Opening Prayer Homily - Day 3

Day 3 of opening year prayer Monday 16^th January, 2017

Theme: Armed with Divine Strength and Authority

Scriptural reading: 2 Sam 22:40, Psalm 18:39

Prayer:

1. Lord Jesus, as I begin to pray today, be merciful to me and take me to my hour of blessings, to that rich and fertile land.
2. Lord Jesus please do not allow me to rebel against because of my situation rather turn my situation around and make me a blessing unto men and women in the name of Jesus. Amen.
3. Lord Jesus, every seed of fear and doubt in my mind about your power to save and restore me, Lord Jesus, please take it away in the name of Jesus. Amen.
4. Arise Oh Lord and go with me into the battles of my life, into my situation, turn my situation around, and lead me to victory in the name of Jesus. Amen.

Friends’ entering into any spiritual warfare battle is not about the size of the battle or the consistency or the battle or the powers you are contending with in that warfare, it is about the person who is going with you into that battle. It is about going into that battle with the name that is higher than any other name. it is about going into that battle with the highest principality. It is about the faith you have in him that he will never fail you. It is about the power that he has placed inside of you. It is about knowing that you have been armed with strength and authority, learning and knowing how to exercise that authority he has given you in that spiritual battle. It is about spreading right before the Lord and surrendering to him that he may take charge of that ugly situation. It is about “focusing on the author and finisher of your faith.” It is about speaking without doubt or fear over that situation and been confident that the Lord will act on your behalf even when you seem to be standing alone and working against so much that seeks to pull you down. It is about giving the command and the enemy obeying.

The enemy doesn’t hear the word please the only word he hears or listens to is a command. Once you give that command the enemy will forever be gone. The Lord Jesus each time he came in contact with men or women possessed with unclean spirits, he never used the word please, rather he gave a command and immediately the unclean spirit obeyed and departed confessing.

Such command doesn’t come easily, it comes as a result of firm and solid relationship with the Lord-remember our slogan for this opening year prayer, if you seek the Lord with all your heart-you will find him. He is the only one that can never disappoint you, he is the only one that can make a way for you when there is no way. He is the only one that can restore you fully to that status he has given you. He is the only one that can lead you to exercise that authority without fear or favour. He is the one who has said to you in John 16: 33-behold you will have troubles in the world but be brave I have overcome the world. He is the one who has said I am the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. King David said in 1 Sam. 17: 47 he is victorious in battle. He is the one who is the perfect silencer, the avenging God and the almighty God.

He told his disciples that they too can do the same and in Luke 10:19 he says “listen! I have given you authority, so that you can walk on snakes and scorpions and overcome all the power of the enemy and nothing will hurt you.” That is very true because he also said in Isaiah 54:17- “no weapon will be able to hurt you; you will have an answer for all who accuse you. I will defend my servants and give them victory.”

But the truth is that in reality many Christians today lack that ability to exercise that strength and authority over situations that come their way. Maybe because Christianity for them is a one off thing, Christianity for them is about personalities in the church or closeness to those authority, or donating to the church only, about coming to church for mass and then return or the likes.

Beloved been a Christian is a way of life. It is practicing the culture of God. It is about making sacrifices, it is about self-denial, it is about faith in the Lord, it is about total surrender to the Lord, it is about been at the school of Jesus daily, learning from the Lord, obeying his commands, following his directions, readiness to comply with the Lord. It is about been very steady and focused in the Lord, it is about a constant closeness asking and seeking his permission, his direction and involving him in our daily activities.

Now a Christian man or woman who has not developed a close connect with the Lord will always be empty, feeling inadequate and dry, he wouldn’t know what the lord has placed on the inside of him, he wouldn’t know the power he has as a child of God, he will only be operating in the school of fear, swimming in the pool of ignorance and inactivity. He will only do that which is ordinary and not extraordinary. But God wants his children to do the extraordinary, to break new grounds but such a person who has not developed a close connect with the Lord will not be able to do the extraordinary because he is far away from the Lord and the events of his day, trials and temptations have overwhelmed him.

The disciples of Jesus a difficult challenge even while they were with Jesus in Matt. 17:16-21. “The father of the boy brought the boy who had epilepsy to Jesus’ disciples but they could not heal him.” In verse 17-18, Jesus answered, “How unbelieving and wrong you people are! How long must I stay with you? How long do I have to put up with you? Bring the boy here to me! Jesus gave a command to the demon, and it went out of the boy, and at that very moment he was healed.”

In verse 19 the disciples came to Jesus in private and asked him, why couldn’t we drive the demon out?

In verse 20 Jesus answered it was because you haven’t enough faith. I assure you that if you have faith as big as a mustard seed, you can say to this hill, Go from here to there! And it will go. You could do anything.”

How can faith grow if one does not go to the Lord in prayer, he or she does not develop capacity for the word. How? Remember the word, the disciples went to Jesus in private and there the Lord told them what to do.

Friends, it is only when you are close to the Lord will you be able to exercise that faith and authority over that situation. Note brothers and sisters, it is not only over demons, it is over everything that comes your way, using that obstacle as a stepping stone to great height.

In the book of judges 7 & 8 gideon a man who was weary about the midianites was able to overcome the midianites because he followed the instructions of the Lord.

1. God asked Gideon to reduce the size of his army else they begin to think that they had won the battle themselves and no credit to God.
2. Annoucnement: the Lord told him to announce anyone who was afraid should return home, while the remaining where to stay at mount Gilead. Initially, he had gone out with 30,000 armies against the Midianites but by that announcement, 20, 000 went back home so Gideon was left with only 10, 000 men.
3. The Lord was still uncomfortable with the number, he gave another instruction to Gideon. Take the men down to the water, and I will separate them for you there. The Lord said-separate everyone who laps up the water with his tongue like a dog, from everyone who gets down on his knees to drink.

300 men scooped up water and lapped water like dogs and the rest knelt down to drink water. The 300 that scooped up water were chosen and the Lord gave him victory with the 300.

1. The 4^th instruction was split the 300 men into 3 groups and give each man a trumpet and a jar with a torch inside it. They did exactly what Gideon and his own group did. They were to blow their trumpet, break the jars they were holding and held their touches in their left hands, the trumpets in their right and shouted, “A sword for the Lord and for Gideon.” They stood their ground and the whole enemy army ran away yelling.

While they were blowing their trumpets, the Lord made the enemy troops attack each other with their swords. The lord gave Gideon so much victory that various tribes such as Asher, Naphtali, Manasseh joined hands to defeat the midianites. The Ephramites complained for not joing to defeat the midianities.

Tonight as you cry to the lord for help to make this year a wonderful one for you, the lord will give you that victory you so much seek over that situation that has troubled your minds for years in the name of Jesus. It might be for 7 years as the Midianites troubled the Israelites but tonight as you cry aloud to the Lord, he shall give you peace as he gave Gideon for forty years but yours shall be forever in the name of Jesus.

Tonight as you cry out to the Lord he will begin to arm you with strength and authority over your enemies such that when they see you, they will be put to flight in the name of Jesus. Amen.