Prayer and The Word

Give your attention to prayer and the ministry of the word - Acts 6:4

You would agree with me that we live in a time and season where there is so much instability and uncertainty in our society and world. Emergence of technology/digital age, artificial intelligence, science, research and development at its peak, social media, rumors of wars, crime rate, recession and drop in living standards etc. These all have the tendencies to cause distractions from keeping eyes fixed on Jesus and standing firm in faith. We must be careful not to allow the cares of this world to slow us down or even stop our kingdom pursuit.

We must learn to be like the sons of Issachar who had an understanding of the times, and know what they ought to do even at a time such as these. [1 Chron 12:32]

It is obvious that we are in the last days, in other words - "end times" and the devil is very much aware of this as he goes about doing what he knows best - seeking whom he may devour (kill, steal and destroy). This is the time where many Christians’ may start to doubt their faith, some may be overly engrossed in their work without taking time out with God, love of many or love for God may grow cold. This is not to scare anyone but its just the reality right now and one thing to know is that life may continue to get busier including tribulations but be of good cheer, the Lord will rise upon you, and his glory will appear over you as it is written in Isaiah 60. [Matthew 24:3 -14]

God did not promise that there will not be tribulation, He said there will be troubles but be of good cheer. He has overcome the world therefore you have overcome. [John 16:33, Psalm 34:19]

However, the question remains, how do you receive this peace and overcome the tribulations in the world? Is it by folding our arms and hoping the devil will not attack us or just staying in our corner thinking I don’t have anything to do with the devil, so he won’t attack me, or you probably are just wishing away situations and challenges of life? Ofcourse not, you must flog it out through the ministry of the word and prayer. We must give our attention to the word of God and prayer. [Acts 6:4]

Ignorance is very dangerous in this time and season particularly when it comes to the promises of God and how to live a victorious life here on earth. [Hosea 4:6]

To continually live a victorious life here on earth and fulfil God's purpose and destiny, we must invest our time in the word and prayer.

Prayer: Father let no situation/challenges/circumstances take away my relationship with you. Let it not take away my time in prayer and in your word.

Prayer

Prayer is very important. The effectual and fervent prayer of a righteous man makes power available. [James 5:16]

Jeremiah 33:3 - Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know. So, prayer reveals the heart and the mind of God.

It is in the place of prayer that we develop strength in our inner man and the power to wage war against the enemy, definitely not in the place of complaints, bitterness and grumbling.

You must have noticed as well just as the disciples did about Jesus, they found out there is a secret to the supernatural manifestations/demonstration of power by Jesus. They followed closely and realise He goes to some quiet place just to pray. It got to a point they have to voice out, they simply asked - show us this secret, teach us how to pray having seen all the miracles, signs and wondering demonstrated by Jesus.

Luke 11:1-4 - Jesus Teach us to pray

In John 3, even Nicodemus had to confess to Jesus that no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.

There are two major things the devil is attacking these days, peoples faith and health.

If anyone allows the devil to take those two, such person is a dead man walking, that’s even if he/she is able to walk.

That is why we need to put on the whole armor of God [Eph 6:10-18]

One of the most effective ways to pray is praying in the Spirit. Ask God to give you the gift of tongues or other gifts of the Holy Spirit. Its very crucial for Christians especially in these last days. [Jude 1:20, 1 Corinth 14:4]

Four major dimensions of the Assignment of Prayer as I have learnt from my mentors;

1. Growth and Transformation [Jude 1:20, Col 4:2, Romans 12:12]

2. Request and to obtain promises [Phil 4:6, 7, Mark 11:24]

3. Spiritual Legislation i.e., Decrees/Commands/Declaration [Job 22:28, Mark 11:22,23]

4. Warfare and Intercession [Romans 8:34]

Ministry of the Word

It is very important we have a good balance of both Prayer and the Word. It is an aberration to focus on one than the other.

Acts 6:4 reveals to us that we should continually give our attention to Prayer and the Word NOT Prayer or the Word. Any imbalance with this two will result in an unstable Christian life and may lead to some limitations in living a consistent victorious life in Christ.

Let me quickly show you the Power the Word of God and It's advantages.

1. Brings Revelation

John 1:1-4 and vs 14 reveals to us that to live a life full of grace and truth as well as a God glorifying life, it can only be achieved through the Word of God.

Spending time meditating on the word of God yields understanding which in turn brings revelation that we can hold onto so that when challenges of life comes, we are not swayed or shaken in our faith.

Revelation brings conviction. Anyone who attains this state does not need to be forced to do the will of God or put the word of God to action, they just act on the word with joy and these kind of people are like wise folks who builds their house on the rock. [Matt 7:24]

There is no other reliable foundation other than the word of God to build ones life, look around you, the systems of this world cannot save you and if you are not saved you are not safe. it is simply foolishness to exalt the things of these world above the word of God or the place our faith on the created things rather than the creator of all things and men. [Rom 1:25]

It is God's desires that all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. Knowing God our Father is the greatest thing that can happen to us and having a relationship with Him. [1 Tim 2:4, John 17:3]

2. Food for life

Remember when the devil came to tempt Jesus. Jesus reveals that man should not only live by bread alone but by every word from God. To have a healthy lifestyle physically and spiritually, you need the Word to live and be in you.

Matt 4:4: But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’

How often do we eat? that is how we should ingest the word of God into our life. The same way the natural food gives you strength and energy is also same way the word of God (Bible) give you inner strength/energy and the knowledge required to triumph over the devices of the enemy [Prov 24:10, 2 Cor 2:14, 1 Pet 2:2, Jer 3:15, John 4:27-34].

So, studying the word of God regularly helps to build stamina from the inside in order to remain in faith. The word God is our source of life if you truly want to stand firm in the day of adversity.

Reading the word and meditating on it ought to be a lifestyle not something we rush to only when you have troubles. At that point, you are already in the panic mode and full of fear thereby making it difficult to pray or believe Gods word. Whereas God said He has not given us the spirit of fear but of power and sound mind. How do you receive the spirit of power and sound mind, it is through studying and meditating on His word. [2 Tim 1:7, 2:15]

Do not let the world mold you into their own image or mindset but let the word of God transform you in and out through its renewal/transformative power embedded in the word [Rom 12:2].

3. Healing and Nourishment to our Body and Bones

I have shared personal encounters of healing in my family, starting with how God healed my spouse from very painful partial deafness, how He healed my daughter from mouth ulcer, knee injury and several healing encounters from covid19, deliverance from sicknesses through the liberating word of God and prayer.

My faith is not only derived in the diverse testimonies of healing power demonstrated by Jesus and His Apostles in the Bible but I have seen God works miracles in my life, secondly in the lives of those that I lead and mentor as well as incredible stories all around the world.

God's word is medicine to your body. It is that powerful. It penetrates to any level or dimension you desire.

Heb 4:12 - For the word of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the division of soul and spirit, and of joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart.

Not only does the word of God has the power to nourish your body, it can also bring healing and restoration where required.

Prov 3:7-8 : Don’t be impressed with your own wisdom. Instead, fear the Lord and turn away from evil. Then you will have healing for your body and strength for your bones.

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, how do you gain true wisdom and the courage to turn away from evil if you don't spend time studying the word? [2 Tim 3:16].

I hope you see the connection. The conditions that fulfils the healing for your body and strength to your bones are stipulated in the prefix of the verse above and many other guidelines and principles we see in the Scriptures and some highlighted in this article - Healing! Big Deal? (lifeinabundanceministries.org)

You may say but Grace provides everything and you don't need to do anything. Well that is for your salvation - there is no condition for the salvation of your soul or the love of God. God loves you and died for you even when you were dead in your sin however when it comes to fulfilling purpose and destiny, God requires your cooperation or partnership in ensuring you become what he predestined you to be before the foundations of earth. Just imagine for a second that Jesus (who became a man to save us) neglected all the opportunities to grow in stature and wisdom from his childhood, neglected John's baptism, refuses to pray and build strength and receive power to defeat the enemy, what do you think would happen to the promises of God over Him?

Let's get back on track - The word of God has the power to heal you from every infirmities. Jesus himself who became the Word of God in flesh went around doing good and healing everyone oppressed by the devil for God was with Him. [Act 10:38]. If Jesus can take out significant time to heal people from sickness and diseases then He definitely wants you to have good health [3 John 2:2]

He sent His word and healed them, And delivered them from their destructions. [Psalm 107:20]

My son, pay attention to what I say; turn your ear to my words. Do not let them out of your sight, keep them within your heart; for they are life to those who find them and health to one’s whole body.

4. Wisdom, Direction and Less/No Confusion

Jesus has become wisdom for us from God. There are times in our lives where we reach a crossroad and we do not know what to do and even how to begin. I have been there several times and so as others, you are not alone. The good news is there is help available if you seek God's guidance and direction.

Some people know where they are going but do not have the insight or details on the path to follow to reach their destination. This can be accomplished by walking with the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit has the power to guide you in all ways, it is part of His job description as we see in John 16:!3.

But when he, the Spirit of truth, comes, he will guide you into all the truth.

The Bible is full of truths from different characters, principles/laws but the Holy Spirit is the one who can guide you into the specific truth you need per time and season.

The interesting thing that happen at times is that, you may have prayed and fasted about a change in a situation and you eventually received your breakthrough or experienced that change you desired, and you rejoice and show your excitement, shared testimonies with friends. In less than three months, you noticed actually the experience of this new change is not exactly what you wanted but it looks like it initially, at this instant, what do you do? Do you start grumbling, nagging and complaining to your friends, remain in the place of confusion and feeling ungrateful to God? or you go back on your knees and pray to God by opening up your heart in appreciation for what He has done and make your request known by seeking for revelation why He allowed you to pass through the initial route as well as seeking for further guidance and direction on what to do next, particularly proclaiming what you would like see.

Always remember, no matter what the situation may be, there is always a way out. Our God makes a way where there seems to be no way. The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of your life, you may stumble but He will hold you by your hand so that you don't fall. If you believe it, you will experience it.

To be led by God is to be full of Gods Word because it is a lamp for your feet and a light on my path. Do you need direction, revelation, then soak the word of God into your being.

The steps of the righteous man is ordered by the Lord – [1 Cor 1:30, Psalm 37:23, Prov 3:5-6, 2 Tim 3:15, Psalm 37:23-24, Prov 16:9, Prov 20:24, Prov 19:21, Isaiah 48:17, Psalm 119:105, 130, 114:]

5. Equipping the Saints for Better Character and Competency

The perspective you have about the Word of God determines the benefits you derive from it. The Bible is an all-encompassing Word of God and it is very useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness so that you may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.

The world today are awaiting the manifestation of the children of God. if this statement is true, what are we doing right now to meet this expectation. Are we conforming to the same world or renewing our minds through the Word of God in other to be witnesses and ambassadors of Christ, playing your role in ensuring the people are transformed, encouraged just by hanging out with you, that your decency, character, diligence in your work, your lifestyle of hope and faith can start to rob off on them.

The world today is scarce of honest, trustworthy or people with integrity, it is rare to find those who can genuinely stand by you as true friends, those who you can call a role model, those who can challenge you to grow whether in faith or in your profession, those who want to see you become a better version of yourself. if you have these people around you, please thank God and make sure you appreciate them well.

It is time for believing Christians to stand out in the society, seek knowledge and grow in skills and influence where possible. it is time for believers to show competency in their area of assignment and most importantly, grow in character and integrity to the extent that people can vouge for you. Some of us may need to even further our education because of the purpose of leadership over of lives.

I hope you know God is not only interested in raising preachers or teachers of the Word or the five fold ministry, He is looking to raise leaders in all works of life. We are have same collective purpose which is to see that all men come to know the truth that Jesus is the only way to God for a fruitful and eternal life. However, our platforms are different. we are need to shine our light from our platforms whether in the Health sector, Telecoms, Fashion, Government, etc. what matters is are you shining the light of God wherever you are. Hence we need to grow in character and competency through the Word of God first and by other great books from great men inspired by God.

There are many motivational books out there by sincere and respected great minds however, I strongly believe that true transformation can only be achieved through the Word of God. its the only place to consistently draw strength, understanding about the principles of life in other to build stamina and maturity thereby increasing your mental capacity.

The word of God has the power to prune you, cut-off any habit or attributes that is contrary to his purpose and make you fruitful in all areas of your life with obvious results.

You won't need to live a fake life, and try to be someone else but the Word of God will reveal to you truly who you are and how you can maximise the potential gifts and talents embedded in you for the purpose of fulfilling destiny and purpose, achieving good success, prosperity roundabout.

The word of God is powerful enough the equip the believers for a better character and competency through Christ. Remember, you can do all things through Christ that strengthens you. [2 Tim 3:16-17, Rom 8:19-21, 1 Cor 2:10, Phil 4:13]

Keys to Experiencing the Manifestation of the Word

1. Find the scripture where it is written [Luke 4:17]

2. Believing the Word [Mark 11:24, Luke 1:45 KJV]

3. Doing the Word [James 1:22-25, Matt 7:24, Deut. 28:1-2]

4. Confessing the Word [Mark 11:24, Romans 10:9, Prov 18:21, Rom 10:10, Rev 12:11]

5. Remain steadfast giving thanks [Romans 4:20, 1 Thes. 5:18]