If such a prayer is offered in faith, it will heal anyone who is sick. The Lord will heal them. And if they have sinned, he will forgive them.

So always tell each other the wrong things you have done. Then pray for each other. Do this so that God can heal you. Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen.  Elijah was a person just like us. He prayed that it would not rain. And it did not rain on the land for three and a half years!

James 5:15-17 ERV

This morning while I was in prayer, a friend called in need of immediate prayer for another friend who had stopped breathing. This is a prime example of intercessory prayer: interceding on behalf of another. I immediately shifted my prayers towards their direction and prayed Psalm 118:17. I will live and not die,
and I will tell what the Lord has done. As I prayed this scripture on behalf of the friend’s friend, the testimony came that the friend had a heartbeat and was being transferred to ICU.

The Holy Spirit said: I…C… U…!!!! I SEE YOU PRAYING Fon! I immediately thanked the Lord for seeing me hearing me, and answering me before I even finished praying. I had not even left the prayer closet yet and my miracle-working God had already worked it out as I had asked. I prayed that the supernatural recovery and testimony of this friend will change the lives of all those around him and God will get the glory from his miracle story!

I shared this testimony of how God answered my prayer, with my 1 Hour Prayer Challenge group this morning and asked for them to pray in the Spirit for my friend’s friend as well. I also texted two more people and asked them to come into agreement with my prayer of Psalm 118:17. And as I am writing this blog post, this verse just popped up as the verse of the day from the YouVersion Bible App:

“Yes, if two or three people are together believing in me, I am there with them.” Matthew 18:20

What really resonated with me this morning was the scripture from above: James 5:16 ERV:

Anyone who lives the way God wants can pray, and great things will happen. 

That’s the Easy to Read translation.

But the Amplified Bible Translation says it this way:

and the prayer of faith will restore the one who is sick, and the Lord will raise him up; and if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another [your false steps, your offenses], and pray for one another, that you may be healed and restored. The heartfelt and persistent prayer of a righteous man (believer) can accomplish much [when put into action and made effective by God—it is dynamic and can have tremendous power]. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours [with the same physical, mental, and spiritual limitations and shortcomings], and he prayed intensely for it not to rain, and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months. James 5:15-17 AMP

And finally as I read Nehemiah 10 for the Scriptural Bible Study regarding Israel’s vow of faithfulness, the very last line summarized my morning conversation: We will not neglect the house of our God (verse 39). I immediately heard the Holy Spirit say: Never Neglect the Necessary.

Prayer is necessary!

I thank the Lord that I was already IN PRAYER and IN POSITION when my friend called.

I thank the Lord for answering my prayers!

May we all be encouraged to live the way God wants, so that when we pray, great things will happen!

Hallelujah!

SALVATION PRAYER

If you don’t know Jesus as your personal Lord and Savior and you’re not a believer, but you have a desire to be, all you have to do is openly confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead (Romans 10:9). When you pray that prayer, you are saved. Get connected with a good, bible-based church in your community, stay connected to other believers, and start having daily conversations through prayer with God every single day. Welcome to your new life with Jesus Christ!!!

ASSIGNMENTS

1. What did Holy Spirit say to you in your conversation with Him this morning?

2. Pray. Your prayers are necessary.

3. Leave me a message on the podcast. Share this blog post/podcast with someone who needs encouraging. Share buttons below.

4. Become a subscriber and get the blog and podcast in your inbox daily!