Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- To prevail is "to be successful in the face of difficulty, to completely dominate, to overcome and triumph." Prevailing prayer is prayer that pushes right through all difficulties and obstacles, drives back all the opposing forces of Satan, and secures the will of God.
Its purpose is to accomplish God's will on earth. Prevailing prayer is prayer that not only takes the initiative but continues on the offensive for God until spiritual victory is won. (Google image, Men praying together )
In many situations, before prayer is answered, people must take certain actions. Whether they are saved or unsaved people, human beings cannot control others' wills because God has given us freedom to choose. In addition to human influence, the Holy Spirit and Satan are influencing the thought life of human beings.
The Holy Spirit speaks directly through God's Word, through other people's words, and often through angels who suggest thoughts without the person being aware of the source. He may prepare circumstances that exert pressure or make certain actions possible.
Similarly, Satan, the master of deception, tries to influence the thought life of people, whether through the actions or words of others or through demonic suggestion.
Prevailing prayer is necessary in the following situations:
To oppose Satan in his battle for souls. When you pray for an unsaved person to yield to Christ, you are praying in harmony with God's will, with the ministry of the Holy Spirit, and with the assistance of God's angels. But you are also praying in direct opposition to Satan and against the actions of all his evil spirits.
Even when we are sure we are praying in accordance with the will of God, we are often met with surprising resistance. God never overpowers the human will. He speaks to conscience, but a person's conscience may be deadened. Satan's prime battle ground is the human mind, and his demons must be resisted and driven away.
In the case of a sinner, it is comparatively easy for Satan to get a hearing for his suggestions. Serious prayer is necessary to offset his diabolical schemes.
To overcome the satanic seduction of Christians. Even strong believers are subject to demonic suggestion. One one occasion Satan succeeded in persuading David to take a wrong action by "inciting' his mind (1 Chron. 21:1).
He guided Peter's thought processes in an encounter with Jesus, and Jesus instantly realized that Peter was unconsciously voicing Satan's suggestions (Matt. 16:23). Satan also injected evil thoughts into the minds of James and John (Luke 9:55-56).
Sometimes even the most spiritual may temporarily lapse into uncharacteristic displays of weakness. The critical word spoken in a committee meeting, the malicious gossip whispered in conversation, the lack of faith evidenced in decision-making may actually have originated as a suggestion from one of Satan's demons.
If Satan could penetrate even the mind of Christ, tempting Him for forty days and forty nights (Matt. 4:1-11), then we should not be surprised that we need to prevail in prayer.
To protect yourself or others from direct satanic attack. Job was not the only one who was attacked physically by Satan. One wonders, however, if Job's trials might have been lifted much sooner if his three "friends" had been praying Christians! The thorn in Paul's flesh was a messenger of Satan (2 Cor. 12:7). Luke 13:10-17 tells of a woman crippled for eighteen years by Satan. In Mark 9:17-20 a demon spirit robbed a boy of speech and caused convulsions.
Near-fatal accidents have often convinced Christian workers that Satan was trying to destroy them. In the mountains of India, while en route to ministry, our Christian co-workers have suddenly been confronted by wild animals. A new group of believers was frightened one New Year's Eve by a trumpeting herd of elephants, who had demolished their simple church structure on three previous occasions.
Father, help us understand that to be successful in overcoming our difficulties, we must learn to prevail in praying. Through praying, we push through our difficulties and obstacles to secure Your will for us.
Prayer Services in Korea (Very interesting and challenging!)
By Mario Vega
Today's Bible verses-
~ In your morning routine, do you take time to be with Jesus? Are there things that hold you back from what is most important in jump-starting your day? Make an effort to find out what it is, so you can freely read His Word, pray and worship. He is the One who loves you so much He died for you so you could find forgiveness and peace. Let Him bathe your soul with His love and grace today!
Today's guest post-
HELP
Today's question-
What do we boast about?
The North Country Christian Fellowship Center Churches,
located in the St. Lawrence county of NY,
broadcast their Sunday services at 10 or 10:15
You can view past services too.
No comments:
Post a Comment