Life Capsule for Today Date: 23rd October, 2023
Theme: Basic Elements of Effective Prayer (2)
Topic: Principle of sowing and reaping
Memory Verse: Matt 7:7-8
7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.
Text: Matt 7:9-12
Mat 7:9 Or what man is there of you, whom if his son ask bread, will he give him a stone?
Mat 7:10 Or if he ask a fish, will he give him a serpent?
Mat 7:11 If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him?
Mat 7:12 Therefore all things whatsoever ye would that men should do to you, do ye even so to them: for this is the law and the prophets.
Words of the Ministry
Today we continue on the study on the basic elements of effective prayers, we started yesterday by looking at faith, another quite crucial element that needs to be considered to make our prayers effective can be seen in the text and especially in the 12th verse. Following the assurance of answered prayer and the comparisons of man’s unfaithfulness to God’s faithfulness, we notice a kind of switch in the Lord’s statement as he said whatever you want men to do to you do to them.
A casual reader might not connect the verse with the preceding one but as we look closely especially because of the opening word, therefore, one begins to realize that while the assurance of answered prayers is well spelt out, certain factors which in this case is our human relations may affect its effectiveness.
For our prayers to be effective, we can therefore state that, we must treat men the same way we want to be treated because answers to our prayers mostly come as answers from men, depending on what you are sowing, for God to meet our requests, he would use a man. If you hate and keep sowing discord among men you are naturally cancelling your prayers for favor because you have to reap what you sow, the bible says seed time and harvest would never seize (Gen 8.22) and he (God) has placed his word higher than his name.
The verse further suggests that for God to grant you your heart desires, you must be what you want to others, we must learn to sow love, forgiveness etc so that we would also enjoy God’s forgiveness as the bible states, if you don’t forgive men, your heavenly father wont forgive you, so again we see a give and take, you can’t be praying for financial abundance and you remain stingy to your neighbor. A man seeking the mercy of God must also be merciful as the bible commands, blessed are the merciful for they shall obtain mercy (Mat 5.7).
A woman praying for the fruit of the womb is undoing herself if she practices wickedness to the children of others in her custody either as a maid or dependent, if you want to live long, you must also treat the elderly well (Eph 6.1-3). Undue suspicion and criticism would only delay if not deny the expected answers. If you want your ministry, business to grow, you must avoid tale bearing, pulling people down or sowing discord. You want to have a happy home yet you date married men and women.
This is not we trying to merit something by works rather it is God gaining us and making us something through prayers as the greatest benefit of prayers is not what we get but what we become. Check your life, consider your seed and your expected answer, you can certainly tell your harvest from your seed, what do you expect to harvest? Shalom, please keep in mind our October Peniel encounter which comes up on Sunday the 29th, by 4pm.
Bible in One Year: Luke 6-7
For further fellowship send us an email on godmanvideos@gmail.com or visit our youtube channel: @godmanmedia. You can also interact with us by dropping your comments on our facebook page. Our physical meeting, Word feast comes up every Wednesday by 5pm and Prayer Gym every Saturday by 7am while PENIEL comes up once a month, every last Sunday of the month from 4pm to 6.30pm at Suite A10, Ahser Office Complex, beside Living Faith Church, Opposite Hassan Stores, Arab Road, Kubwa Abuja.