- “Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the Word of God and serve tables.
- “BUT WE WILL GIVE OURSELVES CONTINUALLY TO PRAYER AND TO THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD.”
Acts 6:2,4 (NKJV)
• Prayer should be spontaneous for every believer in Christ Jesus, and particularly for the ministers
PRAYER should be part of your Life as a believer, and much more as a minister.
SOME ministers do not pray except they have a ministration.
A NUMBER of ministers have time for many THINGS but do not have time for prayer.
- A LEADER, Ministers, should pray daily.
YOU should have a specific number of hours which you invest in prayer daily.
MINISTERS' primary assignment is prayer and the study of God's Word, the Bible.
OF COURSE, knowledge of the Word of God will guide and lead you on what to pray and how to pray. - There are ministers who go about from one place to another, some sit WITH the people, spend time to joke, laugh, and talk—they are on needless visitations.
A MINISTER should maximize his time by sitting down to study God's Word and pray.
• Consistent prayer
- As a minister in the practical ministry, you maximize your time by investing it in prayer, and the study of the Word of God.
I HAVE a number of hours I pray daily, and study God's Word daily as well. - You must have goals for your spiritual health.
TO be healthy spiritually is to have good fellowship with God the Father.
THROUGH prayer and the study of God's Word, you keep yourself spiritually fit for the assignment God may HAVE for you (1 Timothy 4:8).
YOU cannot afford to live a carefree life. - What you do consistently today determines your future. YOU probably do not have much to do now because your ministry is still young, albeit, you can invest your time in praying (Ephesians 6:18).
- If you are lazy in PRAYER, you cannot go far in the ministry work, that is, in your God given assignment.
• Prayers of the saints
“Now when He had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each having a harp, AND GOLDEN BOWLS FULL OF INCENSE, WHICH ARE THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS.”
Revelation 5:8 (NKJV)
- “Then another angel, having a golden censer, came and stood at the altar.
HE WAS GIVEN MUCH INCENSE, THAT HE SHOULD OFFER IT WITH THE PRAYERS OF ALL THE SAINTS UPON THE GOLDEN ALTAR WHICH WAS BEFORE THE THRONE. - AND THE SMOKE OF THE INCENSE, WITH THE PRAYERS OF THE SAINTS, ascended before God from the angel’s hand.”
Revelation 8:3,4 (NKJV)
• God works with our prayers
GOD uses the prayers needed for the present, out of the prayers you had prayed, and keep the remainder for the future purposes; thus prayer cannot be without use.
GOD will later work with the prayers you did pray today, in the future.
RESULTS of your today's PRAYERS could be in the future.
- Prayer is a Seed!
- “As you do not know what is the way of the wind, Or how the bones grow in the womb of her who is with child, SO YOU DO NOT KNOW THE WORKS OF GOD WHO MAKES EVERYTHING.
- IN THE MORNING SOW YOUR SEED, AND IN THE EVENING DO NOT WITHHOLD YOUR HAND; For you do not know which will prosper, Either this or that, Or whether both alike will be good.”
Ecclesiastes 11:5,6 (NKJV)
• Prayer is a seed that you sow regularly—morning, noon, and evening (Psalm 55:17; Daniel 6:10).
DAVID says: "Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud, and He shall hear my voice" (Psalm 55:17).
- Where you are today is as a result of the prayers you sowed years ago.
AND where you will be tomorrow will be as a result of your today's prayer.
YOU shape your future with Prayer! - Sow the seed of Prayer to your future
THE future of your ministry depends on your today's prayer.
THE colourful future you desire is accessible through YOUR SEED of prayer.
• Vision
- Visions are gotten through prayer of communion, and the fulfilment of the visions is also through prayer.
YOU pray your vision to physical manifestation.
YOU incubate your vision with prayers, until the vision materializes. - Visions are not to be shared as you received them.
A VISION should be incubated with prayer until God has given you the go-ahead to share it.
IF you shared your vision without being incubated with prayer, it may be aborted.
AND if the vision was not aborted, you may pass through sufferings before you get it accomplished.
READ about Joseph (Genesis 37,39,40,41).
• Incubation
- When you incubated on a vision, you received the how-tos in the place of prayer.
- Some do like to talk about everything they wanted to do, thus they unfolded their plans and goals to those who stand as enemies (Proverbs 17:27,28; Micah 7:5,6).
- The system of the world is against success and progress, because Satan is the god of this world (1 Corinthians 4:4).
SUCCESS and progress of the people of God is a threat to him and his kingdom—Satan (Exodus 1:8-10). - What you have not thoroughly prayed ON should not be shared with the People, and you should not embark on it.
• Be spontaneous about prayer
CULTIVATE the habit of bursting into prayer at anytime, and at any moment of the day.
PRAY throughout the day as you go about your daily activities (Ephesians 6:18; Jude 20).
- What I share in this piece I do daily, I pray throughout the day—I pray intermittently, at regular intervals, throughout the day (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
- As you pray thus, you experience convergent power, anointing, that comes on your life and ministry.
- “I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him because he is his friend, BUT BECAUSE OF HIS PERSISTENCE HE WILL RISE AND GIVE HIM AS MANY AS HE NEEDS.
- “So I say to you, ASK, and it will be given to you; SEEK, and you will find; KNOCK, and it will be opened to you.
- “FOR EVERYONE WHO ASKS RECEIVES, AND HE WHO SEEKS FINDS, AND TO HIM WHO KNOCKS IT WILL BE OPENED.”
Luke 11:8-10 (NKJV)
KEEP Asking, keep Seeking, and keep Knocking.
• It is my prayer that you will not fail in Jesus' name.
Peace!