THE PRAYER KEY!

 EVERYDAY IN THE WORD!

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2021.

SUBJECT: THE PRAYER KEY!

Memory verse: "Then He spoke a parable to them, that men always ought to pray and not lose heart." (Luke 18 vs 1.)

READ: James 5 vs 13 - 18:

5:13: Is anyone among you suffering? let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? let him sing psalms.

5:14: Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord:

5:15: And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven.

5:16: Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.

5:17: Elijah was a man with 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.

5:18: And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

INTIMATION:

The prayer key is the master key that opens all doors. It is the desire of the Father that His children approach Him in prayer. Prayer is the natural response of those who recognize their need for the help of God in their lives. It is earnestly entreating God in sincerity of your intention. It is the greatest privilege, and ministry available to all Christians. Indeed, everyone who seeks to take his or her place in the kingdom of God should seek or learn how to pray effectively. Because prayer is, in itself, our fellowship with the Father, He awaits us to come to Him in prayer, and consequently welcomes us in fellowship with Him.

Prayer is very essential for every Christian. It is noteworthy that our Master, Jesus, never taught His disciples how to preach but rather taught them how to pray, He said to His disciples "When you pray" and not "If you pray," therefore, He requires us to be in fellowship with the Father always; “Pray without ceasing” (First Thessalonians 5 vs 17). All prayers are subject to God’s will. As I said earlier, the Christian’s most powerful resource is communion with God through prayer. The results are often greater than we thought were possible. 

Some people see prayer as a last resort to be tried when all else fails. This approach is backward. Prayer should come first. God wants His children to be completely dependent on Him, and not wearied about how often we come to Him in prayer. Because God’s power is infinitely greater than ours, it only makes sense to rely on it, especially when God encourages us to do so. Prayer has remained the key to an excellent way to maintain a constant grace of God in our lives, and have our priorities right throughout each day. A disciplined prayer life entails going to God in prayers often, preferably three times a day; morning, afternoon and night. The Psalmist in Psalm 55 vs 17 says, "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, And He shall hear my voice." 

Night prayers remains the most effective. Our prayers are usually interrupted mostly by the pressure of our daily schedules. In the night our concentration is highest, and our fellowship most effective. Night prayers arm us most effectively to overcome the overwhelming evils in the world. The evil doers usually perpetrate their evils in the night when most Christians are resting in their beds (see Matthew 13 vs 24 - 25). 

Jesus Christ, in His ministry on earth, has always gone up to the mountains in the night hours to pray—fellowshipping with the Father—and obtaining all the powers required for His exploits (Luke 6 vs 12). During the day, He performed His wondrous acts and gave thanks to the Father that has always heard Him. His concentration in His fellowship with the Father in the night hours is maximum. No distractions of any sorts. This practice of fellowshipping with the Father and our Messiah Jesus, in the hours of the night is very essential for every Christian to win our battles against the evil one.

The power of prayer is not in the number of prayers that are made for a particular request. The power is not in repetitious phrases or words in prayer. The power of prayer is based on the righteous living of the individual who makes the prayer of faith. The righteous demeanor of our lives, therefore, is the foundation upon which prayers are answered. This is true because God always works on behalf of His obedient children. 

Prayer: Abba Father, give me the grace to commune with You in prayer morning, at noon, and in the night, that I may be thoroughly equipped to stand against the wiles of the devil, in Jesus’ Name I have prayed, Amen.

PRAISE THE LORD!