[Monday's Devotional] - Effective Prayer

Effective Prayer Paul says in 1 Corinthians:  "None of the rulers of this age knew this wisdom, for if they had known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." 1 Corinthians 2:8 [HCSB]   We know from the book of Job Chapters 1 and 2 that the Devil cannot attack the righteous unless he has asked for and been given permission by Almighty God. The same truth is confirmed in the gospels where Jesus told Peter that Satan had asked God for permission to sift him like wheat, but Jesus had prayed for him.   "Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail"  Luke 22:31-32 [NIV]   We know that whatever Jesus prayed for God always granted Him His request- even when He said "not My will but Your will be done."   As new covenant believers, how can we pray more effectively like Jesus did?   The answer is the Cross - the innocent, blameless, holy and righteous blood and body of our Saviour that was shed and broken for us on Calvary.   Approach God in prayer- praising Him for His goodness and love demonstrated by the perfect sacrifice of the blood and body of Christ. Admit to God your sins - for all have fallen short of God's glory. Genuinely ask for forgiveness and truly repent from your sins.   Now you are in a very powerful position against Satan. Bring before God your prayer request based on the promises given in the bible (in Christ all promises are now Yes and Amen). Then ask God to judge between you and your adversary Satan based on the Cross and His promises. Ask for His will to be done.   You know why this prayer is almost certainly answered?  On Resurrection Sunday 2017 years ago, the Holy Spirit heard Satan and his cronies lamenting in regret and He recorded the scripture at the beginning of today's devotional for us - to teach us about the power of the blood.   It's like shooting oneself in the foot or even dying by accident when you were trying to kill your enemy. That's what Satan did. Because of God's manifold wisdom, He set up a trap for Satan and Satan himself admits that in the case of Jesus, he made a monumental mistake. No permission is granted at the mention of the blood and body of Jesus on the Cross!   After prayer, know your prayer has been answered and do whatever the Holy Spirit tells you to do by faith. His Spirit will give you the supernatural power you need whilst His word will be a lantern to your feet, ensuring you stay within His will.   Farai Mutsambiwa    Twitter Website Copyright © 2017 St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church, All rights reserved. You are receiving this email as a subscriber to the Daily Devotionals Our mailing address is: St. Matthew & St. Oswald's Church 1a New Street Rugby, Warwickshire CV22 7BE United Kingdom Add us to your address book Want to change how you receive these emails? You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list Want to be added to our mailing list? - sign up here!