Pray It Out

“The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” — James 5:16

For prayer to be truly effective, it must be consistent. Prayer is not always about a single moment of asking; often it is about persistent engagement with God until what has been spoken  becomes visible in reality.

Think of it this way: when you want to break through a wall using a hammer, the first strike does not bring the wall down. The wall falls because of the consistent blows applied with force. Each strike weakens the structure until eventually the wall collapses.

Prayer works in a similar way. Each time you pray, you are applying spiritual force. You may not see immediate results, but every prayer you make is making an impact in the spirit.

Jesus said:

“From the days of John the Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.” — Matthew 11:12

This scripture speaks of spiritual determination. To birth the miracles, answers, and breakthroughs you desire, you must approach prayer with persistence and spiritual intensity; violence. There are moments when the answer has already been released by God, but its manifestation is tied to our ability to remain steadfast in prayer through times and seasons. So what do you do then;

Do not grow weary.

Do not faint.

Do not stop halfway.

Keep insisting, praying and pressing.

Sometimes the difference between manifestation and delay is to say the prayer one more time.

So whatever you are trusting God for today—pray it out.

Stay Revived!

God’s Greatest Investment

It is very easy for us to want to do the next big thing. We begin searching for resources externally, and most times we forget to look inward for what we are already able to draw out.

Today, I took a walk into the book of Luke 9:13:

Luke 9:13 (GNB)

“But Jesus said to them, ‘You yourselves give them something to eat.’

 They answered, ‘All we have are five loaves and two fish. Do you want us to go and buy food for this whole crowd?’”

In that moment, I felt like the disciples. How could I possibly feed such a large crowd? I would run up and down looking for what I do not have, emphasizing my lack, while forgetting what I already possess.

Even when the Master says, “Give them something to eat,” my response would be, “But what do I have?” Yet when Jesus gives an instruction, it is because He has already seen the bigger picture.

Most of the time, our prayer should be:

“Lord, help me see from Your perspective. Help me see the way You see, hear the way You hear, and think the way You think.”

So that when there is a crowd to feed, I will look inward and believe that right inside of me is the miracle seed.

In moments when we feel we have nothing to give and we are looking to God for a “big bang” strategy, He is saying to us, “You, give them something to eat.”

Our first thought is often, “If I can just get this… If I can get that degree… If I can reach out to this person, then I will succeed.” But God is saying, “I have invested so much inside of you. If only you would look within.”

There is so much you can give to this generation. If you will acknowledge what you consider “little,” God is able to give you the strategy for building and expansion.

Sometimes we want the next instruction, but it does not come because we have failed to acknowledge what we already have.

Can you look within you?

Have you truly looked within?

Let this be our prayer:

“Lord, may I always see what I am able to give to a generation.”

Stay revived!

Seek the Bread of Life not just the Bread.

Very often, we go where we feel comfortable — where we sense comfort. We believe that being “comfort” is enough. But we forget that everything has a price. A price was paid for your liberty, your freedom, and your redemption. Yet these redemption rights may not be fully enjoyed if we continue chasing the wrong things.

When you chase after bread instead of the Bread Giver, what you receive is bread for a moment. You only postpone the hunger. You eat, but you never learn how it was made. You are filled temporarily.

When Jesus fed the five thousand with five loaves and two fish, the people were amazed. They loved the food even more than the signs they witnessed. Beneath their amazement was something else they had discovered: what seemed like a free way to eat without labor.

In the Gospel of John 6:22–26, the crowd searched for Jesus after He had left. When they found Him, He said:

“Very truly I tell you, you are looking for me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill.”

This is how many of us live. We seek provision but not the Provider. We pursue miracles but not the Miracle Worker. We desire light in our business, careers, and families, yet we ignore the Light Giver.

Are we not like those men? They sought bread to satisfy their stomachs but failed to recognize the Bread of Life standing before them. Though they had read the scrolls, they could not discern Him until He revealed Himself as the Bread of Life.

Life is filled with many kinds of hunger. The desires of the heart seem endless. We often believe we will be satisfied when we achieve something or obtain something. Yet when we finally get it, another longing rises.

The truth is, the hunger is deeper than what we can see.

Jesus declares in the Gospel of John 6:35:

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”

What we truly need is the kind of food that satisfies the soul — the presence of Christ. When we feed daily at His table, we begin to realize that our hunger was never just physical or material. It was spiritual. It was for Him.

Jesus desires to fill every nook and cranny of your spirit, your life, and your soul. He is the Light that causes you not merely to survive, but to live triumphantly.

Come to the Bread of Life today.

Stay Revived!

...But If You Say So, I Will Let It Down

‎Have you ever been at a spot that requires the knowledge and experience you've got but still your failures stood glaring?

‎

‎As studied the book of Luke, I actually looked at this story again, the one were disciples had toiled all night but still had nothing.

‎

‎To me who easily got weary I got to pause, Jesus didn't just give them a testimony he marked a season, a limelight for the generation that would come after.

‎

‎Luke 5:5 (GNB)

‎“Master,” Simon answered, “we worked hard all night long and caught nothing. But if you say so, I will let down the nets.”

‎There are moments when we do not need to question the wisdom of the instructions God has given us.

‎

‎“But God, I started this business three times and it failed.

‎I gave this marriage a chance—we went to therapy, we prayed—and still it failed.

‎I applied for the job, and they never called me.

‎I’ve tried to correct this child over and over again, and nothing changes.”

‎Like Simon, we can analyze our facts and recount our failures. But must it end with, “I am not going again”?

‎

‎Can we choose instead to say, “But if You say so, I will go”?

‎I try to imagine the minds of these men. After working all night and catching nothing, I would not want to go again. I would grumble and complain. “I’ve searched this spot over and over. There is nothing there.”

‎

‎But Jesus says, “Can you go again? Can you try again—not out of fear, but with just a little faith?”

‎It does not matter if you have proof of every failure you have experienced. What matters is the One who is asking you to go again.

‎Like Simon, today I say,

‎“Lord, I have walked this path. I am frustrated, flustered, and even ashamed. I am known as the best, the professional—yet here I am, facing failure. But I believe that even this is so I may know that Yahweh is God.

‎

‎If You say I should throw the net again, I will throw it. Why? Because You said it.

‎My faith is not in my experience, not in the people I know, not in my knowledge or the skills I have gathered. It is in You. You are my confidence.

‎

‎If You have spoken, I will obey.

‎Let my ears be open to hear You in the very places that have broken me. Jesus is saying, ‘Go again.’ And this time, I am going with You. My work is my bond."

‎

‎Stay Revived!