Praying by the blood of Jesus Daniel Olukoya Topic: #1 of 69 for Sermons on Prayer: In the Spirit Scripture: Revelation 12:11 Denomination: Pentecostal Date Added: June 2006, Audience: General Adults (31 - 49) Revelation Revelation 12:11: “And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and
they loved not their lives unto the death”. I would like you to read this message with rapt attention, so that you can key in to what God intends to do through this miracle power. It is a deep topic, and this is just a scratch on it. The verse above is a very interesting part of the Bible; it gives us weapons and it would be good, if you could memorize it and appropriate it to yourself. There is a weapon that has never lost its power, but people have not learnt to use it; whereas, it is highly effective. Even the enemy is afraid, when you start to talk about it. That old serpent, the dragon, that the Bible talks about, saying: “Woe unto the earth and the sea …” There is a weapon that can overcome it. There is nothing that God created, that He cannot rearrange; there is no enemy that God cannot defeat. A two-year old girl learnt this song and was always singing it:
“There is power, there is power, there is p ower in the Blood of Jesus.” Her mother noticed that she never took ill. One day, the mother washed the girl‟s clothes and hung them outside. There was a high wind, which blew her small panty to the compound next to theirs and it landed in the sitting room of a neighbour, who was a herbalist. Immediately the pant landed, there was pandemonium in the room; everything turned upside down. Everything he knew how to do failed; nothing could avail for him. He did his consultation and he found out that there was a strange thing in the room. He tried to pick it, but he fell. He started to rain incantations, offered sacrifice, poured libation but he could not make a headway. He could not touch the pant, and everywhere was hot. Throughout that day, no customer came for consultation; he battled throughout the night. The following day, the wind blew again and this time, the the girl saw her toy flying towards the man‟s sitting room. She followed it and then saw her pant. She went straight towards it and picked it, singing her song. “There is power in the Blood of Jesus.” The herbalist tried to stop her, thinking the „strange‟ thing would harm her but she
picked her pant casually, from the centre of oil and blood poured around it. The girl picked it and left, still singing. That incidence, converted the herbalist. He surrendered his life to Christ, having seen that His Power is the absolute Power. He left his beggarly powers and came to the Lord. There is a power that supersedes every other power. That power, transforms simple things into powerful weapons. The awesomeness and mystery of the power in the Blood of Jesus, is not being preached in the church today. Many present day Christians do not know many things about victory in the battles of life. Learning to claim the power in the Blood of Jesus, is very important. It is a prayer that brings deliverance and protection. PLEADING THE BLOOD OF JESUS: 1. Gives protection before adversity strikes. It serves as prevention. 2. Gives physical healing in the body. No matter what name is given to any problem, it will be solved, when the Blood of Jesus is brought in. If you keep pleading the Blood of Jesus, no matter how terrible an infirmity is, it will disappear by the power in the Blood of Jesus. If your life is pure and you lay your hands on any sickness, pleading the Blood of Jesus, it will vanish. You might wonder if it is really as simple as that but that is the Power in the Blood of Jesus. The Power in pleading the Blood of Jesus is yet to be understood by Man. Some people criticise those pleading the Blood of Jesus. It is because they have not passed through the valley, so they cannot know what it means. Someone who has never been tortured by a terminal disease cannot know what it means to be threatened by death, so he or she cannot understand why a cancer patient is praying fervently for healing, or why the person is jubilating after he or she has been miraculously healed. The preachers, who discourage people from praying fire prayers or pleading the Blood of Jesus, do so, because they have not experienced such things. The Blood of Jesus cannot dry up; neither can it lose its power. Therefore you can plead it a million times, if you want to. The more you plead the Blood of Jesus, the more the chance of totally submerging the disease, in the pool of the Blood of Jesus. Many Christians do not understand the power in the use of the weapons that God has given us
against the enemy. Unbelievers could sit throughout the night, chanting incantations or reciting things against people. 3. Gives emotional healing. 4. Gives mental healing. 5. Helps in battling dark powers. 6. Helps in battling the adversary. 7. Gives financial healing If you stand in front of your shop or house and plead the Blood of Jesus every day, you will find out that the powers of darkness in that environment will dissipate. As we are moving towards the End Times, we need to plead the Blood of Jesus, all the time. There is a lot of tragedy and disaster all over the place. Too many Christians are being robed or cheated or raped or murdered. Many are being hypnotised and confused. Pleading the Blood of Jesus, will give you immunity against these things. 8. Cleanses from all sins. Jesus came to die for the sins of the world and His Blood was shed for us. You can claim the cleansing power in His Blood and God will open a new chapter in your life. You can plead the Blood of Jesus, over any and everything; your spirit, soul and body, your house, car, work, children, spouse, business, as a form of protection or prevention against evil. You can plead the Blood of Jesus over your journey, the road, the vehicle or aircraft, etc. If you are living or passing through a dangerous zone; you can draw a bloodline of protection, therefore making a boundary, against any evil. A man had a poultry where, all of sudden, the chickens began to die. When he saw that he was going bankrupt with the loss, he cried unto the Lord, who ministered to him about drawing a bloodline around the poultry. Thus, creating a boundary that the enemy cannot cross. He walked round and drew the bloodline around the poultry that night. The following day, he found the carcass of a wolf, about two feet into the circle that he drew. It was stone dead; it had passed its bounds. Today, I pray that any wolf assigned against your life, shall die in the Name of Jesus. Draw the Bloodline and the enemy will keep off. These are very serious matters and we should recognise and know these secrets.
Recently, there have been disasters that have destroyed many lives in many countries. I was told of a man, who saw the flood raging towards his house and he came out and pleaded the Blood of Jesus. The flood obeyed him, not a single drop of water entered his house but the houses next to him, were submerged. That is the power in the Blood of Jesus! The Blood of Jesus is a battle-weapon; through it, you can achieve the following: 1. Cleansing The Blood of Jesus possesses cleansing power. If there is any form of dirt of filth in your life or environment, the Blood of Jesus will cleanse them. 2. Sanitisation The Blood of Jesus could serve as disinfectant. Any thing that wants to pollute, will not be able to get in. You should sanitise your life, your body, house, shop, etc. In fact, before you move into a new apartment or house, you should sanitise it and the surroundings, with the Blood of Jesus. The foundations of many houses, were laid with sacrifices of all kinds. Houses that were built thirty of forty years ago, have things buried in them, by the owners and such things work negatively on the inhabitants of such houses, especially if they are not born again. 3. Deliverance: When you call the Blood of Jesus into operation, it causes the enemy to flee, because it contains the life of God. It sets people free from bondage. 4. Healing: It can heal all forms of infirmity. When you plead the Blood of Jesus, things begin to happen. 5. Protection. 6. Life-giving power: to revive anyone or anything that is dead. It could be marriage, finances, business, etc. 7. Yoke-breaking: Whenever you plead the Blood of Jesus, people and things are set free from any kind of yoke. 8. Overcoming power. 9. Door-opening power to open every door that has been closed against good things in the life of a person. 10. Creative and re-creative power. Anything that is supposed to be in the life or body of a person, or has been removed through surgery or witchcraft, can be recalled back into existence by the Blood of Jesus.
11. Renewing power. 12. Battle dissolving power that makes the enemies go in disarray. 13. Promotion power and energy. 14. Breakthrough power. 15. Miracle receiving power 16. Poison destroying power. Many have been poisoned physically or spiritually. The Blood of Jesus neutralizes such poisons and flushes them out of the system. 17. Mountain-moving power 18. Demon-paralysing power. The ring-tone ring-tone on one of my phones is the song: “Have you been to Jesus for the cleansing Blood, are you washed in the Blood of the Lamb.” One day, I was sitting somewhere and the phone rang; before I could answer the call, a woman had started to manifest and a strange voice spoke from her mouth, screaming: “Stop that music, stop that music!” The demon in her was affected a ffected by the song, because of the power in the Blood of Jesus. 19. Virtue-restoring power. 20. Burden-removing power. 21. Bondage-destroying power:
When you plead the Blood of Jesus into any situation, it will eventually bow. Many people do not understand the overcoming weapons that they have in the word of God. The Bible says: “And they overcame him by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony.”
Today, you will watch that Blood in display, if you will pray the prayers I am suggesting below, from your heart. That Blood was not shed in vain; it was shed for forgiveness, deliverances, protection, etc. You would be cheating yourself, if you do not use that facility. A 26 year old sister, who was looking like an old woman, heard a message like this and decided
to use it. She locked herself up for three days, pleading the Blood of Jesus into her situation. By the time she came out, her correct body, shape, face, had been restored to her. She now looked her age. If you want your right things to come back to you, pray with power and with fire. The power in the Blood of Jesus was given to it from the beginning. Do you know that there is power and life in blood generally? If a person lacks blood, it means he or she is dying. That is why some things
work for occultists, who kill goats and fowls for sacrifice. How much more, the Blood of the Son of God? There was a King in the Bible, who saw that he was losing a battle; he quickly sacrificed his first
son. As he was shedding that blood, Israel that was attacking them, got confused. If the blood of animals and human beings could make an impact, how much more, the Blood of Jesus, the Son of God? Blood is a living thing and the Blood of Jesus, has the power to overcome anything that confronts you. However, there is a small condition. For you to plead the Blood of Jesus and have it work for you: • You must surrender your life to the Lord Jesus. You must be completely yielded to Him. • You must live a pure and an d holy life. You have a wonderful opportunity today, to invite the overcoming power in the Blood of Jesus, to come into your situation. If you are not born again and you would like to surrender your life to Christ, you can do so right now, right there where you are. All you need do is see yourself as a sinner and know that you cannot approach God in your sinful state. Repent of your sins; confess them to the Lord and ask Him to forgive you. Name them one by one, renounce them and decide that you will not go back to them anymore. I congratulate you for this decision that you have just taken; it is the most important decision in life, and I pray that it shall be permanent in your life, in the Name of Jesus. I pray that the Lord will uphold you with His hand or righteousness and you will not fall or fail in the Name of Jesus. I pray that the Lord will write your name in the Book of Life and nothing shall by any means, rub it off in the Name of Jesus. Go and sin no more! It will be a pity, if after reading this message; the Blood of Jesus does not avail for you. Check yourself very well; is there anything in your life that could hinder the move or the power of God in your situation? Have you done or said something that you should not? Are you relating with people that you should not? Check yourself. Are there some things that the Holy Spirit has been telling you are bad, and you do not want to listen? Today, as you plead the Blood of Jesus, His liquid raw power, will come upon your life and strange and marvelous things will begin to take place in your life. God will release all sorts of blessings upon your life today; physical, spiritual, material blessings, marital and financial breakthroughs, will be release upon your life as you plead the Blood of Jesus into your situation. Some people will pray the following prayers, and will never know poverty again. Many will be
healed from even terminal diseases, and they will have testimonies. Confess all sins, known and unknown, conscious and unconscious, parental, inherited, martial sins. God has all powers in His Hands and is ready to move, even right there, where you are. Believe God for the move of His power in your life. Prayer points 1. Blood of Jesus deliver me by fire in the Name of Jesus. 2. I command all my blessings confiscated by rulers of darkness to be released, in the Name of Jesus. 3. I cut myself off from every territorial spirit, in the Name of Jesus. 4. I command all demonic reverse gears installed to hinder my progress to be roasted, in the Name of Jesus. 5. Lord Jesus, bear all my physical and spiritual burdens now, in the Name of Jesus. 6. Every power stealing my virtues die, in the Name of Jesus. 7. Every power in the heavenlies, on earth and in the seas hindering the angel of my blessings, die, in the Name of Jesus. 8. Any power diverting the blessings of God away from me, your time is up, die now, in the Name of Jesus. 9. By the Blood of Jesus, every owner of evil load, carry your load in the Name of Jesus. 10. Blood of Jesus, pursue my pursuers in the Name of Jesus. 11. Blood of Jesus, arise and fight my battles, in the Name of Jesus. 12. Blood of Jesus, pursue poverty out of my life, in the Name of Jesus. 13. Every power assigned to follow me, to destroy me, die in the Name of Jesus.
FIRE OR FUNERAL Daniel Olukoya Topic: #3 of 69 for Sermons on Prayer: In the Spirit Scripture: Luke 3:16 Denomination: Pentecostal Pentecostal,, Date Added: January 2004 Audience: General Adults (31 - 49) Luke 3:16: “John answered, answered, saying unto them all, all, I indeed baptize you you with water (he (he did not
deceive them), them), but one mightier than than I cometh, cometh, the latchet latchet of whose whose shoes I am am not worthy worthy to unl oose; oose; he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost and with fire.” In this scripture, we see three baptisms: 1. By water, 2. By the Holy Ghost and, 3. By Fire. According to the Bible, there were daily sacrifices. And during some of these sacrifices, fire came down. Sometimes the priests at the altar were confused too. Believers have to search for and gather sufficient fire of God into their spirit man to cope with the amount of wickedness that is going on now. The spiritual environment has changed completely from what it used to be. Now some people may confront you and say, “Look, I have met the devil. Whom have you met?” If a man should confront you and say that he has met the devil, and you have not met the living God, you better beware. I am not talking about going to church. The matter is beyond that. Many people go to church, but the church does not go inside of them. “I am a deaconess. I am a pastor.” But what they really need is to be generators of God‟s power so that when the powers of darkness confront confr ont them and say, “We are coming from the devil,” they the y will tell them, “We are from the living God.” What I am saying sa ying is that for the lower forces to bow before you, something has to happen inside of you. Beloved, the amount of power that many of us carry about now is not enough to resist the powers of darkness around us. There is so much darkness around now. Men and women are going into dark places. The kind of Christians that confront them are not disco Christians. Often we pray, “Anointing fall. Power and fire fall.” But how many of us are receiving the anointing and the fire. We have all the choruses well lined out: “Holy Ghost and fire, God of Elijah send down the fire.” But how many of us really reall y have the fire.
A dangerous trend is happening now and if believers of this generation do not receive fire, the alternative is funeral. The enemy has gone very far in many lives. While many of us are still in primary one the enemy has entered the university. In Africa, a native doctor does not call a demon he does not understand, because he knows that to do so it can cause a serious problem for him. I know somebody who landed in a psychiatric hospital, after reading the 6th and 7th Books of Moses. He called the spirit that he did not understand and the spirit dealt with him terribly. The native doctor is sensible. He knows that if you do not understand something, you should not call it. If you call it and it comes out, you are in trouble. Many Christians do not understand that they need some conditions to bring God‟s fire down. We need that fire. It is compulsory and necessary. But many of us do not want to fulfill the condition. The Bible says that whenever the apostles moved they carried fire with them. They were given serious stripes of cane. The Bible says that whenever they were given serious beating, they rejoiced. Something was in them that many of us do not have. These men got to a level in their Christian life that people looked at them and said, “These are unlettered men.” Yet they wondered at their boldness and accused them of turning the world upside down. Wherever they went, there were some concerns because they caused holy trouble and tension. Beloved, when the fire comes upon you, some people will be concerned that you are somewhere. Some people will be worried that you have arrived. Some people will know that you have come to create problem for them. As a Christian, people should know you for who you are. They should know the kind of invitation they would give you. They should know the kind of food they would not serve you. They know where to run to when they have trouble. Everywhere you go, you have to be a fire generator. What is your own testimony? Five or ten years in Christianity, are you still looking for prophets or prophetesses to pray for you? What is your testimony? The God that is speaking to those prophets, why is He not talking to you? What have you done wrong? Why has God abandoned you and the issue of your life and you now run after prophets? What has happened to the prophet God has planted within you? We need that fire. Without it there would be funeral. I am warning you now. The way things are going now, Christians who do not get on fire, their enemy will quickly kill them before their time and they will not know. The enemy can start with a little boil and you will not know what to do and that is it. I want you to understand these things.
WHAT IS FIRE? Fire is a rapid, persistent, chemical reaction that releases heat and light. It signifies intensity, inspiration, enthusiasm, violence and power. And that is why most of the time in the Bible, we see fire as an indication of the presence of God. Fire from heaven destroyed Sodom and Gomorrah, (Genesis chapter 19). A pillar of fire guided the Israelites on their journey, (Exodus chapter 13). Fire came down and consumed the sacrifices of Solomon. (2 Chronicles chapter 7). Elijah called fire to consume his sacrifice. (I Kings chapter 18). The same Elijah called fire to destroy his own enemy, (2 Kings chapter 1). The same Elijah was carried to heaven by a whirlwind and a chariot of fire. (2 Kings chapter 2). The same fire of God was the fire that He used to make His ministers. The Bible says that He made his ministers a flame of fire (Psalms 104:4). The same fire is what the Bible calls refining fire (Malachi chapter 3). The same fire is called consuming fire (Hebrew chapter 12). The same fire is called Pentecostal fire in Acts of the Apostle‟s chapter 2. We need to get on that fir e. e. We need to understand what we are doing. We need to know that to challenge the wickedness of this present generation, more is needed than dancing and singing. More is needed than semantic and English grammar. It is good to be able to speak English but that t hat is not the condition for God‟s power. po wer. It is good to go to a Bible college but that is not the condition for God‟s power. We need to go back to the traditional, old fashioned revival meetings. We need to go back to the hard core revival of the past. Our fore-fathers who planted the seed of Christianity in this country accepted the gospel in the spirit of “come-what“come-what-may, may, I am there, I am not no t turning back.” Unfortunately, instead of the oldoldfashioned, fire meetings they used to have in those days, we now have modern kind of meetings, which are harmless, without fire and without revival. These meetings are not producing the kind of Christians needed now. If you attended the meetings of those days you received unforgettable challenges. You would hear the kinds of things that would challenge your destiny and your life. When they said, “Let us have h ave a short prayer," their idea of short prayer p rayer could be two hours. You received unforgettable challenges. You received a stirring in your heart and if you were a sinner you either decided to get saved or got out of their meetings. Members did not fight when they closed their service. People went home and dug deeper into their Bibles. You could see angels rejoicing at their meetings. The Holy Spirit was moving un hindered, and the devil‟s programme for everybody was put in reverse. This means that those early Christians had fire in their bones. Unfortunately, what we have in our
bones now is ice-cream, not fire. Those people did not need Sunday-Sunday medicine to keep them going. They were not interested in spiritual diplomacy or politics. If you want to experience the genuine fire of God in your life, you need to listen to certain hard truths. Which will help you to know whether you are serious or not, whether you want a fire or not. When sin, worldly pleasures and carelessness are still in your spirit, when hypocrisy, lying, gossiping, lust and laziness are still there, you cannot hope to receive that fire. When you are still reading dirty books and speaking dirty words, you cannot receive the kind of fire we are talking about. The Bible makes us to understand, that for you to receive this fire you need to be totally filled with the Holy Ghost. When you are still reading dirty books and speaking dirty words, you cannot receive the kind of fire we are talking about Holy Spirit. Ephesians 5:18: “And be not drunk with wine wherein is excess: but be filled with the Spirit.” So the Bible says, “Don‟t be drunk with with wine. Be drunk with the Holy Spirit." God‟s wine is the Holy Spirit. We need to become holy drunks. When the apostles were drunk with the Holy Spirit, the people looking at them could not understand what was going on. They said, “These men are filled with new wine.” But the apostles said, “No, we are not drunk. We cannot be drunk at this hour. It is just the third hour of the day, in the morning. The bars are not opened yet. We are not drunk. This is that which was written by Joel the prophet that, at the last days, I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. The young men and women shall see visions. The old men shall dream dreams. Even on your maids and your servants I will also pour out my Spirit and they shall prophesy. All these are for you if you are ready for them." God‟s wine is the Holy Spirit. We can be so filled with the Holy Spirit that we would have no space for nonsense. The people of Ephesus that Paul wrote this book to had already received the baptism of the Holy Spirit. In Acts 19, Paul was telling them that they were now filled with the Holy Spirit. You have to become a holy drunk so that the Spirit of God will fill you to the brim. If you read the Acts of the Apostles very well, you would see that anytime a miracle or something was about to happen, Peter was filled with the Holy Spirit or Paul was filled with the Holy Spirit and then things would begin to happen. The reason many of us are not filled with the Holy Spirit is that we have locked the door against it. Beloved, unless we want to deceive ourselves something is basically wrong with present day Christians. Somebody prays fire prayers then he drinks „agbo‟ (concoctions) and takes injections. Something is wrong somewhere. Many
are afraid of things that are running away from them. When they say witches and wizards, some Christians are so worried, when you say money, some Christians are ready to die for it. Many come to our church but there is no change in their life styles. When you see them somewhere else they do not look as Christians. They look like Jezebel. When you look closely at present-day Christians, you will notice that something is missing. They are not like the apostles of old at all. Let‟s not deceive ourselves. Look at Stephen in the Bible, he was appointed an usher yet he was working signs and wonders; how much more the apostles in the upper-room. Many of our members would say, “Come to our church, our General G eneral Overseer will Overseer will pray for you and your problems will disappear.” But what abo ut you? What is stopping you from giving that person a spiritual first-aid before inviting him to the church? Many of us will arrive at the gate of heaven and see a query waiting for them. An d they will say, “What have I done Lord?” God will say, you allowed 200 people to perish. Why?” Shyness, negligence, and fear. Once I was inside an aircraft, and there also was a lady from MFM London sitting beside one man. All of a sudden the man‟s eyes begun to turn and he was having heart attack and vomiting on the lap of the lady. They looked for a doctor and none was found. Then they said, “Any pastor here?” And they located me. When I got there I saw this sister from MFM bowing down her head by the man and murmuring. I immediately tapped her and said, “My sister, this man is dying by your side and vomiting on your cloth, pray for him.” She said, G.O., I am praying quietly.” I said, “Pray.” She said, “But that is why they brought you.” I shouted, “Pray!” She now stood up and started praying aloud. Mr. man, receive your healing.” She did not pray up to five minutes when the man said, “I am all right now. Give me some water.” That was the end of the man‟s problem and I went back to my seat. I did not pray. pray. The lady prayed. We need the fire. If you say that somebody is using powerless and fake power, show the original power so that people will follow your God. I want you to understand what I am saying. You should not say that you are coming to MFM and yo u don‟t have fire. There was fire in the bones of Jeremiah. There was so much fire in the bones of Elisha that after he was buried his bones were able to raise the dead. What are you doing now? I want you to drink God‟s wine so that you too can be a fire generator. g enerator. I can stand here day and night, open the Bible and say, “This is the Greek of this or the Hebrew of that” and you go home without understanding what I am saying. In many churches in Nigeria today, you need to be a university graduate to understand their sermon. There is no room in those churches for the pepper seller. No room for that kind of
women who saw me at Sabo market in Lagos and said, “G.O., is that you? You must take part of the fish that I am selling.” And she pursued me with fish. No room room for her. Make up your mind, beloved, to be catapulted spiritually. You must drink God‟s wine. CONDITIONS FOR DRINKING THE WINE OF GOD Someone made a mistake. He came to Jesus and said, “Jesus, in Your kingdom let me sit at Your right hand and my brother my brother at Your left hand.” Jesus said, “It is okay, but are you able to drink from the cup that I want to drink?” He said, “Yes, I will drink.” That was James. He was the first of all the apostles in the Bible whose head was cut off. So be sure of what you want to pray about. The first thing you need do if you must drink the wine of God to excess and get it inside of you, is to receive character deliverance. What is your character? Your character is what you are in the dark, what is really inside of you. Once I went to greet one of my friends who was a medical doctor Youth Corper. I learnt a great lesson that day. A senior apostle had a motor accident and they bound his wounds and brought him to the doctor for treatment. They also brought another accident victim in the same vehicle. When they pushed the injection needle into the apostle‟s buttock, he screamed, „Shopona o.” Shopona is the god of smallpox. When they put the injection in the buttock of the other man, he shouted, “Blood of Jesus.” You can see that although the first man was called an apostle, the real thing inside him came out right there. Character is what you are in the dark. You cannot call anything else out of a rotten wood. It is not possible. If I put a cup on a pulpit, I put tea inside it and begin to bang the pulpit and the cup begins to vibrate, what is going to pour out of it is the tea. So, when somebody is agitated, what comes out of him is the real him. If you say, "I do not usually get angry unless I am provoked,” it is because the tea inside the cup is anger. If you sa y, “I do not usually commit fornication, but I only deal with married women, and I believe I am not offending anybody,” that is what is inside the cup. It is your real character. What is your character? It is what is left behind after you have departed from a place. If they sacked a person from a place of work and his absence brings restlessness there; if people say, “I wish this person were still here,” he has left a character behind. Two pastors left a particular station. Everybody was smiling when the first one left. But many cried when the second one left. It was because of his character. Your character is like the foundation of a house which is below the surface. Your character is like a smoke; it will expose you and come out. Your character is what you will do if you know that nobody will find out. A lot of people would not steal if they
know that somebody will find out. But if they believe that nobody will find out, they will steal. In many cities abroad, unless there is a problem, you would not find policemen asking people where they are going or opening your boots. What they do ordinarily is to mount TV/cameras all over the streets. If you drive recklessly they would see you, if you commit any crime in the street, they would see you. You will hardly arrive at where you are going before they would arrest you. Because of the fear of this arrangement, many people do not commit crime. But if they get to the place where there is no camera, their real character will show. Your character is your reaction when things do not go your way. Your character is what God knows that you are. It is what you stand for, your true nature, the kind of person you are. You must work on that your character. Anointing without character is disaster. Some people will say, “How can a man of God do a thing like this.” You are the person calling him the man of God. You do not know what God is calling him. Character deliverance is needed. It is the first thing. If you want to drink of the wine of God, your character must be delivered. Secondly, if you want to drink the wine of God, you must observe regular spiritual retreat, a time alone with God. A good soldier does not fight all the time. Let us see the strategy of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 14: 23: “And when he had sent the multitudes away, he went up into a mountain apart to pray: and when the evening was come, he was th ere alone.” Jesus always observed a retreat. You may be coming to work early and have your retreat before other staffs start arriving. Or you may be staying to have it after the close of work. It should not be the kind of retreat some people say they are having in our church here. They just come here in the morning, locate a very good fan, open it to the fullest, lie down flat on the bench, mumble a few words as if they are praying and by the time you get there five minutes later, they are snoring. That is not a retreat. You are just sleeping inside the church. Many do not receive from God because they do not stay with God long enough to hear from Him. You can stay in the presence of God for one hour, two hours or three hours. You can stay there for days. You Y ou cannot expect to spend ten minutes a day with the Lord and then say, “I want to be filled with the Holy Spirit.” Spiritual retreat is a must. You may run to the mountain but if you run to the mountain and the problem of the valley is still in your heart, and the demon of the valley is still troubling you, you are just there on holiday.
If you want to drink the wine of God, you must have a regular spiritual retreat. It has been proven that when people get away from noise and distraction, God does a lot more in their lives. When people are pulled apart and leave their food and newspapers, things happen quicker. You can do a personal spiritual retreat and stay in the presence of the Lord. The third thing you need to be practicing if you want to be filled with the Spirit is the principle of the night-watch or night-praying. When I say night praying I do not mean vigil every night. What I mean is that you shake yourself loose from the spirit of slumber that is falling on so many Christians now. Some prayers cannot work in the day. That is why Jesus said that we do not avenge the souls of the saints who cry to Him day and night. He will avenge them speedily. Psalm 119 : 62: “At midnight, I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgment.” We find the same idea in Luke 6: 12: “And it come to pass in those days, that he went out into a mountain to pray, and continued all night in prayer to God.” It was at midnight that trouble began in the prison where Paul and Silas were locked up, when the earthquake of deliverance struck. Many Christians are meant to bring down earthquake of deliverance. When the earthquake of deliverance comes others around you will be set free. Just as it happened to Paul and Silas. Beloved, if your life is controlled by the alarm clock, you need deliverance. If you cannot wake up occasionally at night to pray, pray to God to give you the enabling grace. The night is the time of terrible demonic activities. In the night, you can cancel any evil counsel that is taken against you. In fact, night prayer is a form of fasting. That is why there is power in all the prayer vigil that we have. If you see anybody sleeping during a vigil, it is either that household wickedness has concluded his agenda, or he is confused and sick. He does not understand what he is doing. It is better to stay at home and not come to a vigil. Because as you are sleeping there and somebody says, “I shake off every spiritual crocodile from my he ad,” and he shakes it off, the crocodile would say, “Where shall I go?” And if it finds somebody on the bench ben ch snoring, it would jump on him. At one Power Must Change Hands programme as an altar call was made, some people started running about and later we found that a strange lizard came out of somebody. The tail of the lizard was almost double the lizard. The power of God pushed it out. So, do not go to that type of meeting and sleep. Key number four for those who want to be filled with the Holy Spirit is that they must learn how to flow in the Holy Spirit. How do you flow? You pray aggressively in tongues, sing melody to
the Lord and yield yourself to the Holy Spirit. Don‟t wait for them to sing two or three son gs before you begin to flow. Catch the fire and begin to flow immediately. Key number five: You must follow the principle of meditation, Joshua I: 8: “Thou shalt meditate therein day and night…” So, anybody that wants to become something for God must spend time to meditate in the word of God. If you have no time to meditate on the Scriptures, you have no time to grow in your spiritual life. Meditation has power. We should meditate upon the word of God. Key number six is fasting. Fasting gives the human spirit an opportunity to build up. Prayer needs fasting for development. It develops your faith and crucifies unbelief. That is why you find that Daniel, Moses, Joshua, Elijah and Jesus fasted. Fasting brings power into your life. I know of some modern faith preachers who now say no to fasting. But that is not what the Bible says. The Bible says that some people came to Jesus and reported that His disciples were eating and drinking. Jesus said, “Do not worry. The bride groom is with them now. They should not n ot bother to fast. But very soon, the bride groom shall be taken away, and they will fast on that day.” They seriously fasted when the time came. And we could see its effect in what they left behind. We are not talking about closing the fasting at noon. That is not fasting. We are talking of days and nights of fasting. If you will drink the wine of the Lord, you should be in a position to confront those that are coming from the enem y. You should declare: “I am coming from Calvary, therefore I destroy your power.” And they the y would say, “I am sorry, sir.” And the last but not the least, we need complete obedience. If God says something to you, you must comply instantly. If you begin to disobey the Lord, you will quench the power of the Holy Spirit. You will not be able to move anymore. Look at all those people that have been murdered by ritual killers, may be you think there is no Christian amongst them. Jesus says that except you repent, you will perish likewise. Therefore, we need to sit up, and God will help you as you do so, in the name of Jesus. PRAYER POINTS 1. Holy Ghost fire, kill every weakness in m y life, in Jesus‟ name. 2. Fire of God in my m y life, awake, in Jesus‟ name. 3. Holy fire that cannot be insulted, fall upon my life, in Jesus‟ name. 4. Let my terror fall upon every demonic power, in Je sus‟ Name. 5. Where is the Lord God of Elijah? Arise and manifest your power in m y life, in Jesus‟ name. 6. Let the power of deliverance come upon my night life, in Jesus‟ name. 7. Let my dream life be converted to visions of the night, in Jesus name
HOW TO BECOME A PRAYER WARRIOR
Greg Addison Topic: #7 of 69 for Sermons on Prayer: In the Spirit Scripture: Ephesians 6:10-6:20 Denomination: Baptist Baptist,, Date Added: November 2006 Audience: Believer Adults (31 - 49) How to Become a Prayer Warrior Ephesians 6: 10-20 In reading this passage, we‟ll see these three principles: I. Command to be a Prayer Warrior II. Condition of a Prayer Warrior III. Concentration of a Prayer Warrior 3) I. Command to be a Prayer Warrior “praying always with all prayer and supplications … being watchful to this end with all perseverance…” First, First, is this command. This command is found alongside the description of a Christian‟s armor and spiritual warfare. The command to stand, repeated 5 times, in chapter 6 is joined with a command to pray. God emphasized the importance of standing strong in His strength and in order to do that He commands us to pray as part of that. No Christian will ever rise above the level of his/her prayer life. No church will ever rise above the collective strength of the prayer life of its people. This military analogy is vital for us to understand. We are at war! One reason we have such wimpy Christians today is we do not pray as if we are at war. That is why we are in the mess we are in culturally. The seriousness of praying like a warrior is highlighted in the “all”s contained in the command: Always All prayers All perseverance “All prayers” is combined with two different greek words for pra yer. This is to emphasize using each kind of prayer. Here we use this acrostic to define the basic types of prayer:
P raise R repentance A sk Y ield We must use them all. Be engaged in them all. They are all necessary and a part of fighting and standing. Where would your Christian life be without any one of these types? Another method for prayer is fasting. We have done this before as a church and we are doing it again as a church this weekend. The reason for fasting is to add intensity and focus through the use of a fast. It is a way to become warrior like in our prayer intensity. II. Condition of a Prayer Warrior “in the spirit” Included in this command is the condition necessary to be a prayer warrior. You cannot just decide to be a warrior, but you must be prepared to do so. Let‟s define what “in the spirit” means. Ephesians speaks often of the Holy Spirit and help h elpss us understand this phrase properly. A. Saved – Saved – 1:1-14 1:1-14 : You must be saved. In chapter 1, we saw last week we are only saved in Jesus. When we are saved, He gives us the Holy Spirit as a seal.(1:14). If you have not trusted Christ as your savior, then the only role the Holy Spirit has in your life is to convict you and tell you of your need to be saved. – Sin in the life of a Christian does not cause us to B. No unconfessed or harbored sin- 4:17-30 – Sin lose our salvation, but it interrupts our relationship with God. Psalm 66:18 – “if – “if I hide sin in my heart, God will not hear my m y prayer.” John Bunyan said, “prayer “pra yer will make a man cease from sin, but sin will make a man cease from prayer.”
Spurgeon: For God to accept our devotions while we are delighting in our sin, would be to make Himself the God of hypocrites, which is a fitter name for Satan than for the Holy One of Israel. See 4: 30, after a list of sins we are to remove, God says, “do not grieve the Holy Spirit.” That is done by willingly sinning in this fashion- not confessing and then removing that sin from our lives. The whole point of putting on the armor of chapter 6 is to stand clean and strong in the Lord. The breastplate of righteousness represents a Christian‟s Christian‟s steadfast commitment to obedience.
C. Yielded – Yielded – 5:85:8-10 10 We must be yielded to the Spirit. What good does it do to pray for God‟s will if we are not willing to follow it. Would God even reveal His will to you? We want to pray like this: “Lord, show me your will and then I‟ll decide if I have the faith or desire to pursue it.” Why would Holy God answer such a prayer and such an offensive spirit? We are to follow God wherever He leads and trust Him to be at work. We do not need to demand a roadmap, but instead should follow His light trusting that wherever He leads will be wonderful because He loves us. D. Filled – Filled – 5:18 5:18 Being filled with Holy Spirit. 5:18 means to surrender your mind and heart to the Holy Spirit‟s guidance. This is being “in the spirit.” When you are this focused in your spiritual walk, then you will be conditioned to be a mighty prayer warrior. Now that we are prepared for spiritual war as a warrior, what do you pray for? Would God make us this strong to just pray for ourselves? NO!!! III. Concentration of a Prayer Warrior He makes us strong in Him and leads us to pray, but to pray for His agenda and not ours. He does not make you strong for your own benefit, but to fight for His kingdom! We are so selfcentered that we only pray with real earnest when we are in trouble or really need something. Prayer is the lifeline and strength of a soldier fighting for Jesus and His kingdom. Remember where we find this passage – passage – putting putting on armor and fighting the schemes of the devil. God tells us where we are to concentrate our efforts as warrior. A. Strength to fight – fight – Prayer Prayer is a part of how we put on our armor. It is how we use our armor. Remember last week – week – the the power of praise to stand strong during struggles from Ephesians 1. That is an example of developing the strength to stand as commanded here in chapter 6. look “supplication for all the saints”(18) Paul commands us to pray B. Saints we fight with – with – look with all perseverance for the saints. Why? We are in this battle together. This is what we are – for unity, for faith, for clarity in doing this week together as a church. Pray for one another – for God‟s word, pray for each other to hear God‟s voice clearly, pray that God will show himself to each one of us.
Let me show you what Paul prayed for when he prayed for the saints. Read Ephesians 3:14 – 21. – 21. When was the last time you sat down and prayed for your Sunday school class, as individuals, that they would receive these things? Read Ephesians 1:15-21. How many of your brothers or sisters have you prayed for to know and understand God‟s power in their lives? When was the last time your class gathered around your teacher, laid hands on him or her, and prayed this prayer? We need to become prayer warriors by praying for the saints with whom we fight. C. Sinners we fight for – for – finally, finally, see Paul and his request. Verse 19. Remember, Paul is in prison. n ot ask them to pray for his release, Ceasar‟s demise, or an y of See verse 21-22. 21- 22. But Paul does not the things I would ask you to pray for if I were in prison. He asked for prayer warriors to pray for the bold and effective furtherance of the gospel. Paul knew what was important. Church we need so desperately to remember that people around us are dying and going to hell. I spoke with a pastor friend the other night and we were discussing how slowly we had to do things because of how temperamental church people are. They hate change, like to be comfortable, etc. The thought pounding itself out in my heart was this: is this what Jesus died on the cross for us to be doing? doi ng? Making the saints comfortable so they won‟t fight? Did Jesus say the gates of hell could not prevail against the church He would build or is that a figment of my imagination. I am not saying that we should not be wise and thoughtful in our leadership. But here is my point: Are we really warriors out to rescue the captive from the enemy with a life or eternal death passion? We could be if we prayed for the furtherance of the gospel like warriors!
PRAYING THE PRICE FOR THE SUPERNATURAL
C.A. McCracken Topic: #13 of 69 for Sermons on Prayer: In the Spirit Scripture: John 16:20-16:21 Denomination: Pentecostal Date Added: January 2005, Audience: General Adults (31 - 49) “Praying The Price for the Supernatural”
John 16:20-21 16:20-21 20 Verily, Verily, verily, I say unto you, That That ye shall weep weep and lament, lament, but the world shall rejoice: rejoice: and ye shall shall be sorrowful, sorrowful, but your your sorrow shall shall be turned turned into joy. joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail travail hath sorrow, sorrow, because because her hour is come: but but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. Leonard Ravenhill penned these words in his book “Revival Praying” “Every church without a prayer meeting condemns us, every Bible daily unopened condemns us, every lost neighbor condemns us, every lost heathen condemns us, every dry eye among us condemns us, every wasted minute of our time condemns us, every unclaimed opportunity for God condemns us… Next year is not ours. Tomorrow may be too late. Unless we repent now, unless we return and fire the prayer altars now, unless we fast and weep now, woe unto us at judgement!” jud gement!” I am hungry for the supernatural! I am more than ready to see God move in this hour in ways that we have never dreamed possible. I want to see miracles take place in this building. I want to see hundreds come to the Lord in this building! I am like MLK, I too have a dream! I believe that the Bible has something to say about end-time dreams. Joe 2:28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh ; and your sons and your daughters daug hters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young youn g men shall see visions:
It is not only God‟s Word that we dream, It is also His Will! But before the dream can become reality…
ore the thought come into being… And bef ore A PRICE MUST BE PAID! The supernatural only comes when the price is paid! Churches all across our county are missing the presence, and power of the very one they claim to know. Jesus is absent in too many churches today! And there is good reason… Many churches have forgotten how to pay the price! The Supernatural is not welcomed in many denominations… And, if I can be honest with you, it is not welcomed in many Pentecostal churches! Why would someone not want to be a part of church that sought after the face of God? Why would individuals be satisfied with little or no prayer in their lives? Why would a church-goer be satisfied with just a knowledge of the Word but yet no Holy Ghost activity in their life? Why would individuals look holy, and even come to church regularly, but never tap into the supernatural? Many years ago there was a young man in India who while sitting during a lecture noticed an electric light in the room. This young man was so intrigued by this light that he asked if he could borrow the bulb, and the teacher obliged. Days later the young man returned downcast for the bulb was useless, he said. So the teacher went to the young mans room and found the problem. The innocent young man had taken the bulb and tied it with a piece of string to the ceiling of the room. He did not realize that he needed an electrical current to light the bulb. How many people today in churches all across our city have a string with a light bulb attached to the ceiling? Without the proper connection, THERE IS NO POWER! Love is an attribute of God. And anyone can experience the love of God! The Grace of God is extended to everyone… it doesn‟t cost us a thing. God‟s Mercy free to all! And when it comes to salvation Jesus Christ paid a price at Calvary! But, the experiencing experiencing the Supernatural Supernatural Presence Presence of God IS NOT NOT FREE!
IT COST SOMETHIN SOMETHING! G! GOD’S POWER ONLY COMES WHEN THE PRICE IS PRAYED!
Over 30 years ago a Christian leader from India by the name of Bakht Singh wrote these words in an article… “The churches in India have a great burden for America just now… and are praying that God will visit your country with revival… You feel sorry for us in India because of our poverty in material things. We who know the Lord in India feel sorry for you in America because of your spiritual poverty. We pray that God will give you gold tried in the fire which He had promised to those who know the power of His resurrection… In our churches we spend five or six hours in prayer and worship, and frequently our people wait on the Lord in prayer all night; but in America after you have been in church for one hour, you begin to look at your watches. We pray that God open your eyes to the true meaning of w orship… To attract people to meetings you have a great dependence on posters, on advertising, on promotion, and on the build up of the human being; in India we have nothing more than the Lord Himself and we find that He is sufficient. Before a Christian meeting in India we never announce who the speaker will be. When the people come, they come to seek the Lord and not a human being or to hear some special favorite speaking to them. We have had as many as 12,000 people come together just to worship the Lord and to have fellowship together. We are praying that the people in America might also come to church with a hunger for God…” These so called poor, poverty-stricken poverty- stricken Indians were not so poor after all… For you see, they knew how to PRAY the price! While some live under the curse of convenience, someone else is doing without and getting more of God! The curse of convenience is killing churches in North America! Rev 3:14 And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; Rev 3:15 I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. Rev 3:16 So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Rev 3:17 Because thou sayest, I am rich, r ich, and increased with goods, and have need ne ed of nothing;
and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: Rev 3:18 I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------The Revival that birthed the supernatural in North America took place in the early 1900‟s… Listen to an early report of this awesome event… ev ent… tarrying A company of people under the leadership of Chas. Parham, were studying God‟s word tarrying for Pentecost, in Topeka, Kan. After searching through the country everywhere, they had been unable to find any Christians that had the true Pentecostal power . So they laid aside all commentaries and notes and waited on the Lord, studying His word, and what they did not understand they got down before the bench and asked God to have wrought out in their hearts by the Holy Ghost. They had a prayer tower in which prayers were ascending night and day to God. After three months, a sister who had been teaching sanctification for the baptism with the Holy Ghost, one who had a sweet, loving experience and all the carnality taken out of her heart, felt the Lord lead her to have hands laid on her to receive the Pentecost. So when they prayed, the Holy Ghost came in great power and she commenced speaking in an unknown tongue. This made all the Bible school hungry , and three nights afterward, twelve students received the Holy Ghost, and prophesied. The following clip is from the Apostolic Faith published by Bro. Chas. Parham at Baxter, Kan. "A remarkable incident of God‟s searching power was recorded in Melrose, Kan., during a revival which has been held by some of our young people at that place. "The power of the Holy Spirit was greatly manifested in the meetings by the speaking in unknown tongues. This was much criticized by the town and vicinity, so the principal physician, who was familiar with several different languages, was prevailed upon to go to the meetings in order to denounce the whole as a fake. Miss Tuthill, in an unknown language to herself, but known to him as Italian, spoke his full name, which no one in the town knew save himself, telling him things that had happened in his life twenty years ago, and on up to the present time, until he cried for mercy and fell on his knees seeking God. He found full salvation the next day, and is now a believer in ‟the Gospel‟ that Jesus taught, and also in the power of the Holy Ghost that was given unto us to witness to a living Christ. He now says he would rather pray for the sick than give drugs, and is seriously thinking of leaving his profession and going into the Lord‟s work.
Many precious souls have been saved, sanctified and baptized with the Holy Ghost as a result of the preached word wo rd under the Spirit‟s anointing power." _______________________________________________________________ The meetings in Los Angeles started in a cottage meeting, and Pentecost fell there three nights. The people had nothing to do but wait on the Lord and praise Him, and they commenced speaking in tongues, as they did at Pentecost,and the Spirit sang songs through them. The meeting was then transferred to Azusa Street, and since then multitudes have been coming. The meetings begin about ten o‟clock in the morning morning and can hardly stop before ten or twelve at night, and sometimes two or three in the morning, because so many are seeking, and some are slain under the power of God. People are seeking three times a day at the altar and row after row of seats have to be emptied and filled with seekers. We cannot tell how many people have been saved, and sanctified, and baptized with the Holy Ghost, and healed of all manner of sicknesses. ►Many have laid aside their glasses and had their eye-sight eye-sight perfectly restored. The deaf have had their hearing restored. ►A man was healed of asthma a sthma of twenty years standing. ►Many have been healed of heart trouble and lung trouble "About 160 people in Los Angeles, more than on the day of Pentecost, have received the gift of the Holy Ghost and the Bible evidence, the gift of tongues, and many have been saved and sanctified, nobody knows how many. People are seeking at the altar three times a day and it is hard to close at night on account of seekers and those who are under the power of God. In the meetings, it is noticeable that while some in the rear are opposing and arguing, others are at the alter falling down under the power of God and feasting on the good things of God. The two spirits are always manifest, but no opposition can kill, no power in earth or hell can stop God ‟s work, while He has consecrated instruments through which to work. The power of God now has this city agitated as never before. Pentecost has surely come and with it the Bible evidences are following, many being converted and sanctified and filled with the Holy Ghost, speaking in tongues as they did on the day of Pentecost. The scenes that are daily enacted in the building on Azusa street and at Missions and Churches in other parts of the city are beyond description. In a short time God began to manifest His power and soon the building could not contain the
people. Now the meetings continue all day and into the night and the fire is kindling all over the city and surrounding towns. Proud, well dressed preachers come into "investigate." Soon their high looks are replaced with wonder, then conviction came, and very often you will find them in a short time wallowing on the dirty floor, asking God to forgive them and make them as little children. It would be impossible to state how many have been converted, sanctified, and filled with the Holy Ghost. They have been and are daily going out to all points of the compass to spread this wonderful gospel." Our text… John 16:20-21 20 Verily, verily, I say unto you, That ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful, but your sorrow shall be turned into joy. 21 A woman when she is in travail hath sorrow, because her hour is come: but as soon as she is delivered of the child, she remembereth no more the anguish, for joy that a man is born into the world. When the church truly PRAYS the price… The SUPERNATURAL takes the place of the natural… The ordinary is replaced with the EXTRAORDINARY! Healings happen, Miracles are the norm and not the exception… Babes are born into the church… Backsliders come to the realization that they need God… Cars passing this church will be compelled to turn in! “Praying the Price for the Supernatural”
