New creation Prayers (20)

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Good morning Divine Perspective Readers. I have great expectations in this year 2016 and I believe we all do too. I will advise that we learn to write things down. Especially things we believe God for in the year. It’s just a way to keep reminding ourselves of how faithful God has been. I believe if the children of Israel had kept a personal journal of the miracles God performed in Egypt, they wouldn’t have forgotten in a hurry, the things He had done for them and His capacity to do more. In the movie “WAR ROOM”, we see how the old lady kept a record of answered prayers and pasted it on the wall in her prayer closet. She would tick each prayer request the moment it got answered… it was such a long list. You can’t see that everyday and not judge God faithful can you? God always comes through, so trust Him. Another powerful thing about writing down our expectations is that, it is a prophetic act of faith. I personally believe that writing is the first tangible manifestation of any idea, promise or request. It’s the platform that brings a substance from the supernatural realm to the natural realm. That is why God told Habakkuk to WRITE the vision and make it plain. Don’t let that WORD, PROMISE or IDEA linger too long in the thought realm, capture it in writing and believe God for its manifestation. Imagine for a moment if the Bible was never WRITTEN… Everything God ever did, He Spoke it and then He Wrote it. Oh yes, there are many many many books in heaven because God takes a lot of interest in writing.

Revelation 20:12 (KJV) And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.

Not to worry, I’m not about to do exigencies on the book of revelation, but just so you know that records are kept in heaven, and it behooves us to keep records as well. So to the topic of the day… We’ve been on the New Creation Prayers for a while now and it’s been amazing. Today we begin the final third phase of this series. Just a quick reminder… we have taken our lessons from the Pauline Prayer in Eph 1:16-23, and we established that there are 3 main perspectives that the apostle thought was overwhelmingly important to pray about, amidst the myriads of prayer points and requests that pervade our Church atmospheres today. His primary prayer for the Church was that of increase in knowledge, especially in these 3 area;

1. He thought it important for us to know who we were called to be… The Hope of His calling. PURPOSE

2. He thought it important for us to know what we carried… The Riches of The Glory of His Inheritance in the Saints. POSSESSION

3. He thought it important for us to know where we’re seated and our fire power… The Exceeding Greatness of God’s Power Towards Us Who Believe. POSITION

We have discussed at length in the past 19 posts about the first 2 perspectives, now we want to delve into what Paul meant when he said “that we may know what is the exceeding greatness of God’s power to us ward who believe, according to the working of God’s mighty power that he wrought in Christ Jesus, when He rose Him from the dead and set Him at His right hand in majesty… far above, principalities, and powers, and dominion, and might, and every name that is named, both in this world and in the world to come…” I feel stirred already. And then Paul goes on to talk about the position and authority of the Church. How Jesus had relinquished the vital authority on earth to the Church; the fullness of Him that fills all in all. If there is anything that trips me about the Pauline Prayers, it is in the way Paul articulates these timeless prayer flows, skillfully woven together in a seamless fashion. I LOVE THE PAULINE PRAYERS!!! Especially the ones in Ephesians. God wants His children to know the power that is made available to them through Faith. The power that Paul said is available to the saints was not said to be available through dead works and labour in the flesh, it is simply through Faith in Jesus Christ and His finished works on the cross. He even addresses this issue more sternly in Galatia. Here is what Paul said to the Galatians…

Galatians 3:1-5 (KJV) O foolish Galatians, who hath bewitched you, that ye should not obey the truth, before whose eyes Jesus Christ hath been evidently set forth, crucified among you? 2 This only would I learn of you, Received ye the Spirit by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith? 3 Are ye so foolish? having begun in the Spirit, are ye now made perfect by the flesh? 4 Have ye suffered so many things in vain? if it be yet in vain. 5 He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

Paul had no restraints when he was rebuking the galatians over this all important issue of Faith or dead works of the law. They were saved by Faith, but began to include a few other things apart from Faith in their journey in the Faith… Funny right? Paul was livid with them and called them foolish… not once, but twice. When the Bible employs the word “foolish or fool” to describe a person or an act, then we should know it must be a very grievous act committed. Paul made it clear to them, that we are saved by Faith, and everything we receive afterwards is also by Faith and not by works. We cannot begin our walk by Faith and hope to perfect it in the flesh, it doesn’t work that way. The power that is made available to God’s children after the salvation experience is not made available by works of the flesh, but by Faith. So Ephesians 1 says that this EXCEEDING GREATNESS OF GOD’S POWER is only made available those WHO BELIEVE. Do you believe? Your biggest miracle is just a believing away. You don’t have to have read the whole of the Bible, or fasted 100 days in 4 months, or given a “POWERFUL” seed before you receive your healing, miracle or testimony… Only believe. That is all God requires of us; Faith and nothing more. Anything other than Faith, makes the cross of Christ of non effect. That is, if you try to get something from God another way apart from the way of Faith, you’re saying Jesus actually died for you in vain and you would rather get what you need your own way. This way, even God cannot help you, because you have not come to Him. We only come to Him by Faith.. Because He that cometh to the Father must BELIEVE that HE is. Only Faith pleases God and nothing else.

Gal 2:21 (NIV) I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!
Gal 3:5 (KJV) He therefore that ministereth to you the Spirit, and worketh miracles among you, doeth he it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of faith?

We are just getting started on this train of thoughts, you don’t want to miss the next set of posts. God bless you and have a great weekend.