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et me welcome you with joy to this month of March, our month of prevailing prayers. People of God, the need of the hour are powerful, persistent, passionate, prevailing prayer. The need is far greater than most of God's people realize. The moral fiber of our nations has crumbled. Real love and compassion have become almost non-existent. Confusion and upheaval have swept across the nations like a tidal wave. Jesus said the end is approaching when you are hearing about wars and rumors of war. Dear brothers and sisters, if you remember nothing else from this month, please remember this: "When prayer fails, Satan prevails." The demons of Hell rejoice when the child of God is prayerless. Satan knows well that prayerless Christians are powerless Christians.
Christians are embroiled in one of the most heated and holy battles of all time-the battle against "…the rulers of the darkness of this world" (Eph.6: 12b). If we are to prevail, we must fight the good fight of faith; we must pray. It is as if Satan just woke up and said the Christians have had enough and he must react. I remember in my undergraduate days watch the movie -"Quo Vadis"-where Emperor Nero was quoted as saying "By the time I have finished with this Christians history will not be sure they ever existed."So you see many Neros rising up like ISIS fighting hard. Boko Haram is fighting hard and many terrorist groups are spring up in all corners of the world where they never existed. Transgender issue is gaining momentum in the western world like a wild fire assisted by hamarttan as if these people were not born of women through the seed of men! The souls of lost men and women literally hang in the balance. There is bloodshed everywhere; many souls are plunged to hell as if it does not matter. While lost souls teeter-totter on the brink of destruction, Christians are largely unconcerned and prayerless. The good news always supersedes the bad news that is why Paul writing to the Ephesians gave us numerous armours of protection against aggression but more that protective measures he also gave us two offensive weapons the sword of the spirit and prayer. "Be prepared. You're up against far more than you can handle on your own. Take all the help you can get, every weapon God has issued, so that when it's all over but the shouting you'll still be on your feet. Truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation are more than words. Learn how to apply them. You'll need them throughout your life. God's Word is an indispensable weapon. In the same way, prayer is essential in this ongoing warfare. Pray hard and long. Pray for your brothers and sisters. Keep your eyes open. Keep each other's spirits up so that no one falls behind or drops out." Eph 6:13-18 The Message (MSG). Wherever you are this month let us pray prevailing prayers. Let us put the devil where he belongs, where is Emperor Nero today?
What is prevailing prayer?
Our youngest daughter teaches a class of the children Sunday school. Their classroom is adjacent to my office. One day this 15-year old comes and asks "Daddy the children wants to know if they can repeat their prayers." I said she should go back and ask the children "if they want 'burger or any meal' from their parents do they repeat their demand?" Prevailing prayer is asking till you receive. Prevailing prayer is that you will prevail over any given subject in a manner that is effective. We could pray a one-liner over our city every day and call that prayer. And, indeed it is! But, it may not qualify as prevailing prayer unless we are willing to wait until eternity to possibly see the fruit of it. Prevailing prayer like faith has its hope in the "now," the "present day" for change to occur. So, in light of that, there are some distinct characteristics that set prevailing prayer apart from ordinary or common prayer. It can predominate and triumph over any situation. Neither will it cease until the answer is obtained, which causes it to be sustained prayer.
Many prayer warriors wrote about prevailing prayer. Leonard Ravenhill said "No man is greater than his prayer life. The pastor who is not praying is playing; the people who are not praying are straying. We have many organizers, but few agonizers; many players and payers, few pray-ers; many singers, few clingers; lots of pastors, few wrestlers; many fears, few tears; much fashion, little passion; many interferers, few intercessors; many writers, but few fighters. Failing here, we fail everywhere." Warren Wiersbe in his commentary said "Prayer is the energy that enables the Christian soldier to wear the armor and to wield the sword. We cannot fight the battle in our own power no matter how strong or talented we may think we are. Prayer is the power for victory but not just any kind of prayer."
What is the purpose of prevailing prayer?
When a purpose is unknown abuse is inevitable. The church is praying but are we praying prevailing prayers? What is the purpose of prevailing prayer? "Now about that time Herod the king stretched forth his bands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also." Acts 12:1-2. James was the first apostle who became a martyr for Christ. Stephen had previously been stoned, but he was not an apostle. Herod has captured and imprisoned Peter. Now Peter, indeed, seems to be at death's gate; but the Lord said, "Thus far shall thou go, and no farther." This we have to keep before us, that Satan, though he hates us, can go no farther than the Lord gives him liberty. But God will not just stop Satan if you fail to do your part -pray! The purpose of prevailing prayer is to keep Satan at bay. Satan hates us. Satan does not want you to succeed. Satan wants people to live in abject poverty and misery. Satan does not want your children to go to school. My father did not go to school, he knew the battle he faced to send me to school, financially.Satan does not want your marriage to succeed, and that is why divorce rates are increasing. Satan does not want you or anybody to be saved. Only one third of the world has embraced Christianity in one form or the other (, Catholics, Mainline, Evangelicals and Pentecostals etc). The antidote for the onslaught of Satan is not just glorified prayer, not just praying for praying sake but praying to get results. Our church will embark on 21 days praying and fasting from March 1-21, 2015, but I made it clear that it is not just to fulfill a task. It is to secure your position in destiny. It is to liberate your nation. Nigeria will be going for general election this month the only solution is prevailing prayer. Canada will be going for general election in the fall only prayer can help. When Daniel prayed he prayed a prevailing prayer. He prayed for 21 days. His prayers were answered on the first day and he did not get the result because the prince of Persia arrested the angel that brought the answer. Daniel could have hurriedly concluded that God was not interested in his affairs or the affairs of the nation of Israel he was praying for, but he knew about prevailing prayers, he knew the tricks of Satan, so he was resolute, in spirit, stubborn, persistent, endured, travailed, stood his ground until he got result. He knew the result was the liberation of his people from 70 years of bondage. The purpose of your prayer is to come out of satanic bondage, and captivity irrespective of the years whether for yourself, family, church, community nation or religion. 3 And it came to pass in process of time, that the king of Egypt died: and the children of Israel sighed by reason of the bondage, and they cried, and their cry came up unto God by reason of the bondage.24 And God heard their groaning, and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto them Ex 2:23-25. I pray that god will hear your prayers and my prayers!
How do we pray prevailing prayers?
Again, Leonard Ravenhill helps us "A man may study because his brain is hungry for knowledge, even Bible knowledge. But he prays because his soul is hungry for God." We pray prevailing prayer by being hungry for god and solution to our needs, be it political, material, social, financial, and physical. Let me give you three examples from scripture:
The story of The Syrophoenician woman. This is a remarkable story recorded in the 15th chapter of Matthew about the woman of Canaan who pleaded with Jesus to deliver her daughter from demon possession. Jesus ignored her for a while the disciples tried to send her away but she would not be denied. Then she came and worshipped Him, saying, "Lord, help me!" But He answered and said, "It is not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the little dogs." And she said, "Yes, Lord, yet even the little dogs eat the crumbs which fall from their masters' table." Then Jesus answered and said to her, "O woman, great is your faith! Let it be to you as you desire." And her daughter was healed from that very hour. (Matt. 15:25-28) This is the perfect picture of pressing through every obstacle in urgent solicitation and importunity in order to prevail with the Lord.
The second story is similar, it is of a widow. "Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not to lose heart, 2 saying, "In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect man. 3 There was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, '[a]Give me legal protection from my opponent.' 4 For a while he was unwilling; but afterward he said to himself, 'Even though I do not fear God nor respect man, 5 yet because this widow bothers me, I will [b]give her legal protection, otherwise by continually coming she will [c]wear me out. 6 And the Lord said, "Hear what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will not God bring about justice for His elect who cry to Him day and night, [d]and will He delay long over them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find [e]faith on the earth?" Lk 18:1-8.Again we see a hard hearted man, a no nonsense man who bowed to a prayer of importunity, prevailing prayer.
The third story was narrated by James about Elijah and gave us key factors about prevailing prayer which we shall discuss next. "Make this your common practice: Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you can live together whole and healed. The prayer of a person living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Elijah, for instance, human just like us, prayed hard that it wouldn't rain, and it didn't-not a drop for three and a half years. Then he prayed that it would rain, and it did. The showers came and everything started growing again.19-20 My dear friends, if you know people who have wandered off from God's truth, don't write them off. Go after them. Get them back and you will have rescued precious lives from destruction and prevented an epidemic of wandering away from God. Jas 5:16-18 Messages (MSG),
I like what Pat Gastineau said "God put into your spiritual DNA a desire to prevail in prayer, to see people effected and to see cities and nations turned. Everyone has a dream to be used by God to affect mankind on some level. Even the desire to find your inheritance and have your destiny mapped out is a dream that we all dream. If you don't, you've gotten side tracked into some comfort zone of peace at all cost." Pray at all times-on every occasion, in every season-in the Spirit, with all [manner of] prayer and entreaty. To that end keep alert and watch with strong purpose and perseverance, interceding in behalf of all the saints [God's consecrated people]. (Eph. 6:18 Amp)
What are hindrances to prevailing prayers?
Is it just about persistence that it's called prevailing prayers? No! James says:"…The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." Leonard Ravenhill says "You can't live wrong and pray right." Prayer has standards.
Prayer with a wrong motive cannot prevail. See what James 4:3 says. Often we pray selfishly, but only prayer that is offered for the glory of God gains His ear and secures His answer.
If sin is regarded, prayer cannot prevail. Psalm 66:18 tells us that if we knowingly harbour sin in our life, God will not hear us. We need to pray the prayer that David prayed - look up Psalm 139:23-24, and if God reveals sin, thank God we may confess it and have it forgiven - look up 1 John 1:9.
An unforgiving spirit will hinder prayer. Look up Mark 11:25, and see what our Lord had to say about this; then read verse 26. Is this a possible reason why our prayers for the conversion of our loved ones are not being answered?
An unwillingness to be reconciled to another hinders prayer. See what Matthew 5:23-24 says. Here is a priority. It is of little use to pray, to worship, to go to meetings or to engage in the service of God and to expect His blessing if we are not willing first to be reconciled to our brother.
A wrong human relationship hinders prayer. Study 1 Peter 3:7 carefully. Perhaps our attitude to, or relationship with, the members of our family is not all it should be. According to this verse, if you treat you wife harshly that can constitute a hindrance to your prayers.
Let us pray!
As I conclude and urge you to pray let me remind you that our enemy, the devil, pulls out a new trick each day in order to keep us from prayer. Often we succumb without the least bit of resistance or discernment as to what is taking place. Most days he doesn't even have to find a new trick. The same one he used yesteryears still works to keep us from praying today. Beloved, when was the last time you spent thirty minutes in prayer? When was the last time you spent thirty minutes watching TV? Last year when Facebook celebrated 10 years of existence, someone wrote in Charisma magazine that Christian now prefer Facebook to bible. Te social media is good, it has its purpose but it can't replace the place of prayer. If we want to win the war against the onslaught of Satan against the church in this generation, all this small write up, video clips will not help us we must look at the cross, we must bend our knees. The place and priority of prayer in our lives must be quickly established or re-established. I pray continually throughout the day, as I'm sure you do as well, but this is no excuse for not setting apart time just for prayer. God will not do for us what He would not do for Jesus - exempt us from the need to pray!
If our Redeemer - the One who spoke this world into place, the Lion of Judah, the Lamb slain before the foundation of the world - found prayer necessary in God's economy, then who are we to try to live by any other standard? Who are we to think that we can attempt to live without prevailing prayer? One of the places that attracted my attention when I visited Israel a couple of years ago that I cannot forget in hurry was the garden of Gethsemane. I just imagine how Jesus was agonizing and the disciples were sleeping. No wonder Jesus said, "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak." Matt 26:41
Prevailing prayer is one of the most noted characteristics of Jesus' life. It marked His beginning: At His baptism, it was "while He prayed" that "heaven opened" and the Holy Spirit descended (Lu.3:21-22). Prayer was a constant throughout His ministry as He often withdrew to the wilderness or to a solitary place to pray…even spending all night in prayer on the mountainside (Lu. 6:12). Prayer marked the end as well: As He took His final breaths in flesh; Jesus continued praying even on the cross until he said it is finished. Meaning I have finished my part, you take over! When I look at website of churches in Canada and most churches in the Western world and see -Night vigil First Friday or Last Friday of the month and it last for two hours I can only pray that God will help this generation of Christians!
Paul echoed the same sentiments in Eph 2:10-18 when he said paraphrased "How do you live out these Gospel blessings and responsibilities, how do you prevail against all these wicked and vicious arrows of the enemy? You need to be strong in the Lord, strong in God's strength. You know you can't live the Christian life on your own. You're saved by Christ and you live by Christ. You're saved by grace and you live by grace. You're saved by faith and you must live by faith. You received Christ and that's how you walk in Him." Let us put on that Gospel armor, the defensive but more that that the offensive. Notice that in the armour Paul described there is nothing to cover our back, and so we cannot afford to be turning our back to the devil, we have to take Satan on with full force of power and prevailing prayer. That's how we can get the victory over the enemy which is the purpose of prevailing prayer!
