THOSE WHO PRAY NEVER SEE THINGS REMAIN THE SAME.
THE PRODUCT OF PRAYER IS ANSWERS BUT IN THE PROCESS OF PRAYER, THERE ARE CHANGES.
EVERYONE WHO ENGAGES EFFECTUALLY ON THE ALTAR OF PRAYER IS NEVER LEFT THE SAME WAY AGAIN.
A BELIEVER CAN BE SAID TO BE HELPLESS WITHOUT THE HOLY SPIRIT.
WHEN THE HOLY SPIRIT IS NOT THERE, THE FOUNTAIN OF OUR HELP IS NOT THERE.
IT IS THE FERVENCY IN PRAYER THAT PROVOKES THE POTENCY OF PRAYER.
POWER IS IN LEVELS AND THE LEVEL OF POWER DETERMINES THE DEGREE OF YOUR TRIUMPH.
A LIFE OF CONTINUOUS VICTORY IS SECURED BY A LIFE OF CONTINUOUS DIRECTION.
EVERY MAN REQUIRES DIVINE HELP IN THE JOURNEY OF LIFE BECAUSE THERE’S NO HELP IN MEN.
YOU WILL NEVER END UP DEFEATED WHEN GOD KEEPS LEADING YOU.
WHEN YOU COME OUT OF THE PLACE OF PRAYER, YOU BEGIN TO MANIFEST THE VERY COMPOSITION OF GOD.
WHEN IT COMES TO OUR PRAYER LIFE, THE HOLY SPIRIT IS AN IRREPLACEABLE HELPER
WHEN IT IS TIME TO PRAY, IT IS YOUR FLESH THAT GETS TIRED
WE CALL ON HIM WITH A SENSE OF DESPERATION
WE NEED THE RIGHT WORDS FOR EVERY SITUATION
WHEN THE WORD FOR THE SEASON COMES THE ANSWER FOR THE SEASON ARRIVES
WHEN WE PRAY IN THE SPIRIT…GET YOUR NOTEPAD READY BECAUSE HE BEGINS TO NETWORK SCRIPTURES CONCERNING THE SUBJECT YOU PRESENT TO HIM
– Pastor David Oyedepo Jr. on “ENGAGING THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT 2” at October 2023 Week of Spiritual Emphasis Day 2 || LFC Canaanland || 5th October 2023 ||
We will be continuing in our teaching series which we began yesterday on the commencement of this Week of Spiritual Emphasis and we are led in this line of teaching ENGAGING THE HELP OF THE HOLY SPIRIT. Church Gist. Remember God has spoken concerning you and me this month and Jesus has said “I will not leave you helpless”. This month, the help of the Lord will locate each one of us.
We were told yesterday that the word ‘Comforter’ literally means helper. John 14:16-18. As we were told yesterday, it is not just a package that can be left somewhere like your bag, your purse or your wallet. Not only will he be with you, He will be in you and His residency is forever. There is no situation where this helper is absent. That means for you and I, by the ministry of the helper none of us shall ever be found helpless again. John 14:26. Church Gist. This Helper or this Comforter was specifically identified, He is the Holy Ghost. The Holy Spirit is the one that has been sent by God as our helper. My prayer is that via the ministry of the Holy Spirit, none of us will ever be found helpless again.
We have seen from scriptures that He comes with diverse gifts and manifestations. The purpose is to help us fulfil our glorious destiny. 1 Corinthians 12:7. These manifestations of the Holy Spirit are there to decorate our lives, decorate our destinies, advance us and continue to elevate us. Church Gist. I believe God that via the ministry of the Spirit of God, none of us will be found at the same level we began this month.
This is why a believer can be said to be helpless without the Holy Spirit. When the Holy Spirit is not there, the fountain of our help is not there. The Holy Spirit is the fountain from which our help flows. I believe God that each one of us will never lack His manifestations again. Church Gist. The manifestations of the Spirit are in diverse areas. Yesterday we saw the Spirit of obedience. Tonight we are going to look at a specific operation of the Holy Spirit and that is as the Spirit of prayer and supplication.
Zechariah 12:10. According to scriptures, there is what the Bible refers to as the Spirit of grace and supplication. It is the Spirit that enables prayer. The Holy Spirit is there among other things as the Spirit of prayer and supplication. Church Gist. He energizes our prayer lives, He enables our prayer lives. He empowers our prayer lives. That is one of the manifestations of the Holy Ghost. It is important for us to understand the implications of the prayer altar.
1. The prayer altar is the altar of supernatural change of story.
Those who pray never see things remain the same. Everyone committed to prayer experiences continuous change of story. Luke 3:21-22. Everybody was baptized but Jesus was being baptized and praying. As a result of that, the heavens opened. There was a change of story. Everybody before then only knew him as the son of Joseph but as he engaged in prayer there was a change of identity. Church Gist. Suddenly the voice of heaven validated him as the Son of the Most High. The altar of prayer is the altar of change of story. The stories of men and women are usually changed in prayer. We have examples all through scriptures, Jabez prayed and his story changed. 2 Chronicles 7:14. The altar of prayer is the altar of change of story.
2. Prayer does not only change things, prayer changes people.
The product of prayer is answers but in the process of prayer, there are changes. Everyone who engages effectually on the altar of prayer is never left the same way again, there is always a transformation that takes place. Luke 9:28-29. He took those three men and all four of them went to the mountain for one purpose, to pray. But not all of them were praying. Only one person was praying. The Bible says as He prayed, the fashion of His countenance was altered. In the process of praying there was a Transfiguration. Luke 9:30-33. Church Gist. The disciples there with him not praying but watching were not changed. Only Jesus was changed. When Jesus descended from that mountain, everything around him began to react. It was clear that this man had been changed in the process of prayer. Luke 9:43. In the process of prayer there are changes. You and I continue to experience transformation and transfiguration in the process of prayer. Our spiritual composition is altered when we pray.
It is just like when you put a nail beside a magnet, as the nail is beside that magnet no matter what function the nail is carrying out there. It is carrying out a function and it is by the magnet, by product of its proximity, it becomes magnetic. Church Gist. When you take that nail to a pin, suddenly it begins to pull the pin towards it. Why? Because it has been connected to the magnet.
You take yourself as it were as the nail and the magnet as God’s presence in prayer. You stay with God in prayer…when you come out of the place of prayer, everything begins to react to you differently. You’re no longer an ordinary nail, you begin to manifest the very composition of God. Church Gist. So the altar of prayer does not only change things, it changes people. Everyone of us as we engage in prayer, there are transformative effects on our lives. My prayer is that for each one of us particularly in this season of Operation 11th Hour Change of Story, not only will our stories be changed but we ourselves shall be changed.
3. We receive direction for triumphant living through prayers of enquiries. So in prayer, stories are changed…in prayer, people are changed…in prayer, direction is received and that direction that comes in prayer secures for you and I triumph. Jeremiah 33:3. The altar of prayer is not just an altar where we call God’s intervention but it’s an altar where we call for God’s direction. “I will show you the things you don’t know.” So in prayer, we can secure direction and those directions are the keys to our triumph. 1 Samuel 30:6-8, 17-19, 2 Samuel 5:18-25. Church Gist. The battle was repeated again in the same valley with the same enemy but yet he enquired of the Lord again and the Lord gave a different direction this time…he obeyed the direction and came out victorious.
A life of continuous victory is secured by a life of continuous direction. Church Gist. When God keeps leading, you’ll never end up defeated and the altar of prayer is the altar of direction.
WHY DO WE NEED THE SPIRIT OF PRAYER?
1. The Spirit of prayer empowers us for effectual fervent prayer. Church Gist. James 5:16. It is the fervency in prayer that provokes potency of prayer. The prayer that’s fervent is the one that’s appropriately rooted in the heart not just the prayer of the mouth but the prayer rooted in the heart…and it is the Holy Ghost that empowers us to be fervent in prayer. Church Gist. Romans 12:11-12. Among others, how do we serve Him…continuing in standing in prayer. So the prayer that will be potent is the prayer that must be fervent. Church Gist. It takes the Holy Ghost to empower us to be fervent in prayer. He energizes our prayer life, He infuses inside of us the connectivity of heart to ensure that our prayer delivers. James 5:17-18. How did he (Elijah prayed)…he prayed fervently…and as he prayed, he began to secure result and it is the Holy Ghost that does that. The Holy Ghost that was upon Elijah is available to you and to me. Elijah was a man just like you and I…the difference was that he was enabled for fervency on the altar of prayer. Church Gist. From this day onward, I see our prayer altar being ignited on fire.
2. Prayer is a covenant platform for accessing help from above. Church Gist. Hebrews 4:16. We’ve said that the Holy Ghost is the helper. John 14:16-18. He’s the helper but the helper can only be secured to assist us on the altar of prayer. Church Gist. The altar of prayer is the platform through which we engage help. Psalms 121:1-2, Psalms 5:3. If I need to access help from above then my prayer must go above. It takes prayer to secure help. If I need help then I secure it in prayer. Psalms 57:2. Church Gist. The altar of prayer is the altar of help and we must come to understand that in the journey of life, every man requires divine help because there’s no help in men. The Bible tells us that we’re not sufficient of ourselves. We don’t have the capacity to help ourselves…our sufficiency is of God and we connect that fountain of sufficiency on the altar of prayer. Church Gist. So everytime we’re on the altar of prayer among other things, we are securing help from above. Hebrews 4:16. There’s help available and it is obtainable on the altar of prayer. Tonight, I see that help locating each one of us…whatever area of life where you and I require His intervention, I see that help locating each one of us.
3. We receive direction for triumphant living through prayers of enquiry. In other words, as we go before Him in prayer, we’re granted direction…and we spoke about this already. Direction! “This is the way to go, walk in it, this is the path to take, walk in it.” Church Gist. Proverbs 3:5-6. We must learn to continuously seek Him for direction because the direction is the pathway to our triumph.
4. We’re empowered to be more than conquerors in battle through prayer and fasting. The altar of prayer is an altar of empowerment. Church Gist. Isaiah 58:6.
The altar of prayer and fasting is the altar of power. You can’t talk about power without prayer. It is through prayer and fasting that we connect to power. Church Gist. Luke 4:1,14. It is in prayer that we connect with power and that’s why prayer and fasting must be seen as our avenue for accessing the power required to be more than conquerors in life…and the truth is “life is a battlefield”…so the need for power cannot be overstated. We need power everyday, we need power everywhere, we need power for everything…and that’s why we must continue engaging. Church Gist. You look at this Commission, you’ll see continuous engagement in prayer, in fasting…every year, 21 days…we begin with prayer and fasting. Church Gist. Every month…we begin it with 3 days of prayer and fasting…it’s what we’re doing right now. Every week…we’ve one day of prayer and fasting. Why…generating power…and as we’re connecting with power, it makes us live a life that’s more than conqueror.
The truth is this “power is in degrees, power is in levels” and the level of power determines the degree of victory, the degree of triumph.
Let’s put it this way, in warfare there are different categories of weapons. Every nation has bomb but bomb pass bomb. There are nations that have nuclear bombs. If you notice the nations that have nuclear bombs, nobody attacks them, they may threaten them from far but they don’t go attack them. For example, no nation in it’s right mind enters into United States to go and fight them. Why? Nuclear weapon. Those nations that are angry with them, they insult them from far but they don’t enter. It’s not that they are not angry they are angry but that weapon, the power dimension they have is what nobody wants to test. Church Gist. So everybody tests from far, insults from far but they don’t come near. Why? Power…that is why there are nations of the earth that are called nuclear powers. That is every nation have some dimension of power but these ones are called nuclear powers…and where those weapons are found, everybody becomes cautious. If you notice in the world when they are not sure if a nation has it or not, everybody is careful with them. “Since we are not sure, let’s be careful with them”.
So when power is at the top grade, you begin to ride in the dimension of triumph, where satan and all of his agents see you from far and they clear the way. Acts 19:14-15. In the realm of the Spirit, power is noticeable. It is observable. It can be seen from far. Shout Hallelujah! Luke 4:34.
– For somebody via the outcome of this season, you shall be changing dimensions on power and as a result of that triumph shall become our identity.
You believe say a loud Amen. As we engage in prayers and fasting, there is and upgrade in our access to power, an upgrade in our demonstration of power, and upgrade in our manifestation of power and that makes us a danger to the enemy. Church Gist. That’s what makes us more than conquerors. I see that becoming our experience in the name of Jesus.
5. The Spirit of Prayer delivers us from prayer infirmities.
Matthew 26:41. It is the Spirit of Prayer that quickens our flesh and causes us to be enabled and energized for prayer. Romans 8:13. It is the Spirit of God that mortifies and crucifies the tendencies of the flesh. When it is time to pray, it is your flesh that gets tired as it were. But when the Spirit of prayer comes upon the life of a person, it quickens and energizes Him. Church Gist. You are energized for prayer. I see that becoming somebody’s experience from today. If you believe it say a loud Amen. That’s what enables you and I not to be weary in our spiritual engagement.
– I pray for each one of us that as an outcome of this week of Spiritual Emphasis, you shall never be weary in prayer again in the name of Jesus Christ.
6. He empowers us to pray according to the will of God.
Romans 8:27. The prayer that works is that according to His will. 1st John 5:14. He helps us to pray according to the will of God and that guarantees the response of God. Church Gist. So every time we are praying and engaging the help of the Holy Ghost among other things, what He’s doing is aligning us with the will of God and that is part of why we pray in the Spirit. We pray in the Spirit to get aligned with the will of God. On the subject of prayer, we are praying according to the will of God when we engage the Holy Ghost in prayer.
7. Praying in the Holy Ghost connects us to the Word in season which empowers us for conquest.
You see when we begin to pray in the Holy Ghost, one of the things that the Spirit of God does among other things is to network the Word of God, the right Word for the situation inside us. He networks it, He brings it together. Many of us have heard God’s servant, our father, share this testimony, he said when our sister was attacked by the spirit of death he said he went into the office, sat on his chair “there must be a way out” and suddenly, the Holy Ghost began to network scriptures. The Word is like a river inside a person, it’s like water. Psalms 29:3. We need the right Words for every situation. Job 6:25. Church Gist. In the midst of the situation, as you engage the language of the Holy Ghost, he begins to network scriptures together. John 14:26. John 16:13-14. In the midst of whatsoever it is that you need an answer for, as you engage the language of the Holy Spirit, there is a networking of the right Words required to tackle the current situation…and when the Word for the season comes the answer for the season arrives. That’s why when we pray in the Spirit among other things, you get your notepad ready because he begins to network scriptures concerning the subject that you are presenting to Him…and inside those right and seasonal Words is where you and I have access to our triumph. Shout Hallelujah!
This is so important, so we engage the altar of prayer, engaging the Holy Spirit as we do to secure the Word in season. Jude 20. 1st Corinthians 14:14-15. You and I just like Paul must begin to engage the language of the Holy Spirit seeking to connect with the Word in season. You can’t get the word in season and it doesn’t show. When you capture the Word in season, it shows, it produces results. That would become our experience from now in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. If you believe it say a loud Amen.
What we are saying in all of these is this, when it comes to our prayer life, the Holy Spirit is an irreplaceable Helper. There is no substitute, we need Him every hour. When it comes to our prayer life, we need Him every moment. When it comes to our prayer life, we need Him in every situation. Church Gist. The Spirit of prayer is how He manifests to assist us.
– My prayer tonight is that via the encounter we’ve had in His Word, the Spirit of prayer will come afresh in our lives.
– Our prayer altar will never go down again.
– Our prayer fire will never go down again…in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
As we conclude this evening, take note of this…to secure Him, we call on Him. To secure Him, we call on Him and we do that with a sense of desperation. Every enablement of the Spirit answers to a text. “I will pour water upon him that is thirsty and floods upon the dry ground”. For you and I, there will be an outpouring of that Spirit of grace and supplication like never before in the name of Jesus Christ and as a result of that, our prayers will begin to secure Heaven’s attention.
Lift your hands to heaven tonight and thank Him, for your Word that has come tonight I give you the glory, I give you the praise, I give you the adoration in Jesus’ precious name we have prayed.
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