The cost of staying fervent in prayer

The cost of staying fervent in prayer

By Isaiah-Phillips Akintola

Pattern from the Church of Ephesus

Rev 2:1-5

2:1 TO THE angel (messenger) of the assembly (church) in Ephesus write: These are the words of Him Who holds the seven stars [which are the messengers of the seven churches] in His right hand, Who goes about among the seven golden lampstands [which are the seven churches]:

2 I know your industry and activities, laborious toil and trouble, and your patient endurance, and how you cannot tolerate wicked [men] and have tested and critically appraised those who call [themselves] apostles (special messengers of Christ) and yet are not, and have found them to be impostors and liars.

3 I know you are enduring patiently and are bearing up for My name’s sake, and you have not fainted or become exhausted or grown weary.

4 But I have this [one charge to make] against you: that you have left (abandoned) the love that you had at first [you have deserted Me, your first love].

5 Remember then from what heights you have fallen. Repent (change the inner man to meet God’s will) and do the works you did previously [when first you knew the Lord], or else I will visit you and remove your lampstand from its place, unless you change your mind and repent.  AMP

It is quite amazing to see the quality profile of the church of Ephesus as we begin to consider what the Spirit of the Lord is emphasizing to his Church today. The Spirit of the Lord is speaking expressly to his people in this season of lukewarmness.  If you have read the book of Ephesian you will immediately understand the spiritual investment amongst this people. Arguably, this church had one of the most amazing discipleship training from Apostle Paul. Three years was given into laying the foundation of this house. Years after something major had gone wrong with the priority of this people, the Lord had to personally send a little of admonishing and warning to this beloved saints.

What does love have to do with it?

Matt 22:37-40

37 Jesus replied: “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.’   38 This is the first and greatest commandment. 39 And the second is like it: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’   40 All the Law and the Prophets hang on these two commandments.”  NIV

The spiritual defect of the Church of Ephesus speaks volumes of the same spiritual condition of the present day 21^st century Church.  Everything seems to be in place in our gatherings except for one thing that is out of place-the genuine love of God. With face value, the church of Ephesus to any human standard can be regarded as an example of a well-structured, matured community of God’s people in the earth. This church’s standard seems to be where the present day body of Christ is heading as a benchmark of perfection yet it is not.  When one starts to highlight the activities and spiritual impact of this community, you immediately see that they truly understand what it means to be a true apostolic productive community yet have left their love for God behind them.

Both their social and spiritual footprint in the society cannot be easily ignored, their ability to stand up to wicked men and expose false apostles and their activity within the body shows the level of discernment and zeal they have for the things of God. Examining the life of this community of Gods people from a face value will certainly deceive anyone.  The Lord who is walking among the seven lampstands {churches} is defining and measuring the standard of what his church should look like at any season in time.  When the Lord scrutinized the foundation of this house according to his calling and purpose, they were found wanting because they have left their first love. This is a serious issue in the sight of God when you consider the importance and function of his love in the heart of his church. They had completely forgotten their life source while they are still very active in their daily ministry.  Considering the crime of the Church of Ephesus one can easily think it’s not that serious but when you consider the impact of the crime then you see the gravity; they had fallen from the height of their spirituality.

The height gained towards the mountain of the Lord has been lost. This scripture is truly a wakeup call for all believers. Irrespective of the height you may have gained spiritually, if you do not continue in the journey of knowing and obeying the voice of the Lord daily, you will find yourself in the same place the Church of Ephesus found themselves.  How many of us today are so busy trying to impress God with our good works while we have totally left behind our first love for God. The moment you neglect the place of his presence in worship and prayer, you will definitely start losing your spiritual focus and priority. Our first love-Christ should be the focal point and the motivating factor of whatever we say and do.

The ascended ministry of prayer

This is where the ministry of prayer comes into effect.  The ascended life is one given completely to the ministry and nature of prayer. The more I understand the ministry of prayer, the more I realize it is the only valid resource given to enhance and advance our pursuit into God. They that must come to God must believe… your believe system towards the realm of God can only be effective on the track of a precise prayer life. The Church of Ephesus in their pursuit of ministry forgot their core purpose in life. In their attempt to make impact and become relevant, they left behind the transforming power of the Spirit. While they are trying to win the world, they left behind the spirit of conviction. We have said in time past that whatever we try to produce in the name of the Lord that is not first birthed in the place of prayer will certainly not produce after God’s kind.

Prayer is the catalyst for kingdom development, transformation and restoration. The release of the present reformation is as a result of agonizing prayers of saints globally.  All believers in this season is enrolled into the strategic intercessory prayer ministry. Ministry is a calling with special gifting or grace to serve God and his kingdom in a specific area of assignment. If there is anything missing today in the Body of Christ it is the pureness of the ministry of prayer. Like I said some time back, the reason why there are so much soulish carnal tendencies amongst believers is the absence of a true prayer life. Prayer is the one key that opens us into a vast realm of life beyond our comprehension. The elevated life in Christ is discovered in the place of prayer. We need to return to our first love so we can once again regain our passion for prayer. The love and passion you have for the Lord should stir your love and passion for those he paid the ultimate price for on the cross.

Precise salvational foundation lays the burden quest to pray and seek the face of the Lord on behalf of others in your family and environment. We cannot begin to comprehend the authority, influence and power we can generate as believers when we start praying relentlessly.  When the Body of Christ starts waking up to her spiritual responsibility, the world will definitely begin to respond to the spiritual climate created by faith and obedience to the will of God.

The church is on a crossroad. We need to decide on which side of the global reality we are going to focus; are we going to allow the negative activities of darkness to stop and deter us from achieving our primary mission? A new generation of prophetic intercession is arising to dislodge the powers of darkness over cities and nations. Our mission is to bring the light of the glorious gospel of the kingdom of God to the darkest places within our communities. Positioning your faith, truth and obedience to God’s desire releases the capacity to make a difference even in every obscure situation. God is calling us to carry the cross of intercession in this crucial season. There has to be a man or woman in the community, city or nation that can change the cause of events through the powerful ministry of strategic prayer. You cannot desire a productive intimate prayer life without preparing yourself for an unprecedented encounter.

Laying foundation for apostolic prayer lifestyle

There is no doubt that prayer deals with the continual transitional process and reconfiguration of the Church’s spiritual structure. Not realizing that everything in the body is organic in nature, meaning that we are designed to continually grow and change even in our concept of understanding how we pray. Many, due to the lack of this revelation knowledge of divine progression have positioned themselves to resist the change required to move up in Christ. The enemy has continually used the power of religion and denominational barriers to hinder the Church from coming into maturity.  The Spirit of the Lord is once again positioning his prophets on the ramp, commanding them to blow the trumpet of a new spiritual awakening and understanding the present marching order of the Spirit. The Lord is releasing prophetic apostolic teaching priests who will imprint the whole counsel of the Lord without fear or favor.  As the Church leaves her needy position for a more responsible and accountable orientation, the ministry of prayer, which is the most commonly abused gift, she must be re-taught from a more accurate apostolic concept so that this present move of the Spirit can impact and transform our planet.

Praying in the prophetic context of the present apostolic reformation is crucial to the precise navigating system of the Church.  Each new level of spiritual development requires new revelational insight in dealing with issues beyond humanistic religious ideologies.  Engaging with the Spirit of prayer requires more than mere utterance, it is the combination of thoughts, desire, passion, will, emotion, intelligence of the Spirit voiced out through your voice. There must be a fusion of life to accurately lay a template of the Spirit of intercession.

When the disciples of Christ asked him to teach them how to pray as John taught his disciples, they were not asking for some kind of appendix or magical formula to prayer; rather the desire to understand why their words in prayer carried little or no effect in regards to changing situations and the condition of things. This obviously informs us that prayer is not merely saying the right word at the right time.

Not being taught to understand prayer and the ministry of intercession as a migrational reality will certainly at one time or the other breed a sense of discouragement, disorientation and in some extreme cases depression when the Lord starts demanding your movement from where you are to the place you ought to be.

You must be ready and willing to exchange your limited perception to a more glorious and accurate description of spirituality.  There is a vast realm of truth waiting for you as you journey through the mountain of prayer. Coming to the hill of the lord will certainly revolutionalize your life as you see dimensions in God beyond your traditional and theological believes especially in the place of prayer and intercession.  Prayer is like trying to connect your desktop PC to the worldwide web. Your mind cannot fathom the realm of information you are about to be expose to.

Points to consider in order to have an effective prayer life in this new season of the Spirit

1. 1. Willing to change engrained theological opinions to current emphasis of the Spirit in regards to the ministry of prayer and intercession.
2. 2. You must be ready and willing to consolidate your spiritual hunger in the place of prayer. The moment you become satisfied with where you are spiritually is the day you start falling behind.
3. 3. Wisdom that comes from above is the signet ring for the present house the Lord is building through his craftsmen. This wisdom must be the plumb line of your spiritual advance in prayer and intercession.
4. 4. Willing and ready to develop higher vision concerning Gods prophetic agenda and purpose for your life, family, ministry, community and nation in the place of prayer.
5. 5. Must be ready to become a highly informed person in the theological and doctrinal knowledge of the word of God. This stands as a base to your prayer life. Lacking the general knowledge of the word of God can be very dangerous to your prayer devotion.
6. 6. Willing and ready to become a student of current global affairs. Your awareness of issues politically and economically within and around your environment plays a key role in the direction of effective praying. While the light of God is advancing, we also need to be fully aware of the deception and schemes of darkness globally.
7. 7. Willing and ready to upgrade your template of challenging the powers of darkness. While the enemy never changes, his plans and strategies changes from region to region. Warfare must move from mere fighting in the valley realm to taking the battle to the high places where the issues are initiated. In true warfare we must identify philosophy behind human actions.
8. 8. You must also have the willingness and readiness to walk in the spirit of humility, forgiveness and unconditional love. Knowing that our challenges are not with the people we see but against principalities and power in the heavenly places.
9. 9. Willing and ready to develop the hearing ears, the seeing eyes and the heart of understanding the direction of the Spirit at every injunction of your intercession. Meaning, you must develop a high level prophetic {anointing} capacity.

10.Willing to initiate and develop a high level productive relationship with your prayer team members. You cannot be a lone ranger when it comes to corporate intercession.

11.Willing to move from a position of pride to a total lifestyle of obedience, faith and courage in your prayer devotion.

12.Willing to leave your ideology of God, his kingdom and people to the present definition of the restoral apostolic ministry of the Spirit.

13.Willing to spend time in the place of fasting and meditation.

14.Prepared to develop a quiet spirit at all times.

These points are there to help you reappraise your prayer journey to the required standard in Christ. May the Lord help us to abide in his love in this crucial season of compromise. Set your heart on the Lord brethren and refuse to be drawn away from him in all you say and do.

The prayer of Soul transformation And spiritual development

 

Let Us Pray

Please note: this prayer point is not intended nor designed to be a structure model for your own personal prayer relation. This prayer point came as a result of a training we had on building the house of God sometime ago back in the fellowship. I was inspired by our training to pen down this prayer line in the spirit of total surrender to the will of the father. I personally believe it can help jumpstart the process of availing ourselves to the present demand of the spirit, in regards to achieving his eternal purpose in and through our lives.  This prayer is the cry of my own heart and I do believe it should be the heart cry of anyone seeking the appearance of Christ in them.

Let us pray…

Lord, you have called me and I am responding to your calling this very hour. You have invited me and I have received your invitation. I am aware that only those you have invited have the grace and capacity to approach you; I am privileged this day to be counted among those you deem qualified to be purified for your use.  Your word says many are called, but few are chosen; as part of the chosen generation, I yield to the process of becoming a true representative of your desire and demand for my generation.  Lord, as you advance in your mission of purification and transformation; I present my spirit, soul and body to you, as instrument of manifesting your honor, glory and power in the earth.

I am your house and this day I allow you entrance into your dwelling place. The place you bought with the precious price of your Son’s blood on the cross, I do recognize that you own me and I am your bondservant. This day, I open the door of my life for you to begin the work of pruning and renovation, Lord, I am your house, remove all that needs to be removed, destroy all that needs to be destroyed and restore yourself in me accounting to timing and mercy.

I realize that my life has been limited through the strongholds of my past, a past I have refused to speak about because of the fear it always causes me, a past I sometimes pretend doesn’t exist. Lord I do understand that you cannot truly heal and restore me until I truly allow you to take charge of my past and present burden.   My past fear and failure has kept my soul imprison but I know you are willing right now to free me from these strongholds.  Strongholds I have allowed into my thinking and reasoning faculty to determine my future. I have indeed allowed strangers to invade your temple, which is my body; by bringing false image into your house.

Every false altar and idol I have allowed access within my thoughts, emotion and feelings,   pretending to give me peace and joy I cast away right now. This moment, I bind my will and desire to the authority of the kingdom of God and I lose the hold of the enemy over my mind in the name of Jesus Christ. I break every allegiance I have with false gods seeking my worship. I declare that my life is designed for the glorious manifestation of Gods purpose in the earth.

Father, I am ready and willing to submit to your process of pruning so I can be perfected in your likeness and nature.  I am your vine, so prune me that I may bring forth the best of your fruits and wine, Lord I know there might be times when I am going to complain about the process of the pruning and the pain of conforming into your image, yes I know those days will surely come. I understand that change comes through pain and dissatisfaction but I understand that it is for my good.

As you begin to demand change in my life, help me to always remember that it’s for my reformation, development and transformation according to your word in Hebrews 12 and Philippians 2.  I submit to your process and pattern of building; build this house-my life, according to your plan, design model, Father.  Send your tools and material of perfection across my path; help me to see them when they arrive so I do not fight what you have ordained for my reformation.

 

Therefore Lord, I fully yield to your hammer of breaking my stony heart into shape, I yield to your chisel; carve and shape me according to my ordained destiny. Engrave your law and covenant upon the template of my soul. Father, it’s not my will but your will be done! Let your kingdom come this day into every aspect of my life. Break every loftiness and pride in me; destroy the false personality that words and family have built within me, expose me to your illuminating light like you did to Saul who became Paul. Let the veil of religion and humanistic tradition be completely removed from me, so that I can see you in the holiest place of your sanctuary within my heart.

Father, you are the potter and I am the clay so shape me with your apostolic hands of grace and mercy. Build me with your tender love and goodness, bring me to the place of complete death to my own ways so that I may find your way, truth and life in all I say and do. Bring me to the end of my day, that the mystery of your seventh day may begin in my life. I am done with the day of man; translate me into your ascended life.  Christ my Lord, you are the desire of the nations, let my life be an instrument, designed to radiate your glorious appearance all across the globe.

Breakdown every wrong image and ideology of your nature and character built within my mind. Destroy the false order of Babylonian lifestyle within my soul, put to end my own day and let your day begin immediately. Lord I yield my spirit and soul to divine union with your word, I offer myself on your altar of sacrifice.   Grant me the focus and strength to journey on until I am restored into the original image ordained for my life. My desire is to diminish in every area so that you my Lord may increase in every area of my life. I will not go the way of the world; rather I go through the straight and narrow path that leads to life.

You are my life, therefore I do not worry about my life, what to eat, drink or wear. Your life is more than these; I choose the higher life in Christ, a life that is eternal in nature, a life that grants light into every dark area of existence. This day, darkness has no more power over my soul because I stand in the position of the transforming light of Christ. My entire life is illuminated through the proceeding word of God.

 

Understanding of the Holy one is given to me; therefore I am not confused about the things of the Spirit, The Holy one guides me, leads me and directs my path to the will of the Father on a daily basis, I do not rebel to his counsel, I do not grieve him; rather I bring him joy through my daily obedience and submission to his voice.  My Father, as I am growing into all things, my life is not bound in any way to this earth system.

I am free from the curse of the Law, therefore, I live and walk through your sustaining Spirit of grace and mercy, increase of kingdom truth is my portion, increase of your kingdom life is my passion, and the increase of your wisdom and revelational understanding is my pursuit.  I will not stop seeking your face and desire in all that I do. I cultivate a lifestyle of continual communion with your Holy Spirit and word. Speak to me that I may hear your heartbeat.  I receive the seeing eyes, the hearing ears and the heart of accurate understanding. Like a child growing up to become a son, this day I declare that I am changing into the image of My father, therefore, the ministry of Sonship is my portion; I am rightfully taking my place as he assumes his place within my heart.  I am born of God and I am not limited in any area of life.

I bring forth after the image and likeness of the incorruptible seed. Yes, this day the seed of life is quickening my mortal Body and I am producing after the nature of the holy one who dwells in me. Greater is he who lives in me than he who is in the world.  I am neither afraid nor anxious because the Lord has not given me the spirit of fear, I do not walk in anxiety because my mind stays on the Lord all day long.  He lives in me; therefore, sickness and disease of the soul and body have no place in my body.

I do not lack anything good because the word of truth says, if I seek first the Lord’s kingdom and righteousness, all things shall be added to me; I seek the righteousness of the kingdom of God in truth and in Spirit.  I walk in the consciousness of what I say and how I respond to people around me, I will be guided by the Holy Spirit in my choice of words, I will be directed through the life of Christ within me, I will not allow my flesh to dictate how to response to complex issues. I know that I am a city set on the hill and I will display the wisdom and knowledge of God as Solomon did in his time. I will rightfully represent His mind in all things and to all people in need.  My life this day is a testimony to many who will cross my path, they will see Christ in me, my words will build, encourage and not destroy them, my words will encourage and not tear down, and my words will sustain and not drain people of life. I am a light giver; I am a life giver. I will give what Christ has given me to the world around me, they will see Christ in me, through me the glory of the Lord’s kingdom will be made manifest in Jesus Name… amen

 

Josh 1:8

8 Do not let this Book of the Law depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. NIV