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A VEHICLE FOR CHANGE
MAKING PRAYER OUR MODE OF OPERATION
"Therefore I say unto you, what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them."
- Mark 11:24
According to Second Timothy chapter one, God saved us and called us with a holy calling (2 Tim. 1:9). He didn't just save us. He also called us, and it is a sacred call that demands our full attention. I thank God for my salvation, but I also realize that I am not my own; that I was bought and paid for by the blood of Jesus Christ, and that I will one day stand accountable for my service in the kingdom of God.
It is a fact that not everyone is called to be a pastor or teacher, or even an evangelist or prophet. But that doesn't mean those who aren't called to a specific office haven't been solicited to work within the kingdom! Paul said, "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Eph. 4:7). Later he adds, "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (v.11). The very idea that he mentions "some" is a sure indication that the "all" or "everyone" previously stated (those who were given a measure of the gifting of Christ) must then apply to a particular area of service. It's obvious that the five-fold ministry is a service within the body. It is equally obvious that the gift of Christ shared by all must also be a service ministry. While some of us may be called to the five-fold ministry, it is a stated fact that all of us are called to some service ministry within the kingdom!
One of the greatest services we can participate in is prayer. And there are many areas where prayer is needed. The first thing that every Christian should be made aware of is that there is a "call" to prayer. Every one of us will be held accountable to a life of prayer just as must as we will be held accountable to a life of holiness, a life of faithfulness, and even a call to a life of service!
Any man or woman who has the ability to bring about a change for kingdom purposes is a person who has been changed through prayer!
Jesus said, "Men ought always to pray, and not to faint" (Luke 18:1). How successful would an individual's marriage be if both husband and wife failed to communicate with each other? Prayer makes meaningful our relationship with our heavenly Father. We learn and grow in so many areas of our Christian life through prayerful fellowship. It is a truthful saying that if you want your Christian life to count, then you must make prayer count. Prayer is a powerful tool in making us into the person God wants us to be. And when we are made a praying people, then we can utilize prayer as a means of making it a vehicle for change. I like to think of it this way: Any man or woman who has the ability to bring about change for kingdom purposes is a person who has been changed through prayer!
Prayer is the key to the Christian life. It is like the oil that lubricates an engine. It is like fuel that empowers a motor. Our service productivity is all relative to our prayer productivity. Knowing how to pray is a major part to carrying on kingdom business. Prayer releases the power of God so that the kingdom of God can be manifested in the earth. There is more that can be accomplished through prayer than any other one thing that we can do.
When we understand the power of prayer, especially corporate prayer where the body prays together, then we can function in a must higher level of corporate authority where virtually nothing is impossible. Prayer can take the church beyond its physical capabilities into a realm of supernatural creative possibilities.
Prayer is definitely a means of changing things, but it can also be a powerful tool in preventing the enemy from making changes that might impact the kingdom. That's why Jesus said, "Whatsoever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatsoever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven" (Matt. 16:19). He knew that prayer was a means for advancing the kingdom, but he also understand it was a means of shutting down every force that opposed its advancement.
When folks fail to answer the call to prayer then the enemy can creep in and make vulnerable what should remain impenetrable. If the foundation is laid in prayer and its wall are constructing through prayer, then it fortification of prayer becomes its effectual mode of operation!
PRAYER
Father, today I will make time apart from the things that demand my attention to give you my undivided attention. I will pull away and take the time to listen to your heart. I will find my purpose on bended knees. I accept my calling to pray as surely and sincerely as I have accepted the gospel of my salvation. So Lord, I ask you, "Come and teach me to pray." Amen.
CONFESSION
I choose today to be made in prayer so that I can make changes through prayer. I will use prayer as a vehicle for change. I will allow it to change me so that through me changes can be made for the betterment of the kingdom. All that I do, all that I say, will come as I allow prayer to shape me into the person God has called me to be.
DEFINING MOMENTS...
We don't pray just to pray. We pray in order to find the purpose within prayer that catches the heart of God. One of the things I have learned through prayer is that there is a prayer to pray. This is where changes are made. Tapping into the heart of God is where we discover the power that lifts us from a place of containment to a realm of unlimited possibilities. It is the strength of our covenant...it is where we have the means to move heaven and change earth!
In His Grace,
Pastor David
Faith Harvest Church
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