RHEMA From Heaven

How to have results in your prayer life

1 Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing“

Every child of God must be a prayerful person. The Bible teaches that, Christians must pray always and not to give up. On the other hand, praying always does not mean results from the praying will come at a default. You must satisfy some biblical principles for your prayers to be answered.

For you to have results or receive answers to your prayer, you must pray in faith. When you pray with doubt in your heart you stop the flow of God’s power from working on your behalf (James 1:6-7).

Also one way to have results in your prayer life is living in peace with one another especially in a marital union. Husbands, must learn to honour their wives as weaker vessels, and to dwell with them according to knowledge so that their prayers are not hindered. 1 Peter 3:7 says “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered”. That’s to say that, not treating people well can hinder your prayers from availing much.

Last but not the least is living right. You see, you have no business praying when you don’t want to live by the word, especially when your prayers are directed towards receiving blessings and supplies in life. Pastor Leonard Ravenhill of blessed memory once said, “You can’t live wrong and pray right.” The Bible says, the ears of God are attentive to the prayers of the righteous. 1 Peter 3:12 says “For the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto their prayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil.”

Don’t just pray. Follow biblical principles alongside the prayers and you will see results

Read: 2 Chronicles 7:14 “If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.”

Win souls by your behaviour

1 Peter 3:1-2 “Wives, in the same way submit yourselves to your own husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives, when they see the purity and reverence of your lives”.

How you live can influence people to serve God, obey God or have nothing to do with God. This may sound a bit strange but that’s what one can infer from on opening scripture. Many Christians have missed it when it comes to soul winning in their homes. In fact, the only place they prove their Christianity and faith in the Lord is in a local Church but this is a sad situation.

Our opening text teaches how a wife, by submission to his own husband can influence him to obey the Lord. Although our world today goes with many philosophies, ideas and different concepts when it comes to wives submitting to their husbands, God’s word is supreme.

Wives must by every standard, go with the teaching of the word of God on submission. That’s to say, obey their husbands, and subscribe to their leadership whole heartedly without rebellion. The Bible says, the God kind of submission in a family is able to touch husbands who don’t believe the word of God, to be turned to the faith.

You see, as a wife, your submission reveals your purity and your reverence to God (1 Peter 3:2). On submission the Bible enjoins wives to be like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her lord (1 Peter 3:6). Action speaks louder than words most of the times. A godly character, a noble character, or a biblically inspired character has the power to win souls to the Lord.

Just like how the wife’s behaviour towards the husband is able to win him to the Lord, your behaviour is also a factor to touching lives. How do you behave in your home? How do you behave at your work place? What virtues and values do you uphold to?

Remember, that you must always be an example to the world and it should be with the aim of leading people to Christ. Don’t live anyhow. Don’t make your obedience to God’s word dependent on what people say or do to you.

Read: Matthew 5:16, “In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven”

Don’t revenge!

1Peter 3:9 “Not returning evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing, knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing.”

To revenge means to take an action to hurt or harm someone in return for an injury or wrong suffered at their hands. It also means to do evil in return for an evil you have suffered from someone.

As Christians, our dealings with one another may not always bring a better outcome. Sometimes some actions of people may cause you trouble and your actions may also do same. This happening calls for walking in love towards one another than taking the route to exercise vengeance. Every child of God must outgrow this “vengeance temptation”.

One best way to overcome this temptation is to always do good and expect nothing. This is because sometimes the “good” you did for people will be thrown into oblivion. You will be forgotten! In fact, you will be treated in an unfair manner by the people you once assisted. But none of these must make you repay them with evil.

Never allow the evil people do to you after being good to them affect your life. Give no place for vengeance.

Do good at all times. Remember the wise saying of mother Theresa “The good you do today, will often be forgotten. Do good anyway. Give the best you have, and it will never be enough. Give your best anyway. In the final analysis, it is between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway “

Read: 1 Peter 3:9 “Not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing: but contrariwise blessing; knowing that ye are thereunto called, that ye should inherit a blessing.”

Give and prosper.

Proverbs 11:24 “There is that scattereth, and yet increaseth; and there is that withholdeth more than is meet, but it tendeth to poverty”

Much of the poverty we see today in the body of Christ is nothing but the consequence of not giving. One biblical truth that brings prosperity is giving. Thus, when you don’t do anything about “giving” you will hardly become wealthy.

The act of giving has remained one of the core qualities that qualifies people to receive great wealth from the Lord. People who give get blessed. Proverbs 11:24 says, “One person gives freely, yet gains even more; another withholds unduly, but comes to poverty”

Don’t forget that prospering in life is linked to your ability to give to others. If you “scatter” blessings for other people to also benefit, you will increase in riches, wealth and honour”. That is how to prosper in life. The Bible says, it is more blessed to give (Acts 20:35).

You see, if you want to prosper, you must be concerned about giving. Don’t withhold more than is right. It is a great deception to think that, you can prosper by withholding or keeping things to yourself when there is a need you can generously answer to with your resources. People who withhold more than is right will finally end up with nothing.

Your unwillingness to give generously to help people and to support the things of God must be a serious concern. There are many people who are having a hard time in life because they don’t want to give to anyone or are not willing to give to support the work of God.

Be a conduit that God can use to transfer material blessings to other people and the Church at large and you will always increase. See a need today and meet it.

Read: Luke 6:38, “Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again”

Sacrifice

1 Peter 2:5 “Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ”.

The call to follow the Lord is a call unto sacrifice. No one can fully serve the Lord without this attitude or life of sacrifice. Apostle Peter said we are called to offer up spiritual “sacrifice”.

When it comes to sacrifice no better example can be cited more like that of Jesus. The Bible says he gave himself as a ransom for many. See 1 Timothy 2:5-6 “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time”. Jesus left all his glory and dignity as God and Lord over all things just for the sake of man.

As Christians, we can’t travel any different way or take any other way. We must be ready to sacrifice at all times in our walk with God. Paul said in Philippians 3:7 that “what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ” Peter and the rest of the disciples also said, “Lo, we have left all, and have followed thee” (Mark 10:28). Child of God, what can you also say?

What price have you paid for the furtherance of the gospel? What sacrifice have you made for the things of God? In fact, even if you did sacrifice, was it from a sincere heart or with a bitter heart?

Today, we have many Christians who can sacrifice for things that will benefit them and will never do same for the Lord- his kingdom and any local Church. How many don’t go the extra to get good jobs, better relationships, and fame but these same people won’t do same for the things of God.

In fact, we have people who can report to work or any other engagements very early but these same people will think it is too much when the Church requests that they make it to their meetings very early.

You see, Christianity is not about “me, myself and I”, because selfishness and self-interest will not make you sacrifice. What have you sacrificed for the Lord and what are you sacrificing because of the work of the Lord?

Remember that, you can sacrifice irrespective of your situation! You don’t have an excuse when it comes to sacrifice.

Read: Psalm 54:6 “I will freely sacrifice unto thee: I will praise thy name, O Lord ; for it is good”

God wants you to be faithful

1 Corinthians 4:2 “In this case, moreover, it is required as essential and demanded of stewards, that one be found faithful and trustworthy.”

Stewards or people placed in a position of trust must prove themselves faithful. Nothing speaks volumes like an attitude of faithfulness in the discharge of any given mandate. As Christians we are stewards of God’s resources- grace, anointing, people, etc.

In fact, God has entrusted many things into our hands and He expects that we discharge our duty with a sense of urgency in all faithfulness. Being faithful must cut across every sphere of your life. For instance, you must be faithful in serving God. You must come to the place where you don’t only serve God when it is in your “convenience”. People who serve God this way will not do well when circumstances and situations don’t go in their favor.

When you are faithful, circumstances don’t influence what you do for God. You remain resolute to give God your best, live for Him and live to please Him at all times. Being faithful to God demands that whatever God has given you to do, you do it without wavering or slackness.

Today, our churches lack faithful Christians. We have people who are available but God can’t use them because they are not faithful. They only disappoint anytime things are entrusted into their hands.

Make it your aim that, despite what you go through in life, you will be a faithful Christian. A faithful Christian in your marriage, at your work place, in the ministry and any where you find yourself.

Read: Revelation 2:10 “Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer: behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days: be thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.”

The ways of God

Psalm 103:7 “He made known his ways unto Moses, his acts unto the children of Israel”

The ways of God and the ways of man are not the same. Isaiah 55:8-9 says “For My thoughts are not your thoughts, Nor are your ways My ways,” says the Lord. “For as the heavens are higher than the earth, So are My ways higher than your ways, And My thoughts than your thoughts”. Thus, it takes receiving from the Lord, before you can know his ways.

One truth you must understand and believe as a Christian is that God can show you His ways. The Bible says He made known his ways to Moses in the days of old. In the new testament, the Bible says the Holy Spirit makes His ways known to us. John 16:13-14 says “Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come. He shall glorify me: for he shall receive of mine, and shall shew it unto you“. You see, the Holy Spirit will lead you into the truth- the word and ways of God.

Just as the Holy Spirit is not limited to some selected few, same applies to knowing the ways of God. Nonetheless, you have to be born again to be a beneficiary of this blessing from God.

Don’t forget that in life, there are three ways you can follow. You can either go your own way, the way of other people; or the ways of God or the devil. One reason why many don’t follow the ways of God is because they go with their own ways, or the ways of others. But never sacrifice the ways of God revealed to you through the scriptures and by revelation from the Holy Spirit for anything.

You see knowing the ways of God means, to know the methods, procedures, processes and steps that the Lord uses in bringing to pass His will or counsel. This is what will take you away from playing religion and make you more spiritual and unpredictable – because that’s when you will fully live the life of the Spirit .

It’s one thing to know what God will do and another thing to know how he will do it. We have most often than not mastered knowing the “what” but not knowing the “how”. This is why many have missed great spiritual encounters.

Don’t only know what God wants to do, also desire to know how he will do it. Just like Moses knew the ways of God by having a deeper relationship with Him walk in this light and you will know the ways of God.

Read: John 16:15 “All things that the Father hath are mine: therefore said I, that he shall take of mine, and shall shew it unto you“

Guard your heart

1 Samuel 16:7 “But the Lord said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the Lord seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the Lord looketh on the heart”

God deals with man based on the condition of his heart. Therefore if your heart is not right towards God it doesn’t matter how you appear before people or what you do, you will not earn his approval.

When we are talking about the heart, we are referring to the real you. When the Bible is talking about the heart, it is not referring to the biological heart that pumps blood to the other parts of the body. Your heart is your spirit. It is the condition of your spirit that men can hardly see.

The Bible talks about thoughts and intents of the heart. Thus, to keep a perfect heart, you must try as much as possible to align your thoughts and intents to the word of God. That is what Proverbs 4:23 says, “Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it [are] the issues of life”.

It is your duty to keep or guard your heart and the Bible said, “do it with great effort”. Since your heart or spirit is of God, you guard it by feeding regularly on spiritual truths. You keep it by being consistent with God’s word. John 6:63 said “God’s word is life and spirit”.

The moment you feed on facts or any information that contradicts the truth of God’s word, you are breaking down the walls of security of your spirit. This is when the devil too can make an in – road into your life. Jesus once said “If you don’t doubt with your heart, you will have whatever you say”. So you see, your heart matters. It is the foundation for your success or failure. The well it is kept the better.

Always stay in sync with God’s word and you will flourish in life. Maintain a perfect HEART at all times. Bitterness, pride, envy, and all actions that affect the state of your heart won’t in any way serve your interest.

Read: Mark 7:21 “For from within, out of the heart of men, proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders”

Avoid being selfish

Philippians 2:4 “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others”

The Amplified Bible put our opening text this way, “Do not merely look out for your own personal interests, but also for the interests of others”. Many problems in the world today is just a matter of selfishness. Looking at your own personal interest, without any consideration for other people only makes you mean and a user of people.

Selfishness can be considered as a “little fox” that destroys the whole vine (Songs of Solomon 2:15). Selfishness makes you act without consideration for other people. Do you only look at your interest in life? In your interactions with people, do you use them or value them?

Today, we have a lot of people who only complain about how people should treat them and handle them, but they never look at how they can also treat these same people from whom they demand some kind of favours or privileges.

What are you demanding from people? What expectations do you want people to discharge towards you?

The truth is that, whenever you are only concerned with your own personal profit and pleasure you are being selfish. Most people act out selfishness unknowingly. Over the years, I have learnt not to use people around me. As a Pastor, I try as much as possible to look at the needs of people around me, than to crave for some exceptional treatment or favours from them. Like Jesus, I find ways to serve, than to be served.

Beloved, do you do nice things for people or you rather want to receive nice things? Well, if the latter is the case then you are a selfish person. Philippians 2:3 says “do nothing out of SELFISH ambition...” The fact that you must be ambitious about your dreams and visions in life does not mean you must execute it to the detriment of others.

Never also use people as ladders to climb up and leave them down. Sometimes, selfishness may successfully launch you into your destiny, or get you what you want but will bring alongside many unbearable consequences.

Let other people matter. Be the person who have others at heart, treating them well, than putting onerous demands on them. This is the best way to avoid being selfish.

It shouldn’t be an issue of “me, myself and I”.

Remember, when it is always about you, you are simply selfish.

Read: Matthew 7:1 “So then, in everything treat others the same way you want them to treat you, for this is [the essence of] the Law and the [writings of the] Prophets.”

People, your channel to the top or bottom.

1 Samuel 18:5 “And David went out whithersoever Saul sent him, and behaved himself wisely: and Saul set him over the men of war, and he was accepted in the sight of all the people, and also in the sight of Saul’s servants”

One of the important things you can get in life aside God is “people”. People here is used generically to either mean an individual or more. Many people have succeeded in life because of the people factor they handled well, whiles others too have failed because of the people factor they mishandled.

To say that your success in life is predominantly dependent on people is not a mystery. Lot needed Abraham to become wealthy, Noah’s daughters-in-law needed him to survive, Joseph needed Potiphar and Pharaoh to rise, Ruth needed Naomi, Saul needed Samuel, David needed Saul and Jonathan, Paul needed Barnabas, Timothy and Titus needed Paul, and on and on the list goes.

You see, the earlier you humbly admit your need of some persons in your life the better. It may be you mother, father, siblings, friend, or a spouse. Most people today have attained success in life because of some particular people they had in their life. This is why it is important to know and learn how to deal wisely with the people God give you access to.

Never take anything for granted when it comes to dealing wisely with people. Most often than not, many people miss this great opportunity to greatness. For instance an opportunity to serve a great man of God must not be taken lightly, an opportunity to be married by a staunch and industrious Christian must not be taken for granted, an opportunity to have a virtuous lady for a choice of marriage partner must not be taken for granted. Take it or leave it, these are major ways by which God brings most of your prayers into reality.

Your service to just one great and faithful man of God is what may open locked doors for you and your family. You being married to a serious and noble Christian is what can break any demonic cycle of marital challenges in your home. It is only ignorance and pride that make people say things like “me I DON’T need anybody”. Most people, and sadly some Christians have even been caught up in this lie. For David, he knew this truth. He received Saul as his God-sent man, and thus behaved wisely towards him.

You need somebody to make it in life. Because after your prayers, God will touch the hearts of people to bless you. The Bible says, woe is him that is alone (Ecclesiastes 4:10). Men are not God, but there are God-sent men into your life.

Your God – sent man is your somebody. John the Baptist was God-sent to Jesus (John 1:6). Jesus was also God – sent man to his disciples. Philip was the God – sent man to the Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:26 – 39). Your God – sent men are HEAVENLY positioned in your life to bring the best out of you and to help you fulfil destiny. They bring a divine turn around to your life.

Pay heed to the HEAVENLY truth they share with you. Keep them, cherish them and do them good. I see you making it in life with your God – sent man in Jesus name.

Read: Ecclesiastes 4:9 “Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour”