Posted by HH Sir Godfrey Gregg D.Div
Prayer does not change the purpose of God. But prayer does change the action of God.
Prayer is a battle. Sometimes it may not feel like it; other times it is all battle and little joy. The soul delights in prayer. It is how it breathes. The spirit is invigorated through prayer. It is how it gets recharged. The Flesh… well, it’s not too keen on prayer at the best of times. Prayer interrupts its lusts and agenda, putting the things of God ahead of the things of self. The flesh behaves like a small child wanting candy in the checkout line at the grocery store, throwing a tantrum when it’s told no. The child doesn’t like to hear no, and neither does the flesh. So the first battle of prayer is within us. It becomes a discipline. The dividends of persevering and building to a disciplined prayer life will outweigh almost every other endeavour.
This charge I commit to you, son Timothy, according to the prophecies previously made concerning you, that by them you may wage the good warfare. — 1 Timothy 1:18
Prayer is primarily about the conflict. There are two dimensions operating simultaneously, with each seeking to dominate the other.
Paul in the above verse beckons Timothy to war in prayer to have his life line up with the prophetic words of God spoken over his life. Even though these words are the words of God, Paul is reminding Timothy that the Word of God and His will inherent within it do not happen automatically but must be pushed into the place of dominion by our engagement of prayer.
There is a constant battle going on over our heads in the spiritual realm. It is in conflict with angels and demons battling over the souls of mankind. We read words like strongholds in the Bible. Strongholds are always associated with warfare. The enemy has “built places of fortified resistance” (the Oxford dictionary definition of stronghold) in the earth to resist the will of God.
If we were honest, the battle and conflict are not limited to above our heads but rage within our heads and our hearts also. Do you remember the old Donald Duck Disney cartoons where Donald is in a conflict and has a small angel Donald sitting on his right shoulder, but a small devil Donald sitting on his left? One is telling him to do what is right, while the other is telling him to do wrong. Whichever one he obeys determines what happens next in his life. I think Walt Disney captured this truth perfectly.
TO BE CONTINUED ……..
THE MYSTICAL BROTHERHOOD 