prayer produce greater result we who live under the new covenant. Note further that when you start praying fervently you stop sinning and when you stop fervent prayer, you start sinning. You can not have a fervent prayer life and live in sin. As you end this reading, kindly close this paper and withdraw to a private place just for five minute and ask God for a baptism of fire to pray. Let us pray.