Prayer is the Key to Solving All Problems – Part I

In this message on prayer, we will share our experiences in order to encourage you to grow stronger in your faith and in your personal relationship with the Lord. This article and Part II are by no means exhaustive teachings on this important subject! We are not introducing new doctrines, but fully acknowledging various examples of prayers found in the Bible. As a ministry that has been established by the Lord Himself, we had the privilege and honor of asking the Lord on how to pray effectively for results (James 5:16). We will discuss the Lord’s response on this subject in the rest of this chapter. In our opinion, being taught by the Lord is by far the best way to learn about this important subject and others (Luke 24:25-27). We, therefore, give all the glory and honor to God the Father, our Lord Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit for all the patience, love, help and guidance He provided to us. The Bible teaches us that if we, Christians, don’t work for the Kingdom of God and help in gathering (and prayer is key to accomplishing this), then we are essentially working against the Lord and will not enter Heaven (Matthew 12:30; 25:26-30).

Harboring Grudges Hinders Prayer

Many Christians pray and wonder why they receive no answers. From the onset, kindly allow me to introduce some hindrances to prayer; this is very important for us to learn as it is serious in the eyes of the Lord! Often we find brothers and sisters going to the same Church and not talking to each other; they claim to love God, yet they hate their own brethren (1 John 4:20). About two years ago, the Lord sharply rebuked a young man in our ministry for an act of disobedience. After this rebuke, my wife and I counseled the man in an effort to help him change his attitude and understand how his actions had grieved the Lord. Sadly, this young man did not take the Lord’s rebuke well, neither did he appreciate our effort in corrective counseling. In a vision to Charis, the Lord showed the condition of his heart; it was revealed that he held a grudge against me and my wife. As a result of his hateful and unforgiving heart, the Lord said that his prayers were rejected and did not reach Heaven (Matthew 5:23-24).

Praying with an unforgiving heart or hatred brings self-condemnation and invites God’s judgment (Matthew 6:15). When we pray, we bring our problems, complaints, and troubles before the Lord, seeking His help and wisdom in resolving them (Psalm 50:15; 142:2). However, when we come to the Lord, we should be willing to forgive and let go of any hateful feelings we have towards others even if they sinned against us. We are meant to intercede for them and plead their case for their well-being (Numbers 12:13). In a vision to Charis in 2011, the Lord showed her a lady who harbored hateful feelings against a member of our ministry and was praying for the person to be harmed or destroyed. The lady thought that the Lord would favor her request, but He exposed her guilt and she was ashamed for making such a request. Prayer is meant to plead for mercy and forgiveness, not to try to seek revenge or get even with our enemies (Hebrews 4:16; Matthew 6:12-14).

Why Should We Pray?

In the early stages of our ministry’s development, our weekly intercessory prayer sessions were compulsory for all our members; this was according to the Lord’s command to us. However, every week we would have members absconding prayers and giving various excuses for their absence. Failing to meet for prayers is not something we should encourage as this affects the rest of the group and leads to more people deserting. Therefore, members of any ministry should guard against this spirit, which is fueled by laziness. After noticing this trend of absenteeism, my wife and I decided to inquire of the Lord after one of the prayer sessions. Generally, situations like these allow for more questions, so we asked the Lord why people were staying away from prayers, and if there is anything that we were doing or saying that was contributing to their absence. The Lord answered that we were not praying enough for the spiritual wellbeing of the individual members and that Satan was attacking them in order to weaken their faith. They needed our prayer support to remain faithful and committed to the will of the Lord. Prior to this correction from the Lord, we prayed as we pleased especially when we needed something. We were not praying consistently or daily for our prayer group. The Bible says that God is a God of order, not confusion (1 Corinthians 14:33). I can tell you, brethren, that the Lord is not pleased with a disorganized Christian. You may call it legalism, but praying just whenever you please (for a need or for someone) is not pleasing to the Lord. The Lord wants to see consistency, urgency, and commitment; we must be organized! In your work situation, do you arrive at work late or leave your workstation in a mess? Probably not! So then, do you expect God to answer your prayers when you pray in a hurry, or when you just pray once in a while for something you need? Prayer must have a purpose, and if so, it should be for something for which we need a solution. We should also bear in mind that prayer is not just about asking, but also includes confession, repentance, praise, and thanksgiving. As it is, we must, therefore, be organized and formal in our approach. Let us have a look at some examples in the Bible.

As children of God, we must realize that God has called us to pray and intercede for our neighbors and our land (Ezekiel 22:30; 1 Timothy 2:1). Abraham was concerned about his nephew Lot’s wellbeing, so he prayed and interceded for him and the city where he lived (Sodom) (Genesis 18:22-19:29). Our Lord Jesus Christ prayed for His disciples (John 17:6-26). Moses prayed and interceded for the Israelites (Exodus 32:30-33). Daniel prayed for his people (see Daniel 9) and our Lord’s disciples prayed for their ministry work and for one another (Acts 4:24-30). From these examples, we can see that all these prayers were made under various circumstances: for deliverance, for forgiveness, help, healing, and for the salvation of souls. In prayer, the Lord has allowed us to pray for any conceivable human need because only He grants requests and can change what is surely beyond our human abilities (Matthew 19:26; Luke 1:37). Human beings are created to be dependent on God alone (Proverbs 3:5-6; Jeremiah 17:7), for life and everything He supplies to sustain us (2 Corinthians 9:10; Isaiah 55:10), including His Peace (John 14:27).

It is a good habit to set aside proper times for prayer daily. If we have a lazy attitude, we will pray for about 5 minutes before leaving home for work or for some other activity. In my experience, I can tell you, pre-planned or purpose-driven prayers achieve much. A few years ago, before I obeyed God’s call for full-time work in the ministry, I used to set aside an hour every morning for prayer, every day before leaving home for work or running an errand. This would give me enough time to talk to God and adequately present my case before Him. As a custom and Biblically-acceptable teaching, I would start by acknowledging God’s grace, goodness, and mercy while also acknowledging my own shortcomings and sins (Psalm 19:12).

How Many Times Should We Pray?

The Bible encourages us to pray continually and consistently (1 Thessalonians 5:17). King David wrote: “Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice” (Psalm 55:17). Daniel, who was “greatly beloved” by the Lord (Daniel 10:19), was very organized and dedicated; he had his three daily prayer times set and did not allow anything or anyone to interfere with them (Daniel 6:10). In the light of these Scriptures, we asked the Lord directly how many times we ought to pray daily, and how often we should pray for a specific request. In response to our questions, the Lord encouraged us to follow this Scriptural model by praying three times a day. In addition to this, and to confirm His command to us, many other people who requested us to inquire for them from the Lord, were subsequently told by the Lord Himself to pray three times daily. As a Christians, you should, therefore, pray as many times as you deem necessary, but we encourage you to set time aside and pray at least three times a day.

As an encouragement, you may gradually increase your prayers to four or more times a day as you grow in faith and commitment. It is true that you might experience some challenges praying as often as you should be, especially when you are at work. With today’s labor laws, most of you are allowed various breaks. You could use these break times to spend some time with God. A few years ago, when I was still in formal employment, I would find a quiet place to pray during my lunch breaks. My habit was that after having lunch, I would slip away from everybody and go to the quiet place to pray. As a testimony, and in rewarding my efforts, I often experienced joyful moments of God’s Presence. On some occasions, I would hear the Lord calling my name, but when I looked I wouldn’t see anyone. At times while praying, I would feel somebody touching me, and this brought a strong sense of joy mixed with fear due to the sudden “interruptions”. If you commit yourself to spending more time in prayer, you are more likely to hear His Voice guiding you, in addition to receiving some spiritual gifts and fruit, thus enabling you to serve Him even better (Exodus 34:35; John 14:21).

Is Praying in Your Mind Biblical?

When praying, we must release or utter the words. Imagine Jesus praying, saying: “Lazarus come forth!” (John 11:43-44) in His mind. Would the people present, especially His disciples, have known what He was praying for? Of course not! There are many prayers recorded in the Bible, and we do not see people only praying in their minds or hearts. We believe in our hearts, but confess prayer with our mouths (Romans 10:9-10). Satan does not know what we are thinking in our minds or hearts, but he receives the full, supernatural force of our faith in Jesus Christ through prayer. As an example, a member of our family was used to praying in her mind. After correcting her several times, she still refused to change this habit. In recognizing her problem, the Lord commanded her to stop praying in her mind, saying that this was an unfruitful exercise. Therefore, to encourage you, if you are unable to pray aloud, praying like Samuel’s mother, Hannah, is acceptable and some Christians often do this. The Bible says she was praying in her heart using her mouth to release the words (1 Samuel 1:13). Furthermore, while the Bible encourages us to pray in the spirit or in tongues, we also ought to pray with understanding (1 Corinthians 14:14-15).

When the Lord has given us a promise, should we still continue to pray to receive it? The answer is a resounding “Yes!” We cannot just sit around and wait on God without laboring in prayer. How are we going to appreciate what God has given us if our faith is not going to be tested? Yes, I mean “tested!” Consider how God promised the children of Israel that they would receive the Promised Land (Genesis 13:15, 17). Following this promise, we read in the succeeding Scriptures that they did not receive it on a silver platter like we often expect. Instead, they had to labor in their faith for God’s promise by going and taking possession of the land from the inhabitants. God fulfilled His promise to Israel, and this happened through their blood, toil and sweat (Joshua 12:1; 21:43). Likewise, even though Joseph was a young boy when the Lord gave him dreams, and King David was anointed to be king at a young age, their faith was greatly tested before the promises were fulfilled.

In January 2010, when I was unemployed and the Lord promised to bless me with a job, He also promised me a promotion and permanent (full-time) position. However, when I asked Him why I still had not received this promise after working for more than one year, He told me that I did not have enough faith and that I had not been praying hard enough or consistently. In truth, I did not receive all that God promised, but only partially. From my experience, I have learned that God always gives a promise with a test. If we prove to be faithful, He will then bring about the promise (Matthew 25:23; James 1:2-4; Hebrews 11:17). If we lose our patience and become disobedient, we will not receive the full promise (1 Kings 11:38). In the preceding verse, we read that King Jeroboam failed to receive God’s promise of a lasting dynasty of kingship. As a result of his disobedience, this king’s reward was punishment and the kingdom was taken away from him (1 Kings 13:33-34). In reality, only God knows when we have prayed enough to receive an answer to a request; we must, therefore, be persistent (Luke 11:5-13, 18:1-8).

As an encouragement to you my brethren, if you have not yet received an answer to a prayer request, don’t quit, but continue in prayer! I have heard many pastors teaching that after we have prayed for something, we must not pray that request again because that would mean we doubt God. They teach that we must just thank God for it and confess positively that we have already received the request. Most of these “name it and claim it” Christians don’t pray faithfully; they just confess, and sadly many of them don’t receive the things they asked for. When I was at Bible school in 2009, I even heard some of them demanding of God: “I want what brother or sister so and so has!” This is wrong! We cannot order God around and make Him perform some miracle whenever we need or want something. We should labor for the things we need; such is the nature of things in this life, and in this regard we achieve and receive through prayer (Genesis 3:17; Matthew 21:22). Therefore, this notion of claiming and receiving is false and unscriptural. Didn’t our Lord Jesus show us in the Garden of Gethsemane that even though the Father heard Him, He repeated that same prayer three times? (Matthew 26:39-44). In his desperation to receive deliverance from a messenger of Satan, the apostle Paul prayed to the Lord three times until He got an answer (2 Corinthians 12:8-9). He did not unrealistically confess until he received his deliverance from Satan’s messenger. What he did, however, is that while his problem persisted, he acknowledged it and continued praying, trusting the Lord to provide an answer.

In my experience, when I genuinely need something from the Lord which is an absolute need, I will not stop praying for it until the request is granted. Now, this does not mean that I cease to pray for the other requests that I have, but the current need would take foremost priority. I can tell you this: the Lord is very pleased when we trust Him to help us! In an uplifting message to my wife after she cried out to the Lord for help over a certain matter, He told her that He loved her expression of faith in Him, and for having faith, He was going to bless her and grant her request. This was a result of persistent prayer and faith.

In the experience relating to our house, which we almost lost to foreclosure, I constantly experienced a heavy burden or restlessness and a strong urge to pray. We should realize that prayer without faith is completely useless, and I can tell you a trying situation can be faith-consuming, allowing for attacks like doubts and feelings of disappointment. When those spiritual symptoms manifested in our situation, the Lord commanded that we (my wife and I, along with our daughter Charis who was about 9 years old at the time) go on a one-day fast. Fasting is not just an expression of humility; it is a faith booster! The day after our fast, the Lord complimented us saying that our faith was strong. We knew from this response that our request was granted, Glory be to God! (Matthew 21:22) He then commanded us to continue praying for the house for a full month. Being faithful and true to His Word, after praying for the full month we asked the Lord if we should still continue to pray for the house. His response through Charis was: “You, your mother and father do not have to pray for the house; it is in My hands. Your father and mother don’t have to do anything else.” Hallelujah! What a great miracle and breakthrough to prayer!

About a week after this relief and confirmation from the Lord, we were served with a notice to appear in court on a given date. This notice caused us great panic, doubt, and confusion. As always, the enemy made a meal of our feelings, causing us to doubt the Lord’s earlier promise. In our desperation, we asked the Lord to give us another assurance that He would help us through this trying situation. In a rebuke through Charis, He said: “Your mother and your father are disobedient! I told your mother and father that they must just pray, for prayer is the key to all problems.” We needed this rebuke to settle our doubts, so we took the Lord’s word by faith and prayed as He commanded us. Consequently, our prayers ‘swallowed’ up the problem, and a few weeks later I received a call from the bank instructing me how to go about settling our debts. The court action was canceled without any word on how this was made possible.

Prayer of Agreement

The Bible reminds us: “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.” (Matthew 18:19). Regarding the same house situation we mentioned previously, my family needed a breakthrough so we prayed together in full agreement (Acts 4:24). This happened after we had discussed the problem in order to identify with the situation, and by faith, we stood in agreement. The Lord taught us how to pray in agreement. On some occasions, He would remind us to discuss amongst ourselves the matter that we needed to pray in agreement for. If we agreed in a combined effort of faith (this works like we explained above), He granted us our requests. Similarly, as a ministry, we had a serious need for our own means of transportation due to our service and prayer times ending late, and some of our members living far away from us. We also had the added burden of picking up our children late at night from some relatives who took care of them during the service. After our meetings, sometimes we had to pick up the children under severe inclement weather conditions; this was very difficult for us and our children. However, we were determined to obey the Lord. Having prayed for about three years in corporate agreement as a ministry, the Lord saw our willingness and obedience. He blessed us with two vehicles, and our transportation pains were eased. In Jesus name, I declare truthfully to you, prayer fixes things! We did not need to raise money to buy vehicles through begging for tithes and offerings or conducting fundraising campaigns like we are used to seeing some churches do when they need money. We used ‘raw’ faith and prayer, and God sent people to provide for our needs. We did not approach these people for help; God sent them to us (Jeremiah 17:5-8). As was the case with Queen Esther and the people of Nineveh, they knew that if everybody was in agreement with them for the common good of the people, God would grant mercy. He did so when they prayed and fasted corporately and faithfully (Esther 4:16; Jonah 3:5).

In one of our meetings, we discussed and agreed as a ministry team to pray for the salvation and deliverance of our immediate family members. It was also our intention to ask the Lord how else we should do it besides just praying. After asking, the Lord commanded that we go on a two-week fast and that we meet together every night for prayer for three hours. This was exactly the model the earlier disciples used (Acts 1:14; 2:46) and their work yielded fruits (Acts 2:47). In obedience, and desperate to see our immediate family members saved, we engaged in deep intercessory prayer. In such prayer, we strongly advise that no young children be present. From our first-hand experience, we have learned that the devil uses children to disrupt prayers through crying and making unnecessary demands for things. This was a lesson we learned deeply after praying one evening with our children present. They were restless, and the Lord rejected that evening’s prayers, saying that our prayers did not reach Heaven because of our disobedience. He gave us another chance to offer those prayers on another day. From this discussion, can you see how much God values prayers offered in obedience and with the right attitude? Therefore, do not despise the sacredness of prayer.

Persistent Prayer

In Jesus’ narration of the Parable of the Persistent Widow (Luke 18:1-8), I have heard some preachers say that these verses do not refer to persistent prayer. They attempt to interpret the context, and in so doing misunderstand the intention of the analogy; they are clearly wrong. We learned from the Lord that He was referring to persistent prayer. One of my daughters, who is suffering from seasonal allergies, has been praying for deliverance from this annoying condition for about four years now. The Lord acknowledged her prayers, saying that she must continue praying. As I mentioned previously, when I desperately needed a job, I prayed for this request every time during my daily prayer times for a full year. I was desperate and determined and the Lord was not discouraged to hear me praying about the same thing every time. He welcomed me and saw this as effective prayer and He granted my request. He supernaturally answered me and declared the date on which I would receive the job and it happened just like He said. We share our testimony to encourage you, and this is not built on lies but Truth. It is also noteworthy to consider that the Canaanite woman was persistence in her petition to the Lord, and the Lord granted her request (Matthew 15:21-28). So, don’t give up praying!

What Should We Pray For?

Many Christians are often faced with the challenge of not knowing what to pray for. As I mentioned before, our prayers must be planned and purpose-driven. We cannot pray for something we don’t need; as a matter of fact, our needs and situations motivate us (Daniel 9:2-3). I have heard some people mistakenly saying that prayer is simply a religious practice. While we acknowledge that prayer is related to religion in the Christian context, more accurately it is regarded as fellowshipping with God (1 John 1:3). To clarify thisposition,the Bible says we as believers are priests (1 Peter 2:9). In the Old Testament, the function of the priest was to present the spiritual and physical needs of the people before God (Deuteronomy 21:5). Therefore, the Lord expects every born-again believer to pray for both believers and non-believers (1 Timothy 2:1), just as Paul and Epaphras did, praying for the spiritual well-being of Christians. Epaphras, a believer in Christ, prayed and interceded for the Colossian brethren (Colossians 4:12). The apostle Paul interceded for the Galatian church saying: “My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you” (Galatians 4:19 NKJV).

Helping bear the burden of people’s salvation, deliverance, and needs is very important. In a request to the Lord, we asked Him to help us with some requests to pray for, and He gave us names of people to pray for. It’s been more than four years now, and we are still praying for the same people daily. As it is, out of the fifteen names the Lord gave us, four became born-again Christians and still serve the Lord, but sadly one turned back to the world and later passed away. As believers in the Lord Jesus Christ, we should never stoppraying for our parents, brothers, sisters, friends, families, fellow believers, neighbors, colleagues, country, government, church leaders, Christian missions, our communities, criminals and various elements destroying society. Just like the Lord encouraged the Ukrainian believers (in a vision to Charis), He will deliver their land and people if we pray persistently. Remember, prayer gives our land and countrymen an abundant supply of grace and mercy in the presence of the evil (1 John 5:19; 2 Thessalonians 3:3).

The Need to Form a Corporate Prayer Group

As I briefly alluded in the chapter on how this ministry started, our beginnings were very humble. If we are determined and sincere in our walk with God, He will draw like-minded people to us. Often, people may find it challenging to get to church for corporate prayers due to lack of transportation or other problems. This should not be something that leads us to discouragement; you can still invite some brethren over, discuss the needs to be prayed for and then pray! Corporate prayers should not only be at Church.We are not encouraging rebellion towards church authorities, but this is your Christian duty and you are ultimately answerable to the Lord—not to your leaders. If there are no prayer groups at your church, you stay far away from church, or you are unable to participate due to other problems or family issues, we suggest you pray at home with your family or believing neighbors; this is how the apostle Paul encouraged the Roman believers (Romans 16:3-5). You may consider petitioning the Lord to bless you with willing and faithful fellow believers in order to form a prayer group in your immediate neighborhood. I know this might be quite challenging as we have experienced; many people are content with their local church congregation while having no regard for the dying world around them. Their excuse is about their church and leadership. We cannot emphasize this enough: if you find yourself in a non-praying church,get out of there! It is probable that the devil rules there among the worldly and fun-loving Christians. Your faith is personal, and it is, therefore, your responsibility to avail yourselves to God to be used for the common good of the body and the world around us.

Praying in Tongues

Praying in tongues is a very important aspect of prayer that is encouraged in the Scriptures (Romans 8:26; Jude 1:20). As a gift, this is normally the first sign of being baptized in the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 14:22). However, as we have mentioned in the “Duties of a True Born-again Christian” chapter, having this gift is not the only proof that a believer has been filled with the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:30; Acts 21:20).

There are some churches or denominations that discourage their members from praying in tongues. Brethren, I learned in a rebuke from the Lord that we should never discourage people against the teachings of the Word of God. Those who do so encourage rebellion against the Lord, and they will be punished. The Bible tells us that praying in tongues is for self-edification (1 Corinthians 14:4). While we might not know what we are saying when praying in tongues, the Bible says we utter mysteries to God (1 Corinthians 14:2). If these are mysteries, then it is not intended for us or the devil to know what the Spirit says. Therefore, those who cannot pray in tongues should not mock those who exercise their faith and pray in tongues. My question to those critics is this: who qualified you to judge what you don’t know or have experienced? In our curiosity about what we say in tongues, my wife and I once asked the Lord through Charis to reveal to us what we say when we are praying in tongues. His answer was gentle and reassuring; He replied saying “I will not tell you what your mother and father say when they pray in tongues, but I will tell your mother and father in Heaven”. Bless the Lord, what a promise!

We can conclude on this subject by reiterating that praying in tongues is encouraged in Scripture and should not be undermined (1 Corinthians 14:15, 39). After this reply from the Lord, we realized that had the Lord told us what we say when we pray in tongues, the devil would have known as well, thereby making the above Scripture false that says we speak to God mysteries. There are many worldly people who unjustly criticize the gift of speaking in tongues because they lack spiritual discernment. I, therefore, encourage you not to allow the offensive opinions of the ungodly to disturb you; keep obeying the Scriptures and building yourself up. All Spiritual gifts are for our good, and that is to enable us to serve God better. The Lord gave an encouraging message to a dear sister who was being attacked and ridiculed, saying that the source of those making fun at her is Satan, and He will not allow them to escape punishment.

How Long Should We Pray?

In the Bible, the Lord warns us against engaging in endless babblings and vain repetitions during prayer, iterating the same request over and over again in a single prayer (Matthew 6:7; 23:14). The Lord is here not encouraging only short prayers, since He Himself prayed at great length (Luke 6:12), and He is our example (John 13:15; 1 Peter 2:21). When praying, therefore, don’t be in a hurry but take your time as you set forth your request before the Father; God is patiently waiting on you! By faith, ask the Holy Spirit to usher you into His Presence by praising Him and giving thanks: “Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His Name” (Psalm 100:4). This is how I pray, and you are welcome to follow this model or create your own as the Holy Spirit leads you. After giving thanks and before laying my requests before the Father, I acknowledge my sins in confession, for no one is without sin (1 John 1:8). I then acknowledge God’s grace through praise and worship, after which I make my requests known (praying for myself, family, ministry, interceding for others, etc.) (Daniel 9:20).

Remember that no prayer is either too simple or most important, for the Lord judges our hearts and our faith (Luke 18:9-14). Having said this, if you are following a certain prayer model or a formula, do you think God will answer your prayers? God will be looking at the condition of your heart, and whether you have faith in what you are asking for. In my experience, using a model of prayer that worked for someone doesn’t guarantee that it will work for you too. Why? Because God appreciates the intentions of a genuine heart and desires that we have a personal; relationship with Him; He does not delight in us being told what to ask and how to ask it. It is similar to a bully sending one of my daughters to me to ask for money that she doesn’t really need. In my assessment, and sadly, this kind of formulated prayer does not spring from faith. We need to ask the Lord for true conviction in order to experience change and His generous giving hand.

When Charis was about nine years old, I wrote down three simple prayers for her. I did this only to guide her, and this was accepted by the Lord. I can also recall when Jaydeen, our adopted daughter, was about eight years old; the Lord commanded her mother to write some prayers down for her (for morning, afternoon and evening) since she did not know how to pray and what to say to God in prayer. The Lord accepted these prayers because our motive was to teach, not to dictate. How do I know that the Lord accepted their prayers? He acknowledged in a message to us that they (Charis and Jaydeen) were praying faithfully.

As a final word of encouragement, please don’t undermine the value of your own prayers. The Lord is pleased when others pray for us, but if we do not pray for ourselves and just rely on others to pray for us, then we are being lazy and faithless. Some believers even express faith in the prayers of others to God on their behalf, rather than their own prayers! We have known a sister in the Lord who was in the habit of sending out various prayer requests for herself to many other Christians. Simply put, she was “outsourcing” her prayers, and relying on the prayers of others for her. The Lord rebuked her for lacking faith, and He commanded her to pray for herself. The Bible warns us: “Do not put your trust in princes, in mortal men, who cannot save. When their spirit departs, they return to the ground; on that very day their plans come to nothing“(Psalm 146:3-4). We are also admonished to “Trust in Him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts to Him, for God is our refuge” (Psalm 62:8). Kindled faith is fearless, and a prayer warrior knows how to skillfully handle the powerful weapon of prayer. Don’t give up! Be persistent in prayer—the key to solving all problems. For more on prayer, see Prayer: The Key to All Problems - Part II.

Yours in Submissive Service to Christ Jesus,

Brother Glenn and Preparing for the Kingdom Ministry Team.