Today we continue our series entitled, “The Benefits of Prayer and Fasting,” with an emphasis on “The Power of Prayer.” For the past few messages we dealt with 1 Jn 5:13-15. The point of the passage was for us to pray in faith, with complete confidence that we already have what God reveals to us is ours. When you pray this way you can actually start to thank God in advance, giving Him the praise for what He has done, well before it happens in the earth. Of course, this cannot be done without faith. Faith receives the answer in your heart well before you see it in your hands. I bring this up before I get into the focus for today, because it shows the true partnership we have with God. He wants to bring things to pass here, in the earth, and He is looking for the cooperation and faith of humans in order to do so.
Paul said, “We are workers together with God. So we beg you: Don’t let the grace that you received from God be for nothing.” (2 Cor 6:1 ERV). Paul teaches us that as believers, we are literally working together with God to bring to pass His perfect will in the earth. Another translation calls us “co-workers” with God. Being God’s co-worker in the earth is an awesome responsibility. The fact that the God of the Universe willingly chooses to work with and through us, mere humans, is amazing. God literally partners with us to make a difference within our sphere of influence. God wants to reach people. He has chosen to reach humans through other humans. So when we pray we are coming in agreement with God to do what He planned to do before the world began. Prayer is a central part of our partnership with God. We should not neglect our right and responsibility to pray.
In Mark 11 Jesus said, “Have faith in God, I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.” (verses 22-24). But what if we don‘t say? Nothing happens. What if we don’t ask? We won’t receive. What if we neglect our responsibility to pray? We hinder God from moving in our lives. Or what if we ask with doubt instead of in faith? Our prayer will either be stifled or not answered at all. And then again, what if we SAY, BELIEVE, and DO NOT DOUBT, but what we are asking for is contrary to the Word? We will not receive, because just like we are not puppets manipulated by God, God is not our servant and He will not be manipulated by us. The key is living like Jesus lived. The point Jesus was making was that when we align ourselves with the Father, we pursue the things the Father planned to do from the foundations of the world, and we open our mouths to pray and decree/declare God’s will to be done on earth as it is in heaven, God hears our prayers and nothing shall be impossible for us! Just like Jesus spoke to the fig tree, we will be able to speak to every mountain in our lives and the mountains will move as we release the power of God through prayer!
So what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. Prayer does work, but you must be convinced of it. Like anything else, you cannot maximize what you do not understand. The more you understand prayer, the more confidence you will have in the Father and in your prayers.
2. Praying without understanding is ineffective and it will lead to frustration. But praying with understanding, in accordance with God’s will, unleashes the power of God in the earth.
3. When you understand how to pray, you pray prayers that honor God’s nature, respect His integrity, believe His Word, trust His love, affirm His will, stand on His promises and unleash His power. This is how you work together with God to bring to pass His will in the earth.
4. Prayer is a tool that enables you to participate in God’s divine purposes. When you pray in accordance with God’s will, you become God’s partner (co-worker) in this world. This is how heaven influences our planet. This is how God’s will is going to be done on earth, as it is in heaven.
Closing Confession:
Father, this is a season of expectation for me. I open my heart to Your best. I pray daily and throughout each day. You are a prayer answering God. I am a prayer making believer. As I am led of Your Spirit to develop prayers that align with You will, I know You will bring them to pass and manifest Your glory in the earth. I respect Your integrity, I believe Your Word, I trust in Your love and I appropriate Your promises in my life and in this world! I walk with You Father and You walk with me. Without You I cannot. With me You will not. But together we will change the world! I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name, Amen!
This is Today’s Word. Apply it and prosper!
