How many times does a believer pray a day? The Muslim pray 5
times a day all their lives as a lifestyle. The Jews pray 3 times a day all
their life as a lifestyle. They do it whether they are happy or not, whether
they are under attack or not; whether they are blessed or not; whether they are
sad or happy, they just do it because it’s a lifestyle for total take over of the earth forces and it foundation.
But as a Christian and all we do is to
pray for one or two times and we thought we have made it—NO! You ought to take prayer as a lifestyle and continuously abiding under it as your daily responsibilty. Always praying in
the morning and afternoon. Praying in the evening; praying in the night and also praying at midnight. You must follow the four seasons and the four watches of
the day; and the four watches of the night and praying consistently.
Praying must become your daily lifestyle; so you pray whether you feel like praying or
not. You pray when you are broke. You pray when you are blessed. And you pray
when you are down. You also pray when you are up because prayer is a necessity
for survival and for the maintenance of daily victory for the believer. In
fact, if you stop praying you start sinning and if you start sinning you stop
praying
THE BARRIER THAT HINDER THE PRAYER OF CHRISTIAN.
1 . Late Sleeping;
The first cause and reason why some Christian don’t pray fervently is due to
late night sleeping. Some have the gift of looking at the television from morning
till night every day. In this our new age of Cable Television Network,
some will look at cable and the cable will turn and begin to look at them. They
will suddenly doze off snoring in prayer “Father
Lord, eeeeeh, thank you forrrr, in Jesus name-amen” And they will bundle
themselves upon their bed. No wonder in the night you will have nightmares. They will pursue you, skeleton and mad dog
pursuing you and you come to the pastor for deliverance.
Which deliverance? You ought to deliver yourself first from
that demon, that influence of making Television and video films the gods of
your life. What is god? This is anything that takes the place of sit of God in
your life and it becomes your gods or your idol. When the time of God is giving
to Television and video films, it categorically takes the time of God in your
life. Moreover, a prayer warrior is away awake while others are
asleep.
Sometimes, in the night the Lord will come and invisible hands will touch
you and a burden will propel through your spirit. The Lord will minister to you
there is a battle somewhere and instantly you will begin to pray. Nevertheless,
in some scenarios when you want to pray, two voices may speak to you. One will
minister to you, “Remember you are
travelling tomorrow, if you pray now driver will carry you across your
destination”
Another voice may tell you “Sleep, look all your eyes are inside your skull, if you pray now
would anybody marry you? My beloved, this thing can discourage you and
cause you to disobey God. God says, “Thou art my
battle axe and weapons of war: for with thee will I break in pieces the
nations, and with thee will I destroy kingdoms; And with thee will I break in
pieces the horse and his rider; and with thee will I break in pieces the
chariot and his rider; With thee also will I break in pieces man and woman; and
with thee will I break in pieces old and young; and with thee will I break in
pieces the young man and the maid “Jeremiah 51:20-22.
Sometimes, the Lord might wake you up and gives you a burden
to pray for a brother in need. A brother surrendered by an assassin. Late
sleeping at night is a very dangerous tool used to attack the prayer life of
many Christian. Sometimes God may send what I called an anointed mosquito in a
special sense to wake you up. The mosquito will comes to your ear and begin to
buzz around with a commanding tune “wakeeee
upp and prayyy; wakeeee up and praaaaay; wake up and pray” And then you try
to kill it---NO, YOU CAN’T KILL IT. It was sent to wake you up so that you can
do your function as a Christian.
YOU ARE A WATCHMAN
TO THE NATION
Yes; God want you to pray. He says’
So thou, O son of man, I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel;
therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from me” Ezekiel
33:7. Many years ago a man was employed as a watchman but one day he
called his master and said, “Heh,
master, Please don’t move out tomorrow, last night I have a terrible dream and
revelation where assassin came upon you. Please don’t go out or else they will
kill you”
Though afterward he was sacked, why did his master sacked
him? Here was a man who was supposed to watch but he left his duty post and
slept off. And before you sleep to the level that you will dream, which means
it was a serious sleep. So that man wasn’t qualify to be a watchman. My Point
is this “many Christians have slept off
in their duty post and now the devil is working overtime.
2. The Barrier Of
Sin; Another cause of prayerlessness in the life of Christian is
sinfulness. He that turneth away his ear from
hearing the law, even his prayer shall be abomination" Proverb 28:9.
If you are going to prayer house be careful because native doctor are no more
living in thatches houses in the village. They are now living in prayer houses.
They are no longer operating their devilish enterprise in thatch house in the
village. They are operating in form of prayer houses.
They will see vision and divination, “hmmm; hmmm, as I was praying a saw a rat pursuing a lion, come and
fast for 7 days and if you can’t fast pay us so that we can fast on your behalf
and let us know why a rat was pursuing a lion” That was a psychology of
retaining you. I mean, why should you beguiled by such deceptive act? Psalm 66:18 "If I regard iniquity in my heart, the
Lord will not hear me" The bible said; if I behold iniquity in my
heart the Lord will not hear me. Even if I fast for 20 years the Lord will not
hear me. If I refuse to repent my prayer become nonsense.
My beloved, there are things you don’t understand. How can a
woman who is a prostitute open a prayer house with children all over the place
yet no husband? Yet people are trouping to her home to see vision and to
receive one thing or the other. How can you be operating and living in
sinfulness and still calling upon God. Actually you can’t pray because your
prayer zeal will be thwarted. Moreover, if you start sinning you stop praying
because the passion and reviving zeal of praying will left and be replaced with
guiltiness and self condemnation.
3. Faithlessness,
Over Eating And Over Sleeping; Another barrier to prayer is faithlessness,
over eating and over sleeping. There are some Christians who are food and sleep
bulldozers. When they begin to sleep if you carry them outside they will
continue snoring. When you wake them up to eat, they can mistakenly put their
food in the watching water because of sleep. Imagine someone kneeing down to
pray and still sleeping. It’s an insult to God to sleep on your knee while
praying. It’s a serious offence to sleep on your knee while praying to God.
Imagine you looking for an audience with the president of
your country and after passing through all security clearance and protocols and
you were granted an audience with your president and you said, “Thank you Mr. President for granting me
this audience, what I have come to discuses is uuuuuhhuuuuu” And you begin
to sleep.
You did better be imprisoned for wasting his excellence time. Hence, the presidential General of the
whole world has given us a prayer privilege. Instead of intercessor tears around
you we have sleep bulldozers saliva. Some people has computerized their
legs, when they are sleeping during church fellowship they will still making movement and the ushers will be confused.
4. Malice.
Another barrier to payers is malice. There is no way you can have something
against someone and you come to pray. Likewise
also wandering thoughts, sometimes when you knee down to pray one voice will
tell you, “remember this appointment, you didn’t cover your pot of soup etc" The devil has purposely done this so that you can hurried
over the prayer.
5. A Talker Active;
Another barrier is talker active. A talker active cannot be a prayer warrior.
There is no way you can talk too much and pray. When you talk too much all things
you have said will come and built a cloud above and you can’t operate in
prayers.
6. Lack Of Burden;
When you don’t have a burden how can you pray? Whenever God want to used you he will
first gives you a burden but inasmuch the burden has already been imposed upon
you to intercede on other in prayers, but due lack of commitment and
carelessness you forbid to take hold and retained your prayer mantle. Let me
challenge you, all things are possible to him who can pray. John 14:13-14 "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my
name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall
ask any thing in my name, I will do it"
Jesus said "you
don’t have because you haven’t asked even up till now you haven’t asked---asked
and you shall received, knocked and it shall be opened, seek and you shall
find” All things are possible to him who can pray. It doesn’t matter if you
went to school or not but with prayer God can still make something out of you. Matthew 7:7-8 "Ask, and it shall be given you; seek,
and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you:For every one that
asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it
shall be opened" To neglect this private prayer is a locust which
will devoured the strength of the church.
BIBLICAL MEN AND
WOMEN WHO PRAY AND BEHOLD GOD
Let emphasize about biblical men and women who prayed and
saw God.
1 . Abraham; Genesis 19:27 And Abraham gat up early in the morning to
the place where he stood before the LORD" Abraham has a prayer burden. The bible said he will always stand on that place where he always meets
with the Lord. God didn’t hide his plans from him because he was a prayerful
man.
When we begin to have watchmen on our cities, nations and churches
honestly God will begin to revealed secrets unto us. But unfortunately today,
we are too busy to pray and when we are too busy to pray God will be too busy
to manifest. Whenever we become too busy to gives God time the glory will not
manifest.
2. Moses; Look at
Moses, his prayers brought victory against the amalekie. Exodus 17:9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out
men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the
hill with the rod of God in mine hand” Moses was a man of prayers. He
stood and God answer his prayer. He fasted until the glory of God reflected on
him.
3. Elijah; what
about Elijah who lucked-up heaven for 31/2 year and there was no rainfall? He
pockets the key and put it into his pocket and opened it at self-will. He was a
man of like passion. Nevertheless, I think there is something that God want to
make out of you. Moreover you can do better than you are presently doing.
But the problem is this, “Please get
back to God. He is seeking for a watchman. He wants to pour his special anointing
upon you today”
My dearest prayer is that after reading this message, the
anointing of prayer will descend upon you and you will begin to pray as you
haven’t prayed before. Probably, you have a prayer covenant with God. You used
to wake-up in certain day in the night to pray. Some certain day in the week you
make a covenant to always fast but right now, materialism, pursuits and
vainglory has broken your praying and fasting covenant with God.
Just look at you, the other day you slept without prayer.
Right now, some un-usual things have begin to happen in your life because you
have broken your prayer covenant. And before God do you know your name? You are
a covenant breaker and at this moment un-usual things has begin to happen in
your life and it will continue to happen because you failed
to keep your prayer covenant.
What can we say about Nehemiah who refused to be
side-tracked and Esther who took a risk? She said Go,
gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me,
and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will
fast likewise; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the
law: and if I perish, I perish; Esther 4:16. David said When I remember thee upon my bed, and meditate on thee
in the night watches, Psalm 63:6; which mean he was a man of prayer.
Daniel prays three times, he was an administrator. He was
state man at the corridor of power yet he prayed three times a day. He
disciplines himself. Daniel 6:10 “Now when Daniel
knew that the writing was signed, he went into his house; and his windows being
open in his chamber toward Jerusalem, he kneeled upon his knees three times a
day, and prayed, and gave thanks before his God, as he did aforetime” Moreover, when you are too busy to pray God
will be too busy to manifest.
Men who work before us were prayer warriors. John Charles Wesley
was praying four hours every day. Look at Susanna Wesley (John Wesley mother),
she has 19 children yet she creates time to spend with Jesus every day. What can i say about Apostle Ayo Babalola who knee down to pray and his knee pierced a rock. He can stood to pray for 3 days without sitting down.
ALSO READ: The Ministry Exploits Of Apostle Ayo Babalola.
Oh
where are we brethren? I can hear the Holy Ghost saying “wanted-wanted-wanted, a praying people” And
I sought for a man among them, that should make up the hedge, and stand in the
gap before me for the land, that I should not destroy it: but I found none;
Ezekiel 22:30. Have you lost your prayer life? Has the devil taken over
your prayer life? Are you now been messed-up? Moreover, you knew there is now a
vacuum in your heart.
Yes, you shout and sing but you sincerely knew there is a
vacuum in your spirit. You don’t have much time to pray again. You are too busy
to pray and seek God. Please get back to your post; do you know why the glory
has departed? Before God was using you, power and anointing was upon your life.
The Holy Ghost wants me to ask you now “where
are your yesterday when you were on your glory, when power was upon your life?
Where is your yesterday when you preached and the glory came down? Are you
trying to covered –up or managed”
My beloved, it all fell the day your prayer life was taken
away by the devil. However, God is still saying “wanted-wanted-wanted, I want to do something in this generation. I
want to release my power; am releasing a last way of revival but somebody must usher
in the revival” Yes, you can be the man. Even now God can still use you. I
need you to left up your hand to heaven and pray this prayer of reconciliation.
PRAYER OF
RECONCILIATION UNTO GOD
The spirit of the living God come afresh upon me, the bible said And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon
the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and
they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him,
as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one
that is in bitterness for his firstborn, Zachariah 12:10. The spirit of
supplication of the living God comes afresh upon me. Let the anointing of
prayer come afresh upon me in Jesus name.
Let us begin to repent from our prayerlessness and asked the
Lord to send unto us the spirit of prayer and intercession that will enable us
to begin to pray and seek God as never before. Only by enacting this spiritual
exercise can pave-way for revival in our church. You must fill that gap in your
church, family and everywhere. The Lord is calling you; get back to your duty
post. You must no give the devil any chance because it
is 5 minutes to 12.
Father Lord, I appreciate you for this warning message unto
the church because we have broken our prayer covenant. Even some of us are
beginning to sleep on our knee. We have abandoned our duty and assignment.
Father Lord, we pray for your forgiveness. Please renew us Oh Lord with your
power, and let the strength of prayer and anointing come afresh upon the church.
The Holy Ghost come and quickens us and let the fire of prayer to begin to burn
in our heart in Jesus name.
