Thoughts for Life: #94 Over Whom Do You Prevail In Prayer?

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.

(Chapter 26, p. 195-197, italics added for emphasis)

Used by permission

of the Duewel Literature Trust, Inc,

Greenwood, Indiana

Available by phone

317-881-6755, ext, 361

or www.duewelliteraturetrust.org

Let's pray-

Father, may we begin to learn to pray, though we may have become weak spiritually. Open our understanding how important it is, and to come against any of our excuses for not prevailing in prayer.

Make us spirit-filled people, hungry to pray, eager to sacrifice other things in order to pray more. We confess our prayerlessness and ask You to forgive us, and to give us victory over our past defeats and inner hesitations.

We see that Satan's demons come against us to not learn the secret of prayer. They would have us keep busy doing things for You, not spending time in prayer. Spiritual victories are won through spiritual warfare, and aren't won when we're powerless and fruitless and don't engage in prayer warfare.

Our great need is to prevail over ourselves and over the powers of darkness. We know that You'll test us concerning our earnestness and depth of our desire to be overcomers in this warfare of praying for Your will to be done.

Over time, we will learn many important lessons, as we earnestly seek Your way for us as prayer warriors. There will be lapses of time where we'll need to keep praying for certain answers to be seen, trusting You to be working on them for our good and Your glory.

May we be found faithful to prevail in prayer for Your will to be done for the spread of the Gospel, expanding His domain until He returns for us. We pray this in His name. Amen

Today's Bible verses-

Matthew 11:28 (AMPC), John 14:27 (AMP) Jesus beckons, “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy-laden and overburdened, and I will cause you to rest. [I will ease and relieve and refresh your souls.] . . . Peace I leave with you; My [perfect] peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid. [Let My perfect peace calm you in every circumstance and give you courage and strength for every challenge.]”

2 Thessalonians 3:16 (AMPC) “Now may the Lord of peace Himself grant you His peace (the peace of His kingdom) at all times and in all ways [under all circumstances and conditions, whatever comes]. The Lord [be] with you all.”

Quote for today-

~ Mary Southerland- "Don’t miss the life changing truth that we can enthrone God in every situation of our lives by giving Him praise. Praise converts our everyday surroundings into His dwelling place. It is from that throne of praise that God dispenses victory and peace and joy. Praise tunes us into His sovereignty and allows us to experience the reality and power of His presence."

Words of wisdom-

~ 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.

Today's Popular post-

#2 The Spirit of Devotion

Andrew Murray:

"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."