Sunday, February 8, 2015

VICTORY OVER FAMILY CRISIS THROUGH FASTING AND PRAYER

SCHOOL OF DISCIPLES
VICTORY OVER FAMILY CRISIS THROUGH FASTING AND PRAYER . 
TEXT. Isaiah 51:1 "Hearken to me, ye that follow after righteousness, ye that seek the Lord: look  unto the rock whence ye are hewn, and to the hole of the pit  whence ye are  digged. 2 Look unto Abraham your father, and unto Sarah  that bare you: for I  called him alone, and blessed him, and increased him. 3 For the Lord shall  comfort Zion: he will comfort all her waste places; and he will make her  wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and  gladness shall be found therein, thanksgiving, and the voice of melody".
       The journey of self realization is a personal one, and until one overcomes the crisis of human numbers( following the crowd) ,a life of faith in God will be impossible. History has shown , that  "the majority" in humanity is often wrong in the pursuits of righteousness.
          This stems from the crisis of arrogance and presumptiousness. Every person who had failed in the arena of faith was a victim of arrogance and presumptiousness. Arrogance or pride leads to a fall. Presumptiousness is the parent of foolishness.
Fasting and prayer destroys arrogance and presumptiousness . The psalmist says he humbled himself with a fast. Psalm35:13 "But as for me,  when they were sick, my clothing was sackcloth: I humbled my soul with  fasting; and my prayer returned into mine own bosom.  "
and James 4.6 "But he  giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth  grace unto the humble. 7 Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil,  and he will flee from you."
            The human body is averse to anything that partains to spiritual virtues, they are contrary to each other. Therefore , we need to develop self discipline by the holy ghost through the word of God in other to bring our body under the subjection of the spirit of God.
  The apostle Paul says, 1 Corinthians 9: 27" But I keep under my  body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have  preached to others, I myself should be a castaway. " Body control is easily attained by being accountable to a superior or matured Christian , and faith is revived through this leading to a restoration of healing and prosperity.
James5: 13 -16 "Is any among you  afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among  you? let him call for the elders of the church; and let them pray over him,  anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord: And the prayer of faith shall  save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins,  they shall be forgiven him. Confess  your faults one to another, and pray  one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a  righteous man availeth much."
                Until one submits himself to the authority of an elder or mature Christian in faith , ones prayers will be ineffective as depicted by the word "PRAY OVER HIM "and "ANOINTING HIM WITH OIL.".  Elders pray "OVER " and not under. And you have to be "UNDER " to be prayed for "OVER" . That's why the first thing Satan does before destroying a Christian is by removing such a fellow from under the stipulated authority or place of accountability .
        You don't choose the church you attend  ,God knows your situation and sends you to a pastor trained to handle such a situation. He or she may not be perfect but has a wealth of experience in handling your type of personality  . Jeremiah 3.15 "And I will give you pastors according to mine heart, which shall feed you  with knowledge and understanding."
             If you want to avoid failure in marriage , you have to attend a church where family discipline in love is never compromised with. A church full of "sweet talk" could ruin your marriage. There are those who hate pastors that speak on "holiness and righteous living" and change church erratically , such persons expose their families to immorality and calamity and soon end up in divorce. [NLT] Isaiah 30:10 -14 "They tell the seers, ?Stop seeing visions!? They tell the prophets, ?Don?t tell us what is right. Tell us nice things. Tell us lies. Forget all this gloom. Get off your narrow path. Stop telling us about your ?Holy One of Israel.??This is the reply of the Holy One of Israel: ?Because you despise what I tell you and trust instead in oppression and lies, calamity will come upon you suddenly? like a bulging wall that bursts and falls. In an instant it will collapse and come crashing down.You will be smashed like a piece of pottery? shattered so completely that there won?t be a piece big enough to carry coals from a fireplace or a little water from the well.?"
As you read this now receive freedom from every satanic manipulation over your life and be healed in your finances, marriage , ministry in Jesus name.