Prayer
At this time, we should remember that the Lord is our Rock and we cannot be shaken. The Lord watches over us at all times.
When I knew what prayer is and the Lord helped me to pray, when the Lord opened my spiritual eyes, I found rest in the Lord. When the world knows Him who we call upon and He answers, they will turn to Him.
When we become people of understanding what prayer is and who our God is, people will look at us in amazement, seeing what the Lord can do. The Lord does great things. When people will realize the power of prayer, and indulge in prayer effectively, they will see wonders.
Jesus did not talk about "if" we pray, He talked about "when" we pray, meaning we do not have an option. Prayer is mandatory, we do not have an option, as Christian.
Prayer is a spiritual act of having communication with God.
Matthew 6:5-7
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
My aim today is to show you that Jesus talked about when we pray, not if we pray. When is your when? You must have prayer sessions.
Today I woke up and sat on the bed, asking the Lord what specific word He wanted us to hear. He said, "I am the Lord who hears and answers prayers. Stop doubting or living in fear and anxiety. I have heard you, and in the time of trouble I will rescue you, says the Lord. I AM is my Name." This is what the Lord decrees to His people. He is God.
Exodus 3:1-22
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
This is a word that we have always heard, but remember that the word of God is new every time we hear it because of revelation.
Between the promise of God and the fulfillment of the same, prayer has to be present. The children of Israel were not where they were supposed to be; are you where you are supposed to be? The food we eat, house we live in, where we have reached in our lives, is that where we are supposed to be? If not, there is something that can be done. Prayer is what will get you where you are supposed to be, from where you are. The children of Israel ended up in Egypt due to famine, through Joseph, and got comfortable, forgetting that this is now where God wanted them to be.
When you see the enemy rise up and makes it seem like the fire is too hot, just know that as long as it is not sin that has taken you there, there is something that is about to happen. In this nation there is a promise, that this is the year of Jubilee, new things, jobs etc. We see great things and know that this is the year of the Lord in which we are blessed. The promise that this year is the year of establishment and governance still holds. God has not changed His mind. God said many things about this year, promises after promises, and He has not changed His mind. Just when you are about to come to your promise, that's when the enemy starts to rise up like fire. Whatever you see at Westgate and elsewhere is just a distraction to make us take our eyes off the promise. When we allow ourselves to be distracted, we will not be effective in encouraging others and start talking like the rest who do not know about prayer and seeing things from the spiritual realm, and thus miss out on our promise. Do not use your physical eyes; use your spiritual eyes and see things as God sees them.
All things work for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). When you are about to reach your miracle and it is right there, opposition and stories from men will arise. Our country is about to break through, so the enemy wants us to stop seeing the waters that have broken forth in Turkana, the Oil that was discovered in Turkana, the rains, harvest and other good things that are happening in the country. The enemy wants you to focus on the change in the economy, terrorist attacks etc. Do not let your heart be distracted by the enemy's tactics.
The enemy knew that the period that the children of Israel were supposed to live in Egypt was about to end, and thus through Pharaoh increased their oppression by making them work more. But still the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and increased (Exodus 1:12) , so much that the Egyptians dreaded them. We are in the season of fruitfulness. Where there is a lot of wickedness, grace abounds (Romans 5:20). In this time, it is time that the Lord rises a standard against the attacks of the enemy.
Our lives are founded on the Rock that cannot be shaken.Your heart must find a resting place. We should not be shaken. If you are a child of God, the more your enemies oppress you, the more you increase in strength, bringing dread to your oppressors, just like the children of Israel. Do not be afraid of the devil; the devil is so afraid of us. Your enemies are not confronting you face to face because they are afraid of you, because you are a child of God, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world, because no weapon formed against you shall prosper. It is because there is a great one, who is a friend. It is because you have a pillar that holds you strong. I command your spirit and life to be fruitful even in oppression. Do not be afraid of the economy. Declare every day that you shall never lack, that you are pressing on; we cannot be oppressed by the devil or shaken; we shall move on.
In that kind of oppression, the children cried out to God:
Exodus 2:22
Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
2. The oppression from the enemy is not permanent and pensionable
The situation has an expiry date, and when the date comes they have to pack and leave. The date is here, and the oppression has to let go. We can't live in oppression anymore. Oppression of the enemy has to come to an end. God has acknowledged, and it is enough.
When it's darkest, it's about to be daylight. When it's hottest, it's about to rain. When it's raining the most, the sunny season is just about to come. YOu must get out of the situation, its expiry date is now.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
The Bible talks about passing through, not living on or in the water, floods, or fire. Do not stay in hell; pass through. Your oppression has an expiry date; pass through. Do not dwell there, and do not go back in the fire; pass through. Because the Lord was with the Israelites, they passed through the oppression.
Exodus 2:23
Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
3. Whenever your situation is contrary to what God said or to how it should be, call on God
Any moment you cry out to the Lord, believe that He has heard you and has come to deliver you.
Jeremiah 33:3
‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
In those moments of oppression, call the Lord; do not call on your cousins, friends, people in high places etc; call on the Lord. Do not lament, complain etc. Just call on God. God does not want to make you desperate, but at the same time He does not want you to receive without asking and be prideful, thinking it's about you. Calling on God reminds you that it's about God, and not about us. According to His promises, we will see His faithfulness when we call on Him.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
4. Frequent communication with God is the source of our answer
With no communication, Moses would not have known what he was born to God. He knew because there was communication. Frequent communication with God will help you know your purpose, your reason for existence.
We will continue from there next week.
Amen.
(22/09/13 Sunday Service Sermon, Africa Transformation Mission. Pramukh Plaza, 6th Floor)
When I knew what prayer is and the Lord helped me to pray, when the Lord opened my spiritual eyes, I found rest in the Lord. When the world knows Him who we call upon and He answers, they will turn to Him.
When we become people of understanding what prayer is and who our God is, people will look at us in amazement, seeing what the Lord can do. The Lord does great things. When people will realize the power of prayer, and indulge in prayer effectively, they will see wonders.
Jesus did not talk about "if" we pray, He talked about "when" we pray, meaning we do not have an option. Prayer is mandatory, we do not have an option, as Christian.
Prayer is a spiritual act of having communication with God.
Matthew 6:5-7
“And when you pray, you shall not be like the hypocrites. For they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the corners of the streets, that they may be seen by men. Assuredly, I say to you, they have their reward. 6 But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door, pray to your Father who is in the secret place; and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly. 7 And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.
My aim today is to show you that Jesus talked about when we pray, not if we pray. When is your when? You must have prayer sessions.
Today I woke up and sat on the bed, asking the Lord what specific word He wanted us to hear. He said, "I am the Lord who hears and answers prayers. Stop doubting or living in fear and anxiety. I have heard you, and in the time of trouble I will rescue you, says the Lord. I AM is my Name." This is what the Lord decrees to His people. He is God.
Exodus 3:1-22
Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian. And he led the flock to the back of the desert, and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 And the Angel of the Lord appeared to him in a flame of fire from the midst of a bush. So he looked, and behold, the bush was burning with fire, but the bush was not consumed. 3 Then Moses said, “I will now turn aside and see this great sight, why the bush does not burn.”
4 So when the Lord saw that he turned aside to look, God called to him from the midst of the bush and said, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “Here I am.” 5 Then He said, “Do not draw near this place. Take your sandals off your feet, for the place where you stand is holy ground.” 6 Moreover He said, “I am the God of your father—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God.
7 And the Lord said: “I have surely seen the oppression of My people who are in Egypt, and have heard their cry because of their taskmasters, for I know their sorrows. 8 So I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up from that land to a good and large land, to a land flowing with milk and honey, to the place of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites. 9 Now therefore, behold, the cry of the children of Israel has come to Me, and I have also seen the oppression with which the Egyptians oppress them. 10 Come now, therefore, and I will send you to Pharaoh that you may bring My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt.”
11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh, and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?” 12 So He said, “I will certainly be with you. And this shall be a sign to you that I have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you shall serve God on this mountain.” 13 Then Moses said to God, “Indeed, when I come to the children of Israel and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they say to me, ‘What is His name?’ what shall I say to them?”
14 And God said to Moses, “I AM WHO I AM.” And He said, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel, ‘I AM has sent me to you.’” 15 Moreover God said to Moses, “Thus you shall say to the children of Israel: ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, has sent me to you. This is My name forever, and this is My memorial to all generations.’ 16 Go and gather the elders of Israel together, and say to them, ‘The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob, appeared to me, saying, “I have surely visited you and seen what is done to you in Egypt; 17 and I have said I will bring you up out of the affliction of Egypt to the land of the Canaanites and the Hittites and the Amorites and the Perizzites and the Hivites and the Jebusites, to a land flowing with milk and honey.”’ 18 Then they will heed your voice; and you shall come, you and the elders of Israel, to the king of Egypt; and you shall say to him, ‘The Lord God of the Hebrews has met with us; and now, please, let us go three days’ journey into the wilderness, that we may sacrifice to the Lord our God.’ 19 But I am sure that the king of Egypt will not let you go, no, not even by a mighty hand. 20 So I will stretch out My hand and strike Egypt with all My wonders which I will do in its midst; and after that he will let you go. 21 And I will give this people favor in the sight of the Egyptians; and it shall be, when you go, that you shall not go empty-handed. 22 But every woman shall ask of her neighbor, namely, of her who dwells near her house, articles of silver, articles of gold, and clothing; and you shall put them on your sons and on your daughters. So you shall plunder the Egyptians.”
This is a word that we have always heard, but remember that the word of God is new every time we hear it because of revelation.
Between the promise of God and the fulfillment of the same, prayer has to be present. The children of Israel were not where they were supposed to be; are you where you are supposed to be? The food we eat, house we live in, where we have reached in our lives, is that where we are supposed to be? If not, there is something that can be done. Prayer is what will get you where you are supposed to be, from where you are. The children of Israel ended up in Egypt due to famine, through Joseph, and got comfortable, forgetting that this is now where God wanted them to be.
When you see the enemy rise up and makes it seem like the fire is too hot, just know that as long as it is not sin that has taken you there, there is something that is about to happen. In this nation there is a promise, that this is the year of Jubilee, new things, jobs etc. We see great things and know that this is the year of the Lord in which we are blessed. The promise that this year is the year of establishment and governance still holds. God has not changed His mind. God said many things about this year, promises after promises, and He has not changed His mind. Just when you are about to come to your promise, that's when the enemy starts to rise up like fire. Whatever you see at Westgate and elsewhere is just a distraction to make us take our eyes off the promise. When we allow ourselves to be distracted, we will not be effective in encouraging others and start talking like the rest who do not know about prayer and seeing things from the spiritual realm, and thus miss out on our promise. Do not use your physical eyes; use your spiritual eyes and see things as God sees them.
All things work for the good of those who love God (Romans 8:28). When you are about to reach your miracle and it is right there, opposition and stories from men will arise. Our country is about to break through, so the enemy wants us to stop seeing the waters that have broken forth in Turkana, the Oil that was discovered in Turkana, the rains, harvest and other good things that are happening in the country. The enemy wants you to focus on the change in the economy, terrorist attacks etc. Do not let your heart be distracted by the enemy's tactics.
The enemy knew that the period that the children of Israel were supposed to live in Egypt was about to end, and thus through Pharaoh increased their oppression by making them work more. But still the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and increased (Exodus 1:12) , so much that the Egyptians dreaded them. We are in the season of fruitfulness. Where there is a lot of wickedness, grace abounds (Romans 5:20). In this time, it is time that the Lord rises a standard against the attacks of the enemy.
Our lives are founded on the Rock that cannot be shaken.Your heart must find a resting place. We should not be shaken. If you are a child of God, the more your enemies oppress you, the more you increase in strength, bringing dread to your oppressors, just like the children of Israel. Do not be afraid of the devil; the devil is so afraid of us. Your enemies are not confronting you face to face because they are afraid of you, because you are a child of God, because greater is He who is in you than he who is in the world, because no weapon formed against you shall prosper. It is because there is a great one, who is a friend. It is because you have a pillar that holds you strong. I command your spirit and life to be fruitful even in oppression. Do not be afraid of the economy. Declare every day that you shall never lack, that you are pressing on; we cannot be oppressed by the devil or shaken; we shall move on.
In that kind of oppression, the children cried out to God:
Exodus 2:22
Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage. 24 So God heard their groaning, and God remembered His covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob. 25 And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God acknowledged them.
Your cry today has reached the Lord. God does not have a memory problem. God wants us to cry to Him and call to Him, so that our fellowship and communion with Him may remain. If God was to give us everything we need without need of us calling on Him, as human beings we would be proud and see no need of God, like Nebuchadnezzar. God knows that the things of the world have a chance of drawing us from Him. God does not want to lose us, and thus gives us an opportunity to call on Him.
If you have cried out to God, He has heard and answered. Your relationship with Him is continuing to be edified, and is not based on physical things and property; it is a spiritual relationship based on His promises.
1. Oppression from life is from the enemy, not from God
Oppression will not crush you. Your life will still go on. The more the enemy will oppress you, the more you will grow stronger, because the Lord is raising a standard for us. In all the oppression from the economy, we will live better, grow better. The Lord is changing our situation. We may not know what to do or what God may do, but He knows how to raise a standard for you.
Isaiah 59:19b
When the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.2. The oppression from the enemy is not permanent and pensionable
The situation has an expiry date, and when the date comes they have to pack and leave. The date is here, and the oppression has to let go. We can't live in oppression anymore. Oppression of the enemy has to come to an end. God has acknowledged, and it is enough.
When it's darkest, it's about to be daylight. When it's hottest, it's about to rain. When it's raining the most, the sunny season is just about to come. YOu must get out of the situation, its expiry date is now.
Isaiah 43:2
When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow you. When you walk through the fire, you shall not be burned, nor shall the flame scorch you.
The Bible talks about passing through, not living on or in the water, floods, or fire. Do not stay in hell; pass through. Your oppression has an expiry date; pass through. Do not dwell there, and do not go back in the fire; pass through. Because the Lord was with the Israelites, they passed through the oppression.
Exodus 2:23
Now it happened in the process of time that the king of Egypt died. Then the children of Israel groaned because of the bondage, and they cried out; and their cry came up to God because of the bondage.
3. Whenever your situation is contrary to what God said or to how it should be, call on God
Any moment you cry out to the Lord, believe that He has heard you and has come to deliver you.
Jeremiah 33:3
‘Call to Me, and I will answer you, and show you great and mighty things, which you do not know.’
In those moments of oppression, call the Lord; do not call on your cousins, friends, people in high places etc; call on the Lord. Do not lament, complain etc. Just call on God. God does not want to make you desperate, but at the same time He does not want you to receive without asking and be prideful, thinking it's about you. Calling on God reminds you that it's about God, and not about us. According to His promises, we will see His faithfulness when we call on Him.
Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, 21 to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.
4. Frequent communication with God is the source of our answer
With no communication, Moses would not have known what he was born to God. He knew because there was communication. Frequent communication with God will help you know your purpose, your reason for existence.
We will continue from there next week.
Amen.
-- Pastor Mary Mugo
(22/09/13 Sunday Service Sermon, Africa Transformation Mission. Pramukh Plaza, 6th Floor)
Pastor Mary Mugo is the Administrative Pastor at Africa Transformation Mission, a ministry under Christ Harvesters Ministries.
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