THE FORCE OF PRAYER

Prayer is a force in the hand of the believer when approached Scripturally. It is one of God's covenant tools for the realization of our glorious destinies in Christ.

Jesus told His disciples a parable in Matthew 13:24-28:

Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

He said unto them, An enemy hath done this...

Everything contrary to good in the life of the believer is the work of the enemy. The devil is the believer's number one enemy, and the Bible warns us against him:

Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:
1 Peter 5:8

So, behind that setback, that unending struggle and those continuous breakdowns is "an enemy". But why is he so determined and hell-bent on seeing you fail? Look at what the Bible says concerning you in Isaiah 5:1-2:

Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:

And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein...

This is why the enemy is interested in you! He is jealous of you, because you are God's choicest vine. By redemption through the blood of Jesus, you are planted on a most fruitful hill. Not only that, you are fenced and protected. God has invested His best in you. The Bible also tells us in Psalm 92:13-14:

Those that be planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bring forth fruit in old age; they shall be fat and flourishing;

No wonder the enemy is so jealous! He wants you down like himself. Just like he did not rest until he got Adam out of the garden of Eden, he has vowed not to rest until he gets you off the course of your destiny. He is determined to see you don't enter your Canaan, but he will not succeed, in Jesus' name!

Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
James 4:7

The devil can be stopped and arrested. Since force is the only language he understands, God has placed the force of prayer in our hands, to put him where he belongs.

Arise!

It takes knowledge to have victory in any conflict of life. The first thing you need to know in the war against the thief of your glorious destiny is that you must arise.

Let God arise, let his enemies be scattered: let them also that hate him flee before him.
Psalm 68:1

If the enemies will not scatter until God arises, how then do you think they will scatter in your case without you arising? You can't keep watching that unpleasant situation in your life go on; you must arise! No matter how great the revelations you have received from God, if you don't build up a resistance against the enemy, you will never have a breakthrough!

God has spoken some things to you and you are sure of His leading and instructions, but the enemy is standing on the way, saying, "You won't get in there." You need to arise to the challenge, because if you do nothing, you will get nothing. If you fold your hands at the opposition, you will end up in stagnation and deprivation.

When God called me in an 18-hour long vision, I began intense preparations for take-off in prayers, fasting, studying and programming for 26 months. After all these, anyone would have thought the way was clear for great results.

But when the ministry went into full operation in Kaduna, things did not happen as we expected; they were just dragging. There was stagnation. Often, there were only two people at our meetings, and they were my staff. One day, I called the men together and told them, "This is not the way things should be, so let's rise up to the challenge."

We set out in prayers for three days. On the third day, the Lord said to me, "My son, get up and walk down the church area." I did that and when I got to the river bank, He said to me, "Turn back." I turned around and He opened my eyes to see a layer of thick darkness sitting on the roof of the church. I then began to challenge it audibly with the Word of God.

I said, "Light shines in darkness and darkness comprehends it not. In the name of Jesus Christ, I challenge you force of the enemy, fold up and get out of here." Immediately, I saw the layer of darkness fold up and roll away! From then on, things began to happen in the church. People began to pour into the church, and the ministry began to grow by leaps and bounds. If I had done nothing then, our glorious ministry today, would not have been here.

One of the church members who later became a pastor said that when he first came around our church area, about the time of the incidence I have just narrated, he saw people all robed in white. So he thought to himself, "This is a white garment church" and turned and went away. Meanwhile, I had no white suit, and none of my staff had one either. The enemy had put a spiritual camouflage over the church, to turn people away. But when we rose up against him with the force of prayer, he had no choice but to leave the area.

Right now, certain forces might seem to be resisting every move you make or everything might seem to be working against you, in spite of all your input. I'm glad to let you know that prayer is a major force for fighting all oppositions off your territory, and consequently triumphing in life.

A time came in Matthew 17, when the disciples of Jesus could not cast out an evil spirit even though they had been empowered to do so in chapter 10. Satan was blocking their access to results in ministry. They asked Jesus, "Why could not we cast him out?" He answered them saying:

...Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.Howbeit this kind goeth not out but by prayer and fasting.
Matthew 17:20-21

The three forces outlined for victory are faith, prayer and fasting; you will find that faith and fasting enhance effectual prayers.

Don't sit there crying and waiting for someone to pity you; rise up and take advantage of this potent force of prayer and free yourself from the hold of the enemy. He is called "the wicked", because he has no feelings of sympathy for you. He is out for you, so you must arise and invoke the forces of heaven to flush him out.

Many erroneously think that in Christianity everything is delivered to you on a platter of gold. It is not so. Things don't just happen, they are made to happen. First Corinthians 16:9 says:

For a great door and effectual is opened unto me, and there are many adversaries.

Being a Christian does not exempt you from warfare; it only gives you an edge over the opposition. This is graphically illustrated in Isaiah 43:1-2:

But now thus saith the Lord that created thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O Israel, Fear not: for I have redeemed thee, I have called thee by thy name; thou art mine.

When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee: when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee.

Your redemption notwithstanding, God says, "When thou passest through the waters...when thou walkest through the fire..." not, "If thou passest through the waters...if thou walkest through the fire..."

Warfare is inevitable, but victory is guaranteed. God says, "Fear not, I am your redeemer, I am committed to deliver you and give you the victory." Also in 1 John 5:4, He says:

For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world: and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith.

So, the obstacles are real; the victories are also real. Victory is our heritage. The reality of warfare is further reinforced by Jesus' experience here on earth. He said:

...For the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.
John 14:30

He meant to say, "The prince of this world came to Me, but I beat him hands down!" Remember His temptation on the mountain? After Jesus had overcome the devil, the Bible said:

And when the devil had ended all the temptation, he departed from him for a season.
Luke 4:13

The enemy kept coming back, but Jesus was battle ready, so He beat him at all times. Maybe you have fallen once under the blow of the enemy, it's time to rise up again. Champions are not those who never fall, but those who refuse to remain on the floor (Prov. 24:16). So get up on your feet and stand your ground against the devil in prayers, to secure your glorious destiny in God!

As long as you are still breathing, the battle is not over. Rise up and stop tolerating failure and mishaps! Stop putting up with pains, lack and want. If you won't arise, your enemy will prevail. One strategy of the enemy is to make you feel you can't handle the issue. That is a lie! God is committed to your victory, if only you will fight.