A MAN THAT IS CONSUMED WITH SELF ON THE ALTAR OF PRAYER HAS LIMITED HIMSELF IN THE JOURNEY OF DESTINY.
PRAYING FOR THE NEEDS OF OTHERS IS COUNTED BEFORE GOD AS STEWARDSHIP.
EVERY CHALLENGE YOU SEE AROUND YOU IS A PRAYER ASSIGNMENT GIVEN UNTO YOU.
YOU CANNOT BE A CHANNEL OF SOMEBODY’S ANSWER AND SUFFER HEAVEN’S SILENCE.
THOSE WHO STAND FOR THE ANSWERS OF OTHERS CAN NEVER BE NEGLECTED WHEN IT COMES TO GOD.
AS YOU ARE SERVING GOD, GOD IS SERVICING YOU.
-Pastor David Oyedepo Jr at CHoP
Our Father, this morning, we thank You for the privilege of the blessing of Your presence. Thank You Lord for the testimonies of Your mighty hand at work in our midst. There is no doubt that the testimonies we have heard are Your doings and they are marvellous in our eyes. For it, we give all the praise and glory to You. Now this morning, our eyes are on You, we ask that You will speak to us. By Your Word let every one of our lives be transformed. Thank You Father for it, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
Our line of exhortations this morning as has been from the beginning of the week is:
SPIRITUAL STEWARDSHIP PAYS THE MOST
We have come to realise that serving God is no mere religious activity neither is it simply a hobby. Serving God is a big-time business.
Luke 2:49, Romans 12:11
Business connotes engagement and profiting; investment and returns. It means therefore that there is no Kingdom input as far as stewardship is concerned that does not provoke productive output. Church Gist. Everyone committing to serve God positions themselves to be lifted by God.
That is why serving God is said to be a platform for the making of giants out of ordinary men. Whenever a man puts his life in the hand of God to be used by God, within the hand of God, He is made by God. So the process of service is the process of making.
Concerning Job, we are told in Job chapter 1 verses 1 to 3, how that Job became the greatest of all men in the East. The greatness was the outcome of a process.
What was the process? God said, concerning Job in (Job chapter 1) verse 8 and 9, “have you seen my servant Job?”
Job 1:8-9
In other words, the man who everyone was seeing as a testimony was the product of the process of stewardship.
Have you seen my servant Job? Have you considered him? – Job 1:8
Those who are committed to the stewardship of God become men that cannot be ignored in the world. Serving God makes giants out of ordinary men.
Concerning David, we are told in Psalm chapter 89 verse 20 down to verse 24
Psalm 89:20-24
He said, “I have found my servant David and with my holy oil I have anointed him.”
I have found David my Servant: If you discover from this picture, you will see that the starting point of David was stewardship but the ending point of David was rulership.
God found him serving and raised him to ruling. The making of David was through the process of serving.
When a man commits himself to serving God, he commits his life into God’s hand to making him. We must understand that it’s our choice whether we are made or not.
When it comes to the making of man, the process is simple: It is in the serving of God. The more committed we are to serving God the more we experience God making us.
-My prayer is that this year, for each one of us, as we take that decision to serve Him, we will see His mighty hand begin to make us.
Furthermore, we must understand that there are various channels of spiritual stewardship.
Take note, in all labour, there is profit: that is true but in spiritual labour there is superior profit.
Proverbs 14:23
So our spiritual labour is what gives us the opportunity to maximise profit in our pursuits.
We have been looking in the course of this week at various channels for effective spiritual labour and this morning we are going to go further.
The point we are going to look at this morning is:
Praying For The Needs of Members: This is one of the platforms for our spiritual stewardship. Praying for the needs of members. The platform of prayers from scriptures is recognized as a platform for spiritual investment.
We are told concerning the woman Anna in Luke chapter 2 verse 37, it is said that “Anna served God day and night in prayers and fasting”
Luke 2:37
Praying and fasting is recorded in Heaven as spiritual stewardship. It is one of the God made platforms for limitless returns in our engagement.
Romans 12:11-12
“…continuing instant in prayer.”
Prayer is a platform for continuous investment that produces unusual returns. But it is important for us to understand that the prayer that is counted as stewardship is the prayer that is selfless.
“Give me, give me” is not serving God; it is serving you.
Praying for the needs of others is counted before God as stewardship. It is important for us to understand why this is so important in the eye of God.
Take note:
- As we pray for others, we are positioning for the turning of their challenges into testimonies. We are praying to see their challenges turn into testimonies.
Philippians 1:19 – The prayer that is invested in others is an instrument of turning.
Why? Because prayer is invitation for divine intervention
Hebrews 4:16 – Prayer is a call for help and when we are calling for help on the behalf of others, it is then counted as service.
A man that is consumed with self on the altar of prayer has limited himself in the journey of destiny. Church Gist. Be committed to locating the needs of others that are addressed on the altar of prayer until they are turned to testimonies.
We have the testimony of one of us who said that every time given opportunity to pray, she would pray for herself; pray for herself. She was trusting God for the fruit of the womb and the case remained the same, until she discovered the secret of engaging in Kingdom advancement prayers and praying for others. She said, “instead of praying for herself, she left her matter to the side and prayed until she knew that God heard her.”
According to her, when she heard testimonies shared, concerning the thing she had prayed, she rejoiced: I prayed for that also. She could recognize the answer in the lives of others.
We must commit ourselves on the altar of prayer to stand in the gap and pray until the situation of those individuals turns into testimonies. Church Gist. That is Kingdom stewardship.
When we engage on such a platform, we are engaging in stewardship. It is important that we understand that. We keep praying and keep praying to see the challenges of those that are around us turned into testimonies.
Somebody is barren, you are praying for their fruitfulness.
Somebody is jobless, you are praying for their employment.
Somebody’s business is broken down, you are praying for their breakthrough.
That means that every challenge you see around you is a prayer assignment given unto you. We take on those assignments and engage on the altar of prayer until we see the matters turn into testimonies.
This is vitally important.
I remember Kenneth Hagin told a story about how he said there was a Church he was privileged to pastor it. He said there were these women in the Church, few of them. He said, “except you do not want your matter to change, if you have a challenge, they will pray until that matter changes.”
What is the issue? Okay. They take that issue and they will fight that fight until the matter turns to a testimony. What were they doing? Serving God.
He said there was nothing that those women took on that didn’t change except you decided that you don’t want it to change. They were serving God. That is a spiritual platform for stewardship.
We are engaging!
What is the purpose of this, which is the second point we must look at!
God recognizes that testimonies are the greatest advertisers of the gospel. As their challenges are turned into testimonies, they attract others to Christ and to the Church.
Zechariah 8:23
When the mockery of men is converted to glory, then those who were formerly mocked become an attraction by their change of story. That is what happens.
God is well aware and that is why He gives you and I that assignment to invoke intervention on the behalf of others and as we do so, we begin to see the flow of men, in great droves into the Kingdom of God.
Furthermore, as we begin to conclude this morning, we must understand that what we pray for others, God also makes happen for us. What we pray for others, God makes happen for us.
Every time you stand on the behalf of another individual, God inspects your life to see whether that issue is also a need for you, because the pipe that passes to a destination is not permitted to suffer thirst.
In the same vein, when your prayer is a channel to somebody’s else answer then you are not permitted to lack answers in that area.
Ephesians 6:8
Keep recognizing, as you are serving God, praying for others and God is answering them and decorating them, He is also decorating you in the process, because you cannot be a channel of somebody’s else answer and suffer heaven’s silence.
Those who stand for the answers of others can never be neglected when it comes to God. So take note of that as you are serving God, God is servicing you.
-Your story will surely change.
-This year, as you stand effectively on the altar of prayer, watch it: every department of your life shall be comprehensively visited by God.
Prayers: Lord, I receive from You grace. The spirit of grace and supplication, the spirit of prayer to stand effectively, to stand consistently, to stand tirelessly, on the altar of prayer, praying for the needs of others. I receive that grace this morning.
Lift your voice and pray from the depth of your heart. No more prayer selfishness.
Lord, grace for prayer selflessness. To pray effectively on the behalf of others, praying their needs into testimonies, standing on their behalf until their change of story is delivered.
Call upon the name of the Lord. Lord, I receive from You this morning, the grace to remain consistent on the altar of prayer, standing fervently on the behalf of others, in the name of Jesus Christ. Let the fire of heaven be ignited upon my prayer altar, for effectual engagement on the behalf of others. Thank You mighty God and blessed be Your holy name, in Jesus precious name we have prayed.
From this day, there is fresh grace upon you. Your prayer altar shall remain on fire, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ!
What an opportunity today offers to you and to me: we are waiting upon the Lord, we are gathered this evening at our Midweek Service. We can position ourselves, engaging in prayers and fasting, serving the Lord, taking up the needs of others and as you do so, God will decorate you, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Speak to the day
Make your declarations concerning today.
Call forth what the day is to deliver. Speak to the day.
A day of effective engagement.
A day of supernatural results.
A productive day.
A fruitful day.
Speak to it right now. Thank You Father, in Jesus precious name we have declared.
-This day is declared blessed.
-For you, a day of testimonies.
-Every prayer you offer today will receive speedy answers, in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, so shall it be.
In Jesus precious name. It is done.
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CHoP is an acronym for Covenant Hour of Prayer
