Power-Packed Prayer
Several years ago, when I was facing some obstacles, I had a dream. I was standing in the desert and in front of me was a straight road surrounded by flat sand. God said, “Walk down the road.” So I began walking. Then, all of a sudden, huge cement barriers began to pop up here and there and completely block one side of the road or the other so that I had to dodge them as I walked. Then, someone came up behind me and put a blindfold on me. I said, “How am I going to walk down the road? I can’t see where I’m going!” And, God said, “By My Spirit.”
That’s how life is supposed to be lived—by His Spirit.
You see, we’re creatures of habit. We think we can do things or can’t do things based on who we are and what we’ve already done. But God wants to help you with you because He knows that you can do anything with His help.
Proverbs 3:5 tells us to trust in the Lord with our whole hearts and lean not to our own understanding. I know. That’s not always easy to do. But ‘all’ of your ways means ALL of your ways. That means you have to acknowledge that you don’t have the answers. That means that you’re going to have to trust Him to lead you in life.
You’re not going to be able to walk out His plan for your life if you you’re not listening to what He has to say. That’s what prayer is.
Prayer is more than speaking. It’s listening.
James 5:13 says, “Is anyone among you in trouble? Let him pray.” Notice it doesn’t say “Let him call his best friend, or let him sign up for government assistance, or let him Google what to do about his problem.” It says PRAY.
If a man’s in trouble, he should pray! And, don’t tell me you can’t hear God.
You CAN hear God. People say they don’t know how to hear God, but they really do. “What Gary? I don’t hear him ever!” Yes, you do! You just don’t know His voice. You haven’t taken the time to define His voice and learn the difference, because His voice sounds like your thoughts. You have to learn when it’s Him.
You’ve heard my story. We were dysfunctional financially. I wasn’t disciplined to seek out God’s kingdom. God was something I had in my life, but He wasn’t my life.
Do you know what I’m talking about? Are you trying to survive like that?
When I hit bottom financially and physically, I had to have answers. And there it is—the difference between how you cry out to God from your heart and how you cry out to God in a religious setting. I HAD to hear God. I HAD to.
And, in prayer God began to lead me out of my mess. He’ll lead you to victory, too, if you will go before Him with a sincere heart and pray, and ask Him to show you what to do.
Zechariah was a profit in the time of Nehemiah when they were rebuilding the temple. In Zechariah 4, we read that it wouldn’t be by their might or their power that they would get the job done, but by His Spirit.
When we leave to go out of town, we always pray before we leave for protection over our property. We were getting ready to leave town awhile back and the Holy Spirit told me to move my car from the driveway to the yard. Now, understand, I have a gravel driveway. I thought it was odd. But the Holy Spirit kept prodding me to move my car to the grass. He didn’t let up. So, I moved it. When we came home two days later, a windstorm had hit and a big maple tree had fallen across the gravel driveway exactly where my car had sat before I moved it.
You have access to that same amazing help, too. The Bible tells us that the Holy Spirit is our Counselor. He’s there to help you in life, in business, and in your marriage. But you have to acknowledge him and not lean to your own understanding.
We think we can do it ourselves, but we can’t. We’re not going to do it without prayer. The Holy Spirit will lead you around trouble. He’ll help you win your fights against the enemy. He’ll bring provision. But you have to hear God.
In Matthew 6, Jesus told us how to pray. We call it the Lord’s Prayer. It isn’t just meant to be a picture on the wall. He told us not to babble. Your words and the length of your prayer have absolutely nothing to do with you receiving from the kingdom of God. So, stop begging God. He already knows what you need. He’s waiting on you.
You have to learn how to pray!
Do you want to see change in your life?
Are there some obstacles you need to overcome?
All of us need to hear God.
There’s a new way of living and it’s called the kingdom.
It’s real, and it all starts with prayer.
Declaration
Last week, I came to the point where I decided that I was through begging God. I decided to DECLARE what God had given me to believe for for my kids, one daughter in particular. She is working as an independent contractor for Zynga, the gaming company that has all those games for the smart phones and on Facebook, etc. She is a personal trainer as well as a dance teacher. She has been teaching exercise, cycling, dance and swim fitness classes but is not yet making enough money to pay her monthly bills. She has been struggling after moving to San Francisco last September so I started declaring light into her situation. I spoke to the heavenly host, sending them out to do my bidding. I made a decision to speak those things which were ALREADY completed in the spiritual realm, to manifest in the physical realm. I told the angels to prepare the way for "jobs and more jobs for her--to bless her socks off" and that she would know that she would know that it was God blessing her. I spoke to satan and told him to get behind her and that he had no authority over her life, mind, spirit or body. She belongs to God and she is a "Queen" in HIS kingdom. WITHIN THE HOUR I got a call from her saying, "Guess what, Mom?" She then proceeded to tell me how a private school found her on a tutoring website she contracts with and she had just had an interview with them. It turns out they were looking for a French teacher as theirs up and quit without notice. During the interview, as they asked her what she was currently tutoring, she told them she had math students as there was more of a demand for that. They got all excited and told her that they needed a math instructor as well, as theirs had left also. They then wanted to know what her career goals were so she told them she was pursuing her dance career and the tutoring and personal training were just the means to get there. "Oh, you teach dance also?", they asked. "We have dance classes here as well!" Keep in mind that her college majors were in math and French and her passion is dance. They called her two days later, hired her for math and French classes for which she will be paid by the hour @ 10 hours a week. I know that they will fall in love with her and who knows where this will lead? I love God! I know He's sitting up there chuckling at how excited I am and He's saying, "FINALLY she gets it!" BTW, She just this past Monday also started teaching two more classes per week at Zynga. I am believing God that He uses this to bring her back to Himself as she has been hurt by the church and wants nothing to do with it. AMEN