The Mystery Of Prevailing Prayer Part 1 by Apostle Joshua Selman: MP3 Download & Sermon Notes

My portion for this night - I receive it by faith, it will not elude me

God doesn't encounter people in groups - Jacob was left alone. Set your expectation high.

INTRODUCTION

Malachi 2:2 - God desires to be glorified. When we experience His manifest presence, we must intentionally give Him glory.

GOD'S HOUSE AS A PLACE OF LIGHT

Micah 4:1-2 - The end-time house of God is a place of light and spiritual illumination.

Acts 20:32 - The word of His grace builds you up and gives you an inheritance.

Make a covenant to submit to God's word and place irreplaceable value on it. Habakkuk 3:3-4 - The power of God is hidden in His light.

THE NECESSITY OF SPIRITUAL ILLUMINATION

Colossians 1:9 - Paul prayed the church be filled with: knowledge of His will, all wisdom, and spiritual understanding.

There is no hope for the believer who does not contend for illumination - the degree to which you drive away darkness around your life.

John 16:13 - The Holy Spirit guides you into all truth.

Psalm 119:130 - The entrance of thy words giveth light and understanding.

Isaiah 33:6 - Wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times.

Your stamina and dominion is predicated upon spiritual illumination. You must know the ways of God - His modus operandi.

THE ASSIGNMENT OF MINISTERS

Ephesians 4:9-11 - He gave apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers for equipping the saints.

Assignment: Provide spiritual intelligence to help you know the Lord and equip you with keys to walk in victory.

FINITE BODY OF TRUTH FOR VICTORY

Exploring God's person takes eternity, but for excelling in this kingdom: there is a finite body of spiritual information we need. You can handle truth that makes for victory here and now.

The narrative that truth needed to excel is infinite is inaccurate. Like a student exhausting curriculum for a degree - there's exact truth responsible for the degree.

THE GOAL: ACCURACY

Bring you to spiritual accuracy - knowing what keys produce what outcomes. Matthew 16:19 - God gives keys of the kingdom.

After immersing in this truth, you stand surrounded by mysteries like chariots and take on life with confidence - not shadow boxing but knowing.

MOVING BEYOND RELIGIOSITY

Many believers have scattered spiritual truth not synergized to produce victory. Result: Christian experience full of fear because we don't know the arsenals designed for victory.

THE ULTIMATE GOAL

By election of grace, you're equipped to become a savior yourself on the strength of truth you know. Result after result strengthens confidence - you reach a point of no longer doubting.

2 Timothy 1:12 - I know whom I have believed, and am persuaded.

HOW SAINTS ARE BUILT: THROUGH DOCTRINE

More than miracles, we must submit to methodical spiritual growth where we know the Lord and understand His ways.

John 14:6 - I am the way - God's authorized method.

WARNING AGAINST FALSE DOCTRINE

Run from Christian narratives that endorse and justify failure while "knowing the Lord."

John 10:10 - Two levels: Life (peace with God) and Abundant life (eternal life in spirit PLUS victorious life on earth).

I made up my mind years ago that I will never lead people who excel in spirit but become failures in life, their lives becoming a reproach to the victory won

THE COMPLETE VICTORY OF THE CROSS

When Jesus said "It is finished," He meant the sin problem AND dominion had been restored.

A believer can have complete victory - love the Lord while finances grow, influence grows, enjoying longevity and peace with children.

THE POWER OF ONE WORD - PROPERLY UNDERSTOOD

One word from the Lord that is accurately taught, understood, and engaged - that is the word that produces.

Parable of the sower: Satan is not afraid of the word, but your understanding and engaging it - because power releases at the instance of understanding and applying.

MAIN TEXT: PSALM 65:2

Psalm 65:2 - O thou that hearest prayer, unto thee shall all flesh come.

Among many who claim to hear and answer prayer, there is only one who sustains the ability to hear prayer.

THE CHALLENGE WITH PRAYER

Every religion believes in prayer. The challenge: Believers become frustrated because energy exerted doesn't seem commensurate to results that follow.

Yet the Bible tells us God is love, eager - if He did not spare His son, He's more willing to give us all things.

THE DEMON'S RETURN

Matthew 12:43-45 - When a demon leaves a human body, it returns and finds that body swept, clean, but empty. The demon invites other demons higher than itself - the latter part is worse than the beginning.

Matthew 21:13 - My house shall be called the house of prayer.

SIX REASONS WHY BELIEVERS MUST PRAY

The average believer prays largely to ease guilt - not really interested in results. Not motivated by understanding.

REASON #1: GOD COMMANDED THAT WE PRAY

Luke 18:1-5 - Men ought always to pray and not to faint. A widow came to a judge who feared not God. He would not help at first, but her continual coming wearied him - prayer does something even to the most hardened situations.

1 Thessalonians 5:17 - Pray without ceasing. Be consistent. Power of prayer is in consistency.

REASON #2: PRAYER IS A STRATEGY FOR FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD

1 Corinthians 14:2 - He that speaketh in an unknown tongue speaketh unto God.

2 Corinthians 13:14 - The fellowship (Koinonia) of the Spirit. When you fellowship with God, there is divine deposit - transmission of power, wisdom, grace.

REASON #3: PRAYER IS A PLATFORM FOR GROWTH AND TRANSFORMATION

1 Corinthians 14:4 - He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself. You build capacity in the spirit.

Luke 9:28-29 - As Jesus prayed, the fashion of his countenance was altered; His raiment became white and glistering.

There is beauty and glory you evolve into when you pray. Growth and transformation is impossible if you do not pray.

PRAYER IS NOT JUST FOR PETITIONS

The primary assignment of prayer is not for breakthroughs. Most breakthroughs we need, we meet because of ignorance of kingdom principles.

When His kingdom comes, there are many things you wouldn't need to ask for. Most miracles we seek are acts of God's mercy correcting our ignorance.

God's desire is not for us to live in the realm of miracles. We who are in the kingdom begin to live by mysteries.

PRAYER IS NOT BOUND BY TIME

Prayer is one of the mysteries not bound by time - you can send it to your tomorrow to wait for you.

Your prayer can be like protocol, verifying the road is clear before you arrive.

PRAYER BUILDS YOU UP

Jude 1:20 - Building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost.

Prayer activates your organs of interaction with the realm of the spirit. Your discernment is activated. You perceive danger. Prayer brings you to that duality of realms - human yet spiritual.

REASON #4: PRAYER IS AN INSTRUMENT FOR WARFARE AND INTERCESSION

Demons are real. Wickedness is real. The devil is determined to thwart God's purposes. Through warfare and intercession, we engage and establish realities.

James 5:13 - Is any among you afflicted? Let him pray.

Verse 18 uses Elijah - a man who took prayer and literally stopped rain over a territory.

THE AUTHORITY OF ELIJAH'S PRAYER

There were people who said "God, we command rain to come." Yet rain did not come because Elijah had authority in prayer and God respected his authority.

May God give us that kind of authority that you can stand and speak over your family - and go to bed.

PETER'S DELIVERANCE THROUGH PRAYER

Acts 12:1-17 - Peter was bound in chains. But prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him. Suddenly an angel came.

The angel was always available. Peter would have died without that angel coming.

THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS

Their assignment: Work in partnership with Holy Spirit to see that the word of God is never called a lie in your life. They are enforcers.

When there is nothing happening from your end, they keep loitering around. A prayerless believer does not have angelic activities.

Angels don't come because you're a Christian. They come because there is a demand.

WARFARE IS NOT FIGHTING - IT'S AUTHORIZATION

When you pray warfare tones, you don't fight. You only activate the laws that make warfare a reality. You authorize the host of heaven, angel armies.

SATAN'S ATTACK STRATEGY

Before Satan attacks you, he researches what you know and don't know. He examines: What do you know about prayer? Agreement? Giving?

He uses your knowledge and ignorance, builds the strategy for your attack. This is why Satan is almost accurate when he strikes.

REASON #5: PRAYER KEEPS YOUR FAITH ALIVE

Luke 22:30-32 - Jesus said: "Simon, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat. But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not."

When you pray in the spirit, it truly keeps your faith alive.

Romans 4 - Abraham wavered not at the promise through unbelief, he counted God faithful.

REASON #6: PRAYER IS A PLATFORM FOR REQUESTS AND PETITIONS

For most believers, this is the only one we know - yet that is just number six.

Mark 11:23-24 - Whosoever shall say unto this mountain, be removed; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith.

Therefore what things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them.

It is in the place of prayer we receive. Receiving is spiritual. Having is the manifestation.

Philippians 4:6-7 - Be anxious for nothing. In everything by prayer and supplication - let your requests be made known.

How do you know God has answered? The peace of God, in a way that surpasses all understanding, will keep (garrison) your heart.

THE ROOT OF WARS AND FIGHTING

James 4:1-3 - From whence comes wars and fighting? Do they not come because of disappointed expectations?

Verse 2: "Ye lust and have not: ye kill and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not."

If you know what prayer can do, you will never envy anybody, because everything you see, there is a way of getting it too.

Verse 3: "Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss."

He's not talking about prayerlessness - he's talking about inaccuracy in understanding how to ask and receive.

WE ARE NOT DEFENSELESS

God did not leave us defenseless. This world is wicked, but heaven has a way of coming into partnership with you to make you invincible.

Prayer is partnership with heaven. I can draw strength I do not have. I can draw wisdom I do not have.

THE HIGHEST PROOF OF HUMILITY

The highest proof of humility is prayer. Prayerlessness is not just sin - it is pride.

When you do not pray, it is proof that you are sufficient in yourself. When we pray, it is acknowledgment that we are limited and we call for support.

STANDING FACE TO FACE WITH LIFE'S CHALLENGES

I have stood face to face with situations in my life that I knew only prayer could come in

When you stand before life's challenges, sometimes you need to drop everything and call with all humility.

Psalm 145:18 - The Lord is nigh unto them that call upon him.

You can use prayer to bring God down to your life, and He stands by you like a mighty terrible one.

WORDS OF COMFORT

You may be weak right now - in ministry, fathers plunging into depression. When you go to pray, you just cry.

I bring you words of comfort: God is not evil to leave you alone. It is our pride that keeps driving the help of God away from us

Psalm 121:1-2 - I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills - from whence cometh my help?

Sometimes when I minister to people, I am almost tempted to ask them "Why did you allow it to get this long? Did you not know that God is that mighty? Why didn't you run to God?"

THE PRODIGAL SON'S HUMILITY

The prodigal son kept being proud: "No, I won't go to my father." The more he stayed, the more he went down until he became like one of the pigs.

But one day he came to himself - "how many hired servants..." - that's the voice of humility.

INVITATION TO DIVINE ASSISTANCE

If you can step back and say:

• Lord, the bills are killing me. I step back and allow Abba to take His ways
• This office - I am tired of persecutions

You can still find comfort: It is not only when you avoid evil that you are free. There are times that the fire has no power over you.

Isaiah 43:1-2 - Fear not: I have redeemed thee. When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee; when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burned.

INVITATION TO BUSINESS PEOPLE AND PROFESSIONALS

Business people - you have done so much just with human connection. Why don't you resort with humility to invite divine assistance?