Pre-emptive Prayer
Mark 2:28,29 Then Jesus went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, “Why weren’t we able to force that evil spirit out?” Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can be forced out only with prayer and fasting.”
Prayer is one of those things that makes people feel guilty. We know we should pray more … we know that, but somehow … well, you know how it goes. And yet the lack of prayer in many a person’s life leads to a lack of power.
You know what they say … if all else fails, pray. And frankly, that’s how many of us treat prayer. And sure, God will often show up in a crisis. But the most powerful form of prayer is pre-emptive prayer – the sort of prayer we pray ahead of time, not knowing what’s going to befall us during today or tomorrow.
Now a lot of people, I know, find it difficult to pray. The main excuse is, “I don’t have time”. And yet, think of it this way – how much more time would you have on your hands if during the day you had the power of God to deal with the things that you yourself couldn’t deal with, hmm?
There was a time when Jesus’ disciples tried to cast a demon out of a young boy, and they discovered that they couldn’t. They didn’t have the power.
Mark 9:28,29 Then Jesus went into the house. His followers were alone with him there. They said, “Why weren’t we able to force that evil spirit out?” Jesus answered, “That kind of spirit can be forced out only with prayer and fasting.”
Now, just think about that for a moment. They’re out there – a father brings his young son along who’s convulsing and carrying on and manifesting a demon – when do you have time for prayer and fasting? The answer is, you don’t.
It’s something you do pre-emptively. Because of your earnest prayer beforehand, you’re already in a place where you have the power to do what’s needed.
Earnest, pre-emptive prayer. That’s where the power is.
That’s God’s Word. Fresh … for you … today.
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