Joseph Prince - This Prayer Is God's Gift to You
The Bible says the entrance of God’s words give light, amen? Regardless of what we are faced with, sometimes the Word might not speak specifically to the area or situation that we are having battle with, but the entrance of God’s words give light. It will give light on that area as well. You know, when you lose something in a dark room, let’s say you lose your car keys, for example. You don’t know where is it, amen? You switch on the light in the room, and you start looking for it because the light will not just uncover the lost key, it might uncover other items as well. What we need is the light, amen?
And we don’t curse the darkness. We don’t complain about the darkness. We don’t keep on looking at the darkness and wish that it will be bright, amen? We just switch on the light, amen? So the entrance of God’s words give light. It is the solution to everything, amen? Praise the Lord. As God’s first words were «Light be, » and there was light. And God saw that light was good. May we receive light from his Word today, amen. Isaiah chapter 59, if you look up here, it says, «So shall they fear The name of the Lord from the west, » and we touch on the fact that the restoration of the power of the name of Jesus, the power attorney in the name of Jesus, has largely come from the west.
And his emphasis in these last days is that he’s gonna cause there to be a worldwide revival as prophesied by the prophet Joel. «It shall come to pass in the last days, I’ll pour out my Spirit upon all flesh, » all flesh, all nationalities, all flesh all over the world. People from the west, east, all over the world will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit. «And your young men shall see visions; and your old men will dream dreams, » hallelujah. «And your handmaidens will prophesy, » and God says, «and they shall prophesy: And I will show», now, those words go together. «They will prophesy: And I will show wonders, » amen?
When we prophesy, God is going to demonstrate his wonders. Amen, praise the Lord. So we are in these days. And the Bible says, during these days, what’s going to happen is that the enemy, «When the enemy comes in like a flood», so we see that happening even in the world today. Now, this is by no means the only explanation, okay? The enemy is gonna do things that will cover the earth. He’s trying to imitate God where God says, «As the waters cover the sea, my glory will be like that, » amen? «My glory shall be like the waters that cover the sea». And every part of the sea is actually water, amen?
So God’s glory is gonna cover the earth. As the Bible says, «When the enemy comes in like a flood, The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him». In the Hebrew, «Lift up a standard» is actually to rout the enemy out, amen? God will cause him to flee, amen. God will cause him to be routed. Praise the Lord. And what is the key? Keep on reading. Notice the Spirit of the Lord will do that, amen? We rest in him. It’s not us doing it. «The Spirit of the Lord will lift up the standard against him. 'The Redeemer will come to Zion, And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob, ' Says the Lord».
And verse 21 says Jesus has a secret here. «'As for Me, ' says the Lord, 'this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants' descendants, ' says the Lord, 'from this time and forevermore.'» Notice God says, «This is My covenant». This is a covenant God’s gonna make with us in these days, and we know we are the people of these days. We are the people of this verse, 21: «His Spirit is on us and his words he has put in our mouth». What is that?
Now, I know that God’s words can be the known language, whether it’s English in many parts of the world, but I believe that this is speaking of the times that we are living in, when God fills us with the Holy Spirit. His Spirit is on us, and we speak in that heavenly language. We speak in the prayer language of the Holy Spirit. And notice that the Bible says it’s connected with when the enemy comes in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him. And two verses after that, it says, «This is My covenant that I’ll make with them. My Spirit will be on them, and I’ll put My words in their mouths, » amen, «and My words will not depart from their mouth».
Now, we want our children to be filled with the Holy Spirit as well. We want them to walk in the ways of the Lord. We want the Lord to have an impact in their lives, amen? But the key is that, notice the sequential order here: His words will not depart from your mouth first. As long as you keep those words in your mouth, amen. Then it will come to the next descendant which is your children, nor from the mouth of your descendants and upon your grandchildren nor from your descendants, your seed’s seed. Amen, praise the Lord, hallelujah.
So it starts with you. Don’t let those words, don’t stop praying in the Spirit. The devil wants to freeze you in your mouth. He wants to cover the well just like he did in the days of Isaac. We are like Isaac because we are the seed of Abraham. And the only thing Isaac did, the notable thing that Isaac did was that he uncovered all the wells that his father dig. But the enemy came. The Philistines came and covered the wells. In fact, one of the first things that the Philistines did that was bad, all right? There’s a lot of things that they did in the Old Testament. They are the number one enemy of Israel, amen? In the Old Testament, there were others, like Hittites, Hevites, Amorites, and all that, but they are the number one, one. And but the first thing they did in the Old Testament was that they covered all the wells that Abraham dig, amen?
So we are uncovering the wells right now. We are uncovering the wells. God is, right now, all over the world, uncovering the well, the well of grace, amen, the true gospel of grace. He’s uncovering the well, even of healing, amen, which is the blood-bought right, amen, of a child of God. It’s bought by the blood of Jesus. By his stripes, we are healed. He’s uncovering even in this and the well of prosperity of people, and don’t be afraid of that word. We’re not talking about prosperity out of greed or self-aggrandizement. We’re talking about being blessed to be a blessing. He’s uncovering that.
Notice that the devil has covered all this up, amen? And people who preach against that, they themselves have two or three houses. They have two or three cars, amen. And they, just, you know, they can prosper, but others cannot. No, friend, it’s time for the church to prosper, amen. I’m not saying be selfish. I’m not saying be greedy, not just «Me, me, me, » not just, like, all your sermons are just talking about giving, giving, giving, about giving to you, no, no, no, no, but there’s a new kind of teaching. There’s a true and there is a pseudo-teaching, amen? And the true is being uncovered. Praise the Lord. «You know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich». Amen, praise the Lord, amen?
The context there is physical, amen? It’s nothing to do with spiritual riches there. He’s talking about he was made physically poor, amen? Where? At the cross. That you, through his poverty, might be rich. And the whole context there talks about giving, finances, amen? Amen, praise the Lord. So God is uncovering all this, uncovering the well of the gifts of the Spirit, amen. That’s being restored where the church has, in the past, uncovered it, and through false teachings and all that, saying that all the gifts of the Spirit, all has gone off from the scene, amen. We don’t need them anymore as if we live in better times, as if we are not in more earnest need for the gifts of the Holy Spirit in our day and age.
My friend, we need it more than ever, amen. And the Bible says, «Follow after love and pursue love. Follow after love; and desire spiritual gifts, but rather that you may prophesy». Amen, friend, if you wanna see the gifts of the Spirit operate, follow after love. I remember, many years ago, I was on my way back late at night from a meeting from a leaders meeting. I remember that I was in a hurry. I was driving down the highway and making it as far as I can if I can reach home, because I was about to watch, and I think it was about 1 a.m. at that time, a championship that was about to take place. I think it was a European championship, and I was very excited to see my favorite team, amen?
So I was in a hurry to go back, and I was driving down the highway, and I was passing by an elderly man who was trying to go over the central divider of the highway. So I passed by. I thought nothing about it. I just drove. I passed by him. But all of a sudden, the compassion of love, the love of the Lord, the compassion of Jesus, just rose up in me. And I know enough to know «Follow after love». I wasn’t in a place where I wanted to move in the gifts of the Spirit or the word of knowledge or the word of wisdom, but I just followed the love, and I knew enough to know that, if that flow of love comes on me, I need to follow that.
So you know what I did? I stopped at the side of the road, at the shoulder of the road, and because there were not many cars at that time, at that hour of the night, I slowly reversed, being very careful, reversed all the way to where the elderly man was trying to cross over the central divider, and he was not taking the overhead bridge across the highway. He was taking the central divider, trying to cross over, so I came over to the side, and I got out of the car and called out to him, and I went over to get him. It was pretty unsafe for him because he might not see a speeding, at that time of the night, there might be a speeding car.
So I brought him over, back to my car, and I asked this elderly man, and I asked him, «What’s wrong»? Can I help him? And he said that, «Oh, I’m very hungry, and I’ve not eaten, and I’m looking for a place to eat». So I said, «What do I do now»? And I found a person who is hungry, and I do not know where, I said, «Where are you from»? And he told me, you know, where he was from, a nearby neighborhood. And I said that, «Shall I bring you back home»? «Oh, there’s nothing at home. I have no one, you know, except for my son, and my son is not at home, and I’m hungry». I was thinking to myself «What do I do now»? you know? So I said, «Why don’t I bring you to a place to eat»? «No, no, you see, I’m looking for this place, this market. My friend is there. He will take care of me. He always gives me food». But how will I know which market is it, you know? So I told him, «You know what? Get into my car first».
So I brought him into my car, and I started driving, you know, without direction. I do not know where to go, and I said that, «Can I bring you to a place to eat»? And he says, «No, no, I have to go to that place. They always take care of me, and they have food for me». So, in my spirit, I prayed. I followed after love, and the Bible says, «Follow after love and desire spiritual gifts, » right? So I said, «Lord, you know, I do not know what to do with this elderly man. Lord, what do I do now»? And from my spirit pop up this picture, amen? I saw that ABC market, and I saw it clearly, clear as crystal. I said, «Is it the ABC market»? And he was like, you know, he’s not very coherent. So he said, «No, my friend is there. This market, they always give me food to eat». So I said, «I’m gonna drive there and see what happens, » okay?
So I drove all the way there. It was quite a distance from the highway to where it was. By the time I reached there, I started feeling stronger in my spirit that this was the place, and I took him out, I started walking, and the very first, we call it the teh tarik stall, which is the place where they sell coffee, all right? And it was still open that night, and when that man who sold the coffee saw this elderly man, he shouted his name out. I knew I was in the right place. And then that coffee man was telling me about how this elderly man, it’s a very pitiful story, how his, you know, his son neglects him, and many a times he’s hungry. And some time back, his son brought him to this place, and he told this elderly man that, whenever he needs to eat or whatever, «Just come over to my stall». He said, «It’s a very sad story».
So I felt like, you know, that the Lord loved this man, amen? Now, had I not followed after love, there would be no manifestation of the gifts. So, many a times, we want a manifestation of the gifts, but we’re not following after love, amen? Do the first step, amen? Do the first step, take the first step, and then the gifts will flow. Praise the Lord. And, you know, when I walked away, I realized that the gifts of the Spirit is not just for the people of the church. It is not just for people’s salvation or for someone’s healing, God just loves people, amen? And the gift can manifest anytime, amen? If you’re a teacher, it can manifest when you take care of your students and all that.
You know, whatever level, you can tell when a child is in trouble, and the Lord will tell you. If you’re a surgeon and you’re about to operate, the Holy Spirit can tell you what really is the problem. We have a number of cases where testimonies of the testimonies of believers who are surgeons, and they are doing an operation, and then the Lord tells them, «No, that’s not the thing», while they are doing that, and later on, only to find out that, had they done that operation, it would cause more complications. So the Holy Spirit can speak to you. You’re a student, the Holy Spirit can tell you, show you things to come, where to study, where to focus on, amen? Praise the Lord. So the gifts of the Spirit, the Bible says, is for every man to profit withal, hallelujah.
And you notice that people who don’t pray in the Spirit, they don’t pray in tongues, they don’t see the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit. So I want to encourage you, child of God: Keep on praying in the Spirit. Amen, and we have been touching on law and grace, and this is a special prayer that is only unique for this new covenant of grace. During this new covenant of grace, we see this gift manifesting, amen? In fact, it’s the prayer language that never existed in the Old Testament. They did pray in the Old Testament, but they prayed with their understanding, which is limited, whereas on the Day of Pentecost, when the Day of Pentecost was fully come, God sent the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance, amen?
We saw last week that elevated discourse. It is not a lowly word. It is not some gibberish that someone is speaking in. It is an elevated and dignified discourse, amen? That’s the word «utterance» there. So it’s a unique prayer, Prayer 2.0, that is just especially for these New Covenant people who have the Holy Spirit in them, not just on them: in them. In the Old Testament, they had the Holy Spirit on them. It will come on them for a specific task and purpose, and then it will leave them, amen? It will come on Samson, amen? And Samson will take the jawbone of a donkey and, just, fight against one thousand men and kill them. Then he will lift, amen? It will come on David, amen? He will prophesy, and then he will lift. It will come on a certain servant of God, a prophet of God, and he will prophesy, and then he will lift.
But Jesus says, «The Holy Spirit, who is with you in the Upper Room», Jesus said that «he will be in you, amen»? And he will be with you forever, hallelujah. So we are the New Covenant people. We have the Holy Spirit in us. So the more you pray in the Spirit, the more you are led by the Spirit. And only when you are led by the Spirit, Galatians 5 very clearly tells us, «If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law». «If you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law».
Now, we don’t wanna be under the law, because if you are under the law, sin will have dominion over you, amen? So it’s very clear that, when we are not under the law, we are under grace, sin will have no power over us. Not only that, if you are under the law, then you are under the curse. The Bible says, «For as many as are of the works of the law are under the curse, » right? So we don’t want to be under the law. We wanna be under grace. How do you do it? Practically, amen? We don’t just say, «We are free from the law», all right? And go into another kind of bondage, amen, to the fleshly, lust of the flesh, that’s another bondage. We’re not freed from one bondage to another bondage.
Friends, we are freed from the law to follow the Spirit, amen. It will help you to know this. The Old Testament is actually people that follow the written letter what is written. But people of the New Covenant are people, people of grace are people that follow the Spirit. They follow the Spirit. And you will more than fulfill the written law. In fact, the Bible says like this, we saw last week, when you follow the Spirit, the righteousness of the law will be fulfilled in you, not by you but in you as you follow the Spirit. Amen, praise the Lord.
We also saw that it is the number seventh weapon of the Holy Spirit. In fact, the rest are all defensive in nature, the panoply, the armor of God for the believer. You have the helmet of salvation, which is the hope of salvation. Having a positive expectation of good in your future is to actually clad yourself with the armor, the helmet of salvation, which is defensive, right? So you have the breastplate of righteousness, which protects your heart… from the accusations and the condemnation of the enemy, all right? It protects your heart from all the fiery darts. And then you have the loins gird with truth, amen, to stabilize all your weapons, amen? You put your sword in a scabbard. It is taken care of, upheld by your belt. You have the gospel of peace shoes, right? You have the gospel of peace shoes so that, wherever you go, you possess the land, amen.
Wherever you go, good news is coming. Praise the Lord. You are a blessing everywhere you go. Then you have the shield of faith, and the shield of faith, again, is defensive in nature, by which you’ll quench, how much? All the fiery darts of the wicked one. The only weapon that is offensive is the seventh one, and you know that God never stops at six, right? It’s the seventh one, okay? Which is what? Praying in the Spirit, amen, praying in the Spirit. It’s wielding the sword of the Spirit. And Young says it like this: «And the helmet of salvation receive, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the saying of God», how do you wield the sword of the Spirit? How do you receive it? Which is the rhema of God. The saying of God is rhema of God. How do you do it? «Through».
And that’s how it starts in the Greek, «dia». Dia means through. «All prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and in regard to this same, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints». It’s a spirit of grace and supplication that God promised in Zechariah, I believe it is, where it says that «I’ll pour upon the house of David, the spirit of grace and supplication; and they will look upon me whom they have pierced». And that prophecy is a prophecy for the New Covenant people, amen. It’s a spirit of grace and supplication, which, I believe, is praying in the Spirit as demonstrated here. So how do you receive the rhema of God? «Through all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit».
Now, we have settled that praying in the Spirit is not praying with more impetus. It’s not praying with more enthusiasm. It is not praying being led by the Spirit in your English. No, the Bible says it very clearly: If I pray in an unknown tongue, if I pray in an unknown language, my spirit prays. Later on, he says, «What is it then? I will pray with my spirit, and I’ll pray with my understanding». There you see the contrast, amen. Praying with the Spirit is praying in tongues. Praying with understanding, and most of us, it’s English or any language that we speak, our mother tongue, right? «And I’ll sing with the spirit, and I’ll sing with the understanding».
So it’s very clear. When the Bible talks about praying in the Spirit, it’s always praying in tongues, amen? And, friend, God has given us this wonderful weapon. If you go back to Isaiah 59, it’s very clear. It says in Isaiah 59, right after «My Spirit upon you,» «My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth». The very next chapter says, «Arise, shine». Now, you know that in the original Hebrew, when the Bible is written, there are no chapters, right? So it actually continues like this: «If My words will not depart from your mouth, this is gonna happen to you. Arise and shine; For your light has come! And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you. For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, And deep darkness the people; But the Lord will arise over you, And His glory will be seen upon you. The Gentiles shall come to your light, And kings to the brightness of your rising».
So notice that the Bible is very clear. It is not talking about the millennium. During the millennium, darkness does not cover the earth, amen? The Lord Jesus will be here, amen. There will be world peace, amen, harmony, hallelujah, prosperity, amen, health, amen. So it’s definitely referring to the times that we live in, the end-times, amen? The Bible says the way you rise and shine is to make sure that God’s Spirit is on you and that his words that he put in your mouth will not depart from your mouth nor from the mouth of your seed nor from your seed’s seed, hallelujah.