Even in Prayer, Be Careful

I recently dreamed that a young man was about to minister to me at the altar but he stopped and got in my ear and said, “Be careful about who you ask to pray for you about things. When you ask them to pray for you, they find out what’s on your heart and when they know what’s on your heart, they can use it against you. They can use it to their own advantage.”

I believe the lesson in that is very powerful. Our need to be spiritually keen is a desperate one.  We have dreams, desires, things that we want to do for God, and things that we know that He has called us to.  Prayer may seem to be a thing that the enemy couldn’t possibly use against us. I mean, after all, it’s communication with God!  But in a situation where you’re sharing something personal with someone and asking them to agree with you in prayer, it can be the very tool that is used to stab you in the back.  Never forget that your enemy, the devil hates you and he will attack or hurt you by any means necessary, even if it means using someone you trust in the church, someone you trust and look up to, or your lack of understanding of scripture. The bible teaches us to pray for wisdom (James 1:5). It also teaches us that the Holy Spirit will teach us all things. (John 14:26) And it teaches us to believe not every spirit, but to try the spirit. (I John 4:1).

Basically we cannot live this Christian life successfully and victoriously without the help, guidance and power of the Holy Spirit, or without knowledge of the Word of God.

There is also a story in the book of Acts where we learn why it is important to be able to discern the spirit of a person. The Apostle Paul became grieved and turned and cast a demon out of a woman who was following him and the other apostles, singing their praises and telling everyone, “These men are the servants of the most high God, which shew unto us the way of salvation.”  Was she not telling the truth? Were they not servants of the most High?  Were they not showing the way of salvation?  Yes! But the problem was the spirit behind it, the spirit inside the woman. What seemed on the outside to be free advertisement for the men of God, or something that would work in the favor of the Apostles, was actually something that was the opposite, a woman with a demonic spirit appearing to be a part of that which is righteous. She was known for making money for her masters for fortune telling but here she now seemed to be someone working with the men of God. Although doing this might increase her following and bring even more money to her masters, it would have had a more negative outcome for the men of God.

This story goes to prove that not everyone is on your side or in your corner, just because they are saying good things about you. They aren’t really supporting you just because they follow you everywhere or on social media outlets. Their always being there does not mean that you can actually count on them when you have a need. Holding your hand and seeming to agree with you in prayer doesn’t automatically mean that they love you or that their prayers will get past the ceiling. It could be that they are addicted to you even though they hate you. It could be that they are just gathering information to fuel their next attack against you and the whole time you might be sensing that something is terribly off, without realizing that it’s because of someone you trust to “touch and agree” with you in prayer.

As we move forward from this day I pray that the Holy Ghost will continue to help us by periodically bringing this to our remembrance. I pray that our hearts will be sensitive and tender to His leading and obedient to His direction. That our eyes will be opened to see past the immediate and natural and directly into the real spirit that is motivating all of those we are in contact with, even in prayer.

The ONE Who Prays For You

Don’t underestimate the power in your own mouth, even in times of crisis when you don’t know WHAT to pray. Remember that death and life are in the power of your tongue. You may not have a “dear heavenly Father, I come to You”, kind of prayer, but open your mouth and SPEAK LIFE. Speak what you DESIRE and what God PROMISED, not what you see. Talk to God about who you know He is.  Sometimes you’re asking people to pray for you, with you, etc, and guess what?  THEY don’t know what to pray either!  They have to seek the help of the Spirit to even know HOW to pray for you!  

But the bible has you covered:

Romans 8:26 (KJV) (Also read the MSG translation)

Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

By all means call on the prayer warriors, your pastor, etc. The bible does say that the "effectual fervent prayer of the righteous avails much". But more than anything, call on the Holy Spirit. He’s the HELP that we ALL need. He’s the teacher. He will remind you of what you already know about God and this will help you know how to approach God in prayer, even in a crisis situation. And He’s the one, when no words come to mind, even about your own life, your own marriage, your own child, who knows exactly what needs to be said to the Father. He will help you pray, teach you to pray, pray through you, and when you can’t open your mouth, pray FOR you. You are truly covered in prayer by the Holy Spirit.

The beautiful thing about the Holy Spirit making intercession for us is that He does it without our asking for it. The bible doesn’t say that if we ask Him to do it He will do it. It simply says that He makes intercession. It’s a given. It’s a part of His job description, and it’s what we should thank Him for on a daily basis, because that's when He does it, not just in crisis. Whether you feel like you’re batting a thousand or like you've been run over by a Mac truck; whether you feel like you can take on the world or like you feel like the weight of the world is on you, He makes intercession. He stays before the Father on your behalf, because that’s just what He does. There are days, like today for instance, that I am extremely thankful for the fact that I have someone standing before the throne of God on my behalf. 

WORRY OR WORSHIP

When it seems that worry is waiting for me to wake up in the morning, and attempts to ride my back throughout the day, I've learned to use my weapon of worship.
Worry says, "Do you know what could happen?"
Worship says, "BUT I KNOW WHO GOD IS! And I know where my help comes from!"
~I WILL TRUST~