However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. —Matthew 17:21 (NKJV)
As a young believer, I struggled with laziness in my prayer life. I would pray for a few minutes and consider it done. However, I noticed that these brief prayers hardly produced any significant results. My pastor eventually became concerned and out of curiosity, he asked how long I typically prayed, and my answer made him laugh.
He told me that such a prayer life would never unlock the breakthroughs I was looking for. He challenged me to visit his house and pray for a full hour. Though it was a new experience, I accepted the challenge. I remember praying for what felt like an eternity, only to check the clock and see that only fifteen minutes had passed. Eventually, I succeeded in praying for an hour for the first time, and that experience birthed a new fire within me.
I became a person of prayer, often spending long periods in communion with God. While I began to see results, I eventually noticed a plateau in my spiritual progress. I asked God why my extensive prayers weren’t yielding fresh breakthroughs. The Lord explained that some results require sacrifice in addition to prayer. I realized I was expending energy without engaging the spiritual language of sacrifice, so I added fasting to my routine.
The turn-around was immediate; my prayers were amplified, and unusual results began to manifest quickly. Yet, as I continued, I felt another limit approaching. Upon inquiring of the Lord again, He instructed me to include offerings and seeds along with my prayer and fasting. When I obeyed, I stepped into an entirely new dimension of results. I realized that different stages of life require a more comprehensive spiritual approach.
To achieve results at any level, we must handle matters prayerfully and sacrificially. When we do this with the right understanding and a sincere heart, we unlock the solutions we need. Consider the disciples of Jesus who tried to cast a demon out of a child. Everything they attempted in prayer seemed to fail until the Master came onto the scene. One word from Him, and the demon was gone.
When the disciples asked why they had failed, Jesus replied, However, this kind does not go out except by prayer and fasting. —Matthew 17:21 (NKJV). This teaches us that certain battles will not end until they are consistently approached both prayerfully and sacrificially.
What results do you desire this year? You can achieve them by making a conscious decision to handle your matters with the necessary spiritual weight and watching things change drastically. Praise God!
Today’s Rhema
Some battles will not end until they are consistently approached prayerfully and sacrificially!
Prayer
Father, I am grateful for this wonderful message. I receive the grace and discipline to handle all matters prayerfully and sacrificially. I refuse to be lazy about this, and as I do the needful, I am getting the desired results in Jesus’ name. Amen!
