Be of good cheer, Jesus is in you

What Is Prayer?

Prayer is conversation, communication and fellowship with God borne out of love and with a consciousness of what God has already done in the sacrifice of His son Jesus.

It is important we understand that the effectiveness or efficacy of prayer doesn’t have much to do with it’s length, how often we pray, or the intensity of our shout but rather it is our faith in God and His word that matters (Hebrews 11:6). Importantly effective prayers must be in line with God’s will, plan and purpose for us.

Talking about length of Prayer, Jesus was a bit disappointed that Peter, and the other 2 disciples couldn’t pray with Him for at least an hour(Matthew 26:40). While this doesn’t in anyway mean that God doesn’t have ears for shorter prayers, it might guide minimum time spent in prayer.

And ofcourse we remember Jesus’ story of the widow who wearied a king with repeated request for same thing (Luke 18:5). So praying about one thing over and over may not guarantee it will receive the expected response, but praying without ceasing is an admonition from scripture we don’t want to forget in a hurry (1 Thessalonians 5:17).

Below are five guides for effective prayer.

Prayer Guide #1

• Pray and ask in faith.
  Praying in faith means our expectations are based on God’s Word and trust that we will have them. It involves making request to God and speaking to circumstances in order to make them conform to our desires, without doubts in our heart (Mark11: 22-23). A prayer of faith is backed up by actions (works) and also followed with thanksgiving. Thanksgiving here is an affirmation that we believe we’ve received answers to our prayers.

Prayer Guide #2

• Ask according to the will of God.
  I John 5:14-15 gives us the exclusive privilege that God hears us always when we pray according to His will (His written word). It also means He answers us if we pray according to His stipulated pattern. For example James 5:16b talks about an effectual fervent (heartfelt, specific in purpose, filled with zeal (energy) and fervency, continuous) prayer. Isaiah 43:26 says bring forth your strong reasons. Some prayers require a petition, an agreement, a command or an intercession etc.

Prayer Guide #3

• Pray in the name of Jesus. In John 16:23-24 Jesus said ‘whatever you ask the Father in my name He will give you’. We can alter circumstances, cast out demons and demand for something due us by the authority we have in the name of Jesus.

Prayer Guide #4

• Pray prophetic prayers.
  This refers to the prayer in which you speak the will (mind) and purpose of God into being by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit. An example is Jonah’s prayer to God when he was in the belly of the fish. (Jonah 2:1-4). As the Bible says; you shall decree a thing and it shall be established.

Prayer Guide #5

• Offer praise and thanksgiving.
  We activate the power of God at work in us when we praise God and offer thanksgiving to Him. For example, King Jehoshaphat in 2 Chronicles 20:14-19, Paul and Silas in Acts 16:22-26.

“praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints”
Ephesians 6:18 NKJV

Summarily, we have a Father who is willing and able to meet all our requests. This is our confidence.

“Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us.”
I John 5:14 NKJV

…….

Thank you so much Ada for your article. Indeed, prayer is a life saving skill every Christian should learn. As you rightly pointed out effective prayers are those prayed in the Spirit and according to the Word offered with thanksgiving and in the name of Jesus.

God bless you Ada.

Friends, a few years ago, someone wrote us on Talk With Grace Obomanu, my online Christian Counseling platform on Facebook asking why God hasn’t answered his prayers. Our response to him is shared here …….Why Hasn’t God Answered Me? Be blessed.

Remember you can now publish on Grace Obomanu Blog (under the Christian Life Saving Skills Category). Simply email your articles to graceobomanu@gmail.com. Together we are making known the Beauty and Benefits of our Belief, thereby giving others the opportunity to believe too. That is what the Father’s Business is all about.

Love Always

Grace Obomanu. 

There is always a temptation to hurriedly get to the top, become the recognized owner of a building or an enterprise, to establish a presence, make a name, become known. Nothing wrong with that really, if we are moving at God’s speed and if we have a solid foundation (in God).

Going forward, please expect to read highlights of all published articles for the previous month, praise reports and a preview of upcoming events for the next month from this site.

My prayer, my heart cry. My honest desire and hope. All of YOU in me, Jesus.

Every self erased. No hurt harboured, no bitterness, resentment, anger, pain, envy, jealousy. No place in me for the expression of self and carnality. All of YOU Jesus.

All of Your love. All of Your faith. All of your passion and commitment to the Father’s Business. All of Your grace.

All of Your peace. All of the healing You bought for me. All of Your manifest provision and abundance, to accomplish the job You have entrusted to my care. That Your people may know You Jesus. And that they may know the Father. That they may appreciate the dept of Your great love with which You loved them. That they may find hope, love and peace in You. All of You Jesus. Until my job is done.

Done, dusted and delivered fully. Nothing left undone. Done in good health and strength, because the number of my days have been set by You; nothing and no one can change it. I am kept safe in the Father through You Jesus. You renew my youth like the eagle’s. My Lord and Saviour.

Gold, gold, pure gold, that’s how I am coming out. Pure gold, refined by the Master Himself. Fit for purpose. Built to last. Unrestrained, unstoppable, undeterred, undaunted and yet meek and lowly.

All of YOU in me Jesus. All of YOU❤

You know, as I thought about the uneventful ‘disappearance’ of the poisonous serpents, I realized that actually that is how life problems ‘pass away’ as we move our focus away from life’s troubling issues and rightfully fix them on Jesus and His Word.

The Word of God does not change because of our situations, circumstances or experiences. But the Word of God can change our situations, circumstances and experiences.

Hello there,

Welcome to the 3rd and final part of this series. In Part 1 and Part 2, we teased out 4 forms of weights that can potentially stop us from making it to the finish line in our race of faith….

1. Bitterness resulting from unearned hostility.
2. Resentment resulting from chastening. 
3. Unbelief resulting from Godlessness
4. Strife resulting from unguided envy and jealousy. 

Ofcourse a lot more other things can be added to this list. We’ve mainly focused on Hebrews 12. 

In this concluding part, we consider how to lay these weights aside. 

Our reference scripture again is Hebrews 12, with emphasis on verses 1 and 2…

“Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:1-2 

You know, Hebrews 12:1-2 doesn’t just tell us to watch out for weights (lifestyles, choices, actions, etc) which can slow us down in our race of faith. Fully embedded in those 2 verses of scripture are also what we must do to finish our race of faith.

1. Strip off the weights
2. Take your eyes off the weights and all they represent
3. Look forward; fix your eyes on Jesus as you run towards the finish line
4. Run your race with endurance and active persistence
5. Win the race; win the crown. 

Let’s discuss these below; 

Strip off the Weights

Four easy steps to stripping off anything will include;

1. detach, disconnect or remove the thing
2. drop it
3. step away from it
4. move on. 

Many times we just read and quote “looking unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of our faith”.  Well, Jesus is definitely the Author and Finisher of our faith, but I doubt that anyone can sustain the kind of gaze spoken of in Hebrews 12:2 with weights fully strapped on. And if we convince ourselves that we’ve dropped these weights but don’t direct our focus on the right thing, we might also end up moving in circles. 

So, drop the weights and look forward (unto Jesus). It is impossible to be looking forward and backward at the same time. 

Somebody says, ‘Grace, you say that like it’s easy’. Well, I believe that things/people/situations are only as important as we make them. Selah!  

Now there are 2 main players around the weights we’ve listed…. God and other people.  Godlessness and unbelief point to our relationship with God, while bitterness and strife point to our relationship with other people. So the obvious solutions would be; embrace God, embrace other people. 

Embrace God, Your Purpose & Calling 

The primary reason God created man was for fellowship. Fellowship with Him first and then fellowship (friendly association) with other people of similar interests. And of course, everyone is created to fulfill a specific purpose in this life. We find that purpose in the creator, ….in God. Embrace God, your purpose and calling. That is a key way to ‘look unto Jesus the Author and Finisher of Our Faith‘.  

Common antonyms for unbelief are belief and faith. Faith comes through the Word of God…..

“‘So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God” Romans 10:17 NKJV. 

Meaning that the more we expose ourselves to the Word of God, the more successful we are at pushing away unbelief and Godlessness. Prayer, worship and service in the house of the Lord are also ways we build our relationship with God. Thanksgiving is a big deal. It is a faith booster and builder. Let our mouths never be void of thanksgiving and testimonies. 

“Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, and offer to God pleasing service and acceptable worship with reverence and awe” Hebrews 12:28 

If you’re still trying to answer the question; What Is My Purpose In Life? Stay with God, Your Maker, it will become clearer. But while you’re at it, stay busy with the Father’s Business. The “Father’s Business” is simply to help others Know the Father, Believe the Father and Follow the Father through faith in Jesus Christ.

“Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.
Matthew 28:19‭-‬20 NKJV

Walk in Love

Agape love is the antidote to strife, hatred, envy, jealousy, and all forms of expressions of carnality towards another Believer or person. My latest article on agape love, coined from 1 Corinthians 13 is titled ‘How Do You Love?’ 

I am still being blessed by that blog post. So I encourage you to read it. 

“But I say, walk habitually in the [Holy] Spirit [seek Him and be responsive to His guidance], and then you will certainly not carry out the desire of the sinful nature [which responds impulsively without regard for God and His precepts]” Galatians 5:16 AMP 

A major hindrance to expressing agape is the spirit of unforgiveness.  One of my recent YouTube videos, discusses in very simple terms; 5 Secrets to Taming The Spirit of Unforgiveness

“Continually pursue peace with everyone, and the sanctification without which no one will [ever] see the Lord.” Hebrews 12:14.  AMP

“Then Peter came to Him and asked, “Lord, how many times will my brother sin against me and I forgive him and let it go? Up to seven times?” Jesus answered him, “I say to you, not up to seven times, but seventy times seven” Matthew 18:21-22 AMP. 

Going by Matthew 18:21-22, forgiving people should be a lifestyle for every Christian. But I am also quickly reminded of Mark 9:43 and 1 Timothy 6:5..

“If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter into life maimed, rather than having two hands, to go to hell, into the fire that shall never be quenched— “ Mark 9:43 NKJV

“..useless wranglings of men of corrupt minds and destitute of the truth, who suppose that godliness is a means of gain. From such withdraw yourself.” I Timothy 6:5. NKJV

So while we forgive and walk in agape, there are associations, people, places and things we must cut off and withdraw from. If there is anyone, anything or any place that continually remains a source of the weights we’ve discussed in this study, cut them off and/or withdraw from them. 

“Where there is no wood, the fire goes out; And where there is no talebearer, strife ceases.“
Proverbs 26:20 NKJV 

And if you are reading this and you think you’ve been operating as a source of weights to another Believer, you can stop today. Stop being a tool in the hand of the enemy. When the devil tries to sow the seed of discord and defilement among brethren through you, recognize immediately that his purpose still remains to steal, kill and destroy. 

“But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck, and he were thrown into the sea.
Mark 9:42 NKJV

Resist the devil and he’ll flee….

“Therefore submit to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”
James 4:7 NKJV

Grab Your Faith Enablers

People talk about faith extenders/enablers, well, here are my 3 critical support for our faith walk; hope, patience/endurance and active persistence. 

“Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen”  Hebrews 11:1  NKJV

“Think about Jesus. He patiently endured the angry insults that sinful people were shouting at him. Think about him so that you won’t get discouraged and stop trying”  Hebrews 12:3 ERV 

You know, the picture in my head of active persistence is like pushing through a resistance. Pushing steadily, purposefully and with determination to win. To win, we need to be geared to do ‘active persistence’ everyday!  

Brethren, we are in a race. Our faith walk is a race. We are walking towards maturity and perfection, and towards our Lord and Master Jesus Christ, towards a crown. No beating the air, no distractions, no unnecessary weights, baggage or bandages. We are set in our tracks, we run purposefully and with determination and We Win!  We Have To Win. Halleluyah!!! 

Take a look below (Hebrews 12:22-24) at the crowd awaiting our arrival at the finish line….they are waiting to celebrate us…..

“But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels [in festive gathering], and to the general assembly and assembly of the firstborn who are registered [as citizens] in heaven, and to God, who is Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous (the redeemed in heaven) who have been made perfect [bringing them to their final glory], and to Jesus, the Mediator of a new covenant [uniting God and man], and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks [of mercy], a better and nobler and more gracious message than the blood of Abel [which cried out for vengeance].”
Hebrews 12:22‭-‬24 AMP 

Thank You Father for this Word. Thank You.

And thank you dear for staying with me through this study. I believe that it blessed you, just the way it blessed me. 

Stay Blessed, In The Word and In The Covenant. 

Love Always. 

I want to believe some persons have gone past the initial crippling and tormenting feeling of fear COVID-19 ushered in. Question now is; what next? What are we doing with all the faith we mustered?

I want to believe some persons have gone past the initial crippling and tormenting feeling of fear COVID-19 ushered in. Question now is; what next? What are we doing with all the faith we mustered?