Hi All,
2 Chronicles 7:14 (NKJV) - ''14 if My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land''
I saw and read this post on Facebook by Rev. Emmanuel Baba-Lola and consider it worth sharing. It's a powerful read. Please enjoy
GREATEST PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE
Recently, I started a study on iconic prayer figures of the Holy Bible; men and women who prayed to God and thereby left us a legacy. There is something about the power of examples that is most captivating and expository and I discover that to study these prayer characters is a gold mine. For the lack of space and time, I will only discuss two great prayer examples of the Holy Bible; on the surface they are simple prayers but with great implications and import:
1. Elisha's prayer, "Lord...open his eyes that he may see" (2 Kings 6: 15-20)
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? [16] And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. [17] And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord , I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-17 (KJV)
Apart from the prayer of salvation that catapults a sinner from Satan's kingdom of darkness and eternal damnation to God's kingdom of light and eternal life, there is no prayer in the Bible greater than this one! And this is for the following reasons:
i.) No matter the security, provisions, power, honor, etc that God provides, if you cannot see them then you are as miserable as those without them. Elisha was protected with horses and chariots of fire from the hosts of heaven but his servant was having hypertension because his eyes were closed to the fact. Perhaps you know the Kurt Carr's song, "I almost let go, I was right at edge of breakthrough but couldn't see it..." It was a true life story and he nearly took his own life. How many of God's folks are running from pillar to post, living in misery and sorrow only because they couldn't see into the spirit realm to claim what God has provided.
I recommend that you pray, "I shall not panic or groan or suffer due to a lack of insight and revelation. I shall not suffer the fate of a spiritually blind man. My eyes are open by the Lord, I see clearly; my mountain is full of horses and chariots of fire round about me!"
ii.) Often times, you need open eyes to enjoy God's tender mercies; closed eyes is one reason people collide with God to their eternal destruction! I take Balaam as a study case and Num. 22: 31-33 (KJV) says:
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. [32] And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: [33] And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
From that day forward, Balaam enjoyed the grace of the open eyes. Listen to him in Numbers 24:3-4 (KJV)
And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: [4] He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance , but having his eyes open: (Also see vs 15-16)
Well, Balaam was a tragic figure all the same; scriptures called him a Prophet as well as a Soothsayer! His sin was very grievous because it was willful and fueled by the love of filthy lucre. As a prophet, he was of the finest brand; as a Soothsayer, he was a skunk of the vilest odor. He successfully taught Balaak to lure Israel into sin against its God through a well organized sex orgy. How can?! What could not be achieved through curses is achievable through sin, he instructed. There is a lesson here for all of us: as God's children no one can curse us; it is even suicidal to try to. However, we are the only one that can curse ourselves through sin.
I recommend you pray: "I shall not be blindfolded by lust, greed, love of money or any weakness to kick against my God. When I need God's tender mercy, I have it. I am not Balaam, I shall not go into willful sin against the Lord. I am the one whose eyes are open; I not only hear the words of God but also see the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having my eyes open:
iii.) Sometimes, you need to see through to save your neck and or to get promotion. I take Daniel and Joseph as study cases:
In the second chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the wise men of Babylon destroyed because they failed to tell him an undisclosed dream he had and its interpretation. Daniel and his friends were fighting for their lives when he in verse 18, asked God for mercy to decode the mystery. The fact about life is that others have dreams that could determine your fate! Often times, we bear the brunt of others dreams and ambitions. Hitler had a dream to wipe out Jews and Blacks from Germany. How sweet would it be if this mystery was decoded before it blossom? at least, many would have escaped with their lives.
In the case of Joseph, his insight into Pharaoh’s dream led to his once-in-a-lifetime elevation in ancient Egypt (Genesis 41). By the grace of the open eyes, Daniel and Joseph enjoyed promotion while the former’s life was also saved. Imagine how many precious lives are lost each year to accidents, poisons, conspiracies, etc due to a lack of revelation! Why would a Christian go on a trip and not return?
I recommend that you pray: “I am not a captive of the unknown and tomorrow will not take me by surprise. I am ahead of time because I am connected and constantly online with the God who created time. Therefore, I see dangers too well ahead to fall into them. I am promoted through the grace of the open eyes; I am preserved and protected because I see through God’s eyes.
iv.) Closed eyes make people to thirst to death right beside an ocean. No one illustrate this fact better than Hagar, Abraham’s concubine when she was sent away with her scoffing son was stranded in the wilderness of Beersheba. Water had run out and Hagar submitted to disappear, thirst and looming death. But then this verse:
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink (Gen. 21: 19; NKJV).
Please, note that God did not create this well for Hagar but only “opened her eyes” to see it. Perhaps you’re living in a foreign land where you are not integrated enough to know the ins and outs or know how to identify opportunities around you. Just like you need the Tv and Radio sets to pick the telecoms voices all around you, a lack of spiritually open eyes can deprive you from accessing God’s provisions for your dire situations.
v.) Without God opening our eyes, there is a level of prosperity we cannot enjoy. Read this:
I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel (Isa. 45: 3).
The richest part of the earth is dark and hidden! And it is all God’s to give. No child of God needs to suffer lack or deprivation on this planet. I recommend that you pray, “The treasures of darkness are mine; the hidden riches of secrete places are exposed to me. Therefore, I know that the Lord who calls me by my name is the God of Israel and my God. Therefore, on this planet, my case is different; I cannot know recession, economic downturn, austerity and financial lack. I eat from darkness and I draw from hidden and secrete places.
vi.) Without God opening your eyes, you may be informed and still perish in ignorance. Well, the antidote to ignorance is not always information but revelation. Isaiah was sent to make them hear and see but too dull to understand or perceive. The chief Baker in Genesis chapter 40 was a perfect example. Joseph interpreted his dream to him; so he had information. However, he needed more that information to be delivered; not having any relationship with the God of Joseph entails that he needed revelation to know that Joseph’s God is a deliverer. All he needed to do is to ask him to pray to his God to deliver him--and he would have been saved. Friend, imagine how many things you know God can do but that you are not enjoying from Him. Imagine how many things He has done for others, past and present but that you aren’t enjoying either. Yes, you are informed; but do you have revelation?
Some Scientists read Gen. 30: 37-39 and laugh at the Bible to scorn:
37 Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. 38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.
However, Jacob explained to his wives on how God gave him this revelation that was a miracle for him; it was a personal revelation and without it he would have left his cheating uncle and father-in-law a pauper contrary to Abrahimic covenant that passed on to him (see Gen. 31: 8-13). We often need personal revelation from the Lord, something that works for us and us alone, just like Jacob here. The reason we are often cheated as if we are not backed by God is lack of personal revelation--specific divine instruction for us to overcome personal problems and challenges. Paul said to have so much revelations that God allow Satan to buffet him with a :thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him from boasting. If one man could have as many, why wouldn’t you have any? Oh, we see Paul in Acts 16: 16-18 casting out demonic spirit from a Sorceress saying nice and pleasant words howbeit by the devil. Now, how many of such are in the choir and pulpit today mocking while we think that they are worshipping?
In 1 Cor. 10: 13, we read:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Now, why is the church replete with saints who buckle under pressures of temptations and trials? Why do we have very many backsliders since pour God and Father is so much responsible that He wouldn’t allow temptations greater than our faith? What happens to the way of escape that He always grant to us? The point is that the way of escape isn’t a way at all if we fail to recognize it! Perhaps you’ve heard about the American couple who sold their farm during the gold rush and went to the UK to prospect for gold. After few years of no success they came to the US and decided to visit their former farm but found it cordoned off because the second largest gold deposit in America is found right under the farm! How many ladies are single today because they failed to recognize their God-sent? Christ wept over Jerusalem for failure to recognize its hour of visitation or what amounts to peace. It is awful to have spiritually closed eyes.
Well, did I hear someone asking who is to blame for closed eyes? Are you exonerating yourself that it couldn’t have been your fault since you can’t open your spiritual eyes without divine help? Joel 2: 28-29 says:
28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Lastly, Joel prophesied that prophecy, dreams and visions will characterize the outpouring of the Spirit of God on all flesh. These inspiration and revelation gifts are then one of the signs that we are filled with the Spirit of God. Simply put, Joel said that when we are filled with the Spirit of God, we will not walk in darkness, be without revelation or inspiration. It is therefore, not a privilege but your rights to enjoy the grace of the open eyes.
I recommend that you confess, “I am not an informed ignorant! I speak the word of God and see through God’s eyes. Therefore, I am discernible and discretionary. I always recognize God’s way of escape for me; I see through darkness and I know the vital part of tomorrow by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in me. I am a carrier of uncommon favor and I enjoy personal revelations from the Lord Most High. Therefore, I cannot be stranded, suppressed, oppressed, possessed, chewed up or cut down.
David’s prayer, “O Lord...turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness” (2 Sam. 15: 31-36).
Simply put, this is a prayer against a superior opponent. When it comes to wisdom, Ahithophel, no doubt was superior to David:
23 Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
We all have different areas of weaknesses & strength, hence you're always superior or inferior to someone in certain areas. Your area of weakness is your Achilles heels.
David’s prayer here teaches us a very great importance in treating God’s people who sin. Ahithophel was David’s Counselor (1 Chr. 27: 33); more more than that, Ahithophel was the father of Eliam (2 Sam. 23: 34); Eliam was the father of Bathsheba the wife of Uriah whom David took after killing her husband (2 Sam. 11: 3).
Ahithophel kept quiet but unforgiving and soon afterwards these two men would soon realize a gruesome fact: David was a captive of his sins and it is suicidal for Ahithophel to revisit the sin God had forgiven! God’s people are delicate to deal with as they sin in public but receive pardon in their closet. This is why none of us is to judge anyone; you may be stepping on the blood of Christ!
Even though suffering for his sins, David had a basis to pray to God for help while Ahithophel had no basis because God is never in support of disloyalty and unforgiving spirit. David, standing on Isa. 49: 24-25, prayed God to destroy the wisdom of Ahithophel and God heard the cries of a lawful captive who actually deserved to die!
How many folks are suffering today for their past sin rebellion against God? Yes, your sins were forgiven but what about the consequences on your health, relationship, reputation, work, etc? Sins like sexual immorality, fraud, domestic violence, crime, etc may be forgiven by the Lord but their consequences may hunt you the rest of your life. You therefore, need a prayer for a release from the consequences of your past rebellion.
I recommend: “I have no Achilles heels; God’s grace is makes my weaknesses irrelevant and inconsequential. My Lord Jesus Christ suffered for me and I will not suffer for my sin again. When I need mercy and pardon I get them from the Lord. Therefore, no one can prey on me because of my inadequacies and imperfections”.
Every Christian must pray this prayer of David because there are different kinds of formidable counsels against you by superior opponents, both spiritual & physical. There are different forms of counsels against us that must not be ignored:
a.) The scourge of the tongue
You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,
and need not fear when destruction comes (Job 5: 21, NIV)
In spiritual matters, the lash of the tongue is critical. Notice that the passage above links it with destruction. Tongue-lashing is often associated with verbal rebuke but this depends on the spirituality of the person involved. The scripture also says that a curse without offense will not land (Pro 26: 2). Source of curses is beyond my scope here, but bad-mouthing someone often amount to curses. You therefore, must pray to destroy this kind of counsel against your person.
b.) Hate without cause
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away (Ps 69: 4).
It’s impossible to live on this planet without having enemies even without cause. Some people hate your look, your race, your nation, temperament, success, etc. If you are living outside your country of birth perhaps you can identify with David in the above passage, as you are often time forced to restore that which you did not take away. Satan likes to brew conspiracy against Christians in the place of work and community (also see Ps 35: 19-20). You are now warned.
I saw and read this post on Facebook by Rev. Emmanuel Baba-Lola and consider it worth sharing. It's a powerful read. Please enjoy
GREATEST PRAYERS OF THE BIBLE
Recently, I started a study on iconic prayer figures of the Holy Bible; men and women who prayed to God and thereby left us a legacy. There is something about the power of examples that is most captivating and expository and I discover that to study these prayer characters is a gold mine. For the lack of space and time, I will only discuss two great prayer examples of the Holy Bible; on the surface they are simple prayers but with great implications and import:
1. Elisha's prayer, "Lord...open his eyes that he may see" (2 Kings 6: 15-20)
And when the servant of the man of God was risen early, and gone forth, behold, an host compassed the city both with horses and chariots. And his servant said unto him, Alas, my master! how shall we do? [16] And he answered, Fear not: for they that be with us are more than they that be with them. [17] And Elisha prayed, and said, Lord , I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man; and he saw: and, behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of fire round about Elisha.
2 Kings 6:15-17 (KJV)
Apart from the prayer of salvation that catapults a sinner from Satan's kingdom of darkness and eternal damnation to God's kingdom of light and eternal life, there is no prayer in the Bible greater than this one! And this is for the following reasons:
i.) No matter the security, provisions, power, honor, etc that God provides, if you cannot see them then you are as miserable as those without them. Elisha was protected with horses and chariots of fire from the hosts of heaven but his servant was having hypertension because his eyes were closed to the fact. Perhaps you know the Kurt Carr's song, "I almost let go, I was right at edge of breakthrough but couldn't see it..." It was a true life story and he nearly took his own life. How many of God's folks are running from pillar to post, living in misery and sorrow only because they couldn't see into the spirit realm to claim what God has provided.
I recommend that you pray, "I shall not panic or groan or suffer due to a lack of insight and revelation. I shall not suffer the fate of a spiritually blind man. My eyes are open by the Lord, I see clearly; my mountain is full of horses and chariots of fire round about me!"
ii.) Often times, you need open eyes to enjoy God's tender mercies; closed eyes is one reason people collide with God to their eternal destruction! I take Balaam as a study case and Num. 22: 31-33 (KJV) says:
Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way, and his sword drawn in his hand: and he bowed down his head, and fell flat on his face. [32] And the angel of the Lord said unto him, Wherefore hast thou smitten thine ass these three times? behold, I went out to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse before me: [33] And the ass saw me, and turned from me these three times: unless she had turned from me, surely now also I had slain thee, and saved her alive.
From that day forward, Balaam enjoyed the grace of the open eyes. Listen to him in Numbers 24:3-4 (KJV)
And he took up his parable, and said, Balaam the son of Beor hath said, and the man whose eyes are open hath said: [4] He hath said, which heard the words of God, which saw the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance , but having his eyes open: (Also see vs 15-16)
Well, Balaam was a tragic figure all the same; scriptures called him a Prophet as well as a Soothsayer! His sin was very grievous because it was willful and fueled by the love of filthy lucre. As a prophet, he was of the finest brand; as a Soothsayer, he was a skunk of the vilest odor. He successfully taught Balaak to lure Israel into sin against its God through a well organized sex orgy. How can?! What could not be achieved through curses is achievable through sin, he instructed. There is a lesson here for all of us: as God's children no one can curse us; it is even suicidal to try to. However, we are the only one that can curse ourselves through sin.
I recommend you pray: "I shall not be blindfolded by lust, greed, love of money or any weakness to kick against my God. When I need God's tender mercy, I have it. I am not Balaam, I shall not go into willful sin against the Lord. I am the one whose eyes are open; I not only hear the words of God but also see the vision of the Almighty, falling into a trance, but having my eyes open:
iii.) Sometimes, you need to see through to save your neck and or to get promotion. I take Daniel and Joseph as study cases:
In the second chapter of Daniel, King Nebuchadnezzar ordered all the wise men of Babylon destroyed because they failed to tell him an undisclosed dream he had and its interpretation. Daniel and his friends were fighting for their lives when he in verse 18, asked God for mercy to decode the mystery. The fact about life is that others have dreams that could determine your fate! Often times, we bear the brunt of others dreams and ambitions. Hitler had a dream to wipe out Jews and Blacks from Germany. How sweet would it be if this mystery was decoded before it blossom? at least, many would have escaped with their lives.
In the case of Joseph, his insight into Pharaoh’s dream led to his once-in-a-lifetime elevation in ancient Egypt (Genesis 41). By the grace of the open eyes, Daniel and Joseph enjoyed promotion while the former’s life was also saved. Imagine how many precious lives are lost each year to accidents, poisons, conspiracies, etc due to a lack of revelation! Why would a Christian go on a trip and not return?
I recommend that you pray: “I am not a captive of the unknown and tomorrow will not take me by surprise. I am ahead of time because I am connected and constantly online with the God who created time. Therefore, I see dangers too well ahead to fall into them. I am promoted through the grace of the open eyes; I am preserved and protected because I see through God’s eyes.
iv.) Closed eyes make people to thirst to death right beside an ocean. No one illustrate this fact better than Hagar, Abraham’s concubine when she was sent away with her scoffing son was stranded in the wilderness of Beersheba. Water had run out and Hagar submitted to disappear, thirst and looming death. But then this verse:
Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. And she went and filled the skin with water, and gave the lad a drink (Gen. 21: 19; NKJV).
Please, note that God did not create this well for Hagar but only “opened her eyes” to see it. Perhaps you’re living in a foreign land where you are not integrated enough to know the ins and outs or know how to identify opportunities around you. Just like you need the Tv and Radio sets to pick the telecoms voices all around you, a lack of spiritually open eyes can deprive you from accessing God’s provisions for your dire situations.
v.) Without God opening our eyes, there is a level of prosperity we cannot enjoy. Read this:
I will give you the treasures of darkness
And hidden riches of secret places,
That you may know that I, the Lord,
Who call you by your name,
Am the God of Israel (Isa. 45: 3).
The richest part of the earth is dark and hidden! And it is all God’s to give. No child of God needs to suffer lack or deprivation on this planet. I recommend that you pray, “The treasures of darkness are mine; the hidden riches of secrete places are exposed to me. Therefore, I know that the Lord who calls me by my name is the God of Israel and my God. Therefore, on this planet, my case is different; I cannot know recession, economic downturn, austerity and financial lack. I eat from darkness and I draw from hidden and secrete places.
vi.) Without God opening your eyes, you may be informed and still perish in ignorance. Well, the antidote to ignorance is not always information but revelation. Isaiah was sent to make them hear and see but too dull to understand or perceive. The chief Baker in Genesis chapter 40 was a perfect example. Joseph interpreted his dream to him; so he had information. However, he needed more that information to be delivered; not having any relationship with the God of Joseph entails that he needed revelation to know that Joseph’s God is a deliverer. All he needed to do is to ask him to pray to his God to deliver him--and he would have been saved. Friend, imagine how many things you know God can do but that you are not enjoying from Him. Imagine how many things He has done for others, past and present but that you aren’t enjoying either. Yes, you are informed; but do you have revelation?
Some Scientists read Gen. 30: 37-39 and laugh at the Bible to scorn:
37 Now Jacob took for himself rods of green poplar and of the almond and chestnut trees, peeled white strips in them, and exposed the white which was in the rods. 38 And the rods which he had peeled, he set before the flocks in the gutters, in the watering troughs where the flocks came to drink, so that they should conceive when they came to drink.39 So the flocks conceived before the rods, and the flocks brought forth streaked, speckled, and spotted.
However, Jacob explained to his wives on how God gave him this revelation that was a miracle for him; it was a personal revelation and without it he would have left his cheating uncle and father-in-law a pauper contrary to Abrahimic covenant that passed on to him (see Gen. 31: 8-13). We often need personal revelation from the Lord, something that works for us and us alone, just like Jacob here. The reason we are often cheated as if we are not backed by God is lack of personal revelation--specific divine instruction for us to overcome personal problems and challenges. Paul said to have so much revelations that God allow Satan to buffet him with a :thorn in the flesh” in order to keep him from boasting. If one man could have as many, why wouldn’t you have any? Oh, we see Paul in Acts 16: 16-18 casting out demonic spirit from a Sorceress saying nice and pleasant words howbeit by the devil. Now, how many of such are in the choir and pulpit today mocking while we think that they are worshipping?
In 1 Cor. 10: 13, we read:
No temptation has overtaken you except such as is common to man; but God is faithful, who will not allow you to be tempted beyond what you are able, but with the temptation will also make the way of escape, that you may be able to bear it.
Now, why is the church replete with saints who buckle under pressures of temptations and trials? Why do we have very many backsliders since pour God and Father is so much responsible that He wouldn’t allow temptations greater than our faith? What happens to the way of escape that He always grant to us? The point is that the way of escape isn’t a way at all if we fail to recognize it! Perhaps you’ve heard about the American couple who sold their farm during the gold rush and went to the UK to prospect for gold. After few years of no success they came to the US and decided to visit their former farm but found it cordoned off because the second largest gold deposit in America is found right under the farm! How many ladies are single today because they failed to recognize their God-sent? Christ wept over Jerusalem for failure to recognize its hour of visitation or what amounts to peace. It is awful to have spiritually closed eyes.
Well, did I hear someone asking who is to blame for closed eyes? Are you exonerating yourself that it couldn’t have been your fault since you can’t open your spiritual eyes without divine help? Joel 2: 28-29 says:
28And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions:
29And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit.
Lastly, Joel prophesied that prophecy, dreams and visions will characterize the outpouring of the Spirit of God on all flesh. These inspiration and revelation gifts are then one of the signs that we are filled with the Spirit of God. Simply put, Joel said that when we are filled with the Spirit of God, we will not walk in darkness, be without revelation or inspiration. It is therefore, not a privilege but your rights to enjoy the grace of the open eyes.
I recommend that you confess, “I am not an informed ignorant! I speak the word of God and see through God’s eyes. Therefore, I am discernible and discretionary. I always recognize God’s way of escape for me; I see through darkness and I know the vital part of tomorrow by the power of the Holy Spirit who dwells in me. I am a carrier of uncommon favor and I enjoy personal revelations from the Lord Most High. Therefore, I cannot be stranded, suppressed, oppressed, possessed, chewed up or cut down.
David’s prayer, “O Lord...turn the counsel of Ahithophel into foolishness” (2 Sam. 15: 31-36).
Simply put, this is a prayer against a superior opponent. When it comes to wisdom, Ahithophel, no doubt was superior to David:
23 Now the advice of Ahithophel, which he gave in those days, was as if one had inquired at the oracle of God. So was all the advice of Ahithophel both with David and with Absalom.
We all have different areas of weaknesses & strength, hence you're always superior or inferior to someone in certain areas. Your area of weakness is your Achilles heels.
David’s prayer here teaches us a very great importance in treating God’s people who sin. Ahithophel was David’s Counselor (1 Chr. 27: 33); more more than that, Ahithophel was the father of Eliam (2 Sam. 23: 34); Eliam was the father of Bathsheba the wife of Uriah whom David took after killing her husband (2 Sam. 11: 3).
Ahithophel kept quiet but unforgiving and soon afterwards these two men would soon realize a gruesome fact: David was a captive of his sins and it is suicidal for Ahithophel to revisit the sin God had forgiven! God’s people are delicate to deal with as they sin in public but receive pardon in their closet. This is why none of us is to judge anyone; you may be stepping on the blood of Christ!
Even though suffering for his sins, David had a basis to pray to God for help while Ahithophel had no basis because God is never in support of disloyalty and unforgiving spirit. David, standing on Isa. 49: 24-25, prayed God to destroy the wisdom of Ahithophel and God heard the cries of a lawful captive who actually deserved to die!
How many folks are suffering today for their past sin rebellion against God? Yes, your sins were forgiven but what about the consequences on your health, relationship, reputation, work, etc? Sins like sexual immorality, fraud, domestic violence, crime, etc may be forgiven by the Lord but their consequences may hunt you the rest of your life. You therefore, need a prayer for a release from the consequences of your past rebellion.
I recommend: “I have no Achilles heels; God’s grace is makes my weaknesses irrelevant and inconsequential. My Lord Jesus Christ suffered for me and I will not suffer for my sin again. When I need mercy and pardon I get them from the Lord. Therefore, no one can prey on me because of my inadequacies and imperfections”.
Every Christian must pray this prayer of David because there are different kinds of formidable counsels against you by superior opponents, both spiritual & physical. There are different forms of counsels against us that must not be ignored:
a.) The scourge of the tongue
You will be protected from the lash of the tongue,
and need not fear when destruction comes (Job 5: 21, NIV)
In spiritual matters, the lash of the tongue is critical. Notice that the passage above links it with destruction. Tongue-lashing is often associated with verbal rebuke but this depends on the spirituality of the person involved. The scripture also says that a curse without offense will not land (Pro 26: 2). Source of curses is beyond my scope here, but bad-mouthing someone often amount to curses. You therefore, must pray to destroy this kind of counsel against your person.
b.) Hate without cause
They that hate me without a cause are more than the hairs of mine head: they that would destroy me, being mine enemies wrongfully, are mighty: then I restored that which I took not away (Ps 69: 4).
It’s impossible to live on this planet without having enemies even without cause. Some people hate your look, your race, your nation, temperament, success, etc. If you are living outside your country of birth perhaps you can identify with David in the above passage, as you are often time forced to restore that which you did not take away. Satan likes to brew conspiracy against Christians in the place of work and community (also see Ps 35: 19-20). You are now warned.
c.) Satan’s governmental counsel
12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Eph. 6: 12-13, KJV).
Note the phrase, “rulers of the darkness of this world” which shows that to access the treasures of darkness discussed above requires spiritual breakthrough; also notice the phrase, “spiritual wickedness in high places” which indicates Satan’s policy of wickedness distribution. This is a counsel against every individual human. The use of the word “withstand” and the fact that in this chapter 6 of Ephesians, all the weapons of our warfare is defensive excluding the sword of the Spirit. Again, all our defensive weapons cover the frontal parts excluding the helmet of salvation that also covers the back of the head. This simply illustrate the fact that Satan has been defeated and that the battle is over, that he is the aggressor trying to salvage something out of his utter defeat and that it is safer for us to stand our ground than turn our back in fleet.
d.) Genetic Counsel
At conception our form and traits were randomly selected to form our genetic constitution. Strengths and weaknesses are selected but you notice that there are familial sicknesses that plague the family. The truth is, you my friend reading this line, the sickness that would kill you is already coded in your genes! This is a genetic counsel against you and you can reverse it by praying like David to God! You inherited it during genetic selection & would pass it to your posterity except you receive mercy.
To round up on this prayer on superior opponents, let me remind you of Jacob’s prayer against Esau and Hezekiah’s own against Sennacherib:
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” (Gen. 32: 9-12)
Lesson: when you face a superior opponent, you can’t afford to forget God’s promises for you and you can’t afford to fail to say it out to Him.
13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”
17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’” (Gen. 32: 13-18)
Lesson: the best gifts should belong to your enemies as it fortifies your basis of exercising authority over them. See how David used his benevolence to his enemies to pray against them (Ps 35: 12-14).
15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
17 “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.” (2 Kings 19: 15-19)
Lesson: it is to our advantage when our enemies used contemptuous words against us. Our duty is to use those words against them in prayer like Hezekiah cleverly did above. As a child of God, when people gossip, backbite or revile us to our face, they only gave us ammunition to cut them to size! We also see how David cleverly turned Goliath’s words against him.
41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Sam. 17: 41-47)
12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.
13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand (Eph. 6: 12-13, KJV).
Note the phrase, “rulers of the darkness of this world” which shows that to access the treasures of darkness discussed above requires spiritual breakthrough; also notice the phrase, “spiritual wickedness in high places” which indicates Satan’s policy of wickedness distribution. This is a counsel against every individual human. The use of the word “withstand” and the fact that in this chapter 6 of Ephesians, all the weapons of our warfare is defensive excluding the sword of the Spirit. Again, all our defensive weapons cover the frontal parts excluding the helmet of salvation that also covers the back of the head. This simply illustrate the fact that Satan has been defeated and that the battle is over, that he is the aggressor trying to salvage something out of his utter defeat and that it is safer for us to stand our ground than turn our back in fleet.
d.) Genetic Counsel
At conception our form and traits were randomly selected to form our genetic constitution. Strengths and weaknesses are selected but you notice that there are familial sicknesses that plague the family. The truth is, you my friend reading this line, the sickness that would kill you is already coded in your genes! This is a genetic counsel against you and you can reverse it by praying like David to God! You inherited it during genetic selection & would pass it to your posterity except you receive mercy.
To round up on this prayer on superior opponents, let me remind you of Jacob’s prayer against Esau and Hezekiah’s own against Sennacherib:
9 Then Jacob prayed, “O God of my father Abraham, God of my father Isaac, LORD, you who said to me, ‘Go back to your country and your relatives, and I will make you prosper,’ 10 I am unworthy of all the kindness and faithfulness you have shown your servant. I had only my staff when I crossed this Jordan, but now I have become two camps. 11 Save me, I pray, from the hand of my brother Esau, for I am afraid he will come and attack me, and also the mothers with their children. 12 But you have said, ‘I will surely make you prosper and will make your descendants like the sand of the sea, which cannot be counted.’” (Gen. 32: 9-12)
Lesson: when you face a superior opponent, you can’t afford to forget God’s promises for you and you can’t afford to fail to say it out to Him.
13 He spent the night there, and from what he had with him he selected a gift for his brother Esau: 14 two hundred female goats and twenty male goats, two hundred ewes and twenty rams, 15 thirty female camels with their young, forty cows and ten bulls, and twenty female donkeys and ten male donkeys. 16 He put them in the care of his servants, each herd by itself, and said to his servants, “Go ahead of me, and keep some space between the herds.”
17 He instructed the one in the lead: “When my brother Esau meets you and asks, ‘Who do you belong to, and where are you going, and who owns all these animals in front of you?’ 18 then you are to say, ‘They belong to your servant Jacob. They are a gift sent to my lord Esau, and he is coming behind us.’” (Gen. 32: 13-18)
Lesson: the best gifts should belong to your enemies as it fortifies your basis of exercising authority over them. See how David used his benevolence to his enemies to pray against them (Ps 35: 12-14).
15 And Hezekiah prayed to the LORD: “LORD, the God of Israel, enthroned between the cherubim, you alone are God over all the kingdoms of the earth. You have made heaven and earth. 16 Give ear, LORD, and hear; open your eyes, LORD, and see; listen to the words Sennacherib has sent to ridicule the living God.
17 “It is true, LORD, that the Assyrian kings have laid waste these nations and their lands. 18 They have thrown their gods into the fire and destroyed them, for they were not gods but only wood and stone, fashioned by human hands. 19 Now, LORD our God, deliver us from his hand, so that all the kingdoms of the earth may know that you alone, LORD, are God.” (2 Kings 19: 15-19)
Lesson: it is to our advantage when our enemies used contemptuous words against us. Our duty is to use those words against them in prayer like Hezekiah cleverly did above. As a child of God, when people gossip, backbite or revile us to our face, they only gave us ammunition to cut them to size! We also see how David cleverly turned Goliath’s words against him.
41 Meanwhile, the Philistine, with his shield bearer in front of him, kept coming closer to David. 42 He looked David over and saw that he was little more than a boy, glowing with health and handsome, and he despised him. 43 He said to David, “Am I a dog, that you come at me with sticks?” And the Philistine cursed David by his gods. 44 “Come here,” he said, “and I’ll give your flesh to the birds and the wild animals!”
45 David said to the Philistine, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. 46 This day the LORD will deliver you into my hands, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. This very day I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds and the wild animals, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel. 47 All those gathered here will know that it is not by sword or spear that the LORD saves; for the battle is the LORD’s, and he will give all of you into our hands.” (1 Sam. 17: 41-47)
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