Pray Without Ceasing

I greet you in Jesus' precious name! It is Friday morning, the 3rd of November, 2023, and this is your friend, Angus Buchan, with a thought for today. 

I want to speak to you this morning about probably the greatest and the most powerful weapon every Christian has at their disposal. We go to James 5:16: 

"The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much." 

You know, they asked Dr Billy Graham, probably the greatest of all modern-day evangelists, what was the secret of his success? He said words to the effect, "First, it was prayer, secondly, it was prayer, and thirdly, it was prayer." Oh, my friend, why do we always leave it to the last before we pray? We try everything else, don't we? Then, when it doesn't work we say, "Well, let's pray." I want to tell you that prayer is a supernatural weapon against the powers of darkness, sickness and disease.  

Prayer means so much to me that if there is no prayer cover at a meeting where I am invited to speak, I will decline the invitation. "God is not looking for great people but for people who will dare to prove the greatness of their God." A.W. Simpson said that. You see, it is the prayer of faith which moves the hand of God, not prayer, the prayer of faith. Jesus Himself, prayed more than He spoke. He taught His disciples in Matthew 6 how to pray. Prayer must become a lifestyle, my friend. It's not just spending a few minutes in prayer; you pray all day, and you pray in every situation. 1 Thessalonians 5:17 tells us to pray without ceasing.  

Now, remember that great Christian writer, C.S. Lewis? He wrote a book called, "The Screwtape Letters"? It's a fictitious story about Screwtape, an experienced devil, teaching his young nephew, Wormwood, an effective way to turn people away from God. In a nutshell, he said, "Stop them from praying, distract them from praying. Let them do everything else. They can praise God, they can go to church, but don't let them pray." Why? Because when we pray we move the hand of God, and also don't limit God with prayers of unbelief. Be prepared to pray for great impossibilities. Luke 1:37: 

"For with God nothing will be impossible."

We went down to the Kouga Dam Wall, and we went down to Jeffries Bay in the Eastern Cape. They had no water, nothing at all, and we prayed. Many of us, thousands of us prayed the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man, and the Eastern Cape has got plenty water and the Kouga Dam is overflowing for the first time in many years. 

Let's continue to pray together today,
God bless you and goodbye.