Flip The Switch

By Mari Li
Follow Mari on Facebook
Manila, Philippines
PRINCIPLES OF FAITH

When God determined to destroy the Israelites for their golden calf stunt, 

“‘And Moses besought the LORD his God, and said, LORD, why doth thy wrath wax hot against thy people, which thou hast brought forth out of the land of Egypt with great power, and with a mighty hand? Wherefore should the Egyptians speak, and say, For mischief did he bring them out, to slay them in the mountains, and to consume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce wrath, and repent of this evil against thy  people.  Remember Abraham, Isaac, and Israel, thy servants, to whom thou swarest by thine own self, and saidst unto them, I will multiply your seed as the stars of heaven, and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your seed, and they shall inherit it for ever. (Ex. 32:11–13).

I'm looking at Moses on Mount Sinai as not calm and quiet, with folded hands and a serene expression. I see him on his face one minute, in God’s the next. He’s on his knees, pointing his finger, lifting his hands. Shedding tears. Shredding his cloak. Wrestling like Jacob at Jabbok for the lives of his people.

And God heard him! “And the LORD repented of the evil which he thought to do unto his people.” (Ex. 32: 14 ).

Beloved....Our passionate prayers move the heart of God. “........The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” (James 5:16). Prayer does not change God’s nature; who HE is will never be altered. Prayer does, however, impact the flow of history.

God has wired his world for power, but HE calls on us to flip the switch. 

Most of us struggle with prayer.  We forget to pray, and when we remember, we hurry through prayers with hollow words. Our minds drift; our thoughts scatter like a covey of quail. Why is this? Prayer requires minimal effort. No location is prescribed. No particular clothing is required. No title or office is stipulated. Yet you’d think we were wrestling a greased pig. LOL!

Speaking of pigs, Satan seeks to interrupt our prayers. I really do think that our battle with prayer is not entirely our fault. The devil knows the stories; he witnessed the angel in Peter’s cell and the revival in Jerusalem. He knows what happens when we pray. 

“For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strong holds;” (2 Cor. 10:4 ).

Satan is not troubled when  preach or do ministry, but his knobby knees tremble when YOU PRAY. Satan does not stutter or stumble when you walk through church doors or attend committee meetings, this conference and that summit. Demons aren't flustered when you read a christian book. But the walls of hell shake when one person with an honest heart and faithful confession says, “Oh, God, how great Thou art.” Satan keeps you and me from prayer. He tries to position himself between us and God. But he scampers like a spooked puppy when we move forward open our mouth and pray. So let’s do it....

"Every time I pray I move the hands of God; my prayer does the things my hands cannot do".

Let’s pray, first.....walking the streets to feed the hungry? Be sure to bathe your mission in prayer.Working to disentangle the knots of injustice? Pray. Weary with a world of racism and division? So is God. And HE would love to talk to you about it. Pray! Let’s pray, most. Did God call us to preach without ceasing? Or teach without ceasing? Or have committee meetings or programmes without ceasing? Or sing without ceasing? NO, but HE did call us to “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess. 5:17).

Did Jesus declare: My house shall be called a house of study? Fellowship? Music? A house of exposition? A house of activities and conferences and programmes? NO, but HE did say, “....My house shall be called of all nations the house of prayer.....” (Mark 11:17).

No other spiritual activity is guaranteed such results. “Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.(Matt 18:19) . GOD is moved by the humble, prayerful heart. "Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving; Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of utterance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds:" (Colossians 4:2–3 )

Have you ever thought what happens when you pray, “Thy kingdom come?,”... you’re simply saying, “God, come. come into this part of my life that’s broken. come into this part of my home that’s evil. Step into that relationship where there’s incest. Go over there where there’s adultery. Deal with that problem of pornography. Where there is drug addiction, be Lord. Wherever there’s challenge. Wherever there’s something evil, I need You to come.” And we surrender and say, “I can’t do it anymore; I’ve got a relationship I can’t figure out; I’ve got kids I can’t understand; I’ve got parents who don’t listen to me; Please. Please, God! Come, kingdom of GOD!” 

You’re storming the gates of heaven. And you’re saying, “God, I need you to come, and I need You to come now!”

If you are thinking....Who am I to make such a bold request of God?” Let me tell you who you are. You’re HIS child. You’re HIS creation. And HE just waits for you to come and say, “Thy Kingdom Come! The most reliable, the most confident step you can make, is the step of prayer. Therefore, when you come into the presence of God, don’t come whimpering, don’t come calloused, don’t come sleepy, don’t offer these insomnia prayers. Come to Him and come boldly into the presence of God. That’s what the Hebrew writer says. “So let us come boldly to the very throne of God.”

And I would go as far as to say this, beloved, that a day that passes that you don’t invite God’s kingdom to come into your world is a day wasted. That’s your highest call. That’s your most noblest task, that when you are called, when you stand before God, He lowers that scepter and He invites you to reach out and touch it. And upon touching that scepter, He’s saying to you, “What is it that you want? I will hear you.” Let us then come boldly into the presence of God—boldly, young people—boldly, mothers—boldly, fathers—boldly, older saints—boldly. May God raise up out of HIS church people who just live in HIS presence . May HE just turn us into a bunch of praying people.

What isJesus is doing right now? Jesus right now is interceding for you and me.

Think about this....HE spent three years preaching; HS’s spent the last 2000 years praying. See how important prayer is in the kingdom of God? That’s why you’re assigned your family. That’s why you’re assigned that work place. That’s why you are there—to be a constant sense of the presence of God in that workplace. And to quietly all day long to be saying, “Come, Thy kingdom. Come here.” That secretary that’s grumpy, “Come.” That boss who’s cranky, “Come.” And you will permeate that place with the very presence of God.

That’s what you’re called to be. That’s what you’recalled to do.

Jesus knew the power behind prayer, because HE was the One who would get up early in the morning. HE was the One who would spend all night in prayer. HE was the One who went to the Garden of Gethsemane and recruited three prayer partners who fell asleep while HE was praying. He was the One who urged us to always pray in Luke 18:1 and never lose hope. HIS timing may be different. HIS approach may be different, but you can bet when you come into His presence, HE lowers the scepter.....

And when you come into the presence of God, He lowers that scepter, because you are His bride, because you are His child. And He says, “Ask and it shall be given to you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and the door shall be open to you.” And you then ask the greatest request that any Christian has ever asked. You skip all this stuff about pay raises and Cadillacs and new houses, and you go right to the heart of it and you say, “Come, kingdom. Come. 

Make Your presence known in my house, in my heart, in my church, in my work. Come, kingdom. Don’t let my children grow without knowing of Your kingdom. Don’t let my work day pass without knowing of Your kingdom. Come, Kingdom.”

And all the while you’re praying, Satan, is starting to sneak out the side exit. And he begins to feel his collar getting tight. And he can anticipate that noose that’s beginning to tighten around his neck. Because that’s what happens when God’s people pray.......