Sunday, October 2, 2011
PRAYER: A SIGN OF DEPENDENCE
Memorise: "And it came to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God." (Luke 6:12).
Read: Luke 22:39-46
It is a dangerous thing to go into ministry without being called of God. However, if you have heard God's call, follow His timing and respond in obedience. After God has called you into spiritual leadership, go ahead and pray your way into breakthrough. Leadership is not for the unprepared. If you came into ministry because of the honour, money or fame, you have been deceived. You will sooner or later become food for the enemy. By its nature, ministry brings the called into face to face conflict with the kingdom of darkness. God backs only those He has called. If God has not called you, He will not be obligated to defend you. If He has not called you, He will not be moved to reward you for your service or meet your personal and ministerial needs. Are you called of God?
However, prayer is necessary for the called. Prayer shows your level of dependence on God. If you place much premium on prayer, it shows you depend on God. But if you pray infrequently, or you continue to say few minutes' prayers, it shows how independent of God you are. A prayer-less Christian is a self-willed, self-directed and self-sufficient individual. Does this describe you? Before the Lord started His ministry, He fasted and prayed for 40 days at a stretch. After His ministry began, did He go to sleep? No! He continued to pray. That is the mistake some of us make. Before embarking on a major assignment such as ministry, marriage, etc., we pray and rely on God for direction-every step of the way. However, after the inaugural service and marriage ceremony, prayers cease; we are now in charge. Now, why won't things go wrong? Let us learn from the Lord. He kept on praying. Before He appointed His twelve apostles, He took time to talk it over with the Father. Before each day's ministerial activity, He prayed and settled it all the previous night. It was prayer that helped Him to subdue His flesh. At the Garden of Gethsemane, when He was about to take a major step towards the salvation of mankind, His flesh stood in His way. It took serious prayers to overcome this. Have you dumped your prayer-life? Pick it up today!
Key Point:
Your prayer-life simply shows how God-dependent or self-dependent you are. In all your ways depend on God and acknowledge Him.
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