Hindered Prayer continued...
Some of the hindrances, obstacles, and roadblocks the enemy attempts to put across our path toward prayer are so banal they would be laughable if they didn’t work so well. The reason the enemy’s hindrances work so well is due to their subtle nature. You don’t realize it’s the enemy, you don’t realize it’s a roadblock or an obstacle, and you get distracted and sidetracked from doing what you had set out to do…namely, pray.
Have you ever planned on coming before the Lord in prayer when suddenly you feel so tired and lethargic you can barely keep your eyes open? Have you ever planned on coming before the Lord in prayer and suddenly you remember fifteen things you had planned to do, and didn’t get done that day? Have you ever actually been in prayer and your mind started to wander, your thoughts became scattered, and you got distracted during your prayer time?
No, it is not your mind playing tricks on you, it is not your body telling you it needs a nap; it is the enemy trying to keep you from the solemn act of prayer.
The enemy realizes what we often do not, that every prayer uttered, every petition made, is another step toward a more intimate relationship with God. The more we pray, the more we desire to pray, and the more we desire to pray the deeper the roots of the Spirit take hold of our heart, wherein we come to the point of being as Daniel, unable to keep from being in God’s presence for a day.
The more we grow in our lives of prayer, the more we learn to hear the voice of God as well. No, prayer is not a one sided conversation. We’re not talking to the wall or to the ceiling, we are speaking to God the eternal, God the omnipotent, God the omniscient, and the most amazing thing of all, is that He talks back.
No, I’m not hearing voices in my head, although I have heard the audible voice of God on occasion. Most of the time, God speaks to our hearts, and we know it’s His voice because it comforts, and soothes, and heals, and gives peace and joy abundantly.
The world mocks what it does not understand, and because the world can never understand the mysteries of God, they mock those who experience Him in ways they never could. Yes, everyone claims to be spiritual, in fact most people pride themselves on being open minded, spiritual people except when it comes to Jesus and what He can do, the power of the Holy Spirit and what He does, and God’s ability to speak to His creation on a personal and intimate level.
The enemy knows full well once we’ve learned to hear the voice of God, once we’ve experienced true intimacy with Him, then the distractions, the roadblocks, and the hindrances he is so quick to put in our path will no longer work. He knows once we experience the fullness of God, we will let nothing stand in our way of true fellowship with Him.
Of all the ways the enemy attempts to hinder our prayer life, distracting us while we are attempting to pray seems to be the most successful. We begin to pray, focused, intent, and knowing what it is we are going to petition God about, then suddenly we’re just saying words without focusing on what we are saying.
In order to keep their focus, I’ve known brothers who have taken to praying aloud while pacing in their homes. Yes, we must pray with the spirit, but we must also pray with the understanding, for only when the two are combined and come before God in harmony is a prayer truly a prayer.
1 Corinthians 14:15, “What is the result then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will also pray with the understanding. I will sing with the spirit, and I will also sing with the understanding.”
Our duty as wise and obedient children of God is to know when the enemy is attempting to distract us, when he is attempting to hinder us in our prayers, and rebuke him. It is our duty to lay aside every weight and sin which so easily ensnares us. It is our duty to run with endurance the race that is set before us, and no one can do it on our behalf.
I cannot lay aside your weight for you; I cannot lay aside the sin which ensnares you for you. It is incumbent upon you as an individual to do these things yourself.
I realize the notion that we must do absolutely nothing except raise a limp hand in a church service has reached unprecedented heights, and scores of individuals are flocking to this doctrine, but just because the masses are flocking to it, it does not make it biblically sound, or scripturally true.
Hebrews 12:1, “Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us.”
Does this verse even imply that Jesus will set aside the weight and sin for you? Does this verse even imply that Jesus will run the race on your behalf?
No, it does not!
Let us, every one, lay aside every weight. Let us, every one, lay aside the sin which so easily ensnares us. Let us, every one, run with endurance that is set before us, for only those who run the race faithfully, until they cross the finish line, will receive the crown.
I cannot run your race, nor can you run mine. We each run our own race, and may we do so with endurance, unburdened of every weight and every sin, that we might run into the arms of Jesus all the more swiftly.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Saturday, July 7, 2012
Friday, July 6, 2012
Freeform Friday Week 6
Letter from an unrepentant generation:
Dear Jesus,
Sorry for not talking in so long a time, but Your love being compulsory, You’ll just have to understand. We the people of planet earth have gotten together and have agreed upon some things, which we thought fitting to pass along.
We think it only right we have a say, and even if You disagree, we demand it, and as such You have to do it.
First off, we believe there has been some sort of miscommunication, because a handful of your representatives still seem to think we are in need of forgiveness, and keep throwing around words like repentance, self-denial, and self-renunciation. We are not looking for forgiveness since forgiveness implies wrongdoing, what we are looking for from You is validation more than anything.
We don’t believe we’ve done anything wrong since sin is relative and subject to individual interpretation. As such, we no longer believe in the existence of sin, or consequence, justice, or hell for that matter.
Just tell us we’re okay and heaven-bound no matter what we do and no matter what we allow to nest in our hearts, and we can continue having as amicable a coexistence as we have enjoyed thus far.
Since certain things in Your Book were offensive to us, we decided to change the parts we didn’t like. At first we thought you might disapprove, but what You have to understand is that by changing a few things, and tweaking a few others, coming to church has become attractive to more people, and this translates into more revenue. In the end, isn’t revenue what it’s all about?
Trust us, we know business, and keeping the Book the way it was, was cutting into the bottom line. Make people feel at ease, make them feel comfortable, do not challenge their lifestyle, and you’ll have faithful and loyal givers that will put you over the top with every offering.
When you really think about it, it was only a matter of time anyway. Can You really expect those of this generation to prefer You over their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, wives and husbands, when they don’t even prefer You over their possessions, positions, and proclivities?
Since you’ve likely seen what is happening on this planet, we were also wondering why you were late in returning. What’s keeping you? By our estimation You should have been here by now, and we should all be in heaven feasting and attending a wedding…at least that’s what our guest speaker said last Sunday.
Need we remind you this isn’t what we signed up for? The Apostles of old, and those of the primary church might have been foolish enough to sign on the dotted line, but we read the fine print, and made our own amendments before signing. We hope you honor those amendments, even though we didn’t run them by you.
So just to set the record straight, our amendments include but are not limited to, no persecution, no hardship, and no tribulation. We’ve all agreed we don’t have what it takes to endure to the end, so please come sooner than you’d intended, just to make sure we’re not scarred – emotionally or otherwise – by what we’re starting to see taking shape all around us.
Although we do not intend any offense, we are firm concerning the aforementioned issues, and even most preachers, evangelists, and pastors agree with us on our points.
Sincerely,
An Unrepentant Generation
Dear Jesus,
Sorry for not talking in so long a time, but Your love being compulsory, You’ll just have to understand. We the people of planet earth have gotten together and have agreed upon some things, which we thought fitting to pass along.
We think it only right we have a say, and even if You disagree, we demand it, and as such You have to do it.
First off, we believe there has been some sort of miscommunication, because a handful of your representatives still seem to think we are in need of forgiveness, and keep throwing around words like repentance, self-denial, and self-renunciation. We are not looking for forgiveness since forgiveness implies wrongdoing, what we are looking for from You is validation more than anything.
We don’t believe we’ve done anything wrong since sin is relative and subject to individual interpretation. As such, we no longer believe in the existence of sin, or consequence, justice, or hell for that matter.
Just tell us we’re okay and heaven-bound no matter what we do and no matter what we allow to nest in our hearts, and we can continue having as amicable a coexistence as we have enjoyed thus far.
Since certain things in Your Book were offensive to us, we decided to change the parts we didn’t like. At first we thought you might disapprove, but what You have to understand is that by changing a few things, and tweaking a few others, coming to church has become attractive to more people, and this translates into more revenue. In the end, isn’t revenue what it’s all about?
Trust us, we know business, and keeping the Book the way it was, was cutting into the bottom line. Make people feel at ease, make them feel comfortable, do not challenge their lifestyle, and you’ll have faithful and loyal givers that will put you over the top with every offering.
When you really think about it, it was only a matter of time anyway. Can You really expect those of this generation to prefer You over their mothers, fathers, brothers, sisters, sons, daughters, wives and husbands, when they don’t even prefer You over their possessions, positions, and proclivities?
Since you’ve likely seen what is happening on this planet, we were also wondering why you were late in returning. What’s keeping you? By our estimation You should have been here by now, and we should all be in heaven feasting and attending a wedding…at least that’s what our guest speaker said last Sunday.
Need we remind you this isn’t what we signed up for? The Apostles of old, and those of the primary church might have been foolish enough to sign on the dotted line, but we read the fine print, and made our own amendments before signing. We hope you honor those amendments, even though we didn’t run them by you.
So just to set the record straight, our amendments include but are not limited to, no persecution, no hardship, and no tribulation. We’ve all agreed we don’t have what it takes to endure to the end, so please come sooner than you’d intended, just to make sure we’re not scarred – emotionally or otherwise – by what we’re starting to see taking shape all around us.
Although we do not intend any offense, we are firm concerning the aforementioned issues, and even most preachers, evangelists, and pastors agree with us on our points.
Sincerely,
An Unrepentant Generation
Thursday, July 5, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 112
Hindered Prayer continued...
One thing we must understand is that it is never God’s will that your prayers be impeded, it is never God’s will you don’t make it to prayer, or that you get so caught up in the day to day, you forget to pray altogether.
It is always the enemy, every single time and without fail. It is the enemy who attempts to impede our prayers, it is the enemy who attempts to distract us from coming before God with supplication, and we cannot confuse the two, or think to ourselves it is the Lord who stopped us from having fellowship with Him on any given day.
God’s desire is fellowship with His children. He would do nothing that would hamper or obstruct this desire from coming to pass.
Knowing God never attempts to inhibit or keep us from praying, when we feel resistance, when we feel opposition, knowing it is the enemy, we must resist him and rebuke him, and do so sternly.
1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
An adversary is one who contends, opposes, or resists. An adversary has also been defined as an enemy, or an opponent. As such, we must understand the enemy is never the neutral third party, he is never the conscientious observer; he is our adversary who walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
Not only is the devil our adversary, he really, really hates us. It is one thing to go to war against someone because you’re getting paid to do it or you feel it is your duty, it is quite another to do so out of pure, white-hot hatred.
The one weapon we have against the devil is to resist him, steadfast in the faith. We know the victory belongs to our God. We know that Christ won the war on the cross at Calvary, but this does not exempt us of the responsibilities inherent with being children of God.
We must resist him, we must be steadfast in the faith, and though the journey might grow difficult, and the path might not be as smooth as we would like it to be, we keep our eyes affixed upon Christ, and continue on our journey toward eternity.
The instant we free ourselves from the bondage of sin, the enemy declares war on us. We are on his hit list, whether we’re preachers, evangelists, choir singers or laymen. Because some are on the front lines they end up catching more of the arrows, but it does not mean the enemy isn’t targeting every believer that has repented and received Christ as Lord and King of their lives.
Know that you have an adversary. Know that you have an enemy, and know that you can defeat him.
Up until the moment we were saved, we were at enmity with God. Every one of us, no matter how good or moral or upright we thought ourselves to be before receiving Christ, were at enmity with God. The instant He established His throne in our hearts, we switched sides, and now we are at enmity with the devil. Just as there is no neutrality in the devil or in God, there can be no neutrality in the heart of man. Every man, everywhere, at any given time has either been at enmity with God, or with the devil, but he has never been neutral.
This is yet another topic which is rarely if ever covered in many a church, even though it is essential when it comes to our spiritual wellbeing. Some consider that talking about the adversary, talking about the devil, and informing young believers that he walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, might be too traumatic for them.
‘Well, we can’t have young believers scared out of their wits thinking that the enemy’s out to get them.’
No, they shouldn’t be scared out of their wits, but they should know they have an enemy, and he is determined upon their destruction. Knowing that the adversary is real and that he exists, and knowing that only Jesus is able to keep us safe and out of harm’s reach, we will be all the more inclined to be dependent upon Him, and run to Him whenever the dark clouds begin to gather.
It seems like the hardest thing to come by nowadays, especially in a church setting, is balance.
We get so focused and obsessive over our pet doctrines, we get so fixated and preoccupied with just one aspect of God, that we throw the very notion of balance out the window.
‘God is love! God is justice! God is holy! God is merciful! God is righteous! God is forgiving!’
And while we’re screaming one of these mantras as loud as we can, and while others are screaming their own mantras right back at us, we miss out on the fact that God is all of these things and more.
We serve a multidimensional God, a God who loves, but who also hates, a God who is merciful but who is also just, a God who is forgiving, but is also holy. When we take just one dimension of God, and reject all others, when we define Him as one thing, and one thing only, what we’ve done is fashion our own God, create a version of the God we’ve always wanted, rather than the God who was, and is and ever shall be.
This is why I cringe every time I hear ‘my God wouldn’t do that’ even though the God of the Bible did do it. Granted, perhaps your God wouldn’t do that, but the one true God surely does.
Whenever we try to put God in a box, to our surprise, He always outgrows the box we’ve put Him in. When we start talking ourselves into believing that God can’t do something anymore, He proves us wrong in an instant, and the pretty box of words we’ve fashioned to explain away His omnipotence is shattered.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
One thing we must understand is that it is never God’s will that your prayers be impeded, it is never God’s will you don’t make it to prayer, or that you get so caught up in the day to day, you forget to pray altogether.
It is always the enemy, every single time and without fail. It is the enemy who attempts to impede our prayers, it is the enemy who attempts to distract us from coming before God with supplication, and we cannot confuse the two, or think to ourselves it is the Lord who stopped us from having fellowship with Him on any given day.
God’s desire is fellowship with His children. He would do nothing that would hamper or obstruct this desire from coming to pass.
Knowing God never attempts to inhibit or keep us from praying, when we feel resistance, when we feel opposition, knowing it is the enemy, we must resist him and rebuke him, and do so sternly.
1 Peter 5:8-9, “Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour. Resist him, steadfast in the faith, knowing that the same sufferings are experienced by your brotherhood in the world.”
An adversary is one who contends, opposes, or resists. An adversary has also been defined as an enemy, or an opponent. As such, we must understand the enemy is never the neutral third party, he is never the conscientious observer; he is our adversary who walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour.
Not only is the devil our adversary, he really, really hates us. It is one thing to go to war against someone because you’re getting paid to do it or you feel it is your duty, it is quite another to do so out of pure, white-hot hatred.
The one weapon we have against the devil is to resist him, steadfast in the faith. We know the victory belongs to our God. We know that Christ won the war on the cross at Calvary, but this does not exempt us of the responsibilities inherent with being children of God.
We must resist him, we must be steadfast in the faith, and though the journey might grow difficult, and the path might not be as smooth as we would like it to be, we keep our eyes affixed upon Christ, and continue on our journey toward eternity.
The instant we free ourselves from the bondage of sin, the enemy declares war on us. We are on his hit list, whether we’re preachers, evangelists, choir singers or laymen. Because some are on the front lines they end up catching more of the arrows, but it does not mean the enemy isn’t targeting every believer that has repented and received Christ as Lord and King of their lives.
Know that you have an adversary. Know that you have an enemy, and know that you can defeat him.
Up until the moment we were saved, we were at enmity with God. Every one of us, no matter how good or moral or upright we thought ourselves to be before receiving Christ, were at enmity with God. The instant He established His throne in our hearts, we switched sides, and now we are at enmity with the devil. Just as there is no neutrality in the devil or in God, there can be no neutrality in the heart of man. Every man, everywhere, at any given time has either been at enmity with God, or with the devil, but he has never been neutral.
This is yet another topic which is rarely if ever covered in many a church, even though it is essential when it comes to our spiritual wellbeing. Some consider that talking about the adversary, talking about the devil, and informing young believers that he walks about like a roaring lion seeking whom he may devour, might be too traumatic for them.
‘Well, we can’t have young believers scared out of their wits thinking that the enemy’s out to get them.’
No, they shouldn’t be scared out of their wits, but they should know they have an enemy, and he is determined upon their destruction. Knowing that the adversary is real and that he exists, and knowing that only Jesus is able to keep us safe and out of harm’s reach, we will be all the more inclined to be dependent upon Him, and run to Him whenever the dark clouds begin to gather.
It seems like the hardest thing to come by nowadays, especially in a church setting, is balance.
We get so focused and obsessive over our pet doctrines, we get so fixated and preoccupied with just one aspect of God, that we throw the very notion of balance out the window.
‘God is love! God is justice! God is holy! God is merciful! God is righteous! God is forgiving!’
And while we’re screaming one of these mantras as loud as we can, and while others are screaming their own mantras right back at us, we miss out on the fact that God is all of these things and more.
We serve a multidimensional God, a God who loves, but who also hates, a God who is merciful but who is also just, a God who is forgiving, but is also holy. When we take just one dimension of God, and reject all others, when we define Him as one thing, and one thing only, what we’ve done is fashion our own God, create a version of the God we’ve always wanted, rather than the God who was, and is and ever shall be.
This is why I cringe every time I hear ‘my God wouldn’t do that’ even though the God of the Bible did do it. Granted, perhaps your God wouldn’t do that, but the one true God surely does.
Whenever we try to put God in a box, to our surprise, He always outgrows the box we’ve put Him in. When we start talking ourselves into believing that God can’t do something anymore, He proves us wrong in an instant, and the pretty box of words we’ve fashioned to explain away His omnipotence is shattered.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wednesday, July 4, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 111
Hindered Prayer continued...
Neither God, nor believers in general need the devil’s propaganda. We do not need the approval of the world, or the validation of the world, and Paul having been on the other side of the isle, knew the ways and means the enemy employed to distract and otherwise cause the children of God to lose their focus.
Even when godless men praise us, we ought not to receive it, or acknowledge it. Far too many believers have been caught up in the need to have the world’s approval, accolades, and honors, so much so that they have even compromised the truth for it, and have in turn been compromised themselves.
If we read the entirety of the scripture passage in Acts, we see that although Paul cast the spirit of divination out of the servant girl, the enemy did in point of fact reach his desired objective. He did in fact stop the followers of Christ from going to prayer, because they ended up in prison.
If it were anybody else, chances are that having just received many stripes, and having one’s feet fastened in stocks would have diminished the desire to pray. For Paul and Silas however, even finding themselves in prison, beaten, and locked up tight, prayer was still a necessity.
If we are truly committed to the cause of Christ, the enemy might set us back momentarily, he might hinder us from prayer for a while, but we will inevitably return to prayer the first chance we get.
It is only when we ourselves give up, it is only when we ourselves break faith and grow discouraged that the enemy can keep us from prayer for a protracted amount of time.
Purpose in your heart, that whatever the hindrance, whatever the obstacle, whatever the roadblock, it will not stop you from coming before God in prayer, and it will not deter you from having fellowship with Him and being in His presence.
You don’t have to be in a fancy church with plush pews in order to pray. Paul and Silas bore this out, and proved it beyond doubt.
So here they were, beaten, their feet in stocks, and rather than bemoan their situation rather than complain concerning their predicament – especially since all they’d really done was cast out a demon and remain faithful to God – Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.
Would you be praying and singing hymns to God if as reward for your faithfulness and obedience you’d just had many stripes laid on you, had been thrown in prison, and had had your feet fastened in stocks? If not, why not?
Is it perchance due to the corrupt doctrine you received as Biblical which says that you must be happy, and wealthy, and fat, and sleek, and never have a care in the world as a child of God?
Paul and Silas were in prison for being servants of God, and manifesting the gift of casting out demons. Nobody threw them a party, nobody had a parade in their honor, they didn’t do interviews on evening news shows and try to weasel out of being servants of Jesus…they cast out a demon, and the multitude rose up against them. Then, the magistrates tore off their clothes, and commanded them to be beaten with rods. This was their earthly reward! This was what they received as recompense for having freed the servant girl, and having cast a demon out of her.
How on earth did we get this twisted as far as doctrine is concerned?
How on earth have we come to believe the things we believe, even though they are nowhere to be found within the annals of scripture?
Acts 16:25, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”
Paul and Silas were not praying and singing from the balcony of their palatial estate, they were not praying and singing from the bow of their yacht, they were not praying and singing to pass the time as their private jet was being fueled, they were praying and singing from a dingy prison cell, after having just been stripped and beaten with rods.
By what we read in Scripture we also realize that the prayers and songs of Paul and Silas were not demure, or reserved. They sang and prayed loud enough wherein the rest of the prisoners heard them, and listened to them.
It is from such fragments in the lives of the apostles, as well as the prophets of old that we are able to glean a priceless truth, one that isn’t being taught in our modern day church, and because of this, we are the worse off for it. The truth I speak of is that true joy, true peace, and true fulfillment do not consist in possessions, positions, or predilections, nor is the source of these things something readily found on this earth. True joy, true peace, true fulfillment and even true strength are found in Christ and Him alone, and they are not beholden to our circumstances, our social standing, or our material net worth.
If, as some prosperity preachers still insist, in order to have joy one must have material wealth, and in order to have peace one must possess earthly treasures, then Paul and Silas ought to have been beside themselves as they sat in prison waiting for their sentence to be passed down.
If having everything you ever wanted were indeed the key to true happiness, then how can we explain the joy of those who came before us in the direst of circumstances.
Then again, perhaps they already had everything they ever wanted, if all they’d ever really wanted was Jesus!
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Neither God, nor believers in general need the devil’s propaganda. We do not need the approval of the world, or the validation of the world, and Paul having been on the other side of the isle, knew the ways and means the enemy employed to distract and otherwise cause the children of God to lose their focus.
Even when godless men praise us, we ought not to receive it, or acknowledge it. Far too many believers have been caught up in the need to have the world’s approval, accolades, and honors, so much so that they have even compromised the truth for it, and have in turn been compromised themselves.
If we read the entirety of the scripture passage in Acts, we see that although Paul cast the spirit of divination out of the servant girl, the enemy did in point of fact reach his desired objective. He did in fact stop the followers of Christ from going to prayer, because they ended up in prison.
If it were anybody else, chances are that having just received many stripes, and having one’s feet fastened in stocks would have diminished the desire to pray. For Paul and Silas however, even finding themselves in prison, beaten, and locked up tight, prayer was still a necessity.
If we are truly committed to the cause of Christ, the enemy might set us back momentarily, he might hinder us from prayer for a while, but we will inevitably return to prayer the first chance we get.
It is only when we ourselves give up, it is only when we ourselves break faith and grow discouraged that the enemy can keep us from prayer for a protracted amount of time.
Purpose in your heart, that whatever the hindrance, whatever the obstacle, whatever the roadblock, it will not stop you from coming before God in prayer, and it will not deter you from having fellowship with Him and being in His presence.
You don’t have to be in a fancy church with plush pews in order to pray. Paul and Silas bore this out, and proved it beyond doubt.
So here they were, beaten, their feet in stocks, and rather than bemoan their situation rather than complain concerning their predicament – especially since all they’d really done was cast out a demon and remain faithful to God – Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God.
Would you be praying and singing hymns to God if as reward for your faithfulness and obedience you’d just had many stripes laid on you, had been thrown in prison, and had had your feet fastened in stocks? If not, why not?
Is it perchance due to the corrupt doctrine you received as Biblical which says that you must be happy, and wealthy, and fat, and sleek, and never have a care in the world as a child of God?
Paul and Silas were in prison for being servants of God, and manifesting the gift of casting out demons. Nobody threw them a party, nobody had a parade in their honor, they didn’t do interviews on evening news shows and try to weasel out of being servants of Jesus…they cast out a demon, and the multitude rose up against them. Then, the magistrates tore off their clothes, and commanded them to be beaten with rods. This was their earthly reward! This was what they received as recompense for having freed the servant girl, and having cast a demon out of her.
How on earth did we get this twisted as far as doctrine is concerned?
How on earth have we come to believe the things we believe, even though they are nowhere to be found within the annals of scripture?
Acts 16:25, “But at midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them.”
Paul and Silas were not praying and singing from the balcony of their palatial estate, they were not praying and singing from the bow of their yacht, they were not praying and singing to pass the time as their private jet was being fueled, they were praying and singing from a dingy prison cell, after having just been stripped and beaten with rods.
By what we read in Scripture we also realize that the prayers and songs of Paul and Silas were not demure, or reserved. They sang and prayed loud enough wherein the rest of the prisoners heard them, and listened to them.
It is from such fragments in the lives of the apostles, as well as the prophets of old that we are able to glean a priceless truth, one that isn’t being taught in our modern day church, and because of this, we are the worse off for it. The truth I speak of is that true joy, true peace, and true fulfillment do not consist in possessions, positions, or predilections, nor is the source of these things something readily found on this earth. True joy, true peace, true fulfillment and even true strength are found in Christ and Him alone, and they are not beholden to our circumstances, our social standing, or our material net worth.
If, as some prosperity preachers still insist, in order to have joy one must have material wealth, and in order to have peace one must possess earthly treasures, then Paul and Silas ought to have been beside themselves as they sat in prison waiting for their sentence to be passed down.
If having everything you ever wanted were indeed the key to true happiness, then how can we explain the joy of those who came before us in the direst of circumstances.
Then again, perhaps they already had everything they ever wanted, if all they’d ever really wanted was Jesus!
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 110
Hindered Prayer
Wherever you find praying Christians, be certain that you will likewise find the enemy trying to throw up roadblocks and create obstacles. The enemy not only hates a praying Christian, he is fearful of them.
It is a sad testament to how little many believers know about prayer, but often times we discover the enemy knows more about the power of prayer than we do. The enemy knows how effective prayer can be, he knows how often God answers it, and he knows that if we can overcome the roadblocks and obstacles he places before us, and continue to persevere in prayer, great and wondrous things will happen.
Because it is important to know what the obstacles and roadblocks the enemy employs in his attempt to steer believers away from a life of prayer are, because it is important to identify them and not be distracted or overwhelmed by them, I thought it wise to spend some time in discussing them and how we get around them.
The obstacles vary as do the roadblocks, but their intent is singular and their purpose a single-minded one. The purpose and intent of any roadblock or obstacle, is to keep you from continuing down the path of prayer, and cause you to grow discouraged, disheartened, or distracted.
In a perfect world, the more we saw the enemy resist us, the more we would be on our knees crying out to God, the more we saw the enemy throw up roadblocks, the more we would press in and barrel through them, but this is not a perfect world, and most Christians just give up on prayer at the first sign of resistance or opposition.
Some are held back in their prayer life due to worldly things they’ve allowed to nest in their hearts for far too long, while others are held back by discouragement, and disenchantment with those they perceived to be their spiritual betters. Others still, driven by impatience become sluggish and no longer have forward momentum in their prayer lives due to impatience, and their inability to accept God’s delaying of an answer to their prayers.
We’ve been taught we’re special since early youth, on through adolescence and into adulthood by so many individuals, that we now believe it is only fitting we get to cut to the head of the line, demand of God to answer us forthwith, and be justified in our anger and rebellion when He does not do as we expect and demand.
Doubt and unbelief can also be roadblocks and obstacles the enemy puts up, hoping that we allow them to impede our progress, and let them grow unhindered in the fertile soil of the heart until they choke off faith and hope.
As believers we are not ignorant of the enemy’s plans, we are not ignorant of his intentions, or his hatred of Christ’s followers, yet somehow we are hindered in our prayers by his snares and devices more often than we would like to admit.
Because he knows he is effective, because he knows his plans bring forth the desired results, the enemy barrages believers with attacks of various kinds and intensities, all so we would cease to pray, all so we would cease to call out and petition God that He might answer.
Not even the Disciples of Christ were spared roadblocks, obstacles, and harassments whenever they intended to pray, because the enemy is ever mindful of true believers, and whenever he is able, he attempts to distract us from our true purpose in Christ.
Acts 16:16-18, “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit from fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Chris tot come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”
It was not when they were about to go have lunch, it was not when they were about to nap, it wasn’t even when they were about to preach that the servant girl possessed with the spirit of divination would meet them, it was as they would go to prayer.
This did not happen once or twice, it was not accidental or coincidental, because the Scripture specifies that this she did for many days.
How many is many? Likely more than a handful or a few, and it had gotten to the point that Paul became greatly annoyed. Yes the spirit of divination within the girl was saying glowing things about Paul and those who walked with him, it was even testifying to the fact that they were indeed servants of the Most High God who proclaimed the way of salvation, but Paul knew the spirit behind the flattery, and after many days he finally decided to put a stop to it.
What I wanted to highlight in this scripture passage is not necessarily the fact that Paul cast out a demon from a servant girl, but that the demon within her, knew when it that the disciples were going to pray, and attempted to harass, annoy, and detour them from carrying out their intentions.
As they went to pray, for many days, the spirit within the girl would be about the task of attempting to keep them from praying, and communing with God.
The alarms are sounded whenever we go to prayer, the enemy forces are rousted, and the only order they are given is to stop you from carrying out the act of coming before God in prayer and supplication, and having fellowship with Him.
Do what the enemy hates, and you will be doing what God loves. Do what the enemy loves however, and you will inevitably be doing what God hates.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Wherever you find praying Christians, be certain that you will likewise find the enemy trying to throw up roadblocks and create obstacles. The enemy not only hates a praying Christian, he is fearful of them.
It is a sad testament to how little many believers know about prayer, but often times we discover the enemy knows more about the power of prayer than we do. The enemy knows how effective prayer can be, he knows how often God answers it, and he knows that if we can overcome the roadblocks and obstacles he places before us, and continue to persevere in prayer, great and wondrous things will happen.
Because it is important to know what the obstacles and roadblocks the enemy employs in his attempt to steer believers away from a life of prayer are, because it is important to identify them and not be distracted or overwhelmed by them, I thought it wise to spend some time in discussing them and how we get around them.
The obstacles vary as do the roadblocks, but their intent is singular and their purpose a single-minded one. The purpose and intent of any roadblock or obstacle, is to keep you from continuing down the path of prayer, and cause you to grow discouraged, disheartened, or distracted.
In a perfect world, the more we saw the enemy resist us, the more we would be on our knees crying out to God, the more we saw the enemy throw up roadblocks, the more we would press in and barrel through them, but this is not a perfect world, and most Christians just give up on prayer at the first sign of resistance or opposition.
Some are held back in their prayer life due to worldly things they’ve allowed to nest in their hearts for far too long, while others are held back by discouragement, and disenchantment with those they perceived to be their spiritual betters. Others still, driven by impatience become sluggish and no longer have forward momentum in their prayer lives due to impatience, and their inability to accept God’s delaying of an answer to their prayers.
We’ve been taught we’re special since early youth, on through adolescence and into adulthood by so many individuals, that we now believe it is only fitting we get to cut to the head of the line, demand of God to answer us forthwith, and be justified in our anger and rebellion when He does not do as we expect and demand.
Doubt and unbelief can also be roadblocks and obstacles the enemy puts up, hoping that we allow them to impede our progress, and let them grow unhindered in the fertile soil of the heart until they choke off faith and hope.
As believers we are not ignorant of the enemy’s plans, we are not ignorant of his intentions, or his hatred of Christ’s followers, yet somehow we are hindered in our prayers by his snares and devices more often than we would like to admit.
Because he knows he is effective, because he knows his plans bring forth the desired results, the enemy barrages believers with attacks of various kinds and intensities, all so we would cease to pray, all so we would cease to call out and petition God that He might answer.
Not even the Disciples of Christ were spared roadblocks, obstacles, and harassments whenever they intended to pray, because the enemy is ever mindful of true believers, and whenever he is able, he attempts to distract us from our true purpose in Christ.
Acts 16:16-18, “Now it happened, as we went to prayer, that a certain slave girl possessed with a spirit of divination met us, who brought her masters much profit from fortune-telling. This girl followed Paul and us, and cried out, saying, ‘These men are the servants of the Most High God, who proclaim to us the way of salvation.’ And this she did for many days. But Paul, greatly annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I command you in the name of Jesus Chris tot come out of her.’ And he came out that very hour.”
It was not when they were about to go have lunch, it was not when they were about to nap, it wasn’t even when they were about to preach that the servant girl possessed with the spirit of divination would meet them, it was as they would go to prayer.
This did not happen once or twice, it was not accidental or coincidental, because the Scripture specifies that this she did for many days.
How many is many? Likely more than a handful or a few, and it had gotten to the point that Paul became greatly annoyed. Yes the spirit of divination within the girl was saying glowing things about Paul and those who walked with him, it was even testifying to the fact that they were indeed servants of the Most High God who proclaimed the way of salvation, but Paul knew the spirit behind the flattery, and after many days he finally decided to put a stop to it.
What I wanted to highlight in this scripture passage is not necessarily the fact that Paul cast out a demon from a servant girl, but that the demon within her, knew when it that the disciples were going to pray, and attempted to harass, annoy, and detour them from carrying out their intentions.
As they went to pray, for many days, the spirit within the girl would be about the task of attempting to keep them from praying, and communing with God.
The alarms are sounded whenever we go to prayer, the enemy forces are rousted, and the only order they are given is to stop you from carrying out the act of coming before God in prayer and supplication, and having fellowship with Him.
Do what the enemy hates, and you will be doing what God loves. Do what the enemy loves however, and you will inevitably be doing what God hates.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Monday, July 2, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 109
Corporate Prayer continued...
So what is the significance of corporate prayer, and more specifically why is agreement so important in the sight of God?
The best way I can think of describing the difference between one individual praying for a specific thing, and an entire group of believers agreeing concerning that thing, is by comparing a solo singer, and an entire choir.
Take one lone individual, and no matter how well trained, no matter how booming their voice, or how wide their range, if you place them next to an entire choir of individuals, the chorus will inevitably drown out the lone singer.
I used to sing in a church choir in my younger years, and since my voice range was apt to the task, I sang tenor. There are three other voice types that make up a choir, namely soprano, alto, and bass. All four voice types are singing the same song, but you hear the four distinct voice types because they are singing in harmony at different voice ranges.
No matter how talented an individual singer might be, when you hear an entire choir it solicits a different sort of emotional response. Personally, I love hearing George Frideric Handel’s Messiah sung by a choir, and without fail it brings tears to my eyes.
The way we would hear a choir sing, is the way God hears corporate prayer. To Him, a corporate prayer prayed in agreement and as one, is as a symphony, a choir of voices harmonizing, but singing the same song.
God knows that in order for a body of believers to be in one accord, they must first possess brotherly love for each other. It is what being in one accord implies – namely that there is no animosity among the brethren, no jealousy, no envy, no strife, no gossip, no backbiting – that is at the heart of corporate prayer, and corporate agreement.
In order to agree with someone, and pray diligently for the same purpose, there can be no stumbling blocks, or hidden agendas. I cannot harbor hate in my heart for my brother, and still be in one accord with him. I cannot be jealous of the blessing or favor my sister has received, and still be in one accord with her.
God knows that in order for there to be perfect unity within a body of believers, in order for them to be in one accord, there must be perfect love.
We cannot be in unity with a brother with whom we refuse to shake hands, or from whom we turn away when they come to greet us. We cannot be in unity with a sister concerning whom we gossip constantly, and whom we judge viciously.
As the saying goes, there’s more to corporate unity than meets the eye, and only when we discover the beauty of being one in Christ, can we begin to understand why God insists upon unity within His congregation.
When perfect unity and perfect love reside within a congregation, we become that which we have always claimed to be, the Body of Christ, one in Him, living through Him, and laboring for Him.
When we possess true unity and love, we are also quick to ask the brethren for help in our time of need, distress, and hardship. When we possess true unity and love we do not hesitate in sharing our grief, our pain, and our trials, because we know our brothers and sisters in Christ are there to help us on the path, and be an encouragement to us when needed.
Love gives us boldness to communicate with each other; unity amplifies the conviction of knowing that once we’ve asked the brethren to unite with us and agree with us in prayer, they will be true to their word.
No, I am not referring to the televangelists who promise to pray over your request for the best possible love offering you can muster, I’m talking about true brothers and sisters in Christ who feel with us, who stand with us, and who comfort us in our time of need and adversity.
Jesus already foresaw the possibility that there wouldn’t be a large group of individuals agreeing in prayer. He already foresaw the possibility that we might not be able to find fellowship, or other likeminded believers with whom to congregate, so He made sure to stress, that if two or three would be gathered in His name, He would be there. No, we do not need a large crowd in order to engage in corporate prayer, and in order to agree upon a certain thing and petition God for it…two or three will suffice, as Jesus said.
Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Two or three…it can be as small a group as you and your spouse agreeing and coming before God in prayer.
However many a corporate prayer might include, whether two or three, or two or three hundred, the important thing is that it be done in agreement, in unity, in love, and in one accord.
Prayer is an indispensable practice of every believer, and corporate prayer is an indispensable practice of every family, and every church body.
No matter who we are, what level of spirituality we have attained, and what understanding we have gleaned from the word of God, we are never above the need for prayer, nor can we ever surpass it.
The prophets of old prayed, the Disciples of Christ prayed, Christ Himself prayed, and we must likewise pray, for prayer is our way of communing, fellowshipping and communicating with God.
Any individual or church body that ceases to pray begins to spiritually wither and eventually die. When we cease to pray, our strength begins to diminish, our walk begins to suffer, and our faith begins to weaken, growing progressively worse the longer we go without being in the presence of God.
As such, we know that we must pray, and pray without ceasing, whether as individuals or corporately, knowing that God hears the prayers of the righteous.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
So what is the significance of corporate prayer, and more specifically why is agreement so important in the sight of God?
The best way I can think of describing the difference between one individual praying for a specific thing, and an entire group of believers agreeing concerning that thing, is by comparing a solo singer, and an entire choir.
Take one lone individual, and no matter how well trained, no matter how booming their voice, or how wide their range, if you place them next to an entire choir of individuals, the chorus will inevitably drown out the lone singer.
I used to sing in a church choir in my younger years, and since my voice range was apt to the task, I sang tenor. There are three other voice types that make up a choir, namely soprano, alto, and bass. All four voice types are singing the same song, but you hear the four distinct voice types because they are singing in harmony at different voice ranges.
No matter how talented an individual singer might be, when you hear an entire choir it solicits a different sort of emotional response. Personally, I love hearing George Frideric Handel’s Messiah sung by a choir, and without fail it brings tears to my eyes.
The way we would hear a choir sing, is the way God hears corporate prayer. To Him, a corporate prayer prayed in agreement and as one, is as a symphony, a choir of voices harmonizing, but singing the same song.
God knows that in order for a body of believers to be in one accord, they must first possess brotherly love for each other. It is what being in one accord implies – namely that there is no animosity among the brethren, no jealousy, no envy, no strife, no gossip, no backbiting – that is at the heart of corporate prayer, and corporate agreement.
In order to agree with someone, and pray diligently for the same purpose, there can be no stumbling blocks, or hidden agendas. I cannot harbor hate in my heart for my brother, and still be in one accord with him. I cannot be jealous of the blessing or favor my sister has received, and still be in one accord with her.
God knows that in order for there to be perfect unity within a body of believers, in order for them to be in one accord, there must be perfect love.
We cannot be in unity with a brother with whom we refuse to shake hands, or from whom we turn away when they come to greet us. We cannot be in unity with a sister concerning whom we gossip constantly, and whom we judge viciously.
As the saying goes, there’s more to corporate unity than meets the eye, and only when we discover the beauty of being one in Christ, can we begin to understand why God insists upon unity within His congregation.
When perfect unity and perfect love reside within a congregation, we become that which we have always claimed to be, the Body of Christ, one in Him, living through Him, and laboring for Him.
When we possess true unity and love, we are also quick to ask the brethren for help in our time of need, distress, and hardship. When we possess true unity and love we do not hesitate in sharing our grief, our pain, and our trials, because we know our brothers and sisters in Christ are there to help us on the path, and be an encouragement to us when needed.
Love gives us boldness to communicate with each other; unity amplifies the conviction of knowing that once we’ve asked the brethren to unite with us and agree with us in prayer, they will be true to their word.
No, I am not referring to the televangelists who promise to pray over your request for the best possible love offering you can muster, I’m talking about true brothers and sisters in Christ who feel with us, who stand with us, and who comfort us in our time of need and adversity.
Jesus already foresaw the possibility that there wouldn’t be a large group of individuals agreeing in prayer. He already foresaw the possibility that we might not be able to find fellowship, or other likeminded believers with whom to congregate, so He made sure to stress, that if two or three would be gathered in His name, He would be there. No, we do not need a large crowd in order to engage in corporate prayer, and in order to agree upon a certain thing and petition God for it…two or three will suffice, as Jesus said.
Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”
Two or three…it can be as small a group as you and your spouse agreeing and coming before God in prayer.
However many a corporate prayer might include, whether two or three, or two or three hundred, the important thing is that it be done in agreement, in unity, in love, and in one accord.
Prayer is an indispensable practice of every believer, and corporate prayer is an indispensable practice of every family, and every church body.
No matter who we are, what level of spirituality we have attained, and what understanding we have gleaned from the word of God, we are never above the need for prayer, nor can we ever surpass it.
The prophets of old prayed, the Disciples of Christ prayed, Christ Himself prayed, and we must likewise pray, for prayer is our way of communing, fellowshipping and communicating with God.
Any individual or church body that ceases to pray begins to spiritually wither and eventually die. When we cease to pray, our strength begins to diminish, our walk begins to suffer, and our faith begins to weaken, growing progressively worse the longer we go without being in the presence of God.
As such, we know that we must pray, and pray without ceasing, whether as individuals or corporately, knowing that God hears the prayers of the righteous.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
Sunday, July 1, 2012
Lord, Teach Us To Pray! Part 108
Corporate Prayer continued...
It used to be that individuals came together for the prayer, and stayed for the song or the sermon. It used to be that no headliner was needed to draw a crowd, no special speaker, no special music, just willing souls, individuals desiring more of God with no other agenda than to bring glory to His name and come together as one.
Times have changed, and not for the better. It almost takes an act of God, for people to get out of their comfort zones long enough to utter a halfhearted prayer, and even then there is no passion, no fervor, no agreement, no unity, just words they heard someone else speak once that seem appropriate for the occasion.
We waste such vast quantities of time on irrelevant things, and we discount and dismiss the most important things of all. Prayer, communion with God, fellowship with Him should rate somewhere high on our list of priorities, yet for many, even for many who consider themselves believers, prayer is somewhere near the bottom, next to ordering that new diet/cookbook combo that some insipid starlet or another raved about on some morning show.
It is because we are floundering, uncommitted, duplicitous, and often times selfish servants that we do not see God working as we ought in our midst, and the blame must be laid squarely on our shoulders.
Personally, I feel it’s well past time that truth was spoken unapologetically, and that the need of an individual once more trumped the want of an individual. We all want to be told we’re doing great, all is well, smooth sailing ahead, but the reality of the world we are currently living in dispels this fantasy and shatters the illusion we’ve so painstakingly fashioned for ourselves.
We need to know that hard times are ahead for all of mankind. We need to know that they day is almost upon us when the just will live by faith, and we also need to know that in the current spiritual condition most of the church finds itself in, it is nothing more than prey.
This is the reality we are living, and attempting to soften the blow, sugar coat the pill, or whitewash the tomb will be of no benefit to you. Hate me if you must, but acknowledge if only to yourself, and grudgingly so, that I speak the truth, and the signs and harbingers of the times are all around us.
If we study the word of God diligently we realize that prayer was the one constant in the lives of all those who served Him. During times of hardship, of persecution, of uncertainty and of hostility, prayer was the refuge for every believer; it was the sanctuary and safe place to which they fled time and again.
Prayer works! It is proven within God’s word, beyond doubt. Prayer stirs the heart of God, and when the heart of God is stirred, great and wondrous things take place here on earth.
Shortly after the advent of the Holy Spirit, Peter and John were arrested, brought before the religious rulers, elders, and scribes of their day and threatened, commanded to keep silent in regards to speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus.
Even though they had been threatened by some of the most powerful people of their day, Peter and John did not grow fearful, they did not tear their garments, and in humility vow never to speak of Christ again, nor did they attempt to justify their silence by concluding that they could do more good if they were free men, and in harmony with the powers that be. The disciples did not hand out petitions, they didn’t march on the Temple, they didn’t hold a protest, nor did they do any of the things that believers today tend to prefer over prayer.
After essentially telling the rulers, elders and scribes that they would listen to God rather than to them and would continue to speak the things which they had seen and heard, they sought out the brethren and in one accord raised their voices to God.
Yes, God already knew they had been threatened, He already knew their lives were in danger, yet when they raised their voices to Him, they gave a detailed account of what had occurred, and asked God to intervene by giving them boldness to preach His word.
Because they had asked, Jesus had taught His disciples the power of prayer. He had taught them how to pray, and now, when they needed to see the power of God, when they needed to be encouraged, and strengthened, when they needed to receive boldness in the face of adversity, they practiced what Jesus had taught them.
Yes, prayer is a learned skill, otherwise why would the disciples have asked Jesus to teach them how to pray? Because it is a learned skill, we can grow in our ability to pray effectively, fervently, and corporately. The more we grow, the more we understand the nuances of prayer and what is required to pray effectively, we will notice God moving on our behalf with greater frequency and intensity. It is not because we will be more deserving, but because having learned the art of prayer, having learned how to truly pray and what to pray for, the heart of God is stirred more often, and He works on our behalf more readily.
Acts 4:31, “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
The power of prayer is real and viable. The power of prayer transcends human ability, and often times human understanding, because the answer thereof is God territory, and whenever we enter God territory, we enter the territory of the supernatural. God is still a God of miracles, God is still a God that can shake the place where His children are assembled, who can still fill with the Holy Spirit, and who can still give us boldness to speak His word.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
It used to be that individuals came together for the prayer, and stayed for the song or the sermon. It used to be that no headliner was needed to draw a crowd, no special speaker, no special music, just willing souls, individuals desiring more of God with no other agenda than to bring glory to His name and come together as one.
Times have changed, and not for the better. It almost takes an act of God, for people to get out of their comfort zones long enough to utter a halfhearted prayer, and even then there is no passion, no fervor, no agreement, no unity, just words they heard someone else speak once that seem appropriate for the occasion.
We waste such vast quantities of time on irrelevant things, and we discount and dismiss the most important things of all. Prayer, communion with God, fellowship with Him should rate somewhere high on our list of priorities, yet for many, even for many who consider themselves believers, prayer is somewhere near the bottom, next to ordering that new diet/cookbook combo that some insipid starlet or another raved about on some morning show.
It is because we are floundering, uncommitted, duplicitous, and often times selfish servants that we do not see God working as we ought in our midst, and the blame must be laid squarely on our shoulders.
Personally, I feel it’s well past time that truth was spoken unapologetically, and that the need of an individual once more trumped the want of an individual. We all want to be told we’re doing great, all is well, smooth sailing ahead, but the reality of the world we are currently living in dispels this fantasy and shatters the illusion we’ve so painstakingly fashioned for ourselves.
We need to know that hard times are ahead for all of mankind. We need to know that they day is almost upon us when the just will live by faith, and we also need to know that in the current spiritual condition most of the church finds itself in, it is nothing more than prey.
This is the reality we are living, and attempting to soften the blow, sugar coat the pill, or whitewash the tomb will be of no benefit to you. Hate me if you must, but acknowledge if only to yourself, and grudgingly so, that I speak the truth, and the signs and harbingers of the times are all around us.
If we study the word of God diligently we realize that prayer was the one constant in the lives of all those who served Him. During times of hardship, of persecution, of uncertainty and of hostility, prayer was the refuge for every believer; it was the sanctuary and safe place to which they fled time and again.
Prayer works! It is proven within God’s word, beyond doubt. Prayer stirs the heart of God, and when the heart of God is stirred, great and wondrous things take place here on earth.
Shortly after the advent of the Holy Spirit, Peter and John were arrested, brought before the religious rulers, elders, and scribes of their day and threatened, commanded to keep silent in regards to speaking or teaching in the name of Jesus.
Even though they had been threatened by some of the most powerful people of their day, Peter and John did not grow fearful, they did not tear their garments, and in humility vow never to speak of Christ again, nor did they attempt to justify their silence by concluding that they could do more good if they were free men, and in harmony with the powers that be. The disciples did not hand out petitions, they didn’t march on the Temple, they didn’t hold a protest, nor did they do any of the things that believers today tend to prefer over prayer.
After essentially telling the rulers, elders and scribes that they would listen to God rather than to them and would continue to speak the things which they had seen and heard, they sought out the brethren and in one accord raised their voices to God.
Yes, God already knew they had been threatened, He already knew their lives were in danger, yet when they raised their voices to Him, they gave a detailed account of what had occurred, and asked God to intervene by giving them boldness to preach His word.
Because they had asked, Jesus had taught His disciples the power of prayer. He had taught them how to pray, and now, when they needed to see the power of God, when they needed to be encouraged, and strengthened, when they needed to receive boldness in the face of adversity, they practiced what Jesus had taught them.
Yes, prayer is a learned skill, otherwise why would the disciples have asked Jesus to teach them how to pray? Because it is a learned skill, we can grow in our ability to pray effectively, fervently, and corporately. The more we grow, the more we understand the nuances of prayer and what is required to pray effectively, we will notice God moving on our behalf with greater frequency and intensity. It is not because we will be more deserving, but because having learned the art of prayer, having learned how to truly pray and what to pray for, the heart of God is stirred more often, and He works on our behalf more readily.
Acts 4:31, “And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.”
The power of prayer is real and viable. The power of prayer transcends human ability, and often times human understanding, because the answer thereof is God territory, and whenever we enter God territory, we enter the territory of the supernatural. God is still a God of miracles, God is still a God that can shake the place where His children are assembled, who can still fill with the Holy Spirit, and who can still give us boldness to speak His word.
With love in Christ,
Michael Boldea Jr.
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