Before we go into prayer fully, there is a need for us to know some things about our focus so that we won’t pray in the wrong direction which does not guarantee answers. Trust me this has been one of the major challenges of many Christians, they can pray from now till Jesus comes but yet with no result. And you see another person with short time of prayer, short prayer point and he sees result.
The differences is not farfetched, it is the matter of understanding. If you think we are just going to go straight into prayer, that means we are here to play soccer with our mouth. That is why this meeting is tagged PRAYER CONFERENCE. You can just be shouting God kill my enemy when you don’t know the causes and effect of what your enemy has done to you.
I mean you can’t just carry hammer and say you want to break barrier, when you don’t have the understanding of the barrier because that is what will determine the type of hammer you will use.
For this edition of Prayer conference our focus is CONTRAVENTION – Breaking Barriers. For us to break any kind of barrier through our prayer altar there is a need for us to know that it is the Value of Understanding Couple with Faith that results into breaking barriers.
I will treat Value of Understanding today, and then will take Couple with faith and we focus on Breaking Barriers on the last day.
VALUE OF UNDERSTANDING
Some barriers can never be broken until the value of this force is understood.
However, you need to understand that God does not answer prayer, he has never answered prayer and he will never answer prayer.
Why?
Because he knows our predicament even before we pray. In fact he can answer us before we ask. Ephesians 3:20. So if he can answer us before we pray, then why the prayer?
Prayer as it is is a medium of exchange. What God answers is what backs your prayer.
Money as a medium of exchange for example, is just a mere paper but what backs it is the constitution law, value given to it. This can represent many valuable things like Gold, services and other material things.
In the same vein what gives answer to your prayer is the force that backs it. There are basically two forces.
1. The Force of Value
God does not answer prayer that does not have VALUE backing it up. That is why you will see many non believers getting answer to prayer; you think God does not know what he is doing?
You see, the force of Value is mostly attached to covenant, do you part and I will do mine, irrespective of the person involved.
For example, I entered into a bookstore and I get a book by paying for that book. Now, getting that book does not attach to who I am, either I can read it or not. The most important is that I have been able to provide payment for that book, in fact they are not interested if I stole the money or not.
You know what, what gives me access to that book is the value of money I offered, so the seller does not have choice than to sell the book to me. Irrespective of who I am. Thee is a covenant; bring money and take the book.
Look at Cornelius for example in Act: 10, his prayed was answered based on the alms he do give, that is in verse 31. Cornelius was a centurion and not a pastor, infact he still lack some understanding about spiritual things that is why he sent for Peter.
But here we are, we know everything about the bible but yet our prayer lacks value!
2. The Force of Merit
This force is basically applicable to believers; many of us think we can pray, that is why we have been seing answer to our prayer. Let me tell you that most of your prayers are nothing before God but because of the force of Merit God had to grant answers to prayer.
At this juncture when you pray, what God considers ‘why should we answer this guy?’ ‘Okay, he is born again, he goes to church, he is a dedicated worker, he praises me, and he speaks in tongues’. God will now be like Okay ‘let’s answer him’. That is prayer based on merit.
Using the example of getting a book in the bookstore; Is like you entered and tell the seller that you father is the owner of the bookstore, so you need a book. Before you can have access to that book, the person would have his researches on who you are confirming if you are truly the son or not.
The Force of Merit is always dependant on WHO YOU ARE!
You need to know that there are some prayer God does not answer based on Merit but on value (the covenant) and also there some payer God cannot answer based value but on merit (WHO YOU ARE). because covenant at times can be broken.
There are also some Prayer God can only answer on the combination of Value and Merit. Abraham is one of the person that get answers to such prayer because he combines the two. He can give, he is covenanted with God and also has the Merit, he knows God (Who he is). And that is what we Christians should leverage on.
For you to break depth you have to understand force of Value and Merit!
Lets prayer
1. Now begin to tell God to open your eyes of understanding so that you won’t pray amiss James 4:3
2. Tell God to give you the grace keep adding value so that it won’t stand against you on the altar of prayer. Act 10: 31
It was the value of Cornelius that gives answers to his prayer.
It was the value of Dorcas that brought her back to life Acts 9:39
3. Tell God to enlighten you more on who you are so that you can leverage on it on the prayer altar.
4. Ask God for this grace to be like Abraham who has all it takes to get answers to his prayer.
Either by Value or Merit.
No Wonder Abraham found it so easy to negotiate with God from 50 people down to 10 people and God did not get angry with him. It is because he combined the Value with the Merit.
It will be difficult for you to break barrier without this two Forces; Value and Merit.
Give him thanks.
Now that we have dealt with the Value of Understanding i.e Merit and Value lets quick move to Couple with Faith.
Aphorism CITY 