Eternal Conspirators Series

When they came to the other disciples, they saw a large crowd around them and the teachers of the law arguing with them. As soon as all the people saw Jesus, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet him.

"What are you arguing with them about?" he asked.

A man in the crowd answered, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not."

‘O unbelieving generation,’ Jesus replied, ‘"How long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me.’

So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.

Jesus asked the boy's father, "How long has he been like this?’

‘From childhood,’ he answered. ‘It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.’

‘If you can?’ said Jesus. ‘Everything is possible for him who believes.’

Immediately the boy's father exclaimed, ‘I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!’

When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the evil spirit. ‘You deaf and mute spirit,’ he said, ‘I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.’

The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, ‘He's dead.’ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.

After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, ‘Why couldn't we drive it out?’

He replied, ‘This kind can come out only by prayer.’ Mark 9: 14-29

God desires to have an eternal impact on the lives and souls of people today.

God wants all men and women to come into a saving relationship with Jesus Christ.

God wants his people, his church, to be an integral part of this progression.

What do we do? Step one – pray!

Praying for reign means praying for God to have reign in the lives of others!

Pray for your readiness

“But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect” 1 Peter 3:15

Prayer – surrender to the will of God and cooperation with that will. If I throw out a boathook from the boat and catch hold of the shore and pull, do I pull the shore to me, or do I pull myself to the shore? Prayer is not pulling God to my will, but the aligning of my will to the will of God.”

Pray for God to make you Heart-ready:

- Consciousness of what He is doing and preparing you to do.

- Completeness in your life and in your walk with Christ.

- Compassion to the condition and needs of others.

- Courage to chase the dreams and openings he place before you.

When Payne Stewart died in a tragic plane crash on October 25, 1999, the private jet he was in spiraled into the ground at about 600 miles per hour. There was no body to be retrieved from the crash site for burial. Among the few items that were retrieved and sent to his wife were his wedding ring, a gold pendant he had worn around his neck since the day after he and Tracey got engaged in Singapore in 1981, his W.W.J.D. bracelet, and the daily devotional books he read so faithfully.

Tracey later leafed through the books and found the pages Payne would have read the night before the crash. Based on Acts 26:18, the intercession for that day was as follows: "Grant that I may be used to open the eyes of others and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and an inheritance among those who have been sanctified by faith in Jesus." Tracey found great comfort in the bracelet, the books, and this thought about them: "It was as though God were saying, ‘Even in the midst of this tragedy, I will have a witness.'"

Pray for receptivity

“…for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Philippians. 2:13

“In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, in order to fulfill the word of the Lord spoken by Jeremiah, the Lord moved the heart of Cyrus king of Persia to make a proclamation throughout his realm and to put it in writing” Ezra 1:1