Invest in Prayer

Every Tuesday evening at 7 PM, the ministers of Grace come together for Corporate Prayer. You are welcome to join us. Thursday mornings the women are in prayer. For further details go to https://graceapostolicchurch.net/pray.html.

RECAP (update):

Deacon Dines talked about the importance of know who we are. Hey reader… be authentically you. It’s easy to mimic Kingdom assignments and live falsely. However, God wants us strong and purposely living. We are our strongest when we walk within the vocation for which we’ve been called. Wonderful prayer and word.

Words to help give thanks to God

Every day is Thanksgiving as we remember to give God thanks. Sometimes we do not realize that just waking up in the morning is a gift from God. So let us take the time to say, “Thank you” as often as possible.

1. 1 Chronicles 16:34
O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good; for his mercy endureth for ever.

2. Romans 14:6
He that regardeth the day, regardeth it unto the Lord; and he that regardeth not the day, to the Lord he doth not regard it. He that eateth, eateth to the Lord, for he giveth God thanks; and he that eateth not, to the Lord he eateth not, and giveth God thanks.

3. I Corinthians 15:57
But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

4. I Thessalonians 5:18
In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

5. 1 Chronicles 16:35
And say ye, Save us, O God of our salvation, and gather us together, and deliver us from the heathen, that we may give thanks to thy holy name, and glory in thy praise.

12 Faith declarations on the war on lust

(Searchquotes.com)

1) And I will know the truth, and the truth will make me free. (John 8:31-32)

2) No weapon formed against me shall prosper. (Isaiah 54:17)

3) Being confident of this very thing, that He which hath begun a good work in me will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ. (Philippians 1:6)

4) I will not lust in my heart after someone’s beauty or let them captivate me with their eyes. (Proverbs 6:25)

5) I will not let the lusts of things enter in, choke the word, and make it unfruitful. (Mark 4:19)

6) I will not let sin therefore reign in my mortal body. (Romans 6:12)

7) I will not make provision for the flesh, to fulfill the lusts thereof. (Romans 13:14)

8) I will walk in the Spirit, and not fulfill the lust of the flesh. (Galatians 5:16)

9) I will not fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge many into ruin and destruction. (1 Timothy 6:9)

10) I will flee youthful lusts and follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart. (2 Timothy 2:22)

11) I will not be tempted and dragged away by desire and enticed. (James 1:14)

12) I will abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul. (1 Peter 2:11)

Prayer of Faith
In the name of Jesus, I declare that my old self was crucified with Jesus in order that the body of sin might be brought to nothing, so that I would no longer be enslaved to sin. I will not let sin therefore reign in my mortal body, to make me obey its passions. I do not present my members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but I present my members to God as instruments for righteousness. (Romans 6:6-14)

Guard Your Gift

Focus Text: Ephesians 2:8-10
We have to guard the gift that God has given us. Someone who guards has to be on alert and on watch. We have to be on watch for the enemy who seeks to destroy the people of God. We must be sober and watchful. Beware of the tricks of the devil. (see I Peter 5:8) Many times, the enemy wants to discourage you, talk to your mind and lead you away from God. When you become discouraged and distracted, start thinking about where God brought you from evaluate what God saved you from. Anything could have happened to you, but God! Because of God’s goodness, the enemy couldn’t destroy you.
Paul knew the enemy was trying to turn the people at Ephesus, so he reminded them where God brought them from and how God had mercy on them. When we look back on where God brought us from, we will develop a greater appreciation for Him. It was of the Lord’s mercy that we were not consumed. Great is His faithfulness! (see Lamentations 3:23)
You don’t want to lose what God has done for you. The enemy will do everything to keep you from walking with God, but hold on to what God gave you! Don’t just go through the motions; develop an authentic relationship with God. Guard your gift of salvation. Don’t move off of your post and stand.
While you are on guard for your own soul, don’t forget to watch for others too. Continue in the faith and and stay rooted and grounded. (see Ephesian 3:17) Don’t let the enemy cause you to lose your place in The Lord. Thank God that, against all odds, He came into your situation, saved you, took your broken pieces and made you whole! (see Colossians 2:13) It is your responsibility to protect your walk with God and to protect your soul! Don’t be moved from the hope of the Gospel. Save yourself. Make up your mind to stay with God! (See Psalms 1:3)

Do You Believe?

Courtesy of kissrichmond.com

God can work miracles whether you believe it or not, but God wants you to believe that He is able. God is working right now on things you’ve been concerned about. Don’t allow pride or fear to keep you from asking for help and from receiving your answer from The Lord. God wants you to trust Him. This is a faith walk, so use your faith (Matthew 9:27-31; Mark 9:23-24).

God required even Abraham to use extreme faith to believe God would bless Him with a child in His old age. (Romans 4:20-21) God works outside of the norm. 

You must continue in the faith!

We have to guard our faith to make sure we don’t lose faith in God. The enemy wants us to lose our hope and faith in God. Paul encouraged the church in Colossians to continue in the faith. He received word that the church was doing well in the Lord. Paul begin to pray for them when he heard they were doing well in their walk with God. We still need prayer when things are going well! Paul wanted them to know even more about God.

We want God to continue with God, especially when so many today are leaving God and gravitating toward the world. The flesh will always continue to reach for things that will weaken your faith in God. Whatever you do, don’t give up the faith. Walking with God requires faith. (see Hebrews 11:6). 

Keys to Getting your Prayer Through

If you feel like you are having trouble getting your prayer through to God, He has provided a few prayer-troubleshooting steps to enhance your connection to Him and to solidify your faith as you wait for Him to move.

1. Call in reinforcements. In developing our relationship with God, we do need to be able to seek God for ourselves, but sometimes we need prayer partners as reinforcements. It is good to have a prayer partner who you can relate to and who has your best interest in mind. Pray with someone with whom you are comfortable and have confidence in. When you come together with a prayer partner, you must come together with one mind and agree on the prayer request. The prayer request should be scriptural and ethical. Do not pray for something that needs to be confessed. Know that everyone is not equipped to take your confession. If you need to and want to be delivered, you must follow God’s method for doing so. You must be sincere and have the right motives. If you ask God for something and it’s not genuine, then you ask amiss and God will not answer (see James 4:3).

Whatever your problem is, neither you nor your prayer partner should feel responsible for handling it. Prayer is for taking problems to God. The problem might be too great for you to handle, but it is never too great for God! Matthew 18:19-20 lets us know that if two touch and agree for something on earth, God will answer their request. He also promises to be in the midst where two or three are gathered in His name. Make sure the Lord is involved!

A Rich and Powerful Inheritance

Now that the presidential election is over, a number of people applied for and are hoping to be selected for a presidential appointment. But when it comes to God, we don’t have to apply for a place in His kingdom. If you are a child of God, God has elected you! No application necessary, only an already available dispensation of His grace. Christ chose you before you were born and accepted you. We are not acceptable to God in ourselves, but He makes us acceptable in Christ. Even when we do things that are totally against God, He is waiting for us to repent and to receive us back home. God is rich in mercy and will give us another chance. God loves us, sacrificed for us and adopted us. As His children, we have a wealth of blessings (see Ephesians 1:1-17).

In choosing His followers, God doesn’t follow the norm (see 1 Corinthians 1:27-29). He goes beyond our thinking. He does things the way He wants them done because He is sovereign. There are no laws or rules that can control what He does. In using the unexpected, God gets the glory!

The Prayer of a Prophet

“And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit.” -James 5:15-18 KJV

One of the must effective prayers in all scripture was Elijah’s.

Just like Elijah, men ought to always pray and not faint. Faint means to be weary or utterly spiritless. We gain strength from prayer. If you do not pray, you will faint.

God can put an angel in charge over you.

“He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa, and call for one Simon, whose surname is Peter: He lodgeth with one Simon a tanner, whose house is by the sea side: he shall tell thee what thou oughtest to do.” -Acts 10:3-6 KJV

Prayer is moved by the faith you have and what you pray for. Don’t doubt your prayer, but believe in it. Prayer brings divine intervention by whatever means God chooses.

Elijah prayed effectually and fervently. The word effectual comes from word meaning energy. He prayed with so much energy and efficiency that he got undeniable and miraculous results. The spirit also helps our infirmities by making intercession for us.

“Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered. And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God.” -Romans 8:26-27

Pray earnestly. Pray with worship. Pray for God to supplicate. When you worship in prayer, you will receive recognition from God.

It does not show lack of faith to pray more than once. Jesus prayed three times before going to the cross. Elijah prayed seven times before the rain stopped. Keep praying!

Elijah prayed so much because he had a promise from God. Good told him to show himself to Ahab and He would send rain to the earth. Prayer and faith releases God’s benefits.

“Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God. And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” -Phil. 4:6-7

“And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.” -1 John 5:14-15

Have confidence in God!

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. Your prayer should have no selfish element in it. Ask God what you can do for Him. Pray in the will of God.

For so is the will of God, that with well doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men: “The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.” -2 Peter 3:9

Our challenge: pray as effectually and fervently as Elijah and pray for others to come to God. When you are in the will of God, you are NOT going under, no matter if the circumstances seem bad. God will take care of you when you’re in His will! No situation will destroy you if you are in his will.

Sometimes prayers don’t get answered until you give up everything. Accept the deliverance God gives you. Stop trying to figure our how God is going to bless you, just let him do it. Your faith will release your answer to your prayer if your prayer is in God will and you don’t ask amiss.

Ready for a miracle? Where’s your faith?

Scripture: 2 Kings 6: 24-27, Psalm 84:6

Notes: God promises that through our trials and tribulations He will be there with us. When you go through the valley it is a place where God wants to honor himself and destroy your enemies and whatever it is that is attacking you. Note David and Goliath. The only thing that can paralyze you is fear. David was full of faith and faith moved him to move into the valley and God brought a giant down. The God we serve is a God of the mountains and the valleys too.

A famine had besieged Samaria. The city gates were shut. No one could go in and no one could go out. In 1 Kings 20, Benhadad was defeated and he came back believing that God was a god of the mountain only, so he decided to wage war in the valley. God has chosen to destroy your enemies in the valley that you are going through. Sometimes we have to stop being polite and shout some Holy Ghost shouting to bring down Jericho walls. Give God full control of your situation. Don’t get gentle with God. How long will we allow Satan to take over what we have?

It’s time to declare that Jesus is Lord. We have to make a move, rather than to stay in the same place. David made a move and spoke by faith to that giant. “You are coming down today.” It’s time to declare by faith that giants in your life are coming down.