It is Time to Strengthen Your Prayer Life

This week I want to encourage you to take an extra step, hour or minute in your prayer life.  Before our Lord was betrayed, arrested, tortured, and crucified, having perceived what was about to happen, he encouraged his disciples to prepare themselves through prayer, in order to overcome the temptation and darkness and the evil moment that was heading their
way.

Matthew 26:36-45 “Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called
Gethsemane, and he said to them, ‘Sit here while I go over there and
pray.’ He took Peter and the two sons of Zebedee along with him, and
he began to be sorrowful and troubled. Then he said to them, ‘My soul
is overwhelmed with sorrow to the point of death. Stay here and keep
watch with me.’ Going a little farther, he fell with his face to the
ground and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is possible, may this cup be taken
from me.  Yet not as I will, but as you will.’ Then he returned to his
disciples and found them sleeping., ‘Could you men not keep watch with
me one hour?’ he asked Peter.  ‘Watch and pray so that you will not
fall into temptation. The sprit is willing, but the body is weak.’ He
went away a second time and prayed, ‘My Father, if it is not possible
for this cup to be taken away unless I drink it, may your will be done.’
When he came back, he again found them sleeping, because their eyes
were heavy. So he left them and went away once more and prayed the
third time, saying the same thing. Then he returned to the disciples
and said to them, ‘Are you still sleeping and resting? Look, the hour is
near, and the Son of Man is betrayed into the hands of sinners.’”

There are moments that can come to us in this life and create great fear and uncertainty in and around us, but the way we respond to them can determine where they will leave us.  According to the biblical predictions, evil, darkness, and bad times are not going to decrease.  Instead they are going to increase more and more.

Matthew 24:12 …And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall
wax cold.

Our only way out is prayer.  Praying people will always prevail over all evil invasions.

One of the prime targets of the devil is to weaken and overthrow your prayer life because then your destruction becomes easy.  In these times of terrorism threats, political unrest, and economic declines everywhere, God is still committed to answering our prayers but not our complaints, grumblings, fears, and political debates.

Jesus set the best example for us to follow and told us to learn from him when he could not stop praying even when his own disciples could no longer stand with him when his heart was exceedingly sorrowful until the Holy Spirit raised a standard that the enemy could not overthrow. Prayer is the only way to go for all of us; prayer works even when you are left
alone.

Daniel’s testimony is also a great encouragement to us when he took an extra step; extra hour and minute in prayer when all hell broke lose against him.  (Please Read Daniel 6) His response was more prayer, not less prayer.  Because he prayed more, the situation elevated him to a better position in life.  Let us also respond through prayer. It’s time
to pray.

EVANGELIST STEVEN SEBYALA