KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 12:5 KJV” Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.”

Please read Acts 12 1-17

The following narrative clearly shows that God may not do anything about man’s situation until men pray. Certain individuals in certain conditions seem not to change, yet they ask Do I have to call ceaselessly on God before a change would come? Yes, that is the answer.

In the passage, King Herod took James and killed him. James was one of the three inner core men of Jesus’ ministry. The bible said it pleased the Jews so much that he decided to go for Peter, who happened to be the leader of the church at that time. This was a very big blow to the church. The marginal bible reads as follows: that instant and earnest prayers were made without ceasing unto God for Him. Please note that Peter was arrested before the Passover, and he was to be kept in prison until after Easter, then he would be slain, like Herod did to James. This means these brethren were to pray without ceasing for at least three days or more.

I believe they fasted and prayed as well. These brethren decided that they were not going to allow King Herod to slaughter Peter, too. Please remember that God has given so much authority on this earth to man to determine what God permits or prohibits. Matt 18:18 KJV” Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” If we say no to a condition, heaven would back us and sanction no to it. If we say yes, then heaven’s response would be yes. They kept praying until the last night when he would be killed the next day, then God’s answer came through. Many of us have not gotten answers to our desires because we did not pray through, but stopped halfway through.

Pastor Yonggi Cho, who pastored the world’s largest church, shared a testimony concerning his son, who drank poisoned water with thirty other boys. Sadly, all the boys died. When his son was brought to him, he was almost unconscious and was gradually losing his senses. He started praying, yet the son died. He decided not to give up. He prayed for three hours, but the son did not come back to life. He prayed for another three hours, and the boy instantly vomited the poison as he came back to life. The son said the following after being raised back to life: that, in the dead state, he was with Jesus and wanted to go along with Him, but the Lord told him that his father would not let him die, so he had to go back. Please, dear brother or sister, God has given so much power to Christians. Do not easily give in to challenges or give up; hold your ground till you receive your desired answers.

THOUGHT: IF YOU CAN PERSIST SOME MORE, YOU WOULD KNOW THAT GOD SAYS YES TO YOUR YES.

FURTHER STUDIES

Luk 18:1 KJV “And he spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint;”

1 Thessalonians 5:17 KJV “Pray without ceasing.”