By Prayer and Fasting I

Sunday 1 October
READ: Mk. 9:14-29    
MORE LESSON:  Lk.2:36 -38

Jesus went to the mount of transfiguration with some of His disciples leaving the others behind to wait. Coming back to them He saw the disciples struggling without result as a healing and deliverance case. In fact the situation had degenerated to an argument and a debate between the disciples of Jesus and the scribes. Only God knew what the scribes had been saying. Thank God for Jesus' timely arrival and intervention, the boy was instantly healed. Surprised, the disciples put their shame aside and asked Jesus ...Why could not we cast him out? Mk. 9:28.

This  wonderful story has given us a great revelation that certain things will not happen to us except we add fasting to prayer. However, it is sad that today certain versions of the Bible omit the word 'fasting' from this passage. My interest is in the wisdom and courage of the disciples to ask, ...Why could not we cast him out? This question gave birth to the great revelation that has empowered us to prevail over the devil and his wicked agents. If the disciples had kept quiet, maybe Jesus wouldn't have revealed this: ...this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting: Matt. 17:21.

While the opportunity lasts, we should be wise enough to ask God, our leaders, fellow Christians and as many as could help, why we could not do certain things. We can ask Jesus through prayer why, how, and what can be done about our failures; He is still alive to answer us. Rather than pack it up, ask God, and wait for the answer. Sometimes you also need to ask yourself because it is not always all about God but also about certain things which are known to us. And he said unto them, This kind can come forth by nothing, but by prayer and fasting: Mk. 9:29. Beloved, exceptional things happen when we fast and pray.

Exceptional things are things that will not happen ordinarily. Nehemiah, Moses, Elijah, Daniel, David, Esther are a few testimonies to this. By fasting Nehemiah made a Babylonian king to pay for the building of the wall of Jerusalem; Daniel defeated the prince of Persia; Esther broke protocol and got the enemy of the Jews hanged.  All these happened before saints spoke in tongues. Holy Ghost prayer plus righteous fast will do exceptional things.  

Prayer/Action
* Pray for a humble heart to learn from your failures and receive grace for success in subsequent endeavours.
*Pray that the key of prayer and fasting will not be lost in our assembly and homes.
*Receive strength to pay the price and to endure in the place of prayer, in Jesus’ name.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, it is with a heart of gratitude that I receive the month of October and I declare it fixed for joy, in the name of Jesus.

Praying by the Blood

Saturday 30 September
READ: Heb. 9:11-22   
MORE LESSON:  Rom. 5:9

For if the blood of bulls and of goats ... sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh: How much more shall the blood of Christ...: Heb. 9:13-14.  The Blood of Jesus is the strength of the Christian faith. Without Jesus and His blood Christianity will collapse. One song says, “My hope is built on nothing else but Jesus' blood and righteousness”. It is by the Blood that we are able to connect with the Father and fight forces of darkness that will not want us to commune with the Father.

Long before Jesus shed His Blood, the symbol of His Blood was already doing wonders, like it did in Egypt at the Passover. Now that the real Blood has been shed, there is nothing it cannot do. Even the sight of Jesus' sweat dropping like His Blood was strong enough to command God's quick intervention; how much more the very Blood. The Blood carries the life of Jesus, His prayer life inclusive; and when applied in prayer over any issue, the result is unparalleled. This is particularly useful in overcoming satanic arrows against our prayer or prayer life. The Blood gives us access to God, cleanses our conscience from guilt and satanic condemnation.

Learn to plead the Blood of Jesus on your life and the place of prayer, both as an offensive and defensive weapon. It is very potent against wandering thoughts and all other demonic distractions to prayer. I believe that believers have not explored the power in the Blood of Jesus enough, and this is because we have not studied enough about the powers therein. Christianity is built mainly on Jesus and His blood and we all must explore it.

Penetrating heaven without the Blood of Jesus will be an exercise in futility! The Blood must go ahead of us to plead mercy and remind the Father about His promises which are rooted in the Blood of Jesus. Our confidence in the place of prayer is because of what the Blood of Jesus has done on the Cross for us; granting us access to the Father and denying the devil's accusation in our matters.

We must plead the Blood of Jesus often , in prayer and out of prayer. Even if it is only to remind the devil of his defeat, it is worth pleading the Blood. 

Prayer/Action
* Thank God for the access we have through the Blood of Jesus.
* Declare that the Blood of Jesus will speak better things for you, in Jesus’ name.
*Ask God to cover you with the Blood of Jesus as you start to pray.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, with gratitude for a Heaven- defended month, I thank You for the month of September, in the name of Jesus.

Prayer and the Word

Friday 29 September
READ: Matt. 4:4-10   
MORE LESSON:  Heb. 1:1-3

The Word of God is the shell in which prayer is incubated and hatched. It helps to make our prayers acceptable to God. It shows us the requirements for answer, gives the appropriate words and compels God to act because He cannot break His Word. In Matt. 22:29 Jesus told the Jews, ...Ye do err, not knowing the scriptures, nor the power of God. The Word of God keeps us from error and opens our eyes to what God can do. God will never do what His Word forbids, no matter who prays it or how much fasting goes with it; neither will He refuse to perform His Word whatever the situation, ...for I will hasten my word to perform it: Jer. 1:12.

At Gethsemane Jesus asked that the cup be taken away from Him and got no answer. However, the moment He added, ‘not my will but thine be done,’ an angel came to strengthen Him because that was God's will;  And we have seen and do testify that  the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world: I Jn. 4:14.

Make the Word of God the bullet of your prayer gun, and there is no rock you cannot blast into pieces. Without the Word, prayer is mere noise, an empty toy gun without bullet, which can only scare an ignorant enemy. The moment the enemy discovers that your gun has no bullet he will deal a decisive blow on you even with your empty gun in place. The more of God's Word you know, the more live ammunition you have and you can dare the devil to any extent. God's Word applied in the place of prayer will quicken Heaven to answer and compel hell to submit; For ever, O LORD, thy word is settled in heaven: Psa. 119:89.

Each time I see people use the Psalms of David, I feel challenged that someone's personal prayer of over 4,000 years is still relevant today. Beloved how many of our prayers today can be used for others today not to talk of years or generations to come. The secret of such use is the inspiration and the biblical backing of the words in David's prayers. Heaven cannot reject such prayers nor will it ever become irrelevant. 

Prayer/Action
* Ask God for grace to saturate your life with His Word, in order to enjoy the blessings of prayer.
* Ask God to hasten His words to perform as you present them to Him in prayers.
*Ask the Holy Spirit to reveal the Word you need to back up your prayers.

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Father, for every reason I have cried this year, there shall be a sound of celebration and rejoicing, I shall be the celebrant of the year, in the name of Jesus.

Key to Self Discipline in Prayer

Wednesday 27 September
READ: 1 Kings 18: 41-46 
MORE LESSON:  Psa. 28: 1-2

Having earlier emphasized the importance of discipline in handling the flesh, there is need to still look at certain features of the life and teachings of Jesus. This will enable us to learn from the things that helped Him to keep a disciplined life of prayer.

First you need to train your mind to think about pure things by setting your mind on God and His Word. You must deal with the hindering spirits and make conscious effort to bring your mind back when it is distracted by the enemy at the place of prayer.

Also, always exercise spiritual authority over territorial spirits ruling your location of prayer. Go ahead and pull down all satanic strongholds and cast down his imagination before you fully engage in prayer. Every territory has a prince controlling it and no such spirits will want you disrupt their territory with your prayer. That is why you need to bind and incapacitate them before you fully go into prayer.

Discipline and wisdom will help you to avoid foods that make you too heavy to pray, especially when you are going for meetings like night vigil or your own private hour of prayer. You must also mind the hour or time and location you choose for prayer. Jesus' hours of prayer are very instructive - either very early or late in the night and most times in lonely places (Mk. 1:35). I also guess that before the Gethsemane prayer He ate only the communion and with the burden in Him, He was fit for rigorous prayer.

Finally, be flexible in the posture of prayer - kneel, lie, stand. bend, roll or pace around, so long as you keep awake. Note that the Bible doesn't specify any posture in prayer, so you can use any posture that helps you to be alert and sensitive when praying. I guess that the need to be alert and sensitive must be part of Elijah's reasons for the posture he took in the prayer at Mount Carmel.

Maybe he also  didn't want to look at the sky until the miracle has happened in the sky. But then it was a lot of discipline to have chosen a mount to pray after a rigorous all day encounter and contest with the prophets of Baal (1 kings 18: 26-29). And getting to the mountain he chose to put his head in between his knees for only God knows how long. This is instructive for young people who cannot stand to pray or sing for few minutes in church.  

Prayer/Action
*Ask God for help to be disciplined in maintaining a consistent and vibrant prayer life.
*Pray against every distraction you face in your place of prayer.
*Ask God for grace not to be judgmental but to also bless in the place of prayer .

TODAY’S PROPHETIC PRAYER
Thank You Jesus, You are working all things out and well, no more delay, no more “No” for answer, in the mighty name of Jesus.