3. Prayer attracts the anointing The New Testament Greek words for anoint are chrio, which means to smear or rub with oil and, by implication, to consecrate for office or religious service Putting it in basic language, the anointing is receiving divine enablement to fulfill God s calling over your life. When you carry an anointing, you will experience supernatural breakthroughs in your area of calling. The anointing is for you to function and not to make you feel good. The anointing flows from God through the Holy Spirit. Jesus was anointed by God through the Holy spirit before He began His ministry Acts 10:38 "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him." We do not hear that Jesus performed any miracles up until He was baptized by the Holy Spirit The most important thing for us to realize is that every born-again child of God has received the Spirit of God - and thereby an anointing of the Spirit. 1Jo 2:20 But you have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things. 1Jo 2:27 But the anointing which you have received from Him abides in you The anointing comes on us in order to make us effective witnesses of the Lord Jesus The anointing comes on us in order to live victorious lives in God Just like many things we own, if you do not look after them, you will eventually lose them. Do you know that we all experience anointing leakage and in the absence of getting a refill, we will eventually run out. This talks about being continuously filled by the Holy Spirit Ephesians 5:18 "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit;" A careful study of the above scripture will show that the literal translation of the original Greek is as follows: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be being 1 Why Every Believer Ought to Pray Prt 2: Michael Manyuni 25 February 2018
continually filled with the Spirit;" - Present Continuous Tense is used to describe a continued or an on-going action of the present Did you notice that we are to be continually filled? This would indicate that just being filled once is not enough! The refilling happens when you spend long times in prayer Moses spent inordinate amount of time in prayer. Exodus 34:28 So he was there with the LORD forty days and forty nights; he neither ate bread nor drank water. And He wrote on the tablets the words of the covenant, the Ten Commandments.29 Now it was so, when Moses came down from Mount Sinai (and the two tablets of the Testimony were in Moses' hand when he came down from the mountain), that Moses did not know that the skin of his face shone while he talked with Him. This was the second time that Moses was spending 40 days and 40 nights in the mountain. The glory of God rubbed on him and that empowered him to lead the great nation of God. The more we spent time with God, the more we take on His glory and His glory attracts great victories in our lives. Our anointing for public ministry corresponds directly to the time we spend alone with God. Rich and consistent prayer live is a trade mark of all anointed men and women who have been raised up by God in each generation 4. Prayer is a weapon for spiritual warfare One of the worst situations you can find yourself in is getting caught up in a battle whilst being unprepared. Many believers are oblivious to the fact that they are involved in a cosmic warfare We have often rationalized situations and attributing them to shear bad luck, or we say it was not my day or its just a natural sickness. I am not attributing every problem to the devil but you need to be aware that there are certain things that are not natural. Prayer is one of the weapons we have at our disposal to engage the devil with. Whether we like it or not, the devil assigns demons to attack and destroy our lives Sometimes the bible uses war language when talking about prayer 2 Why Every Believer Ought to Pray Prt 2: Michael Manyuni 25 February 2018
2Corinthians 10:3 For though we walk in the flesh, we do not war according to the flesh. 4 For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God for pulling down strongholds, 5 casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ, 6 and being ready to punish all disobedience when your obedience is fulfilled. It is in prayer that you cast down arguments what arguments are you facing right now. Casting down is a violent act of dislodging something from its place. That happens when you confront the situation in prayer. It is in prayer that you take evil thoughts captive the mind is a playground of the devil When we go on our knees we are able to allow or disallow certain things from happening Matthew 16:19 "And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven." If you do not bind the devil in your house, the devil will bind you in your own house. Every believer need to realize that nothing will come easy just because you are a believer your victory will bring glory to God, that is why you are being fought daily. The bible is full of people who engaged in battle through prayer o Jehoshaphat, prayed to God whilst facing a huge army and God gave him a great victory o King Asa prayed for God s help against a million men army and God gave him victory o The early church prayed after Peter and John has been persecuted and the church was strengthened 5. New dimensions of life are birthed through prayer Whenever you want to shift levels of productivity in any area, you usually find that there is resistance. The devil wants to keep you where you are and will oppose any progress in your life. In order to break into new dimensions, you need to birth them through prayer. Walls of resistance are broken down by prayer. If you are starting out in business, you will need to pray until something that does not exist comes to being. When your child is struggling at school, it cannot be business as usual you would need to travail in prayer until something changes. 3 Why Every Believer Ought to Pray Prt 2: Michael Manyuni 25 February 2018
If you have been at the same level at work without experiencing promotion, you will need to birth your promotion in prayer. Paul understood this principle when he said in Galatians 4:19 My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you, Paul was not going to form systems and structures in order to facilitate the formation of Christ in his children, he was going to do it through birth pains in prayer. The birth of Samuel was a result of prevailing prayer Hannah was barren and she travailed in prayer in order to break her barrenness. 1Samuel 1:1 Now there was a certain man of Ramathaim Zophim, of the mountains of Ephraim, and his name was Elkanah the son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 And he had two wives: the name of one was Hannah, and the name of the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had no children. 1Samuel 1:10 And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed to the LORD and wept in anguish. 11 Then she made a vow and said, "O LORD of hosts, if You will indeed look on the affliction of Your maidservant and remember me, and not forget Your maidservant, but will give Your maidservant a male child, then I will give him to the LORD all the days of his life, and no razor shall come upon his head 20 So it came to pass in the process of time that Hannah conceived and bore a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, "Because I have asked for him from the LORD." Daniel travailed in prayer for the promise of God to be fulfilled for the people of God. Daniel 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans-2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the LORD through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. 3 Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes. When we pray, answers are released but more often than not the devil fights our ministering angels Daniel 10:10 Suddenly, a hand touched me, which made me tremble on my knees and on the palms of my hands. 11 And he said to me, "O Daniel, man greatly beloved, understand the 4 Why Every Believer Ought to Pray Prt 2: Michael Manyuni 25 February 2018
words that I speak to you, and stand upright, for I have now been sent to you." While he was speaking this word to me, I stood trembling. 12 Then he said to me, "Do not fear, Daniel, for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard; and I have come because of your words. 13 "But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; and behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, for I had been left alone there with the kings of Persia. 6. Prayer brings victory in other people s lives Never underestimate the power of prayer over your environment. When you look around, you will realize that people are in trouble and need help. When we pray for people, they will experience great breakthroughs this is when you play the role of an intercessor. An intercessor is one that intervenes on behalf of another, it is the equivalent of interfering and changing the course and outcome of events. How often have you felt a burden for someone and not knowing what to do with it that is how God speaks to us; by giving us a burden for others. Abram prayed and Lot was saved from perishing with everyone else in Sodom and Gomorrah Genesis 18:23-33 Abraham came near and said, "Will You indeed sweep away the righteous with the wicked? When the children of Israel came to a well and the waters were bitter (undrinkable), Moses prayed and God gave him a solution to the problem Exodus 15:25 Then he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree; and he threw it into the waters, and the waters became sweet There He made for them a statute and regulation, and there He tested them. The Bible encourages us to carry each other s burdens by praying for one another James 5:16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Who are you carrying in your prayers these days if there is no one, it is time you decide to join Jesus in the ministry of intercession. The Bible places an obligation on us to pray for each other 5 Why Every Believer Ought to Pray Prt 2: Michael Manyuni 25 February 2018
1 Timothy 2:1 - I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, [and] giving of thanks, be made for all men; When we pray for people, we avoid calamity from happening in their lives and when we don t pray for them, they are vulnerable to the attacks of the enemy Luke 22:31 And the Lord said, "Simon, Simon! Indeed, Satan has asked for you, that he may sift you as wheat. 32 "But I have prayed for you, that your faith should not fail; and when you have returned to Me, strengthen your brethren." 7. A praying church is a healthy church One church that accurately reflected God was the early church. The early church was phenomenal, it operated in the power of God, it was united and experienced exponential growth. The key to the success of the church was that it was a praying church up until our church catches up with praying, it will remain irrelevant and ineffective The early church placed weight on prayer the first prayer was recorded when they were waiting for the promise of the Holy Spirit. Whilst you are waiting for God s promises, you ought to pray Acts 1: 14 All these were continually united in prayer, along with the women, including Mary the mother of Jesus, and His brothers. When the church was under attack, the people of God came together in prayer. Meetings and committees will not turn us into a triumphant church it requires prayer to overcome the plans of the enemy over the church. Acts 4:29 "Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, 30 "by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus." 31 And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness. The result of the early church praying was that the Gospel was preached with power and great zeal Acts 4:33 And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all. The early church had prayerful leaders they were leaders who understood their priorities. 6 Why Every Believer Ought to Pray Prt 2: Michael Manyuni 25 February 2018
Prayer is one of the key responsibilities of a leader prayer puts you in front of the sheep, prayer opens your eyes to see things before they happen. Acts 6:3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business;4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word." One of the best gifts you can give to your pastors is to free them up in order for them to pray more. They watch over you when they pray for you. The result of this decision was church growth Acts 6:7 Then the word of God spread, and the number of the disciples multiplied greatly in Jerusalem, and a great many of the priests were obedient to the faith. 8. God answers prayers God wants to do you good and He does that by responding to your prayers. Every one of your prayers have been answered the issue is whether you were happy with the answer or not o Silence is answer o Delayed answer is an answer o A direct yes or no is an answer There are many scriptures that point to the fact that God answers prayers Matthew 7:7 "Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. John 16:24"Until now you have asked for nothing in My name; ask and you will receive, so that your joy may be made full. 1 John 5:14 This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.15 And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him Matthew 7:11 "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! 7 Why Every Believer Ought to Pray Prt 2: Michael Manyuni 25 February 2018
2Chronicles 7:14 "if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land. Isaiah 59:1 Behold, the LORD'S hand is not shortened, That it cannot save; Nor His ear heavy, That it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have separated you from your God; And your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. 8 Why Every Believer Ought to Pray Prt 2: Michael Manyuni 25 February 2018