The Necessity Of Prayer

Andrew Urshan wrote a book entitled The Supreme Need of the Hour:  PRAYER.

We are living in desperate times, a time when prayer is all that is going to restore the church.

2 Chron 7:14-8:1

14.  If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.

15.  Now mine eyes shall be open, and mine ears attent unto the prayer that is made in this place.

16.  For now have I chosen and sanctified this house, that my name may be there for ever: and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually.

17.  And as for thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, and do according to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe my statues and my judgments;

18.  Then will I stablish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.

19.  But if ye turn away, and forsake my statutes and my commandments, which I have set before you, and shall go and serve other gods, and worship them;20 Then will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them; and this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight, and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations.

21.  And this house, which is high, shall be an astonishment to every one that passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and unto this house?

22. And it shall be answered, Because they forsook the LORD God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them.

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In his book How to Experience Revival, Charles Finney gives us insight on how to experience Revival.

Revival is renewed conviction of sin and repentance followed by an intense desire to live in obedience to God.

It is giving up one’s will to God in deep Humility. [Charles Finney.]

Mr. Finney once visited a factory to see the machinery. Because he had just come from a revival, he was in a very reverent mood.

All the workers knew who he was. One Lady who saw him as she was working made a rude comment to her neighbor then laughed. Mr. Finney stopped and looked at her with sorrow in his eyes.

She stopped working breaking her thread. She then became so upset that she could not repair the thread and start again. Trying to calm herself she looked out the window. But again and again her emotions got the best of her. Finally she sat down and cried.

Mr. Finney then approached her and spoke with her. She soon showed deep sense of sin. The feeling spread throughout the establishment like fire and in a few hours almost every person employed there was under conviction.

The feeling was so pervasive that the owner though a worldly man was astounded and stopped all the work to hold a prayer meeting.

In the owners opinion it was a great deal more important to have these people converted then to continue production.

In a few days the owner and nearly every employee {about 3,000} were fully converted. The Lord’s rebuke of this woman’s comment through Mr. Finney reverent… yet compassionate reaction brought her under conviction.

Seeing this undoubtedly inspired the massive revival.  When there is a lack of love and Christian confidence among believers then a revival is needed. Then there is a loud call for God to revive His work.

·        Expect a revival when there are dissensions, jealousies and evil rumors among believers.

·        These things show that Christians have grown far away from God and it is time to think seriously about revival.

·        Revival is needed when there is a worldly spirit in the church.

·        When the church has sunk down into a low backslidden state

·        when you see Christians conform to the world in dress, parities, seeking worldly amusements and reading filthy novels.

When the church finds its members falling into gross and scandalous sins, then it is time to wake up and cry to God for a revival of restoration.

When we see the unconverted it is time for Christians to get to work and revive them from this spiritual sleep.

The church must put out the fires of hell that are consuming the wicked!

·        While we sit in our comfortable pews and our finances or in decent shape.

·        Our church is fixed up and looking nice.

·        We shout and praise and worship God and we think that we are on top of the world.

·        The wicked are being turned into hell.

We rest at night and sinners are dying with out God!  Some of them your family!

The fact is, Christians are more to blame for not being revived then sinners are for not being converted.

We cannot continue without REVIVAL!!

·         Without revival sinners will grow harder and harder despite preaching.

·         Your children and your friend will remain unsaved if there is no revival to convert them.

·         We can expect a spirit of Revival when Christians have the spirit of prayer for revival.

A Christian who has a Spirit of prayer feels anxious for souls.

Gal 4:19…. My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,

Isa 66:7-8……Before she travailed, she brought forth; before her pain came, she was delivered of a man child.

8 Who hath heard such a thing? Who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be made to bring forth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion travailed, she brought forth her children.

·        Children are brought into this world with much pain

·        And we will have to suffer much pain to bring children into the church.

It isn’t easy to convert the sinner, but it is necessary for their soul’s sake!

We must put forth the effort and travail if we must….. but they must be born again to be saved.

·        Most mothers will do anything to make sure their children are born healthy.

·        Shouldn’t the church be as concerned about the lost?

·        {The church is a figure of a mother that brings life into the world.}

In the Old Testament it meant something to a woman to give children to their husbands.

To them it was a shame to be barren and not to bring forth fruit. They were mocked by other women.

Shouldn’t we want to bring new life into the church to honor our father which is in heaven?

Shouldn’t we feel the same kind of shame that Sarah had.

Hagar the Egyptian gave birth to Ishmael and she mocked Sarah she despised her.

Gen 16:4….And he went in unto Hagar, and she conceived: and when she saw that she had conceived, her mistress was despised in her eyes.

Gen 21:10….Wherefore she said unto Abraham, Cast out this bondwoman and her son: for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with Isaac.

God never recognized Ishmael as a son of Abraham it was in Isaac which was born of Sarah.

If the church is not born of Jesus it doesn’t belong to Jesus

Gal 4:30-31

30 Nevertheless what saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman.

31 So then, brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the free.

Gen 22:2…. And he said, Take now thy son , thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of.

He didn’t mention Ishmael only Isaac.

There are a lot of people that call themselves children of God…. but if you are not called by His name you are none of his.

Even though Ishmael came from the loins of Abraham he was not recognized by God to be his son.

Though all men come forth from the creator himself only them that are born through the church {Sarah} shall be called his children.

We must prepare our hearts for revival.

Hos 10:12….. Sow to yourselves in righteousness, reap in mercy; break up your fallow ground: for it is time to seek the LORD, till he come and rain righteousness upon you.

Revival consists of two parts:

·        That which consist of the church.

·        And that which concerns the unsaved.

To break up your fallow ground you have to:

 First:  look at yourself.

Second: Examine your heart and see where you‘re at.

Third: Check and see if you are walking with God or the devil.

Fourth: look over your personnel history.

Then remember you must REPENT of all your sins.