Christian Devotional

Exciting Benefits of Prayer,
When you understand the importance and higher purposes of prayer, you’ll always be willing and excited to pray, especially in other tongues. One of the beautiful things the Holy Spirit has done in our lives as God’s children is to give us the ability to speak in other tongues. When we speak in tongues, the utterance, the words we speak, aren’t man-made but from the Lord. Moreover, we aren’t speaking to men but to God:

When you pray in tongues, you’re in fellowship with the Father; you’re communicating with Him through the Spirit in a heavenly language. What a blessing that is!

Praying in tongues will keep you more “fit” spiritually, and responsive to the guidance and promptings of the Spirit. The more time you spend in fellowship with the Lord, praying in the Holy Ghost, the more His character and personality are revealed in, and manifested through you. Some are only compelled to pray when they face crises in life, and that’s not right. We’re called into fellowship with our heavenly Father; that’s what prayer, and praying, is primarily for: fellowship!

No matter how many earthly languages exist, there’re not enough words in the human vocabulary with which to adequately and accurately express yourself to God. Our human earthly vocabulary isn’t pure enough to commune with the holy God that our heavenly Father is.

THE PRAYER OF FAITH;

“ For verily I say unto you, That whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith” (Mark 11:23).

The prayer of faith is one of the different kinds of prayer and it has its peculiar rules and requirements. This prayer involves making a request to God and speaking to circumstances without having any doubt in your heart. When Jesus said here, “Have faith in God” (Mark 11:22), some marginal references show us that it actually reads “Have the faith of God.” In other words, Jesus said, “Have the God-kind of faith; the supernatural faith that God applies.”

The word ‘believe’ in opening scripture is a verb formed from two Anglo- Saxon words. The first part means, ‘to accept that something is or exists’ and the second part means, ‘to act like it is.’ Bringing them together gives the meaning ‘to accept that something is or exists and to act like it,’ thus making the word ‘believe’ an action word that brings about possession. The ‘believer’ therefore is ‘a haver,’ ‘a possessor,’ not one living only in the realm of hope.

Note also that in Mark 11:23, it’s not God, but whosoever that says unto the mountain. This means anything is possible by your declaration of faith. As you issue commands in faith without doubting, you can have whatsoever you say, praise God!

Pastor Chris Oyakhilome DSc, D.D

PRAY CORRECTLY
(Understand God’s Instructions On Prayer)

TO THE BIBLE John 14:13-14
“And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.”

LET’S TALK➡
There are people who pray to “Jesus” in the Name of Jesus; some even pray to angels! That is so wrong! There’s a way God expects you to pray, and if you don’t understand it, you’ll muddle up your prayers and never receive answers. Praying to get results requires that you understand the place of the Father, the Son, the Holy Spirit, and the angels.

Jesus said in John 16:23, “In that day you will not question Me about anything. Truly, truly, I say to you, if you ask the Father for anything in My name, He will give it to you”(NASB). So it’s the Father that answers our prayers. We’ve been granted the power of attorney to use the Name of Jesus. When we make requests of the Father in the Name of Jesus, it’s as though Jesus Himself were praying. However, the Holy Spirit is the one who makes it happen; He’s the power of God. He’s the doer, the performer of the works of God.

What about the angels? They’re servants of God who carry out assignments the Holy Spirit wants them to. Furthermore, they’re ministering spirits sent to minister for us, the heirs of salvation (Hebrews 1:14). How wonderful it is to realise you can enjoy an awesome ministry of the Holy Spirit, and initiate angelic activities as you pray in the Name of Jesus!

TO THE BIBLE: Luke 10:41-42 MSG

“The Master said, “Martha, dear Martha, you’re fussing far too much and getting yourself worked up over nothing. One thing only is essential, and Mary has chosen it--it’s the main course, and won’t be taken from her.””

LET’S TALK

Many young people are preoccupied with getting better grades, having more money, being more likeable, attractive, and trendy, etc. While it’s okay to have these things, they’ll never make you a complete person or bring you to the place where God’s Spirit wants you to be. Your greatest pursuit in life should be getting a hold of God’s Word, knowing it, and living it. It matters that you allow the Word to build your life and mould your character.

In Luke 10, when Jesus visited Mary and Martha in their home, Martha thought to give Him a treat, so she hurried into the kitchen to fix Him a meal. Mary, however, thought that the Master in their house was an opportunity of a lifetime to get her life enriched. So she sat at Jesus’ feet, listening to Him with rapt attention and absorbing every Word that came out of His lips.

Despite Martha complaining that Mary had left her to do the chores all by herself, Jesus commended Mary’s faith and passion for the Word. He noted that Mary gave attention to what was most important while Martha had her priorities wrong. Learn from Mary; set your priorities right by giving your greatest attention to the Word of God.

Remember the precious words of the Master in Matthew 6:33, “...let your first care be for his kingdom and his righteousness; and all these other things will be given to you in addition” (BBE).

Go Deeper: Psalm 37:4, Matthew 6:33

Pray

Dear Father, thank you for giving me your Word—the material to build my life and strengthen my faith. Through your Word, my understanding is enlightened to know the mysteries of your Kingdom, and walk in your perfect will, in Jesus’ Name. Amen.

Act

Make up your mind from today that God’s Word will be the first thing you study when you wake up in the morning. Do this consistently throughout this week, and it’ll become your habit.

The fellowship of the Holy Spirit By Pastor Chris Part 2

T o worship God in spirit and in truth means to worship Him from your spirit, and in accordance with His Word. However, before anyone can worship or serve God with his spirit, that spirit must be in union with the Father. Jesus said, “ ...the Father seeketh such to worship him.” Why does the Father seek such?

The reason is that real worship is a communion with the Father. It’s beyond the singing or the words offered in prayer; it’s about the fellowship that takes place in the realm of the spirit as your spirit communes with Him. This is why, sometimes in worship, you experience such glorious transportation of the Spirit; a blissful experience beyond words.

God expects you to live, and serve Him, from your spirit. You can’t serve God with your brain or ideas. You can’t serve Him with your senses