Are you praying systematically?  Do you really believe what you pray?  Do you have an expectation when you pray?  

Acts 12:5-16 “But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.  The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists. Then the angel told him, “Get dressed and put on your sandals.” And he did. “Now put on your coat and follow me,” the angel ordered.  So Peter left the cell, following the angel. But all the time he thought it was a vision. He didn’t realize it was actually happening. They passed the first and second guard posts and came to the iron gate leading to the city, and this opened for them all by itself. So they passed through and started walking down the street, and then the angel suddenly left him.  Peter finally came to his senses. “It’s really true!” he said. “The Lord has sent his angel and saved me from Herod and from what the Jewish leaders had planned to do to me!”  When he realized this, he went to the home of Mary, the mother of John Mark, where many were gathered for prayer. He knocked at the door in the gate, and a servant girl named Rhoda came to open it. When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed that, instead of opening the door, she ran back inside and told everyone, “Peter is standing at the door!”  “You’re out of your mind!” they said. When she insisted, they decided, “It must be his angel.”  Meanwhile, Peter continued knocking. When they finally opened the door and saw him, they were amazed.”

While Peter was still in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him!  While in you situation are you earnestly seeking God in prayer?  Are you on your face before God?  Are you humbling yourself at His feet?  

How do you know if your prayers are effectual?

When we pray, we must BELIEVE what we ask in the name of Jesus!  Why?  Because all things are possible in Him!  

James 5:16b tells us, ” The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” (NLT).  The KJV translation says, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”  The NASB translation says, “The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.”

You must be earnest, you must be effective, you must be fervent, you must pray in the power of the Holy Spirit!!  

While they were praying, God was already at work in his situation.  Staging Peters miraculous escape from Herod’s prison.  While you are effectually praying, God is at work in your situation, dispatching angels to work on your behalf!  Do you believe it?

While Peter was sleeping…catch this! While Peter was asleep his deliverance came!  Wow!  He was freed from bondage and led to a place of refuge.  My God!!  Do you realize that God can have others interceding for you when you don’t know what or how to pray in your situation?  While you are resting but still in your season of circumstance God can send His heavenly hosts to completely change your situation in a moment!!  My God!!  Even Peter himself couldn’t believe it.  The scripture says, he had to COME TO HIMSELF!!!  Lets get this!  You are waiting for a breakthrough!  You are waiting for deliverance!  You are waiting for the manifestation of promises!  I want to tell you to have an expectation to see God move suddenly, when God releases, when God moves, when God causes breakthrough, when God brings revival, when God heals…..ITS DONE SUDDENLY!!!

Isaiah 30:18 says, “And therefore the Lord [earnestly] waits [expecting, looking, and longing] to be gracious to you….Blessed (happy, fortunate, to be envied) are all those who [earnestly] wait for Him, who expect and look and long for Him [for His victory, His favor, His love, His peace, His joy, and His matchless,unbroken companionship]!”

Now the people were still praying, Peter has been freed and had now arrived to the place where they were gathered.  He stood knocking at the door but those gathered did not believe.  Wow!  Going back to my original questions.  Are you praying systematically?  Do you really believe what you pray?  Do you have an expectation when you pray?  

They prayed but did not believe that their prayer would be answered so suddenly!  Maybe some weren’t praying in expectation.

Jude 1:20 tells us, “But you, beloved, building yourselves up in your most holy faith and praying in the Holy Spirit”

Acts 3:5 says, “And he fixed his attention on them, expecting to receive something from them.”

The scripture concludes stating the peoples amazement in seeing Peter standing at the door. We serve an amazing limitless God family.  Don’t put God in a box, don’t place limitations on your prayers.

1 John 5:14 tells us, “And this is the confidence that we have toward him, that if we ask anything according to his will he hears us.”  We pray in confidence because we KNOW God hears our prayers.

John 15:7 says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you, ask whatever you ask, and it will be done for you.”  Our dwelling must be in Christ Jesus, we must be hidden in him.  His Word must be rooted in us.  We must be lead by the Holy Spirit in all things…even prayer!  The Holy Spirit will lead us to pray according to the will of God for our lives.  When we follow these commandments of God, He says WHATEVER…not some things…not every so often…but WHATEVER we ask according to Gods Word, it will be done for us!  Where does your expectation lay?  

Meditation verse – Deuteronomy 4:29 “But from there you will seek the Lord your God and you will find him, if you search after him with all your heart and with all your soul.”

Blessings!!

Keishana