The Prayer Connection
It is easier to do nothing and passively let life throw you some moves before you react or respond to them.
Fewer people understand that through faith you can override what is happening in the natural through God’s power.
Through faith, you can reach out to receive what is eternal and invisible, and allow it to change your visible situation.
“He dreamed. Behold, a stairway set upon the earth, and its top reached to heaven. Behold, the angels of God ascending and descending on it. Behold, Yahweh stood above it, and said, “I am Yahweh, the God of Abraham your father, and the God of Isaac. The land whereon you lie, to you will I give it, and to your offspring.” (Genesis 28:12-13 WEB)
In Jacob’s dream, he saw angels ascending and descending on a stairway. The stairway connects Heaven and earth so that what is in Heaven can be brought to men here on earth.
When you pray, the angels assigned to you may bring your prayers in the form of golden bowls of fragrant incense up to Heaven, and there they receive God’s command on how to help you here on earth.
“Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him, and said about him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit!” Nathanael said to him, “How do you know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathanael answered him, “Rabbi, you are the Son of God! You are King of Israel!” Jesus answered him, “Because I told you, ‘I saw you underneath the fig tree,’ do you believe? You will see greater things than these!” He said to him, “Most certainly, I tell you, hereafter you will see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man.”” (John 1:47-51 WEB)
Jesus received a vision of Nathaniel, and this caused Nathaniel to be so amazed. Afterwards, Jesus made reference to Jacob’s dream, suggesting that He Himself is the stairway that connects Heaven and earth.
Truly, Nathaniel went on to see Jesus doing many miracles—healing the sick, casting out demons, and much more. Jesus’ prayers were speedily brought up to the Father in Heaven, while visions and power were brought down to earth as answers to His prayers.
Thanks to Jesus’ finished work at the cross, we have been reconciled to God. The prayer line has been restored. Even we have become stairways that connect Heaven and earth. Angels ascend and descend on us when we pray.
Prayer is intentional and very powerful. Even if you cannot see what is going on, there are many angels gathered and at work, especially when believers pray.
“Then he said to me, Don’t be afraid, Daniel; for from the first day that you set your heart to understand, and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard: and I have come for your words’ sake. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me twenty-one days; but, behold, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me: and I remained there with the kings of Persia.” (Daniel 10:12-13 WEB)
When Daniel first prayed for understanding from God, his prayers were already heard by Him. God sent the archangel Gabriel to deliver the prophetic word to Daniel, but the spiritual warfare was thick because the devil knew how important the message must have been.
The demon prince called the “prince of the kingdom of Persia” tried to prevent Gabriel from reaching Daniel, but he could not prevail when archangel Michael joined the fight.
Can you imagine that the demon had the ability to delay Gabriel for twenty-one days? Imagine if Daniel had stopped praying on the twentieth day.
Keep on praying until you receive the answers, and until the angel assigned to you comes back with the grace that you need.
There are things unseen that we may not understand fully, but trust in the power of prayer!
God has equipped you with mighty spiritual weapons in Christ so that you can emerge victorious in spiritual warfare. In “Silencing the Serpent”, you will discover what these weapons are and how to use them. Long-time Satanic bondages, yokes, and strongholds will be destroyed. I look forward to your reviews and feedback about this ebook: https://bit.ly/silence-the-serpent-now
chief rabbi 在 Milton Goh Blog and Sermon Notes Facebook 的最佳貼文
Cursing the Fig Tree: Jesus’ Secret for Effective Prayers
“The next day, when they had come out from Bethany, he was hungry. Seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came to see if perhaps he might find anything on it. When he came to it, he found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs. Jesus told it, “May no one ever eat fruit from you again!” and his disciples heard it. They came to Jerusalem, and Jesus entered into the temple, and began to throw out those who sold and those who bought in the temple, and overthrew the money changers’ tables, and the seats of those who sold the doves. He would not allow anyone to carry a container through the temple. He taught, saying to them, “Isn’t it written, ‘My house will be called a house of prayer for all the nations?’ But you have made it a den of robbers!” The chief priests and the scribes heard it, and sought how they might destroy him. For they feared him, because all the multitude was astonished at his teaching. When evening came, he went out of the city. As they passed by in the morning, they saw the fig tree withered away from the roots. Peter, remembering, said to him, “Rabbi, look! The fig tree which you cursed has withered away.” Jesus answered them, “Have faith in God. For most certainly I tell you, whoever may tell this mountain, ‘Be taken up and cast into the sea,’ and doesn’t doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says is happening; he shall have whatever he says. Therefore I tell you, all things whatever you pray and ask for, believe that you have received them, and you shall have them.” (Mark 11:12-24 WEB)
The merchants selling in the temple are a picture of worldliness inside us who are the temple of God under Grace.
The reason why some problems (represented by the fruitless fig tree) remain in our lives is because the worldliness in us causes unbelief and prevents us from experiencing the fullness of God’s blessings.
What is the secret to driving out worldliness from us? We have to let Jesus enter our temple by hearing the Gospel about Him.
When we hear about Jesus, worldliness and unbelief are cast out from us and replaced with faith.
This faith gives us the ability to curse the problems in our lives so that they wither up by their roots—the root of the problem is a spiritual one which caused undesirable physical manifestations.
Confessing God’s promises is good, but when done with unbelief, it’s ineffective. The worldliness in our hearts must be driven out first through hearing about Jesus.
When worldliness is gone, your body will become a house of prayer. You don’t need to be forced or threatened to pray.
When you receive faith through hearing about Jesus, you will pray (talk to God)—it is a fruit of faith, not a burdensome obligation.
Faith is the secret to see the end of manifestations of sin and death in your life. Jesus affirmed this when Peter pointed out that the fig tree withered away.
Faith and doubt can’t exist at the same time. We don’t need big faith—we just need tiny faith like a grain of mustard seed, with the absence of doubt.
“The apostles said to the Lord, “Increase our faith.” The Lord said, “If you had faith like a grain of mustard seed, you would tell this sycamore tree, ‘Be uprooted, and be planted in the sea,’ and it would obey you.” (Luke 17:5-6 WEB)
These are the three steps to answered prayer as taught by Jesus: 1) speak what you want to see, 2) believe that what you spoke is happening and 3) you will have what you spoke and believed for.
If you haven’t received what you’re speaking and believing for, keep receiving Jesus into your temple so that worldliness is driven out and replaced by faith.
It’s not about how often, how loudly or eloquently you pray—it’s about whether you’re in faith or doubt.
Ultimately, it’s a journey of entering into faith. When you see the success you have with cursing the fig trees in your life, use those testimonies as faith-food to solve bigger problems too—causing mountains to be plucked up and thrown into the sea.
The Christian life is truly from faith to faith!
Become a patron and receive our new series “37 Miracles of Jesus” leading up to Christmas Day, as well as other attractive rewards in return for your support: http://Patreon.com/miltongohblog
In this series, you’ll:
- Receive bold faith for miracles—stepping out from a powerless form of Christianity, into the kind that God intended!
- Understand the significance of the miracles of Jesus Christ—and why the Holy Spirit chose to feature them in the four gospels even though Jesus worked countless other miracles.
- Receive a powerful, uplifting message about Jesus and His power and goodness every day that refreshes your soul and prepares you to have a worshipful, meaningful Christmas.
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