Pray or Perish

Wednesday 20 September
READ: Lk. 22:39-46  
MORE LESSON:  Josh. 9:3-16

The dangers of prayerlessness are numerous and whatever the cost of prayer, praying is still cheaper than the pains of prayerlessness. Jesus, at the Garden of Gethsemane, interrupted His crucial prayer to wake up the disciples to pray because He knew what prayerlessness could cost them;  ...when he rose up from prayer, and  was come to his disciples, he found them sleeping for sorrow, And said unto them, Why sleep ye? rise and pray, lest ye enter into temptation:   Lk. 22:45-46. 

Prayerlessness, in most cases, is a result of ignorance of the importance of prayer. God designed prayer for three major purposes among others.

1. Fellowship and communion with God; And Enoch walked with God: and he was not; for God took him: Gen. 5:24.
2. Receiving from God; Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: Matt. 7:7; Jn. 4:2.
3. Spiritual warfare; Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might: Eph. 6:10.

If we miss any of these we take an expensive irredeemable risk. Jesus Himself had no alternative to praying. Thus the Bible records; And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly...: v.44. Prayer, for Jesus, was a do or die affair and there is no other way to warn against prayerlessness than to sound the eternal warning: pray or die.   Joshua neglected prayer and he was denied. King David once pleaded with God: -
Consider and hear me, O LORD my God: lighten mine eyes, lest I sleep the sleep of death: Psa. 13:3.

The disciples scattered as soon as Jesus was arrested (Mk. 14:50), their leader became a coward before a little maid (Mk. 14:68) and he ended up a backslider three days after Jesus' death (Jn. 21:1). All these happened because “their eyes were heavy” Mk. 14:40, while Jesus their Master was earnestly praying. Thank God Jesus prayed for them ahead of the evil days (Lk. 22:32) or else they would have been the greatest causalities of that event. Consequently they would have paid dearly for their prayerlessness and sleep of death.

Prayer/Action
* Ask that the driving force of prayer will make you victorious over life situations.
* Come against the spirit of prayerlessness.
*Ask God to anoint you for strength in the place of prayer.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
The remaining days of this month and beyond shall be for my rejoicing, people will celebrate with me and Jehovah shall be glorified, in the name of Jesus.

The Unquenchable Thirst for Prayer

Tuesday 19 September
READ: Isa. 55: 1-6   
MORE LESSON:  Joel. 2:28-29

The conclusion of our study of Jesus' pattern of prayer therefore is to pray in order to find help to pray like Jesus prayed. We need His grace, unction, tenacity, and result. You must not stop asking for the power to pray until you can pray like Him, and pray till you see Him face to face. This thirst must not end until there is no more need to pray. Indeed, the more we pray, the more we must cry for help to pray. After all, Jesus still prays even now that He is at the right hand of the Father. In spite of His exploits on the earth, the wonderful reward for His works and the exalted throne He now occupies, He is still praying. So pray and continue to pray. God who gave Him grace will give you if you ask.

Prayer will change your night to day, move mountains, deal with the devil, connect you directly with the Father and keep you permanently at His right hand of power. Prayer reveals the secrets of God and men; it takes away your burden, pain and keeps you from sin. It has remained the secret of the success of many, including Jesus. Oh, that Jesus will teach and help us to pray. When the disciples asked Jesus to teach them to pray, they were not asking for a one time capability.

They wanted something that they had seen in Jesus; they wanted the Spirit of prayer, not just one act, that made Jesus pray and pray. With Jesus now at the right hand of the Father, still making intercession, the Spirit of prayer will fall on any one who dares to ask.

Beloved, we have a standing promise in today's study. Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without price: Isa. 55:1. I love them that love me; and those that seek me early shall find me: Prov. 8:17.

He is a faithful God that promised, and He will meet every thirsty soul with abundance. For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring: And they shall spring up as among the grass, as willows by the water courses: Isa. 44:3-4.

Today, stand up and claim these promises and let the zeal of the Lord fall upon you. Welcome ye the spirit of prayer!

Prayer/Action
*  Declare, “Lord stir in me the thirst to pray and grant me all it takes to keep on praying as Jesus did.
* Ask God to baptize you with a fresh fire of prayer.
* Pray that the fire of prayer in you will not be quenched.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Every arrow of failure, pain, sudden death, and sympathy, I send you back to sender in the month of September, in the name of Jesus.

Until your Joy is Full

Monday 18 September
READ: Lk. 11:1-8  
MORE LESSON:  I Kgs. 18:42-46; Hab.2:1-3

Another matter to consider is the issue of never giving up in the place of prayer. Often, it may look like answer is not forthcoming and you are tempted to seek alternatives or give up hope entirely. We all pass through such experiences but never give up because there is no alternative to calling on God. Jesus, aware that such will always happen, gave the illustration in today's reading to teach us the need to be importunate in prayer.And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee: Lk. 11:7.

If by persistent asking the man got as much as he needed from his unwilling friend, how much more shall we obtain from our heavenly Father who has promised and is alive to keep His Word.

Daniel waited for 21 days;
But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but, lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia: Dan. 10:13. Elijah sent his servant seven times before a small cloud showed up, And it came to pass at the seventh time, that he said, Behold, there ariseth a little cloud out of the sea, like a man's hand. And he said, Go up, say unto Ahab, Prepare thy chariot, and get thee down, that the rain stop thee not: I Kgs. 18:44.

Paul was on the high sea for fourteen days before an angel came to encourage him;
And when neither sun nor stars in many days appeared, and no small tempest lay on us, all hope that we should be saved was then taken away: Acts 27:20. None of these men stopped asking until their joy was full.

God’s store house is inexhaustible! You cannot finish it! That's why Jesus said, keep asking and asking and asking until you are satisfied, until your joy overflows its bank. However, we must ask in faith and according to His will.

The evidence of our faith is the patience we exercise until answers come, ...he that believeth shall not make haste: Isa 28 :16. Never give up praying until your joy is full. Remember, delay is not denial!

Prayer/Action
* Ask the Lord for the fullness of your joy.
* Pray that Heaven will rise up to intervene for you until your joy is full.
* Ask God for strength to PUSH (pray until something happens).

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
This week I will advance, take charge and reign on every side, in the name of Jesus.

Ask, Seek, Knock

Sunday 17 September
READ: Matt.7:7-13   
MORE LESSON:  I Jn. 5:15-17

As we get close to rounding off this series on prayer, it's important to touch on a few vital matters, which are central to the issue of prayer. In one of His earliest teachings on prayer, Jesus teaches that prayer is about asking, seeking and knocking. The Lord also gives very strong and definite promises that for asking we shall receive, seeking we shall find and knocking it shall be opened to us (Matt. 7:7-8). This should inspire strong faith that whatever we ask in prayer shall be given. Jesus goes on to promise that everyone who asks receives - young or old, male or female, etc. Note that …he that seeketh findeth; whatever it is - spiritual, physical, academic, etc. Prayer provides the power to open and have access to all doors shut by the enemy, spirit or human. Also, …and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.

However, you must seek the Lord with all your heart and ask according to His will; And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart: Jer. 29:13. Casual seekers don't find God. The seeking  must be determined and wholehearted, and the promise of God is sure; And I will be found of you...: Jer. 29:14. So don't stop asking, seeking and knocking because very soon, you will receive, find and the doors shall be opened to you, in Jesus' name. Today, you will receive answer; God will open the door when you knock and answer the calls you make, in Jesus' name.

It is important to note here that by this scriptures, assumption is not prayer. Many people assume that God should know their problem and just solve it because He is the Almighty God. God works by principles; His instruction is that you must ask. Until you do, you are not ready for solution. Blind Bartimaeus stood before Jesus, and though Jesus saw that he was blind, he still asked him, ...What wilt thou that I should do unto thee...: Mk. 10:51.

Most important of all is that anyone who comes to God must come in faith, believing for without faith it is impossible to please God (Heb. 11:6). The same faith that can heal headache is the same that heals cancer, HIV, TB, etc. It is all about asking our loving Father with whom nothing shall be impossible and asking in faith.

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for the power of the Holy Ghost to pray right.
* Pray that Heaven will reckon with your voice when you ask and open doors to you when you knock.
* Ask the Holy Spirit to direct you on how to pray effective prayers and not just noise.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, cut the supply and provision of every agent of the enemy to my life that they may lack the resources to work against my destiny, in the mighty name of Jesus.