Problems At The Altar Of Prayers Series

PROBLEMS AT THE ALTAR OF PRAYERS

Dr. D. K. Olukoya

The topic you are about to study is titled "Problems at the alter of prayers."

Our first text for this message is Luke 18 verses 1 to 8. In this passage, you will see the need to continuously trouble God with prayers as God would not hesitate to answer those who cry unto Him day and night.

I Thessalonians 5 verse 17 says "Pray without ceasing."

This topic has two important things to it., which are PRAYER and ALTAR. However, there is problem at this altar of prayer.

PRAYER

It has been well said that prayer is the key to open every door. When you want to start the day in morning, prayer is the key to open with, and to sleep at night, prayer is the bolt that you apply to lock your door.

Prayer takes the highest energy which human being is capable of generating. Jesus fought a terrible war at the garden of Gethsemane. The Bible says "His sweat were like drops of blood." If Jesus had to pray, what about you and I? A short prayer will reach the throne of God, provided, you are not too far from that throne. If you are far from the throne, short prayers will not help, and many believers are at different distances to the throne of God.

Prayer is so deep, wonderful and mysterious that it’s power is not yet even clear to many Christians. This is why prayer does not need proof. What it needs is practice. The Bible does not say "preach all the time, but commands us to pray all the time.

When you pray prevailing prayers, what you get in your life is perpetual power. Your prayer life then, is an indication of your spiritual life. Where there is less prayer there is less power.

When you then study the scriptures, you will discover that Moses prayed and his prayers saved a nation from death. God had wanted to destroy Israel but the prayers of Moses stopped him from doing so. It then means that the prayers of Moses held the hands of God from destroying the Israelite.

Joshua prayed, the sun stood still and his enemies fell.

Solomon prayed for wisdom and God made him the wisest king.

Elijah also prayed with great desire, and what happened? God gave rain and also sent fire after his 63 seconds prayer.

The three Hebrew men that were thrown into the flames prayed, and the son of God came into their midst.

Daniel prayed, the lions’ jaws and claws were closed when he was thrown into their den.

The thief prayed by the cross of Jesus saying "remember me when You get to Your kingdom." He got immediate answer as Jesus said "verily I say unto you, this day shall thou be with Me in paradise."

The apostles prayed, and the place where they gathered shook.

Therefore, when Christians pray the way they ought to pray, revival fire will sweep the land. If you want this country to change we have to go back to our knees, "show-business evangelism" will not change this country, because the strongman in charge of this country is yet to be brought down. The only thing that can bring him down is aggressive prayers by Christians.

So, there is power in prayer.

ALTAR

Altar is a structure on which sacrifices are offered. The altar is useless without the priest and the offering.

The word of God made us know that we are priest, a holy nation and peculiar people (I Peter 2:9). God has called us to be priests. Revelation 1:5-6, says "He has called us to be priests and kings unto Him." So, all Christians are priests. It is therefore scripturally wrong for somebody to stand in the office of a priest now. So don’t say the priest of our church. There is no such language in the Bible. Everybody is a priest now unto God.

But a priest must have something to offer, and our offering as new testament Christians is spiritual sacrifice. We cannot start slaughtering animals again, since Jesus died in substitute for us. This is why anybody offering any sacrifice different from that which Jesus has done, is committing a very grate abomination, because it is a corruption of the death and cross of Christ. We are priests and as priests, we must have something to offer.

In those days, the priest was the one that would stand as a mediator between God and man; but that office has been removed. We are now direct priests. Things God wants us to offer as Christians are as follows:

OURSELVES.

The first thing that God wants us to offer is OURSELVES. Roman 12 verses 1 and 2 say "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world."