The General Secretary of The Church of Pentecost, Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, has said that “Prayer, combined with faith in God’s Word, is a channel through which God’s power can be released to meet human needs, thus allowing Him to get involved in human circumstances.”
He, however, stressed that it takes the right mentality towards prayer in order for requests made to God to yield results.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi said this on Friday, March 15, 2019, when he joined members of the Awoshie District to climax the district’s week-long Prayer Festival event.
Speaking on the topic: “Praying To Get Results”, he explained that prayer is a means of communicating and having contact with the Almighty God in Heaven.
He said that, as children of God, Christians must maintain and build on their relationship and fellowship with their Father through consistent and effective prayer.
Apostle Kumi-Larbi further noted that, in addition to having fellowship with God, prayer is also a powerful weapon for the Christian. He said that through prayer some ordinary human beings like Elijah were able to cause extraordinary things to happen in their dispensation.
The General Secretary recounted in James 5:17-18, 1Kings 17:1-5; 1Kings 18:1, 2, 36-39, how, through prayer, Elijah was able to withhold rains from falling for three and half years. Once again, through prayer, he later caused the heavens to release rains for the earth to produce crops.
“From the account in 1 Kings, Elijah did not act on his own accord. Rather, he acted upon the instructions of God, and God came in to honour His word. But first, Elijah waited on God and He directed him to make a statement and it became operational. Therefore, Elijah’s prayer was straight to the point. And God answered his prayer,” he said.
Using 1 Timothy 2:1-8 as scripture reference, the General Secretary mentioned “Prayer of Supplication” (Petition), “Prayer of Worship and Adoration”, “Prayer of Intercession” and “Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving” as some of the kinds of prayer that Christians must often engage in.
Touching on Prayer of Supplications, which he explained as the act of telling God one’s needs, Apostle Kumi-Larbi said that as children of God, Christians have the right to present their needs to God (their Heavenly Father) and not to be anxious about anything. (Philippians 4:6-7).
He said in offering supplication to God, Christians must not only dwell on their material needs but rather pray for spiritual understanding (Ephesians 1:15-22), strength through the Spirit (Ephesians 3:14-19) and the infilling of the Spirit (Ephesians 5:18).
Prayer of Worship and Adoration, on the other hand, affords Christians the opportunity to strengthen their relationship with God through devotions. This, he said, includes the reading of the Bible, meditation, praise and worship and waiting on God (spending time before God.)
Touching on Prayer of Intercessions, which he explained as making requests on behalf of others, the General Secretary noted that it is the responsibility of the Church and for that matter Christians to pray for others in need.
“These include those who rule over us, kings and all in authority. We must pray for them to live a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty and that they would come to the saving knowledge of God,” he noted.
He added that Christians can show their concern for the needy and the destitute in society as well as the ills of the world such as proliferation of false prophets and churches, global wars, poverty on the African continent, economic challenges, vigilantism, high unemployment, and student unrest in Ghana, among others, by offering prayers of intercession to God.
The Prayer of Praise and Thanksgiving, on the other hand, Apostle Kumi-Larbi explained, is not offered to ask God to grant a request but to offer appreciation for what He has done. He advised Christians not to always focus on receiving from God but also count their many blessings and be thankful to God.
Apostle Alexander Nana Yaw Kumi-Larbi, therefore, advised Christians to regard prayer as a very powerful tool they have been given to make great changes and cause a great impact in the world and not to just meet their personal needs. He emphasised that it only when Christians develop the right mentality towards prayer that they would realise the power therein.
PENTECOST NEWS