“You say you have faith, for you believe that there is one God. Good for you! Even the demons believe this, and they tremble in terror.” James 2:19 (NLT)
The thing Satan fears most is faith-filled, persistent prayer. Is the devil afraid of you? We are not to be afraid of this fallen angel and his motley crew of demons. It’s time to get serious about prayer. And not all prayer is equal. Many people pray hoping God is listening, or wondering if He would answer ‘their’ prayer. Faith plays a key role in the effectiveness of prayer. A whining prayer, or a wish list prayer, or a prayer coming from a place of fear, is pretty weak. Jesus said that we must have the faith of a child! Without faith that God truly hears us and will answer our prayers, we lack power. You see, faith pleases God and He rewards those who wholeheartedly operate in it (Hebrews 11:6). Faith is the currency of the kingdom of God! Jesus said that if we had faith in Him we could do, not only what He was doing, but even greater things (John 14:12). He went on to say that if we ask in His name (implying if we truly believe He will answer it), He will do it (John 14:13-14). James tells us our prayers can be effective and powerful (James 5:16). Btw, not all prayer is effective and powerful. The reality is, our prayer is not just our words, but it is our life. In other words, we are to be the prayer not just say it. Our lives are to be spent in His presence communing with Him and then executing His will on earth. General Michael Flynn has said that “Prayer is the most powerful weapon system known to mankind!” It is time for us personally and as churches grow up in our prayer life, activate this weapon system and become houses of prayer! It is time where we need to learn to pray without ceasing (1 Thessalonians 5:17), and to pray in the Spirit at all times (Ephesians 6:18). It’s time to mobilize our churches and the citywide church to pray powerfully and effectively, to be the Church the devil is afraid of!
Ask the Lord to make you and your church into a powerhouse of prayer! Ask Him to increase your faith to pray boldly, believing that He WILL answer, after all, His name is on the line! Ask Him to help you grow out of any childish, wishful prayer habits, and to begin to proclaim with confidence the promise of God’s word. Ask that your church would put prayer at a much higher priority in everything y’all do! Ask God to release a grace over your pastor to grow in powerful and effective prayer, and release it upon your church. Ask God to grant your pastor a passion for corporate prayer and wisdom to establish it in your church! May Athens become a city filled with houses of powerful prayer!!!
