January 17 - Power Principle - Matthew 12:22-37
We want our prayers to be powerful and effective! No one wants to waste time - God doesn’t want you to waste time - so we have seen that prayer requires us to be connected/abiding in Christ. In Christ and praying in the name of Jesus is a must! We have talked about the reality of being also guided in our prayers - ask the Holy Spirit of God to lead you in your prayers - Let God set your agenda for prayer!
Today we want to look at the reality of the power principle in prayer and how to make sure we are praying in power!
We want to look at two accounts from Jesus life when He cast out demons from people’s lives.
Matthew 12 Then they brought him a demon-possessed man who was blind and mute, and Jesus healed him, so that he could both talk and see. 23 All the people were astonished and said, “Could this be the Son of David?”
24 But when the Pharisees heard this, they said, “It is only by Beelzebul, the prince of demons, that this fellow drives out demons.”
25 Jesus knew their thoughts and said to them, “Every kingdom divided against itself will be ruined, and every city or household divided against itself will not stand. 26 If Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself. How then can his kingdom stand? 27 And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your people drive them out? So then, they will be your judges. 28 But if it is by the Spirit of God that I drive out demons, then the kingdom of God has come upon you.
29 “Or again, how can anyone enter a strong man’s house and carry off his possessions unless he first ties up the strong man? Then he can plunder his house.
Demon possession - or healing of mute/blindness - powerful obstacles
Jesus cast out demon and restored man - Jesus has power to heal
Argument comes about of where power comes from - Beelzebul or God
Jesus teaches:
- the Spirit of God that drives out demons
- the Spirit of God that is strong enough to bind the enemy
- Kingdoms divided can't stand
One more story of Jesus casting out a demon in Mark 9 - Jesus and some of the disciples had been up on the mountain and had an encounter with God - some of the disciples stayed back with the crowd of people wanting to see Jesus. There was a boy that the disciples couldn’t heal. Jesus comes down from the mountain and heals the boy. The disciples meeting with Jesus that every evening ask?
Mark 9:28-29
28 Afterward, when Jesus was alone in the house with his disciples, they asked him, “Why couldn’t we cast out that evil spirit?”
29 Jesus replied, “This kind can be cast out only by prayer.”
Prayer on the offensive more than defensive
- hedge of protection
- safety
- guide me (we mean keep me out of trouble)
- Martin Luther King Jr - non-violent activism & prayer for change
When we are busy doubting ourselves we can’t pray with power
- Hear this : I don’t think God wants you at war with yourself.
He sent the Prince of Peace to soothe those tumultuous waters already. Self‐depreciation is a cruel response to Jesus, who died and made us righteous. Jen Hatmaker
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