“Turn again, and tell Hezekiah the captain of my people, Thus saith the Lord, the God of David thy father, I have heard thy prayer, I have seen thy tears: behold, I will heal thee: on the third day thou shalt go up unto the house of the Lord.” II Kings Ch 20:5
Hezekiah‘s testimony demonstrated that his faithfulness in living for God resulted in God’s swiftness to answer. As he was sick and near death, we see that Hezekiah’s appeal was effective because he was morally upright and ceaseless in entreating God.
A little over a year ago, I was suddenly fighting for my life against pulmonary embolism, where blood clots attacked my lungs. I could not breathe on my own and was immediately placed in critical condition. The reports and faces of the staff told a bleak story.
I recall the physician telling me he did not know if I would live until morning and the complete faith I felt, when I responded he must not have met the God I serve. Despite the predictions of the reports, I had belief that I was going to walk out of there.
Like Hezekiah, I have sought to live a life for God’s approval. Even when I fell short of the mark, I would try again with a humble heart. So then how do we make our prayers as prevailing as Hezekiah’s?
He first showed us that prayer was a personal request. You need to be able to go to your Father yourself and speak on your own behalf. There’s a time for the saints to cover you in prayer, but we have to also have a personal relationship with God.
I stayed in a place of constant prayer as I fought day after day in the hospital. I was able to speak with my Daddy and ask what was it He wanted me to know from this experience. I would simply say, Speak Lord. Speak to me.
Next, Hezekiah showed us that he had the potential of being righteous. He reminded God that he had a pure heart and had lived a life good in his sight. And sometimes we have to remind God of His own words and promises for our lives.
I was not in denial about dying, it was more that I was denying the possibility that I would not walk into my destiny. I reminded God constantly about the promises He had spoken into my life and that He could do anything but lie, so I had to live to fulfill my purpose in Him.
When we live a righteous life, we can be confident that God will hear our cry and answer our prayers in His own time.
Finally, we see that God’s power is revealed when He answers us. According to man, I’m not supposed to be here but I am. And if you looked over your journey, you’d understand that we’re exactly where we’re supposed to be.
by
Jonathy Blackwood
Friday, March 18, 2011
Thursday, March 17, 2011
To Believe Or Not To Believe
I have a friend whose heart was broken when his son decided he no longer wanted to be married. The father prayed that God would reconcile that broken relationship, but soon the divorce was final. My friend felt as though the Lord had let him down.
After Christ’s death, Thomas struggled with a similar issue. He had envisioned his Messiah ruling as King of the whole earth—but now Jesus was dead, and Thomas’s hopes were buried with Him. Had he believed a lie? Why had his Lord not done what the biblical prophecies said He would do?
When the other disciples reported that the Lord had risen from the dead, Thomas refused to believe unless he could actually see Christ’s wounds of crucifixion (John 20:25). Having been disappointed after putting faith in Jesus before, he hesitated to do so again without tangible proof.
Our trust in God can take a nosedive when expectations of what He will do are unfulfilled. Perhaps you can think of a time you asked the Lord for something and believed with all your heart that He would do it—but then He didn’t. What are we to do when it looks as if God has failed us? Keep believing! Jesus said, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (v. 29).
Thomas’s huge disappointment—Christ’s death—ultimately led to the greatest hope for mankind. When we feel that the Lord has let us down, we need to realize that in His great wisdom, He is doing something even greater than we asked.
By
Dr. Charles F. Stanley
After Christ’s death, Thomas struggled with a similar issue. He had envisioned his Messiah ruling as King of the whole earth—but now Jesus was dead, and Thomas’s hopes were buried with Him. Had he believed a lie? Why had his Lord not done what the biblical prophecies said He would do?
When the other disciples reported that the Lord had risen from the dead, Thomas refused to believe unless he could actually see Christ’s wounds of crucifixion (John 20:25). Having been disappointed after putting faith in Jesus before, he hesitated to do so again without tangible proof.
Our trust in God can take a nosedive when expectations of what He will do are unfulfilled. Perhaps you can think of a time you asked the Lord for something and believed with all your heart that He would do it—but then He didn’t. What are we to do when it looks as if God has failed us? Keep believing! Jesus said, “Blessed are they who did not see, and yet believed” (v. 29).
Thomas’s huge disappointment—Christ’s death—ultimately led to the greatest hope for mankind. When we feel that the Lord has let us down, we need to realize that in His great wisdom, He is doing something even greater than we asked.
By
Dr. Charles F. Stanley
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
Boiling Point Prayer
Have you ever noticed how water, when set on a hot burner for a prolonged period of time, will begin to boil? As the temperature of the burner rises, the water’s activity increases. The longer it remains on the burner, the faster the water reaches its boiling point.
God desires for your prayer life to take on the same fervent quality as boiling water. James 5:16 says, “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” What a powerful statement! Isn’t it exciting to know that you are the one who determines the results you receive through prayer?
When your prayer life reaches its boiling point, that’s when the blessings of God spill over into every area of your life. According to Webster’s Dictionary, fervent means, “ardent; passionate; very hot.” The Amplified Bible version of James 5:16 describes fervent prayer as “making tremendous power available” and “dynamic in its working.” When you allow your prayers to “get hot,” so to speak, Scripture says that you will “avail much.” In other words, you’ll get the job done in the spirit realm. This type of fervency is not for show or to try and prove how “spiritual” you are. No, fervent prayer comes straight from the heart; it is the Holy Spirit rising up within you to cause a spiritual flood of power that cannot be contained. That is why you may see a believer whose prayers have reached the boiling point pace the floor, cry, rock back and forth or get excited. While you may not have the same outward physical manifestation of fervency that another brother or sister has when he or she prays, God will display Himself through you in His own way.
The ultimate proof of how “hot” your prayers are can be seen in your life: You will see positive, lasting results. The Holy Spirit will pray through you in an undeniable way, and you will see the manifestation of what you have prayed. Jesus’ prayers were dynamic, because we see throughout the New Testament that He got results every time (Matthew 14:23; Luke 22:41; Luke 5:16; Luke 9:28, 29). I believe that the power of God that was demonstrated in Jesus’ ministry was amplified by the fact that He had a fervent and consistent prayer life. Just like your big Brother Jesus, you, too, can see tremendous victory in your life by tapping into His secret to success.
How do you get your prayers to become fervent? The key is found in Psalm 119:97, which says, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” When your spirit becomes saturated with the Scriptures through diligent meditation, your heart will become established on the solid rock of the Word. It is the Word of God that produces the power behind prayer. It builds confidence; it causes your faith to become unshakable. I don’t know about you, but I want to have the same dynamic, explosive results in my prayer life that Jesus did. You can too, if you tap into the power of God’s Word as your prayer foundation. Only then will your prayers take on miracle-working power and you’ll begin to see your circumstances change. Become a walking expression of God’s power in the earth by letting your prayers reach the boiling point!
By
Dr. Creflo A Dollar
God desires for your prayer life to take on the same fervent quality as boiling water. James 5:16 says, “…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” What a powerful statement! Isn’t it exciting to know that you are the one who determines the results you receive through prayer?
When your prayer life reaches its boiling point, that’s when the blessings of God spill over into every area of your life. According to Webster’s Dictionary, fervent means, “ardent; passionate; very hot.” The Amplified Bible version of James 5:16 describes fervent prayer as “making tremendous power available” and “dynamic in its working.” When you allow your prayers to “get hot,” so to speak, Scripture says that you will “avail much.” In other words, you’ll get the job done in the spirit realm. This type of fervency is not for show or to try and prove how “spiritual” you are. No, fervent prayer comes straight from the heart; it is the Holy Spirit rising up within you to cause a spiritual flood of power that cannot be contained. That is why you may see a believer whose prayers have reached the boiling point pace the floor, cry, rock back and forth or get excited. While you may not have the same outward physical manifestation of fervency that another brother or sister has when he or she prays, God will display Himself through you in His own way.
The ultimate proof of how “hot” your prayers are can be seen in your life: You will see positive, lasting results. The Holy Spirit will pray through you in an undeniable way, and you will see the manifestation of what you have prayed. Jesus’ prayers were dynamic, because we see throughout the New Testament that He got results every time (Matthew 14:23; Luke 22:41; Luke 5:16; Luke 9:28, 29). I believe that the power of God that was demonstrated in Jesus’ ministry was amplified by the fact that He had a fervent and consistent prayer life. Just like your big Brother Jesus, you, too, can see tremendous victory in your life by tapping into His secret to success.
How do you get your prayers to become fervent? The key is found in Psalm 119:97, which says, “O how love I thy law! it is my meditation all the day.” When your spirit becomes saturated with the Scriptures through diligent meditation, your heart will become established on the solid rock of the Word. It is the Word of God that produces the power behind prayer. It builds confidence; it causes your faith to become unshakable. I don’t know about you, but I want to have the same dynamic, explosive results in my prayer life that Jesus did. You can too, if you tap into the power of God’s Word as your prayer foundation. Only then will your prayers take on miracle-working power and you’ll begin to see your circumstances change. Become a walking expression of God’s power in the earth by letting your prayers reach the boiling point!
By
Dr. Creflo A Dollar
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Unanswered Prayers
I am so glad that God will overrule my prayers at times, because I have prayed for things fervently, believing they were the will of God, and they were flat-out wrong. I am so thankful that God said no to those prayers.
Yet I have heard some people say, "Never pray, 'Not my will, but Yours be done.' That is a lack of faith." Some have even said, "What you should really pray is, 'Not Your will, but mine be done.' Let's just say that I don't want to be standing too close to those people when lightning strikes, because they have things turned around.
Never be afraid to pray, "Not my will, but Yours be done." By saying that, you are simply saying, "Lord, I don't know all the facts. I don't know everything there is to know. My knowledge is limited. My experience is limited. So if what I am praying is outside of Your will for any reason, please graciously overrule it." You won't always understand how you should pray. What it comes down to is telling God that you want His will more than your own.
I know this is hard at times. Sometimes you don't understand why God doesn't give you what you ask for. When you are young and single, you may see a handsome guy or beautiful girl and just know that person is the one for you. But as the lyrics to a country song say, "Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers."
As time passes, you will look back with 20/20 hindsight, and you will say, "Thank God He did not answer my prayers," or "Thank God He answered my prayers," whichever the case may be.
By
Greg Laurie
Yet I have heard some people say, "Never pray, 'Not my will, but Yours be done.' That is a lack of faith." Some have even said, "What you should really pray is, 'Not Your will, but mine be done.' Let's just say that I don't want to be standing too close to those people when lightning strikes, because they have things turned around.
Never be afraid to pray, "Not my will, but Yours be done." By saying that, you are simply saying, "Lord, I don't know all the facts. I don't know everything there is to know. My knowledge is limited. My experience is limited. So if what I am praying is outside of Your will for any reason, please graciously overrule it." You won't always understand how you should pray. What it comes down to is telling God that you want His will more than your own.
I know this is hard at times. Sometimes you don't understand why God doesn't give you what you ask for. When you are young and single, you may see a handsome guy or beautiful girl and just know that person is the one for you. But as the lyrics to a country song say, "Sometimes I thank God for unanswered prayers."
As time passes, you will look back with 20/20 hindsight, and you will say, "Thank God He did not answer my prayers," or "Thank God He answered my prayers," whichever the case may be.
By
Greg Laurie
Monday, March 14, 2011
There Is The Sound.....Of Rain
Are you going through a spiritual dry spell? Are you busy encouraging others while your own life seems to be falling apart? You’re not unique. It happened to Elijah, a prophet who’d just called down fire from heaven on Mount Carmel and defeated 850 false prophets in a spectacular victory. Suddenly he found himself in a full-blown famine with every human resource dried up and his back to the wall. So what did he do? “He bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees” (1Ki 18:42 NKJV). Good move! Elijah decided to shut out his surroundings, reach for God’s help, and keep praying till he had an answer. When the answer came, it came as “a sound of abundance of rain.” Notice: what Elijah heard in his spirit sensed rain before a drop fell. There’s an important lesson here for you. When God speaks to you He will speak to your spirit, not your flesh. What He says there will be more real than anything that’s happening in your circumstances. But her warned, what you hear in your spirit may go against what you hear in your intellect, or what you have in the bank, or what’s happening on the job, or what’s taking place at home, or what’s happening in your body. Elijah had to discount all the “no rain” reports he kept getting. So will you. When you know God has promised you a certain thing you must tune out the negativity around you, stand on His Word and keep believing!
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
From
Newlifeoakwood.org
Sunday, March 13, 2011
Use The Right Tool
Have you ever watched a talented mechanic or craftsman work? He always has the right tool. You or I might strain to reach underneath an engine or struggle with pliers to put together some little piece of furniture. But for a master mechanic or trained craftsman, it seems that no problem is too great.
The mechanic whips out a long instrument that has a ratchet on the end, slithers it up through the crowded engine compartment, and has a blot out in seconds. A craftsman can affix the perfect-sized screwdriver head to an electric drill and assemble a complex-looking bookcase in minutes. If you talk to these people, they will always tell you that it is critical to use the right tool. A screw won't come off easily with pliers--if at all, and you can't drive in a nail with a screwdriver.This principle is critical when it comes to prayer.
Many Christians aren't aware that there are several different types of prayer discussed in the Bible, and if you use the rules or tools from one prayer when you should be using the tools from another prayer for your needs or your request, it won't work. You would be applying the wrong spiritual tool to your needs or your request. Consider what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He concludes a long section in which he urges the Christians at Ephesus to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11), then to "stand" (v. 14), saying this should be done by "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (v. 18). Notice that Paul tells us to pray with "all prayer." This refers to all kinds of prayer, or to put it in a different way, Paul is saying there are different kinds of prayer.
A failure to understand that there are different kinds of prayer and that they don't all do the same thing has led some ministers to claim we cannot pray correctly at all, or to conclude each prayer with "if it be Thy will." They frequently use Romans 8:26 as a proof text to show that we do not know what we need, so, in essence, we can't possibly pray correctly:
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. --Romans 8:26
Let me note in passing that this passage is sometimes used by ministers to claim that we don't know what we should pray for. Yet these same ministers may deny praying in tongues, which seems clearly indicated by this verse.
How to pray and what to pray for are entirely different issues. Can we agree on that? What I use my car for and how to start it have little to do with each other. This verse does not say that we do not know how to pray. It says we do not know "what we should pray for as we ought."
The context of this verse deals with intercession for others. Paul was discussing intercessory prayer, which is a totally different type of prayer tool than what we call petition prayer.
It helps to know from the outset what the different prayer tools are--to know a ratchet from a screwdriver, as it were, in the realm of prayer. We have no problem understanding that baseball, basketball, and soccer all have different types of balls, different playing surfaces, and different rules. Why is it so hard to think that prayer is any different? In fact, there are six different types of prayer mentioned in the Bible, and God intended them for different functions. These six types of prayers are:
1. The Prayer of Agreement
2. The Prayer of Faith
3. The Prayer of Consecration and Dedication
4. The Prayer of Praise and Worship
5. The Prayer of Intercession
6. The Prayer of Binding and Loosing
Each of these prayer tools God has provided has a specific purpose. While you may use more than one at any given time, you need to be clear on which tool you are using, as well as its limitations. Given that we have His Word--the Bible--there is no reason for us not to use them properly and when we do, answered prayer is guaranteed.
By
Dr. Frederick K.C Price
The mechanic whips out a long instrument that has a ratchet on the end, slithers it up through the crowded engine compartment, and has a blot out in seconds. A craftsman can affix the perfect-sized screwdriver head to an electric drill and assemble a complex-looking bookcase in minutes. If you talk to these people, they will always tell you that it is critical to use the right tool. A screw won't come off easily with pliers--if at all, and you can't drive in a nail with a screwdriver.This principle is critical when it comes to prayer.
Many Christians aren't aware that there are several different types of prayer discussed in the Bible, and if you use the rules or tools from one prayer when you should be using the tools from another prayer for your needs or your request, it won't work. You would be applying the wrong spiritual tool to your needs or your request. Consider what Paul wrote to the Ephesians. He concludes a long section in which he urges the Christians at Ephesus to "put on the whole armor of God" (Eph. 6:11), then to "stand" (v. 14), saying this should be done by "praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit" (v. 18). Notice that Paul tells us to pray with "all prayer." This refers to all kinds of prayer, or to put it in a different way, Paul is saying there are different kinds of prayer.
A failure to understand that there are different kinds of prayer and that they don't all do the same thing has led some ministers to claim we cannot pray correctly at all, or to conclude each prayer with "if it be Thy will." They frequently use Romans 8:26 as a proof text to show that we do not know what we need, so, in essence, we can't possibly pray correctly:
Likewise the Spirit also helps in our weaknesses. For we do not know what we should pray for as we ought, but the Spirit Himself makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. --Romans 8:26
Let me note in passing that this passage is sometimes used by ministers to claim that we don't know what we should pray for. Yet these same ministers may deny praying in tongues, which seems clearly indicated by this verse.
How to pray and what to pray for are entirely different issues. Can we agree on that? What I use my car for and how to start it have little to do with each other. This verse does not say that we do not know how to pray. It says we do not know "what we should pray for as we ought."
The context of this verse deals with intercession for others. Paul was discussing intercessory prayer, which is a totally different type of prayer tool than what we call petition prayer.
It helps to know from the outset what the different prayer tools are--to know a ratchet from a screwdriver, as it were, in the realm of prayer. We have no problem understanding that baseball, basketball, and soccer all have different types of balls, different playing surfaces, and different rules. Why is it so hard to think that prayer is any different? In fact, there are six different types of prayer mentioned in the Bible, and God intended them for different functions. These six types of prayers are:
1. The Prayer of Agreement
2. The Prayer of Faith
3. The Prayer of Consecration and Dedication
4. The Prayer of Praise and Worship
5. The Prayer of Intercession
6. The Prayer of Binding and Loosing
Each of these prayer tools God has provided has a specific purpose. While you may use more than one at any given time, you need to be clear on which tool you are using, as well as its limitations. Given that we have His Word--the Bible--there is no reason for us not to use them properly and when we do, answered prayer is guaranteed.
By
Dr. Frederick K.C Price
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