Praying Through
How many knows that the God that we serve is the same yesterday, today, and forever.
Knowing that God is the same, yesterday, today and forever, how many knows that God’s methods don’t change? If I am one who loves the old saints.
I have a lot of books on the old saints. I have studied them, their messages, their mannerisms. I have read about them, looked at their quotes, and read how they carried themselves. Through my research I have seen how God has used them in such a powerful way.
One thing I have noticed that has disappeared from the body of Christ is the lost art of travail and praying through. It seems now that the body of Christ is always trying to keep up with the world, which in a sense is a good thing, and a bad thing.
I believe that the reason the church itself isn’t where it should be is because we have gotten lazy in our prayer life, and we don’t even know what travail and praying through really is.
Travail (Natural Websters Deff)
Very hard work, the pains of childbirth, intense pain, agony, to toil, to suffer.
Travail (Spiritual)
Intense intercession given by the Holy Spirit whereby an individual or group is gripped by something that grips God’s heart. The individual or group labors with Him for an opening to be created so that the new life can come forth.
Gal 4:19
My little children, for whom I labor in birth again until Christ is formed in you
We see here that Paul is travailing for the new church.
If we look at what the definition of travail is, we got to take a look at our prayer life, and see what kind of prayer are we offering up to heaven.
You see, the old saints may have made some mistakes, but one thing they did know, they knew how to get God’s attention. I think today we wonder where the power is, we wonder why the body of Christ is always sick, is always powerless, and we wonder why there is no real move of God. I think we may blame God, but the fact of the matter is we got to put the blame on ourselves.
I think that we focus to much on the things that we want, instead of the things God wants. I am not here saying to stop praying for things, but if we are praying to God to give us more things that we are praying for the lost and dying than something is wrong.
Saints of old would sprawl out along the alters and cry out for God to move. The old saints would fast, they would cry out to God, they would travail, until God showed up on the scene.
We wonder why this new generation of youth is getting so bad. Can I tell you why? Because this generation hasn’t seen a real move of God.
I believe that if we emptied the schools and brought them to Church and God moved the way He wanted to move, they would never miss church, there wouldn’t be so much junk going on. Kids would get off of drugs, the clubs and bars would have to close down, and the churches would always be full.
Charisma magazine did an article on why the American church isn’t growing, and they talked to some different people.
Chinese Christian said this “I am amazed at how much the church in America can accomplish without the Holy Spirit.”
Ladies and gentlemen, I am scared to know the results of those who don’t have a clue what the word travail really means, what praying through really means.
God has set the body of Christ apart as a Holy people, a people that shouldn’t be in the state we are in today. We got to get back on our knees, we have got to look back at what the saints of old did to get God to move.
What happened on the day of Pentecost? In one day 3,000 people were added to the church, in 1 day. There is something about the presence and the power of God that draws people. ]
Look at Benny Hinn’s meetings. God always shows up, thousands get healed. Why? Because the Presence and the Power of God shows up.
JOHN G LAKE STORY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
South Africa a fever epidemic broke out for a stretch of 350 miles.
In one month, 1/4 of the entire population of that district were dead. They organized an army to dig mass graves, but they were dying at such a high rate, they couldn’t get enough wood to burry people.
John G Lake and the man travailing and praying through.
This church will never be full unless we have a burden to see it full.
Just to add this, travailing is not just for revival or a move of God, but you can actually travail for yourself. Rather it be sin, bad habits, whatever the case, you can travail for yourself.
- MY travailing in Tulsa
Luke 23:39-26
Prayer at Gethsemene
Gethsemene means oil press- This is a place where they wold crush olives and squeeze the oil to make olive oil.
Is that not what Jesus did? The very life was squeezed out from him during this time of travail.
Luke 22:41
withdrew literally means “tore himself away” evidence of what it cost Him to leave His disciples and fight this battle alone.
Luke 22:44
And his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.
This is a true condition
Hematidrosis- Severe anxiety that causes the release of chemicals that break down capillaries in the sweat glands. As a result, there’s a small amount of bleeding into the sweat glands, than the sweat is mixed with blood.
Jesus was travailing because of the cup of the wrath of God that we was about to drink. The weight of sin was, and what He had to face literally tore Him down.
I am not looking for marters, but saints, we got to carry some burdens for the lost, and for the backslider.
Proverbs 24:11
Deliver those who are drawn towards death, and hold back those stumbling to the slaughter.
How do we hold them back? If there is no way that we can contact people, we got to pray through for them, we got to stand in the gap for them.
Praying through will get you answers to prayer. That means not stopping until you break forth into heaven.
If the Son Of God prayed so fervently to God for this world, and for what He ahd to do, We need to be obedient and powerful prayer warriors who will bombard the devils dominion.
The Lord is calling this house to be a place of intense intercession for the lost, and for the backslider. Pastor said that when he got to Atlanta, and saw that the church only had about 12 people, he wanted to close the doors, but the Lord told Pastor that He needed this church.
I believe that we are going to see some great things, but only if we press on. Souls are at stake in this town, in this county, and it’s up to the body of Christ to travail for the lost and dying.
The bartender who is pouring drinks to the town drunks don’t have the good news, it’s us. The meth house doesn’t have the answers to life, it’s us.
Travail is a sacrifice. It’s not something that is a lot of fun, it’s not something that is easy, but it’s necessary.
There is a reason that when I get up here and speak, that God speaks to me about revival, breakthrough, His Power, His Glory, it’s not because I just feel like giving these messages, this is from the throne room of God, and this is my assignment.
If we are to see revival, we need you here Sunday mornings at 9AM. We need you ready to pray, ready to lay it all out before God. We need some of you church mothers to help lead.
The youth in this church has to be taught how to pray right, and how to be affective. We got to get our eyes off of us, and onto this dying world.
Let me say one last thing before I close.
We had a Prophetic word last Sunday night concerning this church, and it wasn’t the 1st that we have heard. If we are obedient in this, we will see this place full, we will see miracles like never before. The deaf will hear, the lame will walk, the blind will see.
