PRAYING WITH POWER part 5

There is no doubt that we are living in very difficult times. The coming of the Lord is near, and Jesus said that there would be an increase of all things difficult. { see Matthew 24}
Jesus had a concern, that as sorrows and difficult times increased, many people would lose their love for the Lord, many would stop praying and persisting in their walks with God. As a result, many would weaken in faith. Jesus asked this question,"when the Son of man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?"[ Luke 18:8]

I find that when people go through crisis situations they call out to God. Its too bad that people do not practice a life of prayer, so when the crisis comes they are well grounded in trust and thereby better equipped to handle any crisis that comes. When the crisis comes, we still pray; of course. But in the midst of a crisis emotions are high, bodies are weaker and the voices of advice are many. It is harder to sift out the godly path if we are in the middle of a mess and unprepared in prayer.
If we are walking and talking with God daily, God can give us warnings about which person to receive counsel from-- when to say no to a child-- when to say yes to a business deal, etc. In fact, God may have been trying to get you alone for awhile. God knows the road ahead and He wants you to make it through. But hear me now, THERE IS NO WAY TO MAKE IT THROUGH APART FROM GOD'S PLAN. We must hear from God. We must be in daily prayer. Not when we feel like it, Daily Prayer...

Many people I know are just plain lazy. They have plenty of time to run around town and even convince themselves they need to.
They have plenty of time to gossip on the phone and watch tv. They have plenty of time for fishing and sports. But the poor souls just don't have time to pray and study the word of God. I feel sorry for them because the days we are coming into will demand more than that from true believers. The scripture tells us, " Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour."[ 1 Peter 5:8] Satan is our enemy and he is on the prowl. He is after our faith. He wants to destroy our lives in every capacity. The weapon he will often use to work against us is deception. We must draw close to God in these last days. Scripture goes on to say, " Whom[satan] resist steadfast in the faith." [1 Peter 5:9a] I will ask you, how can you resist the devil and how can you have growing faith if you are too busy for God?

The importance of praying with power cannot be taken lightly. Now, as we close this teaching, lets recap what we have said.
1- Pray daily. Practice praying without ceasing, in other words be constantly in an attitude of prayer.
2- Pray until you touch God. This is "praying through"
3- Do not be concerned about time-- just learn to walk with God in communion. Build a close relationship with Him.
4- Pray not only for your needs but pray also for the things that God desires. Pray for others also.
5- Include worship, praise, and thanksgiving with your daily needs and requests.
6- When you don't know what to pray, allow the Holy Spirit to pray through you.
7- Pray in faith. Faith is built through spending time in the Word of God and praying.
8- Your life of prayer will be a great source of strength and deliverance in the midst of crisis.

God, put in all of us a heart that is easily wooed to your presence. Help us to pray through all our trials to completion... to listen closely to Your Spirit in our secret time of communion with You.... and to put all our confidence in Your revealed Word. In these ways we can know that our prayers will be pleasing to you. In Jesus Name, Amen.