THREE DIRECTIONS OF PRAYER

Francis E. Madojemuwith notes from Pastor Sunday Adelaja

GOD @ WAR

Adapted from Gregory Boyd’s message of the same titleFrancis E Madojemu

A Thought For Today I noticed 2 things on television recently

1. A church praying for debt cancellation and the gymnastics etc

2. Oprah Winfery show called the debt diet where we were taught how to prudently manage our finances

T. D. Jakes taught that a star in the night directs you to Jesus its no enough to know that Jesus saves you must know how to get to him and receive his grace.

Fact or Truth Dr. Gregory Boyd on TBN explains God is at war for

His will to be done on earth.

God does not always have His way

There is an alternate will upon the earth today

Even as Christians God gives us free will!

Its about us, if we do not have the potential to harm we would not have the potential to love; we are not robots therefore authentic love is a choice. Therefore without free will it will not be a world that can authentically love God.

Things happen when we do align our will with His!

Prayer Prayer is giving God permission to intervene

in the affairs of men Luke 11:1-4 Now it came to pass, as He was praying in a

certain place, when He ceased, that one of His disciples said to Him, “Lord, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” 2 So He said to them, “When you pray, say: …1 Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.3 Give us day by day our daily bread……

Notice they did not say teach us how to praythey said teach us to pray. Why?

Definition Realize that prayer is not what we think it is. It is

what T. D. Jakes says “ prayer is the practice of champions”

1 Prayer is fellowshipping with God

2 Prayer is joining forces with God

3 Prayer is carrying out Gods will on earth

4 Prayer is having your needs met

5 Prayer is a refuge

6 Prayer is worshiping God

Most of all prayer is bring God into the situation

Things hang on what we do

A Picture Of Judgment Ezekiel 22:29-31 “The people of the land have used oppressions,

committed robbery, and mistreated the poor and needy; and they wrongfully oppress the stranger. 30 “So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found no one. 31 “Therefore I have poured out My indignation on them; I have consumed them with the fire of My wrath; and I have recompensed their deeds on their own heads,” says the Lord God.

The ultimate reason for judgment was not the sins of oppression robbery etc but not finding someone to stand in the gap to make intercession.

Prayer cannot make a difference if the lack of prayer does not make a difference

Why is the world this way? We like to stand back in the church and blame

everyone else about their sin or weakness and fail to ask our selves are we praying for our leaders government etc are we praying for Christ to be formed Christians etc

Judgment begins in the house of the lord. Many will say but I am not called to be an

intercessor and is everyone called to this men women and children the answer is yes!

We are meant to be the body of Christ or the corporate version of Jesus! What ever he did we were meant to do but we fail to realize that every dimension of his life was warfare and so should it be for us.

Everything Jesus did was warfare 1 John 3:8 He who sins is of the devil, for the devil

has sinned from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that He might destroy the works of the devil.

All Jesus did was an act of war for His fathers will, defeating from inside out.

Crossed racial lines with the woman with the issue of blood and social taboos for example using women in his ministry as well as his attitude to the sick and to the poor. In this he was going against the principalities and powers enforcing this stronghold.

Not just the cross and prayer his life and ministry was an act of war

We Are To Imitate Ephesians 5:1-2 Therefore be imitators of God as dear

children.2 And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.

Everything we do should be an act of love we are to imitate or mimic God in our actions

We in church today have restricted warfare to prayer and demonology but it is a lifestyle because Worship is a lifestyle not just singing slow songs.

[Value for people and caring for the food and welfare of those he was preaching for, almost the opposite of us today]

Why? Real evil is incarnated like good or righteousness

was incarnate in Jesus as a man. We say no matter what God’s will must be done,

then why do men perish when it’s God’s will for none to perish. And how come there is so much evil in the world if God is good

Its because of free will, we can follow our own agenda!

The kingdom of God is the domo where God is king and the kingdom of this world is the domo where Satan’s will is done.

Jesus came to manifest his fathers will against Satan’s when he said how long will his child of Abraham be…..as evil has to be manifested like Hitler, Abacha and in the case of Zoshia

What Are We To Do? Pray against the enemies will & do what

you can in the natural! In this country we have left the battle to be

fought only in the spiritual and fail to realize it must be fought in the natural as well.

Edmund Burke, an 18th Century English statesman said “All that is necessary for forces of evil to succeed/triumph is for enough good men to do nothing.”

Prayer is meant to change the world that is prayer in agreement with Gods will.

Our Will + Power of prayer leads to His Will.

Worldviews 2 churches and 2 world views.

The way you see things affects the way you react to things. [Paradigm shift by Stephen Covey.]

The will of God versus the will of the devil.

If God’s will was being done why would Jesus ask us to pray for his will to be done?

At this time there was only one nation on earth God had a covenant with Israel, all other nations groped in the dark.

God at work!Exodus 17:8-9Then came Amalek, and fought

with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said unto Joshua, Choose us out men, and go out, fight with Amalek: tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in mine hand.

God at Work!

Exodus 17:10-11 So Joshua did as Moses had said

to him, and fought with Amalek: and Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And it came to pass, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed: and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevail

God at Work!

Exodus 17:12-13

But Moses' hands were heavy; and they took a stone, and put it under him, and he sat thereon; and Aaron and Hur stayed up his hands, the one on the one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 And Joshua discomfited Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.

Consider these Scriptures

John 16:23-24

23 “And in that day you will ask Me nothing. Most assuredly, I say to you, whatever you ask the Father in My name He will give you.24 “Until now you have asked nothing in My name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.

Consider these Scriptures

John 14:12-14

12 “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father.13 “And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.14 “If you ask anything in My name, I will do it.

There are 3 directions in which prayers may be sent:

1. To God, this is where most Christians direct ALL of their prayers, we will learn that not all utterances in prayer are directed to God.

2. To Satan including Principalities & powers there are times when God wants us to deal with Satan directly, and not to appeal to Him.3. To Situations and circumstances.

God This does not mean types of prayers,

like supplication, intercession. It’s the direction of our utterances in Prayers

Prayer is not a one way road. You pray and allow God to speak back to you!

Its like talking non stop to your spouse or friend no matter how much they love you the will turn away from you.

God Why then do we do that to God

When you make your prayers to God take your time to hear from God.

Its here you get direction about what you should do in every situation and circumstance

Hearing from God is our greatest asset as believers.

Hearing & Seeing

John 5:19

19 Then Jesus answered and said to them, “Most assuredly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of Himself, but what He sees the Father do; for whatever He does, the Son also does in like manner.

Hearing & Seeing

This was the reason for Jesus’ Prayer to hear and see what God is doing!Lazarus

In the realm of the spirit you can only produce what you see.

Until you see you have no production.

Elijah to Elisha if you see me you get the mantle & Abraham after Lot left God says Look and see

Hearing & Seeing Without seeing there is no possession

therefore seeing is possession.

So go to hear and to see and to get direction.

This is the most important foundation truth and direction in prayer which sustains all the other directions.

Its our source and the inspiration for dealing with the other 2 directions of prayers .

Hearing & Seeing Isaiah 55:10-11

10 “For as the rain comes down, and the snow from heaven, And do not return there, But water the earth, And make it bring forth and bud, That it may give seed to the sower And bread to the eater,

11 So shall My word be that goes forth from My mouth; It shall not return to Me void, But it shall accomplish what I please, And it shall prosper in the thing for which I sent it.

Satan including Principalities & Powers

Jesus usually spoke to the spirits responsible

Example In Mark 7:32-37, Jesus heals the man who was deaf and dumb.

Everything that Jesus did in the New Testament is an example for us.

He is showing us how we are to survive when He is no longer here on earth and He has left us in His place to act and behave exactly like Him, when we are faced with a similar situation.

Satan including Principalities & Powers

Ephesians 6:12

12 For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places.

When we are on the defensive satan is on the offensive and vice versa!

Circumstances

In life and ministries we have situation and circumstances that want to destroy you and against you to stop you

We must learn to direct our utterances in prayers to them

Mark 4:39Then He arose and rebuked the wind,[invisible] and said to the sea, [visible] “Peace, be still!” And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.

Bottom Line Today I believe God want to speak to

our circumstances and not about them, which is why I believe Jesus said,

Matthew 17:20

I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move; and nothing will be impossible for you.

We must stop talking about it and speak to it.

Circumstances

We must learn to pray scripturally from now on and pray with understanding.

Zeal and enthusiasm without understanding is like trying to cut with a blunt knife

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

Circumstances – inspiration!

Acts 3:5-6 5 So he gave them his attention,

expecting to receive something from them.6 Then Peter said, “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk.”

Its not by rote its by inspiration of the Holy Spirit after being with God [The Fig Tree]