Lesson 24: The Will of God in Prayer (Part 1)

Lesson 24: The Will of God in Prayer (Part 1). I once heard of a country preacher who, because of his limited education, never had an opportunity to pastor a large congregation. Most of his pastorates were small community parts of the body of Christ. However, he was in constant demand to hold revivals because of his tremendous soul winning. Wherever he went, a landside of souls resulted. He could go to a church where no one had been saved in years, and great numbers would accept Christ Jesus as Savior. You don't hear too much about many souls accepting Jesus Christ as Savior, what you are hearing about is a great number of entertainments that are going on in which you call church. When he was in his early 60s and still enjoying phenomenal success, someone asked him the secret of his success. "It is a very simple thing, "he told the preacher. "I just apply the same faith to see folks saved as I do to see them healed or to believe God for anything else. It never enters my mind to doubt that people will come to be saved. If doubt did come, I would resist it in the name of Jesus. "I pray, but not more than others do. I do seek God, of course, but I attribute my success in soul winning to one thing: I have confidence the unsaved will come. By the eyes of faith I see the altar filling up with lost souls. And if the meetings doesn't go as well as it should, I don't necessarily increase my praying about it; I just exercise more faith." This preacher was expressing the confidence, the boldness, our Scripture text is talking about, because he knew the will of God in the matter. You don't have to pray to God about saving souls. He's already done that, it's a matter of the souls receiving their salvation. And for that to happen they have to hear the Gospel of salvation. Some people, on the other hand, only look at the circumstances. They say, "no one came to the altar for salvation last night. They probably won't tonight, either." This kind of person is looking at the wrong thing. He or she may pray for souls, but they does not see them coming to Christ. They really don't have confidence that they will come. His or her faith is only in what they can see. WE CAN NULLIFY OUR PRAYER: Often people undo their prayers ! They may have prayed and even asked others to pray, but then they nullify their prayers and the faith of those who are praying with them by speaking negatively. (Proverbs 18:21) "Death and life are in the power of the tongue, and they that love it shall eat the fruit thereof." Talk faith, not doubt ! I once knew a minister who asked me and others to pray for his son. However, at the same time he was requesting prior, he would tell his boy, "you'll never amount to anything. I don't know what in the world I'm going to do with you ! I have done everything I can do. I have prayed and prayed, but it looks like my prayers don't do any good." Have you ever heard any believer say anything like that. This man was confessing defeat and failure rather than victory and faith. He was building doubt and insecurity into his son. This is why so many people have lost their children. As we pray for our children, we must not do anything in our home that would nullify the effects of our prayers. We must build confidence and trust in our children. We must instill a sense of security in them.