The soccer world cup is one of the most contested tournaments by different nations of the world. Spectators of over 35,000 and millions of television viewers are thrilled to highest peak of excitement. While spectators enjoy the feel of the game, the players on the field and their technical crew have just one goal in mind which is to win the cup and go home proud. The players throughout the competition run up and down the field of play sweating profusely chasing just one small oval shape object called a ball in order to gain its possession.
The journey of winning the cup starts from the technical crew of each country making the right team selection that will be called to camp. In addition, they embark on intensive training, perfecting different winning plans and strengthening the players’ fitness level. Also, instilling a high level of discipline in the players is not left out, while sponsors are also being sought for the team. All these are done in bid to position the team well for the desired results, i.e. wining the cup.
When we pray, we surely always have desired results set in our minds. Either the purpose of our prayer is to praise God, make a request, express our displeasures or grief about a situation etc; it is still specifically targeted towards something.
Though we are desirous of hitting our targets in prayer, we often forget or neglect the right path and channels to be followed. You could be sure that a step towards the south, while you intend to reach the north as a destination is a deceitful and wrong move. For example, expecting to pass an examination without sitting for that particular exam or without answering over 60% of the questions provided will result in an elated failure.
Let’s take a look at this scripture together, “You ask and don’t receive because you ask wrongly, so that you may spend it on your desires for pleasures” James 4: 3 (HSBC). Have you ever wondered why some times your prayers seem not answered? Most likely you’ve concluded wrongly that there are some people well positioned than you are, who constantly draw God’s attention. This assertion is not true, because God does not show favoritism (James 2:1). Perhaps you have prayed wrongly. Praying wrongly is like not praying at all. Once a means to an end is ignored, then the end can not be met. When at the end of the football competition a winner emerges we should not fail to remember that if they had not played according to the rules of the game, the victory would not have been clinched.
For the next couple of weeks, we shall be discussing praying according to God’s will or pattern with the topic “Praying to yield results”. I have no doubt in my mind that this serial message will challenge and provoke to go back to kneel and achieve a result oriented prayer.
adeyiga awomuti
The value and worth of an asset may not necessarily be well appreciated at first instance. Most time, the long term value and usefulness is considered and it engulfs ones mind to the point that no degree of present “low performance” affects our trust in its future relevance. For example, if we treasure an ability, strength or gift in ourselves, we keep exploring it; i.e. In all that we do we keep up the diligent work because of our confidence in the potentials and vast opportunities available. We do not give up even if we don’t seem to be reaping the benefits now. We don’t stop saying to ourselves that someday I will be there or I will achieve the desired result.
Likewise in our lives, we are not expected to give up praying just because we presently cannot lay hold on tangible evidences to justify such consistent labor. Better still, we should build a lifestyle of consistent loneliness with God in prayer like Jesus did. Although, bible might not have recorded all the periods Jesus spent praying alone with God (e.g. Mark 1: 35), but I have no doubt in my mind that He kept praying irrespective of the challenges that came His way. Jesus’ day to day confrontation with the Jewish elders and the outright rejection by people at certain times did not discourage Him either. At certain periods that He was supposed to question the worth of time spent praying due to unpleasant situations, He persistently committed himself to prayers. Perhaps Jesus kept at the back of His mind that His labor is not in vanities.
If in our academic pursuits or businesses for example, we do not mind peoples’ failures and business wind up, then it beholds us not to mind the present challenges that stares us in the face despite our persistent prayer. I have never heard anybody who says I won’t go to school again because people are failing or the graduates are not sound intellectually but rather I hear people say I know I can do better so they forge ahead.
Remember, it is when you are about to get to the end of the tunnel that it surely gets darker, the reason is because you are far from the entrance of the tunnel since you have come a long way and there’s no more ray of light; you are also getting close to the end where the ray of light is about to shine.
1Th 5:16-18 “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”
adeyiga awomuti
Reasons trail most actions in the world, except for few ones in which case the person in question is suspected for insanity, though I feel that an insane person believes there are reasons for his actions despite his mental derailment. When we take a closer look at what our friends, relations, acquaintances etc do and their actions seems to interest us we often decide to act likewise. To emulate someone’s character or lifestyle is not bad but we rarely determine in our heart to weigh and assess properly the pros and cons of their actions. It is not uncommon to see someone act like a friend just did. For example, somebody just decided to reduce the time spent praying due to tight schedules or present challenges, and after being observed by a friend sometime later, such an attitude becomes the status quo for that friend also.
There is a similar instruction in bible that encourages us to give room for external influence but it is with a caution note; Gal 4:18 “But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you”. I understand that bible definition of ‘a good thing’ is quite different from that of so many of us. Notwithstanding, let God be true and all men be liars (Romans 3: 4). Neither relenting on our efforts can be called ‘good’; nor can acting contrary to our initial conviction in God’s scriptural truth be called ‘good’. For instance, telling of lies instead of the truth is slanderously called ‘holy lie’, while stealing as of today is referred to pilfering.
No matter how we beautify and justify our decaying spiritual retrogression, it is still wrong in the sight of God. Faithfulness in God is not supposed to be for a while but till we are done with our assignment here on earth.
Awake from that SLUMBER and SLOTHFULNESS, stand upright and PRAY. Remember 2Co 10:12 “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise”.
– adeyiga awomuti
Reasons trail most actions in the world, except for few ones in which case the person in question is suspected for insanity, though I feel that an insane person believes there are reasons for his actions despite his mental derailment. When we take a closer look at what our friends, relations, acquaintances etc do and their actions seems to interest us we often decide to act likewise. To emulate someone’s character or lifestyle is not bad but we rarely determine in our heart to weigh and assess properly the pros and cons of their actions. It is not uncommon to see someone act like a friend just did. For example, somebody just decided to reduce the time spent praying due to tight schedules or present challenges, and after being observed by a friend sometime later, such an attitude becomes the status quo for that friend also.
There is a similar instruction in bible that encourages us to give room for external influence but it is with a caution note; Gal 4:18 “But it is good to be zealously affected always in a good thing, and not only when I am present with you”. I understand that bible definition of ‘a good thing’ is quite different from that of so many of us. Notwithstanding, let God be true and all men be liars (Romans 3: 4). Neither relenting on our efforts can be called ‘good’; nor can acting contrary to our initial conviction in God’s scriptural truth be called ‘good’. For instance, telling of lies instead of the truth is slanderously called ‘holy lie’, while stealing as of today is referred to pilfering.
No matter how we beautify and justify our decaying spiritual retrogression, it is still wrong in the sight of God. Faithfulness in God is not supposed to be for a while but till we are done with our assignment here on earth.
Awake from that SLUMBER and SLOTHFULNESS, stand upright and PRAY. Remember 2Co 10:12 “For we dare not make ourselves of the number, or compare ourselves with some that commend themselves: but they measuring themselves by themselves, and comparing themselves among themselves, are not wise”.
– adeyiga awomuti
Some logical reasoning has crept into the church unaware, and our minds are so accustomed to these ideas that we accept them without asking questions. Just as it is commonly practiced in choosing a life partner, we have been told to watch while we pray to find the bone of our bone, and the flesh of our flesh. In fact it is also commonly reported that, if you pray without being on the look out you will most likely loose out on the right person i.e. you will not know when he or she pass by you. Much as “watch and pray” is directly attributed and linked to Jesus statement to His disciples at the garden of Gethsemane, it is obvious that there is serious misunderstanding, most likely due to the King James English translation of the bible.
Matthew 26: 41 in HSBC version states “stay awake and pray, so that you won’t enter into temptation. The Spirit is willing but the flesh is weak”. What has been translated as “watch” by the King James translators and commonly used in churches today means to stay on guard, alert or be awake. This was because in verse 40 after Jesus prayed for a while, He found that His disciples were sleeping and did not join Him praying. So He had to tell them to stay awake and pray just as He was doing.
If you believe that what Jesus meant is that each time we pray specifically about a situation we should also rely on our senses to get the results, then it means we are no longer relying on Him to handle the situation we are praying about, then the question is why do we pray if our senses can do the job? It is possible that God communicates His will about what we are praying for through our senses but this will purely be as He wills, in essence, God has a way of working through us (For it is God who works in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure {Philippians 2: 13}). The best of what our senses produces is still referred to as our decisions, except God has worked through it; God’s will and workings is irrespective of our senses. Next time we pray, we should not be mindful of looking for what it will look like. We should pray with alertness of mind towards God not “pray-sleeping” or “pray-mind traveling”.
-adeyiga awomuti
The desire to speedily surmount a mountainous problem sometimes drives us to pray. As much as one would expect to see a miraculous breakthrough, we would also not mind to spend so long a time praying. When we feel satisfied within us that we have sought it out with God, we immediately stop the prayers and watch to see changes. Interestingly, we most times feel disappointed when days, weeks, and months rolls by without any significant change.
In Acts 27, Paul experienced the same thing, but his story seems to be a little different and I feel it is worthy of emulation. In verses 1-18, the first two days of their voyage, was a challenging one with serious sea turbulence and a tempestuous wind called Euroclydon. Following this, precisely on the third (3rd) day, all hope that they should be saved was dashed (Acts 27: 19-20). I have no doubt in my mind that both the soldiers and prisoners in the sea would have prayed earnestly for their safety because it was evident that death was knocking at the door. Paul who also must have being in the Spirit praying, spoke of the revelation the Lord showed him; “For an angel of God, whose I am and whom I serve, stood by me this night, Saying: Fear not, Paul, thou must be brought before Caesar; and behold, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall so be, as it hath been told me”. (Acts 27: 23-25)
Despite this heart consoling revelati0n, there was no evident ray of hope for surviving since everywhere was still dark and the storm was still strong. Again, this brings to mind one of the many numerous ways of man, which is preparing for an alternative when it seems as though the Lord is slow concerning His promise. The owners of the ship treacherously planned to run away and leave the soldiers and prisoners to die in the troubled ship and sea (Acts 27: 30-31). You may say one can’t really blame them because it was over ten days they were promised hope of surviving and nothing to show for it yet. Likewise, Paul himself should have been discouraged because his integrity and trust in God was at stake, but he refused to be. He did not waver in faith towards God (“…For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea, which is moved and carried about by the wind. Therefore let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord”; James 1: 6-7); so he confidently told them that we are still on course, I know the God I serve, He is never late, I am used to Him (Wherefore I pray you to take some meat: for this is for your health: for there shall not an hair fall from the head of any of you; Acts 27: 34). I strongly desire that we all be like Paul in trusting God each time we wait on Him for a miracle; for with God nothing shall be impossible (Luke 1: 37).
– adeyiga awomuti
Human experiences reveal that various emotional expressions accompany our numerous challenges in life. For example, shock accompanies a bitter experience while joy certainly accompanies a pleasing experience. It is naturally not possible for someone to put on a joyful countenance when he/she has just been overtaken by an unpleasing event rather, moodiness, regrets and even curses emanates from him/her.
One event that seems to have contradicted this natural law of expression is in Acts 16: 20-33, when Paul and Silas were arrested and remanded in prison for preaching the gospel. (They told the officials, “These Jews are upsetting our city! They are telling us to do things we Romans are not allowed to do.” The crowd joined in the attack on Paul and Silas. Then the officials tore the clothes off the two men and ordered them to be beaten with a whip. After they had been badly beaten, they were put in jail, and the jailer was told to guard them carefully. The jailer did as he was told. He put them deep inside the jail and chained their feet to heavy blocks of wood. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing praises to God, while the other prisoners listened. Suddenly a strong earthquake shook the jail to its foundations. The doors opened, and the chains fell from all the prisoners. When the jailer woke up and saw that the doors were open, he thought that the prisoners had escaped. He pulled out his sword and was about to kill himself. But Paul shouted, “Don’t harm yourself! No one has escaped.” The jailer asked for a torch and went into the jail. He was shaking all over as he knelt down in front of Paul and Silas. After he had led them out of the jail, he asked, “What must I do to be saved?” They replied, “Have faith in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved! This is also true for everyone who lives in your home.” Then Paul and Silas told him and everyone else in his house about the Lord. While it was still night, the jailer took them to a place where he could wash their cuts and bruises. Then he and everyone in his home were baptized [CEV]). Just like any other person, one would have expected that they spend that night crying, wailing, regretting and blaming themselves for yielding the call to preach or rather casting aspersion and curses on their maker who seemingly was not at their rescue at that moment; instead, He, their maker watched while they were being led to the prison yard.
Against all odds, a heart of worship was noticed in them, and they began to SING & PRAY, very strange and unbelievable reactions in the face of persecution. Obviously, when an earthquake occurred, the gates were thronged open and the soldiers were thereafter saved, it became clearer what can be achieved when we neglect norms and conventions to exercise ourselves in spiritual activities like praying and worshiping God.
Have you lately been accused wrongly? Do your challenges at work show hatred and plot against you? Is your business suffering from poor patronage & bad sales? Do you consider the frequency of unpleasing news coming to you as unbearable? Is your academics presently threatened by peer grades, lack of understanding? You don’t have to be cast down & cry, rather take time to pray and worship God. You will be shocked He will speak the way out to you during the process of praying.
– adeyiga awomuti
It is commonly said that a hungry man is an angry man, a little wonder why most people’s actions during the period of hunger suddenly become unapproachable. For some married men, all you will be telling them at home at such periods certainly will have to fall into the dunghill. While some just suddenly begin to find fault, others remain unnecessarily quiet, calm, and weak as though they just lost a battle. Mostly, we create an uneasy environment for people around us just because they are trying to help.
In Acts 10: 9-10, members of Peter’s household were just at the nick of time trying to help him pacify his hunger. I try to imagine how fast and swift they must have been doing this, but I suddenly discovered that the hungry man (Peter) made a historical move against convention and norms. Instead of shouting, wailing, finding faults, complaining, and lamenting, he simply moved to a lonely place such as the roof top to do something unimaginable at the heat of hunger, (TO PRAY). “The next day, as they were on their way and coming near Joppa, Peter went up on the roof of the house about noon in order to pray. He became hungry and wanted something to eat; while the food was being prepared, he had a vision” (GNB).
Prayer is always the last thing people think of when hungry. As a matter of fact, people only pray at such times when they are financially broke and there is no means of finding solution to the problem on ground; then their pray will certainly be for God to provide a means of supply to them. Instead of creating funny scenarios and making everyone around you feel uncomfortable because you are hungry, why not take out time to pray, perhaps you could come out from the place of prayer with great revelations beneficial to someone and yourself if you do so. Jesus likewise did the same thing in John 4: 6-8, when he turned the period of hunger which made His disciples to go buy food to a time of blessing the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well.“Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired out by the trip, sat down by the well. It was about noon. A Samaritan woman came to draw some water, and Jesus said to her, “Give me a drink of water.” (His disciples had gone into town to buy food.)”(GNB)
Please the next time you are hungry, find a corner to pray, it could the golden opportunity you need to hear from God and receive a revelation on what is about to take place.
-adeyiga awomuti
It is not difficult to differentiate in a Christian gathering the older ones in the faith and the upcoming ones. The difference is always clear because the younger ones are always vibrant, industrious and versatile while the older ones act slowly, steadily, and calmly. This is not comparison between the aged and the youths but length of relationship duration with God; i.e. how long the older ones have been serving as Christians in comparison with the how long the younger ones have been serving as Christians irrespective of the age.
You would often find the older Christian tell the younger ones that it’s because they have not had any experience, which in most cases means they have not had any disappointment in the faith. If only they’ve had any, their vibrancy would have died. This was exactly the same attitude put up by the older Christians when they gathered to pray in Acts 12 for the release of Peter. Apart from the fact that Peter was released despite their actions, faithless expressions and multitude of words, they almost killed the vision, and vibrancy of a young Christian lady. (Peter now realized what had happened, and he said, “I am certain that the Lord sent his angel to rescue me from Herod and from everything the Jewish leaders planned to do to me.” Then Peter went to the house of Mary the mother of John who’s other name was Mark. Many of the Lord’s followers had come together there and were praying. Peter knocked on the gate and a servant named Rhoda came to answer. When she heard Peter’s voice, she was too excited to open the gate. She ran back into the house and said that Peter was standing there. “You are crazy!” everyone told her. But she kept saying that it was Peter. Then they said, “It must be his angel.” But Peter kept on knocking, until finally they opened the gate. They saw him and were completely amazed.)
The elders did not only disbelief and said she was mad but further doubted and said it must be his angel. All we need in our day and age where lukewarmness is the order of the day and where some older Christians pose as sources of discouragement is to maintain our fervency in the lord. They had every reason to have acted the way they did. They could have said to themselves that from experience Peter should have died or be on his way to the point of slaughter just like it happened to James.
Whenever you pray and you are convinced that God is at work please stay with your conviction. Under no circumstance and guise should you allow the so called experiences pollute your conviction in what God is able to do. STAY CONVINCED.
– adeyiga awomuti
A failure to ask ourselves some pertinent questions that are expected to challenge us into progress in life, results in age long self deceit and outright retrogression. (2Co 13:5) Be testing yourselves, if you are in the faith; be examining yourselves. You yourselves know that Jesus Christ is in you, do you not?-unless you fail to meet the test (ALT). Just as the speech of Peter gave him away to reveal his insincerity, empty boast and commitment to Jesus (Matthew 26: 73), many of our speeches in prayer, give us away in the face of our faith and trust in God.
In Acts of Apostles 12: 1-17, after Herod successfully killed James and saw that it pleased the Jews, he decided to proceed and kill the other Apostles one after the other. His next target, Peter, was arrested and locked up waiting for the day to be excommunicated. The church in their wisdom and fear (thinking that it was because they did not pray that made it possible for James to be killed) decided to gather to intercede on behalf of Peter. One would have thought that the whole of Roman empire should experience earthquake, since only Paul and Silas shook the prison yard (Acts 16: 25-26) but alas, the unbelief of those that assembled to pray was revealed, just as their speech gave them away. They said to the young maid that went to open the door for Peter “you are mad”. Both their speeches at prayer and the phrase you are mad gave them away because, out of the abundance of the heart the mouth speaks (Matthew 12: 34).
Deep down in their heart, it was obvious that they didn’t believe in what they were praying about, since when the miracle happened they did not believe but said the lady was mad. This implies that they were expecting something else perhaps, the news of his death.
I submit with all respect that they were playing all the while because they summarized the expectation of all they’ve been praying about in one phrase ‘you are mad’ (perhaps they never believed in the process). When Jesus finished praying at the tomb of Lazarus, (John 11: 41-43) He commanded him to come out. When Jesus finished praying on the mount (Matthew 14: 19) He broke the bread and it multiplied. When the Apostles finished praying in (Acts 4: 21-31) they preached the more with boldness. When Jesus finished praying at the garden of Gethsemane, He said nevertheless at thy will, and told the soldiers, I am he that you are looking for (Mathew 26: 39-42, John 18: 4-5). None of their speeches or actions after these prayer sessions shows betrayal of speech or unbelief, better still they acted knowing fully well that it is done.
Next time you want to pray, ask yourself if you believe God? After prayer, be desirous to know if you just finished praying or playing. Your subsequent actions and speeches will reveal what you just did.
-adeyiga awomuti