Dr. Wesley L. Duewel- You must prevail over yourself. Prevailing prayer can be exhausting work. Many Christians are so spiritually frail, sickly, and lacking in spiritual vitality that they cannot stick to prayer for more than a few minutes at a time. Such people are too spiritually weak to know how to pray with real soul travail.
Others are so carnal that not only does their physical nature shrink form prayer, but their carnal nature fears prayer involvement, holds back from prolonged praying, and finds a multitude of excuses for not prevailing in prayer. (Google image, Joy, strength and courage )
A Spirit-filled person is hungry to pray, rejoices in extra time for prayer, and is eager to sacrifice other things in order to pray more.
Many people need to confess their prayerlessness and ask God to deliver them. I urge you to claim God's victory by faith over your prayer defeats, inner hesitations, and prayerlessness.
You must prevail over Satan. Satan and his demons do not want you to learn the secrets of prayer. They fear your prayer more than your witness and your work. They would rather have you to be busy for God all day then to pray for one hour.
Spiritual victories are normally won in spiritual warfare. We see so few great spiritual victories because we fight so few prayer battles. We are powerless and fruitless because we engage in prayer so casually.
We have never learned prayer warfare. I you are unwilling to fight, don't expect great victories (Eph. 2:2; 6:11-12; John 14:30; 1 John 4:4; 5:19).
Daniel's prayer was granted, but for twenty-one days his answers were delayed by demon powers (10:12-13). If Daniel had not fasted and fought the prayer battle the full three weeks, if he had stopped one day short of victory, we would not have the great tenth chapter of Daniel. If you ask for something in God's will and do not persevere in prayer, you may never receive God's answer.
You must prevail before God. Not only must you prevail over yourself and over the powers of darkness, but God will also test your earnestness and depth of desire.
Jesus tested the Greek woman whose daughter was suffering from demon-possession (Matt. 15:21-28). At first Jesus kept silent, and the disciples said, "Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us" (v. 23). But she pressed her case before Jesus until she prevailed and received total deliverance for her little girl.
In Gethsemane, Jesus prayed three hours until He prevailed. His prayer agony was so great that God sent an angel to strengthen Him.
You will learn many spiritual lessons because of God's delayed answers to prayer. Perhaps these delays are for the purpose of teaching you how to prevail in prayer.
Today's Bible verses-
~ When you're in a storm in life, do you think that the Lord is with you, or do you think that you're all alone? His hand is probably around your shoulders as He whispers His love for you. Looking back at such times, would you trade them? Such everyday experiences with Jesus brings us closer to Him.
"Pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father . . . shall reward thee openly" (Matthew 6:6). We use the word devotion in two ways—with regard to prayer in our private devotions and with regard to that spirit of devotion, or devotedness to God, which is to mark our daily life."
Baby animal playing in snow |
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.
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