2Ch 7:13 If I shut up heaven that there be no rain, or if I command the locusts to devour the land, or if I send pestilence among my people;
2Ch 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
It is such a tragedy that the greatest power there is on earth is so often overlooked.
We suffer so much at the hands of the enemy that could so easily be avoided if we just took time to pray.
It is not that the enemy is so strong, that many of Gods people are discouraged and defeated, but because we so often fail to use the greatest weapon we have which is (Prayer)
Ecclesiastes 3:1 To every thing there is a season, and (a time to every purpose under the heaven:)
Like never before It is time to Pray. And it’s time to pray like never before.
Prayer is: (a divine Commission)
Luke 18:1 And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;
Pray ask in earnest and submission
1 Th 5:17 Pray without ceasing.
1 Chr 16:11 Seek the LORD and his strength, seek his face continually.
Seek daw-rash' to tread or frequent; usually to follow (for pursuit or
search); to ask; specifically to worship:
Strength - oze, oze (force, security, majesty, praise): - boldness, loud, might, power, strength, strong.
Seek - baw-kash' to search out (by any method; specifically in worship or prayer); by implication to strive after: - ask, beg, beseech, desire, enquire, get, make inquisition, procure, (make) request, require, seek (for).
Continually - taw-meed' to stretch; properly continuance constant
(Prayerlessness in some cases is sin)
1 Sam 12:23 Moreover as for me, God forbid that I should sin against the LORD in ceasing to pray for you: but I will teach you the good and the right way:
Ps 10:4 The wicked through the pride of his countenance will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts.
To not pray is to blatantly declare our independence from God and to declare our self sufficiency.
1. There is no deliverer from Egypt’s bondage without prayer,
2. No Samuel the prophet without prayer. No fire from heaven without prayer,
3. No Manna from heaven without prayer. There is no revival without prayer.
God has so ordained it that everything he does in the earth must be carried in the spiritual womb of his children and birthed in the spirit of Prayer.
Before Hannah was pregnant with Samuel, she conceived him in her spirit in prayer. (for this child I prayed) and the Lord hath given me my petition.
We can talk about the great last day harvest until our faces are blue, but
without prayer it will never happen.
• The Welch revival is over.
• The Azusa Street Revival is over.
• The revival of the 60’s is over.
These Revivals were all born by people who wanted something different, something more than church as usual they wanted a manifestation of the spirit of God.
So they prayed until it happened.
1. Prayer is where we are infused with the plans of heaven,
2. In prayer, ministries are conceived,
3. In prayer nations and miracles are conceived.
Psa 2:8 Ask of me, and I shall give thee the heathen for thine inheritance and the uttermost parts of the earth for thy possession.
(The divine Position of prayer) It’s not whether you're standing up, sitting down, laying out in the floor that’s important,
The position of prayer that determines whether or not God answers us is
the position of humility (the position of the heart)
Humility= submission, meekness, yielded to God, obedience, lowliness, tenderness,
It speaks of dependence it means to place myself underneath another, to esteem myself of lesser importance.
Isa 57:15 For thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.
Contrite – deeply affected w/ grief and sorrow
Humble- a deep sense of one's own unworthiness in the sight of God, self-abasement, penitence for sin, and submission to the divine will.
(The divine condition of Prayer) (Turn from their wicked ways)
Isa 59:1-2 Behold, the LORD’S hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; neither his ear heavy that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God and your sins have hid his face from you that he will not hear.
(The divine intention of Prayer) (seek my face) for too long all we have been interested in is what God can do for us, but when we truly seek his face, our desire will not be for what pleases us, but what pleases him.
The Intention of Prayer is (what is on Gods mind when he tells us to pray).
#1 Prayer is our divine connection with heaven
Through prayer we bring the purpose of God in the heavenlies into manifestation on the earth.
Prayer is The gate of heaven: (The divine assistance of Prayer)
Rom 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.
Jer 33:3 Call unto me, and I will answer thee, and show thee great and
mighty things, which thou knowest not.
Acts 4:29-31 And now, Lord, behold their threatening: and grant unto thy servants, that with all boldness they may speak thy word,
30 By stretching forth thine hand to heal; and that signs and wonders may be done by the name of thy holy child Jesus.
31 And when they had prayed, the place was shaken where they were assembled together; and they were all filled with the Holy Ghost and they spake the word of God with boldness.
Jn 14:12-14 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.
13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do it.
(Mark 11:17 KJV) And he taught, saying unto them, Is it not written, My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer?
• Not the house of praise
• Not the house of singing, preaching, teaching, dancing, (but the house of prayer)
If we follow God’s prescription everything else will fall into its place
John 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask and ye shall
receive, that your joy may be full.
It is in prayer that we conceive the promises of God, It is in prayer that visions and dreams and ministries and callings are conceived.
It is in prayer that the salvation, deliverance and healing of hurting humanity are conceived.
And finally: It is through prayer that we give birth to those things that have been conceived in the spirit of prayer.
After Elijah had fully obeyed the Lord upon Mt Carmel and fire had fallen from heaven and consumed the sacrifice,
There was one more thing that must take place before the rain can come
Elijah must pray: And pray he did
1Ki 18:42 So Ahab went up to eat and to drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; and (he cast himself down upon the earth, and put his face between his knees).
What was he doing there? He was praying: He was in the birth position, it had been declared in the heavenlies but it had to be birthed in the earth.
James 5:17-18 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and (he prayed earnestly) that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months.
18 And (he prayed again), and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.
It was through bold, fervent, aggressive prayers that the heavens were opened to give forth the rain.
It is the same today: There are great things declared in the heavenlies over our land, but there are many adversaries and many enemies and the only way to overcome these enemies and open the heavens over our land (is Prayer).
I love to preach, I love to shout, I love to sing and dance and Praise God.
But to everything there is a season and a time to every purpose under heaven and I believe anyone with spiritual perception will agree, that the clock of divine purpose says: (It’s time to Pray).
