Voice of Thanksgiving

Prayer is important; it is important for each of us and as a ministry. There is an important need in the Body of Christ today, it is praying for people. Jesus and Paul taught that Christians should pray for people, both for other Christians and for lost men and women. This is a part of the Christian life, we all should be praying for the needs of others. The Body of Christ is effective when the members praying for one another. If we are to walk as Jesus walked, if we are to be like Paul, we must be men and women of prayer and part of our prayer life should be praying for others.

Around the world, there are great needs for prayer. The events of life can be overwhelming, and in many places people cope with difficulties. There are areas of massive destruction, such as the destruction caused by a tsunami. Life can be very difficult. In many regions, becoming a Christian is fraught with danger; people are threatened and even face death. Provision for people and help for people comes through prayer. The turning of hearts of people to the Father; comes through prayer. To reach men and women, all our doings are necessary, Jesus said go and tell. He called us to reach out to the lost and in all we do. Everything we do and everywhere we go is successful if we pray.

To reach men or women we must pray
To reach nations we must pray

Let us Pray!

If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you,
you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you.
John 15:7 (NKJV)

Ask what you desire and it shall be done for you! These are very powerful words, however, compared to the actual experience of most Christians we fall far short of the promise. Why is there a discrepancy? Gordon Lindsay suggests the following:

“Notice in this connection that Jesus used the illustration of the vine and the branches. If a branch abides not in the vine, it withers away and cannot bear fruit. Abiding in Christ is not a static experience. The branch must ever grow. The young convert abides in Christ today by living up to the measure of light he has received. But he must go on and grow in grace. Many a person has lamented that there was a period in which he got his prayers answered, but then there came a time when it seemed that many of his prayers were not answered. What went wrong? The answer often lies in the fact that he was probably trying to live in the same light he had in the past, instead of going on into a deeper consecration and into new challenges of faith.”

How about you, are you trying to live in the same light as in your past? The Christian life is just that life; it requires growth and maturing of all who will live it. We need daily time with God, in His Word, in praise and worship, and in prayer. These are not requirements just setup to rule ones life; these are the tools for growth in the Christian life. The challenge is going deeper in consecration and walking through new challenges of faith. This will yield a more complete abiding and answer to prayer.

Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ,
greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers,
that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.
Col. 4:12 (NKJV)

For who or what are laboring fervently in prayer?

The word, fervently, here means to struggle, to complete for a prize, to contend with an adversary, or to endeavor to accomplish something.

Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ,
and through the love of the Spirit,
that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me,
Romans 15:30 (NKJV)

PRAYER, without fervour, stakes nothing on the issue, because it has nothing to stake. It comes with empty hands. Hands, too, which are listless, as well as empty, which have never learned the lesson of clinging to the Cross. from Necessity of Prayer by E. M. Bounds

The men and women of prayer are great risk takers. They put their faith to the test; they would boldly proclaim their prayer request and then allow God to work. This boldness of faith takes responsibility and action. I am responsible for praying; for seeking God and His answers. My responsibility is to take action; I will pray and obediently do what God desires of me. This should be the norm for all Christians. If you were to die today, could they write your epitaph, “Bold in Faith and Prayer”? Take responsibility; be bold in prayer, confident in the power and ability of God to do what He has said He will do. It is His power and might that will carry the day. How about you bold in faith and prayer?

The greeting of the morning should be, “Good morning Lord.” Every morning our first address should be His greeting to start the day and begin our day of prayers. From the darkness we must shake free. From the grip of death we must break free. We turn eye from sleep to the Bright Morning Start. We turn our doubts and fears to the Lion of Judah. We cry out for help and hope to the one we adore; the Lord Jesus Christ.

My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
Psalm 5:3 (NKJV)

I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
Psalm 119:147 (NKJV)

The number and efficiency of laborers depends on prayer, it depends on our prayers. In every measure of labor, prayer makes the difference.

night and day praying exceedingly that we may see your face
and perfect what is lacking in your faith? 1 Thes. 3:10 (NKJV)

The might and strength of labor, the opportunity for labor increases by prayer.

We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers,
remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love,and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,knowing, beloved brethren, your election by God.

1 Thes. 1:2-4 (NKJV)

Prayer opens wide their doors of opportunity for laborers. It provides for access, placing the laborer in position and opening hearts to the message. It gives a holy boldness, determination, resolve, and steadfastness.

praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit,
being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—
and for me, that utterance may be given to me,that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel,for which I am an ambassador in chains; that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.
Ephes. 6:18-20 (NKJV)

Prayer gives fruitfulness.

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it, do not cease to pray for you,
and to ask that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding; that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing Him, being fruitful in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God;
Col. 1:9-10 (NKJV)

Praying men and women are needed in all fields of spiritual and secular. There is no position in the Church which should be filled, but by much prayer. There is no position that should be maintained, but by prayer. Praying men and women are needed for every business, as well as every church, to order and direct business and activity, not according to the maxims of this world, but according to Bible precepts.

Therefore we also pray always for you that our God
would count you worthy of this calling,
and fulfill all the good pleasure of His goodness and the work of faith with power,< br />
that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you,
and you in Him, according to the grace of our God and the Lord Jesus Christ.< br />
2 Thes. 1:11-12 (NKJV)

For this reason we also, since the day we heard it,
do not cease to pray for you, and to ask that you may be
filled with the knowledge of His will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding;< br />
Col. 1:9 (NKJV)

Epaphras, who is one of you, a bondservant of Christ,
greets you, always laboring fervently for you in prayers,
that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.< br />
Col. 4:12 (NKJV)

The success of enterprise and its efficiency are determined by prayer.

Continue earnestly in prayer, being vigilant in it with thanksgiving; meanwhile praying also for us, that God would open to us a door for the word, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in chains, that I may make it manifest, as I ought to speak.
Col. 4:2-4 (NKJV) 

When we celebrate Easter we celebrate a day of God’s exploits. On this day Jesus broke the bounds of death, setting the captive free. This was the exploit of all exploits. We are often impressed by the exploits of man, the great explorers, inventors, writers and thinkers, preachers, and missionaries. Often with these people, at the darkest moment, exploits would turn the tide. At the darkest moment, when it seemed the Devil had finally triumphed, Jesus by His great exploit turned the tide. This is the great exploit, but your life and mine began with an exploit. I speak of our new life, the one that began after we were born again. At the darkest moment, with our life hanging in the balance, Jesus came into our hearts and as John Wesley described it, our hearts were strangely warmed. When we come to see our self as we truly are, we come to know what an awesome exploit this was. (I use awesome correctly because the only real awesome things are those of and by God and our salvation was of and by God).   Today we celebrate exploit day, we call it Easter.

Today God is calling us to follow in Jesus’ footsteps and do exploits as well. The Light of the World has changed us, now He wants to work through us to work exploits. Over and over, though out time, men and women have come to know God and carry out great exploits.   

Those who do wickedly against the covenant he shall corrupt with flattery;but the people who know their God shall be strong, and carry out great exploits.Daniel 11:32 (NKJV)  

Exploits begin with prayer. But, the question is, will we? Will this age have exploits? Will the church rise up and have exploits? This can be the great age of exploits, the church’s greatest hour, but it will only come if there are people who will pray. Will we pray?  

Exploits cry out for more than the status quo, they demand extraordinary prayer. God is looking for men and women who will go beyond the usual, those who will make great demands on themselves, those who will yield to the demands of the Spirit and his call to a life dedicated to prayer. In the following passage, E.M. Bounds speaks directly to preachers, but his remarks are fit for all who would pray.   

It is necessary to iterate and reiterate that prayer, as a mere habit, as a performance gone through by routine or in a professional way, is a dead and rotten thing. Such praying has no connection with the praying for which we plead. We are stressing true praying, which engages and sets on fire every high element of the preacher’s being—prayer which is born of vital oneness with Christ and the fullness of the Holy Ghost, which springs from the deep, overflowing fountains of tender compassion, deathless solicitude for man’s eternal good; a consuming zeal for the glory of God; a thorough conviction of the preacher’s difficult and delicate work and of the imperative need of God’s mightiest help. Praying grounded on these solemn and profound convictions is the only true praying. Preaching backed by such praying is the only preaching which sows the seeds of eternal life in human hearts and builds men up for heaven.  

Will we pray, engaging and setting on fire every high element of the cause of spiritual exploits? Will we pray? Prayer born of vital oneness with Christ and the fullness of the Holy Spirit, which springs from the deep, overflowing fountains of tender compassion, deathless solicitude for man’s eternal good; a consuming zeal for the glory of God; a thorough conviction of the difficulties and work with the imperative need of God’s mightiest help. True praying, will we pray? Will we pray through to exploits?  

Prayer is the first thing, the second thing, the third thing necessary to a minister. Pray, then, my dear brother: pray, pray, pray—Edward Payson

The greeting of the morning should be, “Good morning Lord.” Every morning our first address should be His greeting to start the day and begin our day of prayers. From the darkness we must shake free. From the grip of death we must break free. We turn eye from sleep to the Bright Morning Start. We turn our doubts and fears to the Lion of Judah. We cry out for help and hope to the one we adore; the Lord Jesus Christ. My voice You shall hear in the morning, O Lord;
In the morning I will direct it to You,
And I will look up.
Psalm 5:3 (NKJV) 
 
I rise before the dawning of the morning,
And cry for help;
I hope in Your word.
Psalm 119:147 (NKJV)