Text: Acts 12:1-11
Memory text:
“Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.”
I Thessalonians 5:6 NKJV
Do you know why every army targets the military facilities and armory of the enemy army in their attacks? It’s simple. What can any army do once its power base has been weakened, captured, paralyzed, or destroyed?
Likewise, no area of the church has experienced so much attack of satan as her prayer life. Satan is not afraid of our preaching, eloquence, or of our organizational skill but of our prayers. He knows, by experience, what havoc the church can do to his kingdom when the church is awake to her ministry of prayer. He knows the tremendous power that will be produced when the church becomes the house of prayer. He is afraid of the spiritual missiles, rockets, bombs, drones, and other dangerous weapons that can be fired from the house of prayer. Samuel Chadwick puts it this way: “Satan dreads nothing but prayer. His one concern is to keep the saints from praying. He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, and prayerless religion. He laughs at our toil, and he mocks our wisdom, but he trembles when we pray.”
When Moses’ hand was raised up in prayer, Israel prevailed, but when it was lowered in weakness, the Amalekites prevailed. When the disciples prayed, the church was born, and miracles, signs, and wonders were performed. But when she drew back in the place of prayer, satan penetrated, attacked the church, and James, the brother of John, was killed by the cruel hand of Herod. When the church prayed, the plan of the enemy was frustrated, the verdict of death was annulled, and Peter was miraculously delivered. Hallelujah!
In Luke 22:45, Jesus found His disciples sleeping when they were supposed to be praying. “When He rose up from prayer and had come to His disciples, He found them sleeping from sorrow.” Anguish, grief and pain in the heart can weaken our prayer life. To sleep in the place of prayer is a state of weakness and discouragement which lead to prayerlessness. Sleeping in the place of prayer is also caused by sin and worldliness. “Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.” (I Thes 5:6). Sin will either keep you away from prayer or prayer will keep you away from sin.
Friends, let us protect our facilities and armory from satanic attacks. Let us come together to strengthen one another in this profound ministry of prayer.
Prayer points
1. Father, please, awake Your church in the place of prayer, in Jesus’ name.
2. I take authority over the spirit of heaviness and of worldliness, in Jesus’ name.
Today’s declarations
1. Anything that wants to kill my prayer life wants to kill me, so I resist it.
2. The house of God is called the house of prayer.
Contact: pastor@thf.org.ng