Prayer and Partnership

Prayer and Partnership!

Why Prayer?

John Wesley once made a statement, he said, "It seems God is limited by our prayer life-that He can do nothing for humanity unless someone asks Him."

This statement may seem strange at first when you first read it, because we have all been taught that God is in total control, that He knows everything and everything will some how automatically work out. These are the teachings of traditional religions and I must confess I grew up with such notions. Then, one day I heard someone speak on who is in control in this world and I rejected what I had heard because I was stepping into traditionalism. He said, Satan was the god of the world. To this, I rejected the notion and refused the truth in my life at that point. It was some time later; seeking the truth, that I found that I already knew the truth and that for years I too was wondering in the wilderness as the Israelites were some years before me. Part of the problem was that at the time it was difficult for me to admit that I might have wasted all of the years of understanding what I did not have. I finally repented, and I knew that I needed help, in all things, and I asked to be taught, and this is what I found.

In I Corinthians 4:4, it tells us that Satan is the god of this world and upon closer examination in the book of John even Jesus said that Satan was the ruler of this world and He even suggested that Satan might be our father. I prayed about all of this, as this was hard to swallow. Then God led me to Genesis 1:26,27 and Psalms 8:6, "Adam, I give you dominion over all the work of my hands". What is being said here is that Adam was given dominion over all of the earth. He in effect was made to be god of this earth and care for the creation for the Father. During the sin, Adam made Eve the god of his life as he was not deceived, but did not want to tell God what had happened. This all made Satan the god of the world as he stole our birthright.

What this means is that if the world would have gone without sinning you and I would have the same rights as Adam. Salvation brings us back to the point before the sin was committed and restores the relationship. It is from then on we make God our life or we go back to the things of the world and its temptations making Satan, god of our lives as we either trust our sense or have faith in God.

This is a big one to see, but when you see what is happening, things well fit into place. The reason we are tempted after we accept Christ as Lord is because Satan wants us to give him authority over our lives. You might well ask how Satan could do this. But think of it while we go to the world to work. We are told to seek ye first the kingdom of God and His righteousness and all these things would be added (Matthew 6:33). Credit cards, mortgages, jobs, sex, food, and work can all create bondage, and bondage is sin and sin makes Satan our god. Adams bondage was that he thought more of Eve than God did, this created bondage, idolatry. That bondage kept him from using his head, as he knew he was out of line, but did not want to loose Eve. When we decide to do things on our own, we are having our own way, but we are also not letting God be God. God wants us to go to Him for all things and in all of our ways. Why? So He can help and His will be done through us His children on earth.

Jesus was sent in the flesh to destroy the works of the devil (1 John 3:8) and we are in Him and carrying His anointing. We need to seek God for a vision and from that vision we will receive a purpose and from that purpose we will be in His will and produce much fruit. It is a Partnership as we are one with Christ.

When a person becomes a partner with the other person, they carry the same anointing and power as the other person. It is a marriage. Paul writes to His partners as I am writing to you. In Philippians 1: 3,5,7 we can see how much a part they were to His ministry. That ministry, by the way, grew by the thousands, why, because of the partnership. We, in the body, are all one with each other as we are one body with many parts and when one suffers, we all suffer, but when we stand in partnership we stand the gap in faith and prosper. Paul wrote a letter to the churches at Corinth, Galatia, Philippi, etc., and these letters to you will also help you grow as we are living epistles. We are living letters. We are living letters to others and become encouragement; strength, growth, prosperity, and healing if we are open to the Holy Spirit and carry out the work of Jesus Christ.

We do things first in prayer. It is prayer as we ask God to open the doors to knock down the strongholds of Satan, which gets things, done. We estimate it will take 1 million prayer partners to reach and support 1 billion people in need. In Galatians 4:19 it says "My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you". It takes mature Christians to pray for young Christians, to become established in Christ and get the work done.

You are the front line missionaries and will be blessed by God, as what you sow, you will also reap. When we sow we will receive, because God makes it happen, as it is His promise. You see we all come together to sow the seeds of salvation, healing, and whatever is needed. It is the Holy Spirit who waters and fertilizes us as we send missionaries out to reap the harvest. You, also, as a prayer partner reap and are rewarded here on earth and in heaven.