Mountain Top Life Daily Devotional 7 April 2021 By Dr. D.K Olukoya – Importunity In Prayer
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TOPIC: Importunity In Prayer (Mountain Of Fire and Miracle Ministries, MFM Daily Devotional 7 April 2021)
BIBLE IN ONE YEAR: Ruth 1-4
FIRE SCRIPTURE: Luke 11:5-8 (KJV)
5 And he said unto them, Which of you shall have a friend, and shall go unto him at midnight, and say unto him, Friend, lend me three loaves;
6 For a friend of mine in his journey is come to me, and I have nothing to set before him?
7 And he from within shall answer and say, Trouble me not: the door is now shut, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot rise and give thee.
8 I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.
MEMORY VERSE: “I say unto you, Though he will not rise and give him, because he is his friend, yet because of his importunity he will rise and give him as many as he needeth.” – Luke 11:8
MOTIVATIONAL QUOTE:
Importunity in prayer is the vehicle of great open doors.
PRAISE WORSHIP: Take a worship song as led by the Holy Spirit
PROPHETIC WORD FOR TODAY:
THE HAND OF GOD THAT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR UNSTOPPABLE SPEED IS RELEASED UPON YOU NOW, IN THE NAME OF JESUS.
The MESSAGE:
What an amazing Bible verse! I love the word “IMPORTUNITY”. It means “persistent begging”. Hardly does any Christian believer today obey this Scripture. I believe it is largely because our preachers these days need to teach and practise prayer more. We hear plenty of preachers begging man for money, but they ought to be begging God on behalf of man instead.
Also See: OPEN HEAVEN 7 APRIL 2021 – PRAYER FOR A FULL MEASURE OF CHRIST
When the Bible teaches praying “importunately” (Luke 11:5-8), it is in reality teaching about “sacrificial praying.” The simplest definition of importunity is persistent and urgent asking. Importunate prayer then is persistent and urgent; it is the prayer that pleads with God and asks Him repeatedly for the things we need. It is the prayer that is drawn by God and that follows after Him. It is the prayer that is aroused and energised by the Holy Spirit. It moves our souls toward God and presses our desires upon Him repeatedly with urgency and perseverance, but also with patience and waiting until our prayers are heard and answered.
Jesus taught on the importance of importunity (persistence) in prayer. He accompanied His instructions with an illustrative parable. In the first instance, He told the parable of the friend at midnight (Luke 11:5-8). In the second, He told the parable of the widow and the unjust judge (Luke 18:2-6). In both instances, the petitioner persisted until the petitioned showed himself willing to grant the petitioner’s plea.
Persistence is imperative on the front-end of prayer. It is to be practiced until God reveals to us His willingness to grant the petition for which He has burdened us to pray. Once His will is revealed, we can pray in faith for God’s will to be done and rest assured that our prayer is answered.
Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit. In James 5:17-18, we see that Elijah was a man of prayer, so, he persisted until the heaven gave rain. This isn’t something you do once and go to sleep. Notice the word, “persisted”; you are to continue in prayer in line with God’s word. It’s your responsibility to ensure that whatever changes you seek in your life as an individual is effected through importunity in prayers. Never think that your prayers isn’t making any difference; you make great impact when you pray.
Therefore, continue in prayer. Even when you don’t “feel” like praying, pray!
When you do this consistently, it will become a part of you, resulting in great changes in your life to the glory of Christ.
PRAYER POINTS:
MORNING
- Father, I make demands on the discipline of a prayer schedule, in the name of Jesus.
- O Lord, draw me closer to You and give me the grace to be persistent in the place of prayer, in the name of Jesus.
- O Lord, help me not to put other things first but put You first, in the name of Jesus.
EVENING
- LORD, deliver me from distractions, in the name of Jesus.
- Father, I receive fresh passion for Your presence, in the name of Jesus.
- LORD, give me fresh grace to love You like never before, in the name of Jesus.
- Lord, use my life to bring glory to Your name and kingdom, in the name of Jesus.
MOUNTAIN TOP LIFE is a daily devotional by Dr. D.K Olukoya (General Overseer, Mountain of Fire and Miracle Ministries, Worldwide)