08/12/2011 - THE IMPORTANCE OF PERSEVERANCE

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…praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints…

Ephesians 6:18

Prayer plays a key role in the life of he who becomes a conqueror in the Gospel. Those who pray correctly realize that the Almighty is with them as He was with the servants of the past, and as a result they become good examples to the unsaved. On the other hand, the person who does not learn to pray the right way simply goes through life without success. For this kind of person, walking with the Lord becomes burdensome, hard and without much importance. Moreover, the example that he or she sets for the lost ones is not good, after all he/she takes no pleasure in the Christian faith.

We ought to pray at all times, especially when we are guided to doing it or when we are being tempted. The prevailing prayer is that of faith, which has as its basis what we learn in the Scriptures. It is the only prayer answered by God, so we must say this prayer even if we have already done it several times in one day. You see, this prayer is not a repetition of what we have already said at other times, but rather an expression of what we believe in our hearts. Before evil attacks or once an opportunity presents itself, the right thing to do is to remind ourselves of what the Almighty says in His Word concerning a particular subject and pray with firmness of purpose.

The prayer of faith for us to receive blessings varies according to our purpose: if we seek the baptism in the Holy Spirit, we must not cry out like we do when we want divine healing; if we want the deliverance of the oppressed, we must also pray in a way different than when we ask for prosperity. However, regardless of what we pray for, we must pray with faith, having the Word of God as our foundation.

The prayer of petition is a minor prayer, the expression of a wish. For example, when we are working or doing something else and someone comes to our mind, we must ask for divine help on that person’s behalf at that very moment, saying: \”Father, bless him or her.\” The petition and the prevailing prayer should be made in the Spirit – in accordance with the understanding that the Holy Spirit gives us or when we feel God\’s presence because at that time we are in contact with the Spirit of the Lord.

After we pray, it is of paramount importance to be on the alert concerning what we have asked for. If we cry out for something outside God\’s will, we will not receive an answer, but if we pray according to what has been revealed, it is impossible for God to withhold His blessing. In fact, the enemy will endeavor to ensure that we do not receive what the Almighty has for us, but in Christ what was revealed to us is already ours! All we have to do is to watch lest Satan uses his trickery and robs us of the victory. We have to be watchful with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints.

In Christ with love,

R. R. Soares