Session 1, Text James 4:3: #prayerFocus – Pray Right

James says, “You ask and do not receive, because you ask wrongly, to spend it on your passions” -James 4:3

While meditating on how far we have come in this prayer season, God’s Word came to me about the reason people seem to be praying so much and get little results.

He said so many of His children fall for the tricks of the devil. They focus their prayers on irrelevant things.

When you consentrate on non issues, real issues will be left undone. The devil is a Strategist. So he influences you to follow the bend of your passions.

All day, i was pondering on that discussion and had no idea where the Holy Spirit was taking me. I could not publish because I was still brooding over the topic.

I needed a breath of fresh air to clear my mind: so I made a house visit to a new friend. Right in that home, I got the missing puzzle.

A man of God was preach-praying on TV, and said something like this to the people of God “before this year ends, God will send you a helper” . And the very large congregation screamed aaaamen!!!

And I was like ‘”what was that”? A helper? What helper? The people of God already have a live-in-Helper – the Holy Spirit.

Then it dawned on me that those kind of prayers was what ABBA was referring to earlier in the day.

Several of us Christians focus so much on what others can give them, instead of affirming their inheritances in Christ.

And some of our pastors are indeed training God’s people to be beggarly and dependent on their prayers. They have made themselves idols.

It’s sickening to hear ‘My pastor said’ from adult believers. What ever happened to it is written?

Does our help come from the hills, humans or from God?.

Who is your Source and Resource?

Who is your helper? Who promised to be with always, even to the end of the age?

As we enter into the new season, you need to clearly define these things in your mind.

You need to formulate principles that will undergird your life in the new season.

Some of the principles that keeps from idolazing things or people are as follows :

1. Love everyone even the undeserving, as God loves me. Some times, when some really tiresome people rub me up the wrong way, i say to myself, God is love. As He is so am I in this world. And I get past the anger, bitterness and all those nasty emotions.

2. Faith in God alone. A long time ago when I was rejected and abandoned, my faith in God grew. My perspective about destiny helpers changed phas. It came to me that only God is the Everpresent Help.

Most times, we limit God and frustrate grace, when we look up to that rich brother, uncle etc, to help us in the time of need.

However, when we acknowledge God as our Helper, He can use humans or animals to get the work done.

Back then, I said to myself, ‘if God could send ravens with food to Elijah in the forest without a zip code, surely He knows my address. I have a home address and zip code, His messenger will definitely locate me.

The beautiful thing is that, no one person can say they helped in my time of need. God used several people who gave just a tiny fraction. And they knew their support was just not enough, so they can’t even boast about it.

By that, God enhanced my spiritual integrity and my faith in Him grew. I became more appreciative of the seeds that God allowed them to sow into my life.

My responsibility was not to belly ache on why a millionaire would give me just a bottle of water when he can well give me a well!

My responsibility was to see the person as God’s messenger and for me as God’s minister to speak blessings over the person.

It is God who gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater. Both the sower and eater are relevant in God’s plan.

When I read that it’s more blessed to give than to receive, I too upped my giving. The more, I received the more I gave.

Instead of teaching God’s people principles of prosperity, some focus on tithes, because of the benefits to themselves.

What about giving to those of the household of faith first, the widows, orphans etc. Instead, the focus is on tithes to the pastor. There are three types of tithes in the Bible.

Some ministries have tithe cards. When you need help etc, they check whether you are a Tithe – really???

By that they place restrictions on their members – they would rather tithe, that help a needy brother or sister in Church.

And then the pastor now comes and say ‘before this year ends, God will send you a helper’, and the congregants chorus aaamen with screams!

Why won’t they?? They are willing slaves of their master pastor because they do not search the scriptures.

Then they keep busy asking for what is already theirs in Christ.

Before Christ left He said to the disciples “Let not your hearts be troubled.Believe in God; believe also in me…I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you...But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you”-Jn.14:1,28,26, ESV.

The Holy Spirit is the Helper of all Believers. That is the best ever.

Our first introduction to the Holy Spirit is in Genesis 1. The world was in confusion and disarray when the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters and re-creation happened.

That same Being is living in you and you are asking for a helper?

And in Romans we are told: “And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you“-Romans 8:11,NIV.

Did you get that,? The resurrection power is in you. That same power that raised Jesus Christ and the grave could not hold Him captive, is in you! And you are lamenting everyday in church ‘God send me helper?

What are you asking exactly? Let me explain.

If you are having trouble with maybe paying your rents debts etc and really in dire straits. You have exhausted all options and narrowed it down to uncle John as the one who should help you. Your prayer goes something like – God, touch the heart of uncle John to help me with my rent/financial troubles. You have prayed amiss!

You have acknowledged God, but denied His power.

God is awesome. HE sees the end from the very beginning. The silver, gold and cattle on a thousand hills belong to Him.

By Your prayers, you have placed God in a straight jacket. You have limited Him.

Oh dear, this is already too lengthy! I beg to pause here.

In conclusion, as we are entering the new year.i pray your prayer life is perfected so that you can pray the will of God and not the wrong teachings if your denominational pastors.

God’s Word says, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt-Lk. 10:19

The power to overcome is not exclusive to pastors or church leaders alone. It is in you if you are in Christ.

Use that power today to Confront issues. When you don’t know how or what to pray, pray in the Holy Spirit – He knows our heart desires and He knows the will of God concerning your desire.

When you pray in tongues, the Holy Spirit aligns your desires to the will of God – See Romans 8:26-27.

Spend sometime praying in tongues that God by His Spirit will help you walk in the counsel of His Word, as we enter this new season.

Thank you for your feed back. It is very encouraging.

For the past three days, #prayerFocusForToday was published very late due to exhaustion. Please forgive me. It’s been a long prayer trip and my youth is being renewed. Shalom!