3 July 2011 - ENCS

The Endangered Species series continued this week
On “Intercessors” and prayer Tony Lim did speak
From 1 Thessalonians 5:17, “pray continually”
Rejoice and give thanks, from verse 16 we see
“The action of intervening on behalf of another” is intercession
Praying for others, organisations, or nations in a session
Tony referred to James 5:16 and 1 Timothy 2:1-2
2 Thessalonians 2:1 and Psalm 122:6 too
He shared three ways to ensure that prayer does not die
As well as six misconceptions – each of which is a lie

The first thing we must do is to always prioritise prayer
To “rejoice always”, not giving circumstances a care
As every relationship is rooted in strong communication
With God, we should pray and read the Bible in dedication
There are so many distractions facing us today
Without prioritising prayer, other things get in the way

Misconception number one is that there is no need for prayer
For God has everything planned, whether her or there
But per 1 Kings 18, James 5, Genesis 18, and Exodus 32
Prayer shapes things, resulting in a much better world too
We should think of a “house of prayer” per Isaiah 56:7
Always communicating with our Lord God in heaven
Misconception number two is that we don’t have the time
We should pray first, like tithing with our first dime

The second thing we must do is to practise prayer
We should “pray continuously” – all the time, everywhere
Rafferty then shared his heartfelt testimony
Using Proverbs 3:5-6, his joy in praying is not phony
Another point that his testimony did show
Is that over time, our love for prayer can grow

Misconception number three is that prayer is complicated
By not being sure of what to pray for, doubt is created
But per Romans 5:26 and Ephesians 1:17
Prayer is the best mobile plan ever seen
To God, we can get through right away
Never being disconnected, we can pray all day

“I don’t have the gift of prayer” is misconception number four
But everyone can pray, as what 2 Corinthians 9:8 had in store
That “prayer doesn’t work” is misconception number five
We read from Daniel 10:12 and Luke 18:1 (when Jesus was alive)
God answers all of our prayers, of that we can be sure
With a ‘yes’, a ‘no’, or a ‘wait for later’ to answer
No matter what, when we pray we must believe with faith
We should never be disheartened, Tony did sayeth
Misconception number six is that “I can pray by myself”
Just by reading from the Bible that is kept on the shelf
But per Matthew 18:19-20 and Ecclesiastes 4:12
The role for corporate prayer emerges as we delve

The third thing we must do is to promote prayer
“Giving thanks to God in all circumstances” is only fair
About God’s grace and love we should testify
So that others’ hopes and prayers He can sanctify
And we should share with others when prayers get answered
So that others get encouraged and do not get deterred

In summary, Tony gave us three steps to take
And addressed six misconceptions many make
We should prioritise, practise, and promote our prayer
This is God’s will, for about us He does truly care