A homosexual needs prayers;
A cocaine addict needs prayers,
An abused housewife needs for prayers,
A student with bad grades, needs help,
A man with insomnia needs help,
A child embarrassed by bedwetting needs help;
A “hopeless” first born child needs help,
A diabetic needs prayers,
A barren woman needs prayers;
A woman whose menses have ceased prematurely needs help;
A woman with an uncontrollable desire to seduce ministers of God needs help
A young girl suffering from epilepsy needs urgent help.
These are terrible afflictions. What has been the response of the church? Apathy? Ridicule? Helplessness? Fear? Many church groups have responded with admixture of these negatives. I know a minister of God who was sanctioned for praying for diabetic people and first-born children!
The human race is facing afflictions from several directions. Attacks come from household wickedness, church hold wickedness (especially against the ministers of God) and working place wickedness. If you examine your life critically you will see that these three sources are the main sources through which Satan and his hosts attack men. Often we pray and pray over a particular problem, often without success What is the problem’ Is it because God does not answer prayer anymore? No, the fault is not from God. The fault is from us, seeking help from God. There are several reasons for this:-
(i) When we have sins in our hands. Isaiah 59:2-3 says “But your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. For your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; you have spoken lies, your tongue has muttered perversity”. Read Psalm 66:18, Isaiah 1:15
(ii) When we ask amiss, James 4:3. This says “You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures.” Our motive in asking is important. If you ask because of personal aggrandizement you will not receive.
(iii) Carnal prayers are useless and you will not hear from God. Carnal prayers are prayers based on our flesh and they neither flow from the spirit nor the Word of God. Praying in the spirit involves two things:
(a) Such prayers come from our spirit instead f our minds intellect, and
(b) Through this type of prayers, we are able to pray in the perfect will of God over our situations.
(iv) Disobedience, Deuteronomy 1:45, I Samuel 14:37.
(v) Indifference, Proverbs 1:28.
(vi) Neglect of mercy, Proverbs 21:13.
(vii)Despising the law, Proverbs 28:9.
(viii)Blood guiltiness, Isaiah 1:15.
(ix) Stubbornness, Zechariah 7:13.
(x) Instability, James 1:6-7.
(xi) Self indulgence, James 4:3
There are twelve potent weapons of spiritual warfare. God has equipped the church with divinely powerful weapons to fight the enemy. They are keys that unlock prison doors and set us free from enemy holds. The weapons must be used with faith as faith releases them.
(1) THE NAME OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST: When you command, in faith, demons to leave or come out in the name of Jesus, they obey.
Philippians 2:8-11 we read: “And being found in fashion as a man.
He humbled Himself, and became obedient to death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God also has highly exalted Him, and given Him a name which is above every name. That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth. And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”. Ephesians 1:20-21 says:” Which he wrought in Christ when he raised Him from the dead and set Him at his own right hand in
the heavenly places. Far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only In this world, but also in that which is to come”. The name of Jesus Christ is the highest and most glorious name in all the realms of time and eternity. In Mark 16:17 we read: “And these signs shalt follow them that believe; In my name shall they cast out devils; they shall speak with new tongues”. Jesus Christ has herein given us authority to use his name. We are his representatives and ambassadors here on earth. Peter used it in Acts 3:12 “And when Peter saw it, he answered to the people. You men of Israel, why marvel you at this? Or why look you earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to work?” Paul used it in Acts 16:18 “And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit. I command you in the name Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour”. So should we expel demons from our lives. Acts 3:6, 16 says: “The Peter said silver and gold have I none but such as I have give I you, in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk. And His name through faith in His name has made this man strong, whom you see and know, yea, the faith which is by Him has given him this perfect soundness in the presence of your all”.
(2) THE WORD OF GOD: Jesus Christ was tempted by Satan on the mount, he responded each true by quoting through the scriptures. Examples are:
(i) Luke 4:4 – from Deuteronomy 8:3
(ii) Luke 4:8 – from Deuteronomy 6:13
(iii) Luke 4:12 – from Deuteronomy 6:16
The word of God can be used as an offensive or defensive weapon. A few comments are necessary on the word of God as an offensive weapon. The original Greek name for the Word of God is rhema theos. It is not the Logos, the written word of the Bible which the devil fears. It is the rhema that the devil fears. This is the spoken word of God, the Logos coming out of your mouth as a rhema Word that Satan fears. If you raise up the Bible and say “I have my sword with me”, you are mistaken. The sword referred to is the spoken Word when you speak the (the Logos) out of your mouth. This is why the devil fights when you plan to spend time and mediate on the word of God, the Logos. This is the reason why so many people have the word of God erased from their heart by the enemy. It is only as we learn and assimilate the Logos into out spirits that we can speak the rhema which the devil fears so much. He will fight tooth and nail to stop the Logos from becoming a rhema because it is then that you are in faith and are dangerous to him.
The rhema is the key to a successful warfare prayer life. When you realize the power in the rhema of God, your prayer life will be transformed. The rhema holds creative power because God used a Rhema to speak the worlds into existence. Genesis 1:3 says “Let there be light and there was light”. He spoke the firmament, gathered the waters into one place, grass and herbs, day and night, lights in the firmament, sea creatures inverses 6,9, 11, 14, 15 and 20 respectively into existence. The word of God is settled in heaven as Psalm 119:89 tells us and obviously God wants His word to be settled in our hearts so that He can establish our paths and direct our thoughts This verse says “Forever, 0 Lord, your word is settled in heaven” See also Psalm 89:2, Isaiah 40:8, Matthew 24:35.
The rhema can come out to you in several ways, (i) In reading t the word of God, the Bible. God often speaks to us by a rhema Word as we study the Logos He makes a passage jump out at us as we read or seek direction from Him He can make a verse jump out, meaning we should read it and take action He can also send a passage by revelation. (ii) In prophecy, the rhema can also come. When we have heard from God, we are able to take that rhema and use it as a weapon or sword. As we have seen, the rhema is the sword of the Spirit.
(3) THE BLOOD OF JESUS CHRIST: The blood of Jesus Christ is the price paid for our redemption. As the Lamb of God, and as a substitute for each one of us, Jesus Christ died the terrible death of crucifixion. He died that you and I may live; he became sin for us that we might know his righteousness. He took our sickness that we might have his health 1 Peter 1:18-19 says “Forasmuch as you know that you were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver gold from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers, But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot.”.
Revelations 12:10-11 says “And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and this power His Christ for the accuser of our brethren, is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony: and they loved not of their lives to the death”. We too can overcome Satan and his hosts by the blood of the Lamb and the word of our testimony. By the “word of our testimony” is meant what the blood of Jesus Christ has done for us. Please note that Satan does not like to hear the following confessions:-
– I am cleansed from all sin by the blood of Jesus (1 John 1:7).
– I am brought near to God by the blood of Jesus, (Ephesians 2:13.)
– I am justified by the blood of Jesus, (Romans 5:8-9.)
– I have redemption through the blood of Jesus (Ephesians 1:7.)
– I am sanctified through the blood of Jesus, (Hebrews 13:12.)
– I have peace with God through the blood of Jesus, (Colossians
1:20.)
– I am in a covenant relationship with God through the blood of Jesus, (Mark 14:24.)
– I am purchased by the blood of Jesus, (Acts 20:28.)
– The blood of Christ cleanses my conscience, (Hebrews 9:14.)
– I have confidence to come into the presence of God by the blood of Jesus, (Hebrews 10:19-22.)
– The blood of Christ is precious to me, (1 Peter 1:19.) You can see why Satan hates to hear about the blood, which as you know, is a blood not contaminated by man’s blood, There is enormous power in blood of Jesus.
