BUT WHEN YOU PRAY…...

By Leslie Phiri

Prayer is the fulcrum of  a believer; it is the heartbeat of the saint, the very impulse of a child of God.

It must be a habit, it must developed into  a culture and passed on to the next generations as a tradition.

Its a must, its mandatory, outside prayer we are nothing. A christian must pray all the time without ceasing.

I like the scripture in Matthew chapter 6 v 6 that says "but when you pray, go into your room , close the door and pray to your father who sees what is done in secret, will reward you" (NIV)

I love the emphasis that Jesus Christ puts  across when he says "when" meaning that it is expected that a christian should pray.

God is looking forward to hearing you pray, but is important to note that prayer is not a joke but requires seriousness and sincerity. 

Prayer is not about shouting at the top of your voice neither is it about being seen by all and sundry that you are praying NO! Prayer is about reconciling yourself to the father. It is about realizing that its all about God in this world. 

We now have Christians with a propensity of  praying during church services or prayer gatherings . Yes that is good but you ought to go an extra mile and connect with the Father in solitude.

It is my prayer that when we pray we will seek the father earnestly not as the hypocrites do.

Do Not Underestimate The Power of Prayer

 By EDWARD TOMOLA

The bible tells us that with God all things are possible.  When we call upon Him, he promises to hear his children, and answer them.  Prayer is talking to and with God.  Such talk can relate to socio-economic and political needs.  From beggars to Kings, Queens and Presidents, God Almighty hears all those who call upon his name, in faith in times of trouble.  Even in times of plenty and victory, God listens to our prayers of promise.

The bible is littered with countless miraculous happenings in the old and the new testament.  Examples abo… in the bible.  As a way of encouragement a few are mentioned in summary for today:

 ELIJAH

The prophet Elijah prayed that it would not rain, and for 3½ years it did not rain, and when he prayed for the rain, in a few hours there was plenty of rain that the drought ended that day.  God can teach the heathens that he is God.
He is famous for causing 450 prophets of Baal to be fallen in one day when they failed to call their god to answer by fire.  When Elijah prayed to God, the Most High, he answered by fire, consumed the sacrifice and all that was in the alter.
God can answer by fire.

  HANNAH

      Samuel, the prophet was a gift to his barren mother, as he was born out of prayer and dedicated to God. Prayer managed to move God to cause Hannah to be pregnant with a son, outside common understanding and explanation, God can cause the barren to conceive.

KING HEZEKIAH

     God spoke to his Prophet Isaiah to go and proclaim the death of King Hezekiah . When Hezekiah had heard this he turned his face against the wall and prayed to God asking him to check his record. After his earnest prayer God decided to elongate the life of Hezekiah by fifteen more years! That’s the power of prayer

Prayer Is Serious Business

BY David Msebele

Praying has become mundane or routine for some people. Just before a meal someone mumbles a few words "thanking God for the food. Other listeners either keep quiet or also mumble a chorus of amens.

The Lord  Jesus Christ stands out as a solid example that prayer is serious business. I was humbled to read in Luke 22 vs 41 that Jesus withdrew about a stone throw beyond them and knelt down to pray.

Starred with death in the face Jesus knew that prayer was the only weapon that could catapult him to victory. Matthew 26 states that he did not only pray for an hour, neither did he pray for two hours but he prayed for three good hours. In short, Jesus had a three hour intercession before his betrayal.while his disciples were busy sleeping.

Luke 23 vs 44 springs up a remarkable incident where Jesus is said to have prayed until "his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground" Serious business indeed.

Its amazing that Jesus Christ Son of the Living God, the Word made flesh would create time to connect with the Father! This just goes to show that Prayer indeed is serious business.

It is surprising why people do not create quality time out of the hustle and bustle of life to withdraw to be alone and to pray to God.

May God help us , me and you to have our souls bent on pleasing God.

GETTING HOLD OF THE PROMISE IN PRAYER

 By DAVID MSEBELE

The bible records in Genesis 32 vs 24-28 that Jacob wrestled with God, claimed his blessings and would not let go of Him until he was answered or blessed.  To have answers to our prayers we have to up the game in our prayer life, we have to hold onto the promise or God Almighty, and then there will be a supernatural release of the promise.

One commentary notes that when we pray we get into the very presence of God, and God is the promise.

When we pray to God in faith, we gain our promises from God the promise.  In Hebrews 11 vs 33 the bible states “Through faith” gained what was promised.

So my brothers and sisters we have to pray persistently for assured answers to our prayers and when we pray we  are activating the word of God, and GOD IS THE WORD.  So when we pray we are taking hold of God, standing on solid ground to realize answers to his promises.

We have the blessed assurance today that God will answer us, deliver on his promise because he is not a man that he can lie.  What he has promised he delivers.

PRAYER WITHOUT REPENTANCE IS USELESS

By EDWARD TOMOLA

Natural and physical government forgives people or passes lenient sentences on account of the showing of contribution or apology to the court order the complainant.  It is interesting how in the God’s Kingdom many people expect forgiveness of sins without repentance.  This is clearly impossible.

While talking on the subject of prayer it is imperative to confess our sins, repent and then pray for salvation to take place and for one to have answers to his prayers.

In 2^nd Corinthians 5:17 we are told that:  If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation, the old has gone, the new has come.  “In my humble interpretation of scripture God loves hearing the prayers of remorseful and repentant peoples. When we repent we become new Creations, the old is gone and we put on the character of Christ Jesus.  In other words we conform to the image of Jesus Christ.  Repentance or confessions of our sins is critical for our “healing”.  Once and if we repent of our sins our prayers become “powerful” and “effective”.  The above view is given credence by scripture the in James 5:16 which states that “ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.  The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective”.  (emphasis is mine).

My prayer as I write this article is that we confess our sins.  We repent.  We pray for one another so that we are healed. 

One can safely say that God will only hear a repentant, contrite and righteous man.  Scripturally God will only listen to you once you accept his Godship over you in the name of Jesus Christ.  God surely, logically and scripturally cannot or should not hear an unrepentant man whose character is arrogantly and defiantly out of sync with the principles of Jesus Christ.

So let us all today repent of our sins, pray for one another and see Gods power made manifest in our lives.

LESSONS FROM THE WISEST KING with Pastor Leslie

LESSONS FROM THE WISEST KING

Solomon was undoubtedly the wisest king mentioned in bible times. He reigned with wisdom and judged his subjects likewise. One of the greatest emphasis in his book; Proverbs was the value of words in the lives of believers. This week we will focus on the importance of words in a Christian's life drawing lessons from the wise king, King Solomon.

The king opens his account by saying "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and those who love it will eat its fruits" In Proverbs 18:21. This is a faithful and true saying. You attract what you say about your life and situations. Scientists have proven that the universe contains cosmic energy and this makes every word you say to attract energies whether positive or negative. It is in that light that, if you are a Christian you should master the art of positive confession as it can be your highway to success and explosive prosperity. Inasmuch as positive talk can do you great things for you, negative and pessimist talk can lead to your downfall. 

Solomon further emphasizes in Proverbs 6 v 2 that "Thou art snared with the words of thy mouth; thou art taken with the words of thy mouth". This is a confirmation of science's latest discovery: the law of attraction, which God had revealed to his servant in ancient times. (Praise be to God Eternal who is the alpha and omega for his wisdom and knowledge) If you are serious about life you need to start being serious about your choice of words as they can either make you or break you.

The world that we live in today was created and framed by words. God said "let there be…….." And it was so. This is a powerful testimony of the power that words posses. Man was created in the image of God and when God breathed into the clay Adam it meant man was made out of the same substance that God is made of.  David, Solomon's father asks in the book of Psalms that "don't you know that ye are gods?" The words we speak posses the ability to give life and or terminate it, especially if you are a Christian.

Self discipline is critical when it comes to mastering the art of positive confession. Self discipline is the highest order of discipline. Solomon says in Proverbs 17:27 "Whoever restrains his words has knowledge, and he who has a cool spirit is a man of understanding". What is important to note here is the use of the word restrain, the King uses it to reiterate the essence of self discipline in a believer's life. Positive talk means that you defy your present circumstances; it means that you ignore the pain that you may be going through and confess that all shall be well. This requires a great deal of discipline and consistency and if it is applied well, the sky ceases to be the limit but the first floor of a one thousand floor building.

God has blessed us with the power of creation. Proverbs 23 v 7 says "as a man thinketh in his heart so is he." Jesus Christ, Son of the living God then finishes it off by saying that: out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks. We are products of our thoughts. Think positively and start speaking likewise. You are the head and not the tail, you are blessed in all aspects of your life and you can do all things through Christ Jesus who strengthens us. No weapon formed against you shall prevail. You are a royal priesthood and a chosen generation

If you are sick, positive talk can bring you healing. Proverbs 16:24 says "Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body" Solomon does not end there but further goes on to say  ….. the tongue of the wise brings healing . Healing can manifest when you say the right words. Even doctors agree that the body responds positively when your mind and talk is positive.

According to Solomon, A word fitly spoken is like apples of gold in a setting of silver. It creates friends for you and also defines your destiny. When God gave you that tongue, He gave you the power to determine your destiny and future. The sky can cease to be the limit but the first floor of ten million storey building if you talk positively.

Jesus tells multitudes in Matthew 12:36:" I tell you, on the Day of Judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak". Be careful of the words that you say as a Christian. Paul further cautions that "But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth". It is important to be wary of the words that you speak because one day you shall be accountable of the words that came out of your mouth. The highway of "I don't care" will lead to the city of "had I known"

Speak positively child of God, you are of a royal priesthood. Royalty flows in your veins speak like a prince/princess.

Jehovah God, says his word will not return unto him empty and void but it shall fulfill its intended purpose. The same applies to you child of God The bible embodies a lot of aspects that show the power of words. Whatever you speak about your life shall surely come to pass. Your vocabulary should be full of words like; I can, I will, I shall, I am etc. The bible says that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.

Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. Matthew quotes: "For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned."

King Solomon leaves us with following advice: Proverbs 17:28.   Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise; when he closes his lips, he is deemed intelligent. AMEN

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