Good morning DPR, I trust we had a productive week. It’s always exciting to hear testimonies of how lives are being blessed on this platform, God has been really faithful hasn’t He? So we continue on New Creation Prayers, and today we will focus on the first part of that phrase; New Creation. The purpose of this series is to help us understand more accurately, our position as a New Creation in Christ Jesus, which will radically change our approach and perspective to Prayers. There is a man we all respect or maybe revered in the Word, in the old testament, especially for his prayers. It is not unusual to attend revivals and hear prayer points archived from his chronicles. His name is almost synonymous with Power, I’m sure by now we know who I’m referring to… His name is ELIJAH. He was such a man of God that almost literally distilled heaven on earth in his generation. He changed economic atmospheres, burnt a hundred and two soldiers alive, called fire down from heaven, killed hundreds upon hundreds of idol worshippers, raised the dead, was supernaturally fed by ravens, and so on and so forth. He’s the ideal supernatural man, isn’t he? Usually we understand more about the lives of some old testament Patriachs by their references in the New Testament. For example we understand Abraham better by reading Romans 4, Jesus referred alot to David in the Gospels, Jude made reference to Enoch and of course Hebrews 11 cannons the faith lives of these God’s Generals. So here is what Apostle James said about the fireblazing ELIJAH…
James 5:16 (KJV) Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruits.
Isn’t it funny how in one verse, God talks about confessing faults one to another and that we should pray for one another because prayers of righteous people avail much… I thought those who had faults in their lives couldn’t be considered righteous? I thought you had to get all your acts together before you could make a statement of prayer to God? James is saying here that even when we have faults and some issues to deal with in our lives, it hasn’t deactivated our righteous nature bequeathed to us by Jesus Christ. It blesses me to know that my prayers still avail very much even if i have faults i am working on in my life. Now James gives an example just after talking about the power of a righteous man’s prayer… He said Elijah wasn’t any better than us, that he was just like us and he prayed that it should not rain for a space of time and it did not rain, and that he prayed again that heaven should give rain, and it began to rain again. James used this example primarily to tell us 2 things; 1. We are righteous and 2. If we know we are, then our prayers can make ANYTHING happen on earth. James was telling us that Elijah who wasn’t yet a new creation as we are in the new testament, lived off the power of an imputed righteousness (counted or reckoned righteousness) and not an actual one, talk more of us who have the actual righteousness of Jesus. The patriachs could only be reckoned or counted righteous, they were not pronounced righteous because the debt had not been paid then, but since it would still be paid in Christ, they were accounted as righteous people, but for us in the new testament, we are not accounted as righteous, we ARE ACTUALLY righteous, because what was a debt for Jesus to pay with His blood back then has now been OVERpaid in full with His precious blood, glory to God.
James 5:16b …The effectual fervent prayer of a RIGHTEOUS man availeth much.
The devil very well understands that nothing can stand between a Righteous man and his answered prayers except lack of knowledge. The devil will do anything to make sure the believer doesn’t understand his righteousness in Christ Jesus. Imagine with me what will happen if every righteous person on earth, i.e every Christian, knows and understands their righteousness. Just imagine.. Then we would realise that our faults do not make us unrighteous, and then we would go on ahead and start raising the dead, healing the sick, delivering the oppressed and “wroughting” mighty works by the hands of God. I personally believe the radical teaching of God’s Grace and His righteousness is what will usher in the great harvest that precedes the rapture. According to James, Elijah was a man just like us, he wasn’t any superior, if anything, we are superior in covenant… And we see that the secret to his exploits was that he was counted righteous. Woooow, now you see why the devil fights more than anything the message of the Gospel? Well someone might say… The Gospel is about salvation, heaven and hell, but i beg to differ. Yes the Gospel is about salvation but there is only one ONE thing that the true gospel of Jesus Christ reveals, it’s the Righteousness of God.
Romans 1:16 (KJV) For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.17 FOR THEREIN IS THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD REVEALED FROM FAITH TO FAITh: as it is written, The just shall live by faith.
The gospel only reveals the righteousness of God. What is the righteousness of God?
2 Cor 5:21 For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; THAT WE MIGHT BE MADE THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF GOD IN HIM.
We are the proof of God’s righteousness. God did not cut corners to redeem us and when He finally finished His work, He stamped on us His seal that reads; MY RIGHTEOUSNESS. Many folks still don’t get it… If Jesus had become a sinner, then that would make me the righteous of God. That’s equal interpretation… Adjective to Adjective, Sinner vs Righteous. But Jesus didnt just become a sinner, He became the epitome of Sin, so that I can become the epitome of His Righteousness, that’s also equal interpretation… Noun to Noun, Sin Vs Righteounsness. I do hope we got that. Our righteousness consciousness has EVERYTHING to do with our answered prayers. Have a fabulous weekend. Do remember to share 🙂
