READ: 2
SAMUEL 24:10-17
The
greatest impact you can have on people around you is to determine what happens
in their lives through prayer. Prayer can be likened to a powerful dynamo. It
is irresistible. Neighbours, friends, relatives, government leaders and those
who even live outside you sphere of influence can be reached and influenced
through the power of prayer. Prayer is a duty which you cannot afford to
neglect. 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says: “Therefore I exhort, first of all that
supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all
men, for king and all who are in authority, that we may lead a quiet and
peaceable life in all godliness and reverence.” If you do not pray for
God to take control of the lives of your leaders, they can make grievous
mistakes and cause you much trouble. If you intercede for them, you will be
able to live a peaceable and quite life. You must pray for your spiritual
leaders, too. Many of us do not pray for our pastors. 2 Samuel 24:10-15 gives
the story of David when he decided to number the people of Israel. After this event,
God rebuked him and gave him three alternatives to choose from. He chose
pestilence and, in one day, seventy thousand people died. Out of these, not one
died in David’s palace. If your leader fails, you pay a price. If you intercede
for your pastor, he will perform. You must also intercede for husband. Many women
spend all the time telling the world how terrible their husband are, yet never
spare the time to pray for such husbands. All he may need is just prayer to
change him to good husband. You must remember that your husband is the head of
the family. If anything goes wrong with him he will not be the only one who
will suffer. If you love your children, intercede for your husband. Men must
intercede for their wives, too. The easiest way to destroy a man is through his
wife. If anybody wants to poison a man all the person has to do is go through
his wife. The Bible is full of examples of men who fell through their wives. A
classical example is Samson, in Judges 16. If you know all the trouble Abraham had
because he listened to his wife, you will intercede for your wife. As a man, if
you boast of spirituality but leave your wife behind, you are courting trouble.
If a man falls, how far he goes before he stops falling will be determined by
the spiritual height of his wife. We must all cultivate the habit of lifting up
one another through prayer. The more you pray for those who are close to you,
the more you will witness the fruit of your prayer. How many names do you have
on your prayer list?
MEMORIZE:
JAMES 5:17 –Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly
that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six
months.
