{"id":4583,"date":"2026-07-12T11:21:23","date_gmt":"2026-07-12T15:21:23","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/?p=4583"},"modified":"2026-07-12T11:21:24","modified_gmt":"2026-07-12T15:21:24","slug":"prayer-and-its-effects-july-5th-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/?p=4583","title":{"rendered":"PRAYER AND IT\u2019S EFFECTS, July 5th, 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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CENTRAL THOUGHT
The prayer of the believer moves the hand of God to turn human events to line up with God\u2019s will.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

TEXT: LUKE 18:1-8, ACTS 4:23-31<\/p>\n\n\n\n


INTRODUCTION:
There is a race to be run; \u201cthere is a fight to be fought and there is a faith to be tenaciously held unto\u201d. The Christian race is not like 100 meters dash, but rather it is a long-distance race which requires strength and perseverance for one to be able to say, \u201cI have finished the race\u201d. Prayer offers the believer the sustained strength for this long drawn-out race. Prayer is a two-way communication that the Lord established to ensure that every believer has vital contact with Him. Prayer takes different forms of expression, adoration, thanksgiving, repentance, supplication, and intercession. It provides a direct line and an express channel to the throne of grace from which strength, support, encouragement, renewal, and hope are received. Believers who take full advantage of this divine provision find themselves always above situations that make others depressed and frustrated.
When the Lord taught us to always pray and not to faint at heart, it is because He knew that there would be situations that could be long-drawn in our lives that would require perseverance. Issues that are long-drawn tend to wear out people emotionally and spiritually. After a while, people tend to lose hope and become discouraged. Their faith wanes, and their confidence in the Lord diminishes. A sustained prayer life would eliminate these negative situations. Instead of the believer complaining, murmuring, blaming others, and even God, for his predicament, he takes his case to God in prayers and leaves it at
the throne of Grace where, in God\u2019s divine time, help would be received. It is unfortunate that many times a believer gives up just before his help arrives.
We are correctly instructed by the Lord that Elijah was a man like anyone of us. He was human and plagued with the same kind of weaknesses like any of us. His prayer was effectual in keeping the heavens closed for three and a half years and thereafter it opened (James 5:17-18). What that tells us is that we can pray to move the hand of the Lord to change the course of human history to the praise and glory
of His name. We must reiterate that it is humans, like everyone of us, with faith in God who can get this done through prayers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

LESSON OBJECTIVES<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    \n
  1. To know what prayer is.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  2. To know the various areas that demand prayers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  3. To know the issues that make for acceptable prayers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  4. To know some hindrances to prayers.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  5. To know how to achieve a prayer life that makes a positive
    impact.<\/li>\n\n\n\n
  6. To know that there is a need for a consistent prayer life in
    these last days.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n

    BIBLE TRUTH:
    QUESTION 1) WHAT IS PRAYER?
    Prayer is the means by which communication is carried out in relationship between the believer and his heavenly father. As we are all aware, a key requirement for the success of any relationship is communication. That similarly applies to our relationship with the Lord. Prayer offers the means by which this communication is achieved.
    Prayer, therefore, is the life-line for the believer; it grants him access to the throne of Grace. Prayer is a two-way communication. The Lord makes His mind known to His children who in turn respond positively by pouring their hearts to Him. Right from the time of creation, the Lord has always sought to have fellowship with man. In Gen 3:8, we observe the Lord walking in the garden of Eden, in which He placed Adam and Eve, during the evening hours of the day. It was for no other reason but to have fellowship with man. Prayer provides this medium for fellowship.
    It is not all prayers that get us connected to the throne of Grace. It is only prayers said in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ. John 16:23 tells us, \u201c\u2026.Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.\u201d This access to the throne of Grace is made possible because of Christ\u2019s death at Calvary (Heb. 4:14-16).<\/p>\n\n\n\n


    QUESTION 2) WHAT ARE THE VARIOUS AREAS THAT DEMAND OUR PRAYERS?
    Here, we shall only mention some areas of human endeavor that the believer should pray about, it is not exhaustive. The believer should cultivate the habit of allowing the Holy Spirit show him issues to pray about. In that way, the believer\u2019s prayer life is dynamic and alive.
    One important area that should gain our attention when we pray is our nation and those at the helm of leadership. The reason to do so is \u201cthat we may live peacefully and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness\u201d. (1 Tim.2:1-3). We need a righteous leadership in our nation for us to enjoy the prosperity of the land. (Prov.29:2). Through prayers, the affairs of the nation are directed divinely in such a way that they conform with the plan of God.
    It is also quite important to direct our prayers for unsaved people because the Lord \u201cwants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth\u201d. (1 Tim.2:4) Our prayers in this regard would propel the evangelical thrust of the church in such a way that, as it was in the Pentecostal revival, people will be miraculously drawn to the knowledge of Christ by the preaching of the word. Without prayers, evangelism becomes a frustrating activity, but with prayers the divine hand of the Lord is released to save, heal, and deliver people from the clutches of the powers of darkness. With prayers, the spiritual eyes of men and women are opened to the truth of the Gospel so that they are able to receive the gift of eternal life. We need to also pray for laborers to reap the harvest of souls. Jesus said to his disciples, \u201cThe harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest.\u201d (Matt 9:37-38). There is the need to pray for more soul-winners to go where the sinners are armed with the powerful gospel message of salvation. The church should be an important item of prayer by every believer. To this end, our focus should be that the local church walks in holiness, grows numerically, and impacts positively on the community in which it is located. Such a positive impact can only be realized when there are regular manifestations of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, and when the ministries of the Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors and teachers are operational.
    The local church should be seen as a veritable source of hope for its community.
    As we earlier indicated, there are many other areas that we should pray about. We should pray for our families, loved ones, friends, workmates and work places, institutions, etc. The list is an unending one. What is important is relying on the Lord to bring to our minds those issues we need to pray for. As we cultivate this attitude, we shall find ourselves praying the very will of the Father.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


    QUESTION 3) WHAT ARE THE ESSENTIAL FEATURES OF ACCEPTABLE PRAYERS?
    As earlier pointed out one feature that is required for our prayers to be acceptable to God is that they are done in the name of Jesus Christ. There is no other intermediary between man and God except Jesus Christ.
    Another feature of acceptable prayers is faith. Heb 11:6 says \u201cBut without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.\u201d We cannot expect to receive anything from the Lord when we pray in unbelief. James indicates that he who has this kind of attitude is like the waves of sea tossed in all directions by the wind. (James 1:6-7).
    Another feature of acceptable prayers is that the individual who is praying walks in holiness. Sin is a hinderance to prayers being answered (Isaiah 59:1-2) The reason for this is very simple: The God we pray to is holy (Psalm 15). He desires that we be holy as He is.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


    QUESTION 4) WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS WHEN THE RIGHTEOUS PRAY?
    When the righteous pray, their prayers are always answered. Their prayers bring God\u2019s hands to bear heavily on the course of earthly events. Elijah\u2019s prayer life serves to illustrate this point. \u201cThe effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not on the land for three years and six months. And
    he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit\u201d. (James 5:16-18 NKJ). The life of prayer that Elijah adopted changed the political landscape of the nation of Israel. The Northern kingdom, under the leadership of Ahab, had profound respect for Elijah because he controlled the destiny of the nation by a life of prayer. We can do the same in our time. The scripture makes us to understand that Elijah was not a man like any of us. What made the difference was his prayer life. That can also set us apart.
    The early church knew the power of prayer, so that church advanced under intense persecution. The persecutions that came on the early church from the religious and political establishments turned out to be steppingstones for expansion and growth of the church. In this respect we need to pray for our brethren in States under sharia law and in countries where Christians are persecuted that they be
    overtaken by the spirit of prayer under such circumstances, it is only the prayers of the believers that will bring about divine interventions which will cause the church to advance against the gates of hell.
    Prayer will get rid of every obstacle that is contrary to the will of God in our lives (Mark 11:23). There are so many things that the enemy tries to use to afflict us- sickness, poverty, setbacks, demonic attacks, etc. Through the name of Jesus Christ we have victory over all these attacks of the enemy.
    <\/p>\n\n\n\n

    QUESTION 5.) IDENTIFY SOME EXAMPLES OF PERSONS IN SCRIPTURE WHOSE PRAYERS WERE EFFECTIVE?
    Abraham was one of such individuals. In Gen.18:17-33, we see Abraham interceding for the city of Sodom, and he got God to agree that if there were ten righteous persons in the city, it will not be destroyed. Abraham stopped at ten righteous persons because he thought there surely will be that number in the city. It turned out not to be so. We can stand in the gap for many situations that confront our national life.
    Moses is another example of a man who prevailed through prayers. After the children of Israel sinned because of the golden calf that they made, the Lord told Moses that He would no longer lead them to the promised land but an Angel would. That would have sounded quite fair to many Christians of contemporary times. Moses could not take it, and in Exodus 33 he petitioned the Lord till he agreed that
    His presence will go with them. Daniel spent time in prayers till the Lord revealed to him what would befall his people many thousands of years into the future (Daniel 10-12). A life of prayer will get us
    deeply intimate with the Lord.
    In chains and after being severely beaten, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns at midnight within the confines of the prison walls (Acts 16:23-34). God\u2019s hand was stirred and He brought a violent earthquake that set all the prisoners free. There many other examples in scripture of persons who prayed and changed the course of human history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


    QUESTION 6.) COMMENT ON THE NEED FOR PRAYERS IN THESE LAST DAYS?
    When we read Ezekiel 22:30 and 2 Chron.7:13-14, we see that God is calling on us to be in the \u201cgap\u201d by humbling ourselves and seeking His face in prayers. The days we live in are treacherous and, on an individual level, we should develop a lifestyle of being prayerful. On a national level, there is also the need to pray for our corporate existence because there are many persons who have aligned themselves with the devil to cause mischief. Our collective prayers are so vital in these trying times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


    DAILY LIVING APPLICATION:
    To make prayer a lifestyle is paramount for every believer. The most simple of tasks is not so simple anymore. The devil realizes that his time is very short, and he is doing overtime touching every conceivable institution so that God\u2019s work is corrupted. We must also do some overtime on our knees before the Lord to counteract his activities. A lifestyle of prayer is the key. That does not mean shutting
    your eyes 24 hours of the day in the closet with the Lord. It means setting aside times to be in the Lord\u2019s presence and, in addition, developing a sensitive attitude towards the leading of the Holy Spirit all day long. Then we are on guard against all the onslaughts of the enemy. This lifestyle brings down the hand of the Lord mightily on human events to turn them for His glory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


    MEMORY VERSE:
    Luke 21:36
    \u201cWatch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the son of man\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n


    DAILY DEVOTIONAL GUIDE
    Mon: Pray without ceasing. Luke 18:1-8.
    Tue: Some issues to pray for. 1 Tim.2: 1-4.
    Wed: Effectual, fervent prayer of the righteous. James
    5:14-18.Thu: With prayer, the church plows through persecutions.
    Acts 4:23-34.
    Fri: Prayer draws down an earthquake. Acts 16:23-34.
    Sat: Prayer puts us in the gap. Ez.22:3<\/p>\n\n\n\n

    <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    CENTRAL THOUGHTThe prayer of the believer moves the hand of God to turn human events to line up with God\u2019s will. TEXT: LUKE 18:1-8, ACTS 4:23-31 INTRODUCTION:There is a race to be run; \u201cthere is a fight to be fought and there is a faith to be tenaciously held unto\u201d. The Christian race is not […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4584,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-4583","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sundayschool"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/hqdefault.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4583","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4583"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4583\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4585,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4583\/revisions\/4585"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/4584"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4583"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4583"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mzgtiglobal.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4583"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}