In Acts 1, we have a cause and effect relationship as the Holy Spirit comes upon people and gives them power to be witnesses. It all begins with the Holy Spirit then continues to the very ends of the earth.

We currently have 7 billion people on earth, and the population has doubled 12 times since Jesus walked on earth. 400 million do not know and follow Christ. The task is unfinished. We have not had the great effect we should be having. Could it be that the Spirit has not come upon us in the power to take the Gospel everywhere?

In Luke 24:49, Jesus promised the One the Father was to send. They were to pray until the power was given. Prayer is what leads you into your purpose with God. It is the essence of life with God.

In Deuteronomy 5:24-27, they saw that a person could live even if God speaks with them. Immediately, they fell back into a place that religion often relegates us. Religion grows in the soil of fear and separates people from God.

Prayer is the gift God has given to bring us into relationship with Him. Pray without ceasing. Prayer is how we live our lives. It must move from a duty and a discipline to the joy of our lives.

“This, then, is how you should pray:

“‘Our Father in heaven,
hallowed be your name,
your kingdom come,
your will be done,
on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us today our daily bread.
And forgive us our debts,
as we also have forgiven our debtors.
And lead us not into temptation,
but deliver us from the evil one.’
–Matthew 6:9-13

1) Prayer is syncing your life with God’s world-changing agenda.

It is acknowledging we come under God’s authority. We pledge allegiance to the Lamb. Every other allegiance is secondary. We align our lives in prayer to His will. Your kingdom come, your will be done in earth as it is in heaven. The kingdom is authenticated in our lives when we give ourselves away.

2) Prayer is accessing the needed resources.

When we pray we need to ask for this day’s bread. Only God has the supply chain that provides for the advancement of the kingdom. He provided money to pay a tax bill. He used women to support his ministry. He used a little boy’s lunch to feed a multitude. We need heaven to supply what earth cannot. His resources are to fulfill His agenda and not our own. He gives us what we have need to advance His kingdom.

3) Prayer is giving and receiving forgiveness because God’s kingdom demands emotional wholeness.

The depth of your prayers reflects the depth of your relationships. I need to forgive so the display of God’s power effectively through prayer may flow unhindered.

4) Prayer and holiness are linked together because Jesus prayed we would be delivered from evil.

If we cherish sin in our heart, the Lord will not hear us. We must not contribute to the culture of death and unrighteousness because it doesn’t align with His kingdom.

Men’s hearts fail them for fear because they have no answers to the desperate circumstances of life. Seek His face! The Bible’s direction for our lives makes prayer the center point, the top of our list of priorities, the essence of our lives.

Guest post by:

David Bryan
Executive Director, Leadership Development and Discipleship at Church of God of Prophecy
cogop.org