3. Covenant of Prayer

Matthew 16: 18-19

 

18 Now I say to you that you are Peter (which means ‘rock’), and upon this rock I will build my church, and all the powers of hell will not conquer it.

19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit on earth will be permitted in heaven.”

 

▣   If you fail in your prayer life, your life will also fail.

Because of God can help humans only through prayer.  A Christian who does not pray is giving up on God's help on his own. Only when we receive power through prayer can we live the Christian life with power.

 

The principle by which God governs man is clear. He helps those who pray, gives power to those who pray, gives victory to those who pray, and God Himself is glorified through those who pray. Prayer is a bond with God, and God's purposes and plans are accomplished by prayer. All the great works that God creates in this world were completed through prayer.

 

1. Prayer is a God-given power.

 

19 And I will give you the keys of the Kingdom of Heaven. Whatever you forbid on earth will be forbidden in heaven, and whatever you permit[b] on earth will be permitted in heaven.” (Matthew 16:19).

 

The Lord gave Peter the keys of the kingdom of heaven. It is the key to heaven. Prayer is the key. Christian prayer is a God-given power. The Lord said that he could bind and loose anything through the key of prayer.

 

For Christians, prayer is the greatest power. A Christian must enter the prayer closet, lock the door, and kneel on his knees. The closet of prayer is the narrowest room in the world, but it is actually the widest room where the heavenly doors open.

 

2. Prayer is the strongest weapon against Satan.

 

28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked

him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”

29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.” (Mark 9: 28-29).

 

For Christians, prayer is the most powerful weapon. Enemies always attack the opponent's strongest point. Satan, the enemy of Christians, also knows the power of prayer. That is why we do our best to take away our weapon, prayer. Prayer penetrates into the lives of Christians and neutralizes it. Disarmed soldiers are either captured or defeated in war. Christians are cross soldiers on the battlefield of spiritual warfare. The only weapon is prayer. We must receive everything through prayer.

 

When prayer is put to sleep in church and home, the church and home are just paper tigers and become Satan's playground. Just as fish must live in water, so God's children must remain in prayer. Asking “Why should I pray?” is the same as asking “Why do fish have to live in water?” Just as a fish dies when it leaves the water, so Christians lose their spirituality and power when they stop or neglect their prayers.

 

The fire of prayer is extinguished in every church. The place for prayer is empty and the time for prayer is decreasing. Even the most prayerful prayers are falling into dryness and inertia, and our sorrow and earnestness are cooling down. Many saints do not pray for long. I don't pray often. Although the subject of prayer seems to be Mount Great, the actual amount of prayer is often less than 10 minutes. You should cry, but you can't really cry. I know that crying with tears will solve the problem, but the tears do not flow.

 

Satan is encouraging Christians today to keep their lives busy. He makes you say you don't have time to pray and rationalizes that you can't pray because you're tired. Instead of making us stop praying, Satan wants to do business with us. It gives you material stability and physical comfort even if you don't pray. Satisfy them with fun and enjoyable things.

 

But there is nothing in the world that can take the place of prayer. Prayer must be filled with prayer, and prayer must be solved through prayer.

 

3. God's Power Comes Through Prayer

 

24 So the jailer put them into the inner dungeon and clamped their feet in the stocks. 25 Around midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the other prisoners were listening. 26 Suddenly, there was a massive earthquake, and the prison was shaken to its foundations. All the doors immediately flew open, and the chains of every prisoner fell off! (Acts 16:24-26).

 

When Paul and Silas prayed, the Philippian prison collapsed. Prayer reveals power.

 

37 O Lord, answer me! Answer me so these people will know that you, O Lord,

are God and that you have brought them back to yourself.”

38 Immediately the fire of the Lord flashed down from heaven and burned up the young bull, the wood, the stones, and the dust. It even licked up all the water in the trench! (1 Kings 18:37-38).

 

As Elijah prayed, the fire of the Lord came on Mount Carmel. When we pray, the power of God comes upon us.