James 5:16 – “So confess your offenses to one another and pray for one another so that you may be healed. The effective prayer of a righteous person is immensely powerful.”  TLV

If I did not believe in prayer I would not pray!  It is that simple!  There are times when we want to keep everything close to the vest and not allow anyone to know what we are going through, the struggles, battles, or attacks upon us and that may be appropriate.  However, there are some things that scream loudly in my spirit when I think of battles in this life and how to respond.  Most of them trumps any desire to remain in the shadows and ‘go it alone.’

Obedience – – The Bible tells us in 1 Samuel 15:22-23, “…Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to heed than the fat of rams.  23 For rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as iniquity and idolatry.”   I have on more occasions than I would like to acknowledge, either been slow in responding to the direction of the Holy Spirit or failed to properly respond.  In those cases, the difficulty that could have been avoided and victory that could have been realized was either delayed or denied.  It was not because of God’s reluctance or willingness to perform the needed action but my failure to swiftly obey and do what He directed. 

I have had times when I felt prompted to go see, call, or talk to someone and delayed and when I did respond I felt almost like Mary and Martha when Jesus finally arrived after their call to come to their brother’s aid.  I refuse to live my life in “what if” but failure to obey and sometimes instantly obey the prompting of the Holy Spirit can and does give the devil a needless advantage and room to do his dirt.  We need to resist the devil and one of the best ways I know is to pray and enlist the prayer support of a virtual army of believers who will pray in agreement and faith.

The Power of Prayer, according to the Bible is incredible and if we genuinely believe the words of James 5:16-18, “Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. 17 Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.”  We will be diligent in Prayer and Pray Effectually, Fervently, Persistently, and Consistently.  

Our Lord instructed us to Pray, and Paul urged us to pray without ceasing.  Why would He do that? So, that we could engage in religious activity and appear pious?  Heavens No!  It was because Prayer has Power and is a vital part of our Spiritual Arsenal.  Paul told us in 2 Corinthians 10 that we have weapons, but they are not the weapons of this world, they are Spiritual Weapons.  No weapon is of any use if it is not used!  We are informed in Ephesians 6 to Pray in the Spirit, on all occasions, regarding every matter, with all kinds of prayers, and do so without fail and without ceasing.  Why?  Because of the recognized and realized Power of Prayer! 

The Promise of Jesus, as revealed in 1 John 5:14-15 is powerful.  “Now this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. 15 And if we know that He hears us, whatever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we have asked of Him.”  If Prayer is something that can be delayed for a convenient time and not an act of Spiritual Warfare, then carrying the burden alone would be appropriate. 

However, if prayer brings us into the promise and brings about the realized victory of our Lord, then Immediate and incessant prayer is not only desirable but imperative.  Consider what John said through the Holy Spirit.  He spoke of confidence or settled assurance in Jesus’ Promises.  What is that confidence?  IF and I emphasize that word IF, we ask Anything!  I must ask, what does ANYTHING cover?  If anything does not mean anything it means nothing!  If we ask anything according to His will, that is the key, His Will. 

It is not just that He Promised it but also that we act in obedience to His directive and demonstrate confidence in His Process and Ways.  That means we Pray!  If we ask anything according to His will, He Hears Us!  That is important, especially considering the next word AND.  And what? If we are asking according to His will, His biblical revelation, and promise, He hears us, And if we Know that He Hears us, we have the assurance of the answer. 

Knowing that we know that we have gained an audience in the Throne Room of heaven is an incredible source of confidence and a faith builder and booster.  The result of asking according to His will that involves obedience is that He hears us and IF He hears us whatever we are praying, We Know.  There is that word of confidence and settled assurance again.  We know that we have the petitions we have asked of Him.  IF we Pray and do that according to His Will, we know that He Hears us and if He hears us, we know that He Grants our Requests.  That is beyond incredible!

With that in mind, I must ask, “Why would we ever give the devil even one second of opportunity when we can combat Him with God’s Word and Will in Prayer?”  Thus, my calling as a Watchman on the Wall demands that When I see danger, I sound the Alarm!  That is who and what I am.  My confidence in God and the Power of Prayer demands that when I see danger, I not only pray personally but I urge the intercessors to move into action.  If I believe that the prayer of the righteous is both effective and powerful, I Must Pray and Urge, the Army of Intercessors to move onto the Front Line and Pray!

No matter what the Battle or the Situation, if the Holy Spirit has made His Will Clear and most of the time He has through God’s Word, Immediate Action in Prayer should be our first response.  We are not islands and none of us live or die to ourselves.  We are part of the Body of Christ not individual members and if the hand needs help the head cannot ignore that need.  If one member of the Body is facing a crisis the rest of the Body needs to be mobilized to come to that part’s aid Immediately. 

Let me illustrate this way, if you saw a perp about to harm a child would you delay until you had notified everyone connected to that child Before calling for help and moving into action?  NO!  Likewise, if we believe in God and the Power of Prayer dare, we give the devil an advantage by not enlisting the Prayer Warriors?  I Can Not and Will Not Do That.  I cannot with a clear conscience.

This is my call to action in prayer.  Our nation needs prayer.  Our churches need prayer.  Our ministers need prayer.  Those facing dire situations in life need our prayer.  If you believe in God and believe in prayer, I ask that you join me in praying for every need that we become aware of, when we become aware of it, and determine to persist Until the answer comes!

God, bless you is my prayer and desire!