Prayer Shaming is Shameful

Immediately, after the tragic terrorist attack in California, there was another attack – this time on Christians and the power of prayer. The New York Daily News blasted the offensive headline in capital letters, “GOD ISN’T FIXING THIS.” They attacked four Republican candidates for president who offered prayers for the victims. Ted Cruz said, “Our prayers are with the victims…” Rand Paul said, “My thoughts and prayers are with the victims, families, and brave first responders…” Lindsey Graham tweeted, “Thoughts and prayers are with #San Bernardino” and Paul Ryan asked people to “Please keep the victims of #San Bernardino in your prayers.” This attack on prayer quickly became a trend on Twitter and is now known as #PrayerShaming.

This is an attack from Secular Progressives who refuse to believe in God. If there is no God, then prayer is simply a waste of time. But if there is a God, then prayer is not only important, it is vital. During this time when prayer is being attacked, I want to encourage you not to neglect the Christian’s duty and privilege to pray.

Do you believe prayer is important? Do you live a life of prayer? The words “pray” and “prayer” are mentioned 329 times in the King James Version of the Bible, yet while many people believe in prayer, far too often we do not take the time to do it. Why is this? I think the reason many fail to pray is because most do not understand the importance, the significance, and the power of prayer.

Prayer is your lifeline to God. It is your connection to the most powerful force in the universe. Prayer is like an SOS from a sinking ship. Prayer saves, sanctifies, and delivers. Prayer is a weapon for destroying the enemy, the devil. Prayer is the key to your relationship with God. Prayer is a way to make your petition known to your King.

E.M. Bounds writes, “[Prayer should not be regarded] as a duty which must be performed, but rather as a privilege to be enjoyed, a rare delight that is always revealing some new beauty." I agree with Andrew Murray “Faith in a prayer-hearing God will make a prayer-loving Christian.”

How much time should we spend in prayer? Sometimes we strive to be spiritual and pray a lot, but we disappoint ourselves when we are unable to fulfill our prayer goals. We tell ourselves, “I am going to get up every morning at 5:30 and pray for two hours every day.” The next morning when the alarm rings, we turn over and sleep until it is time to go to work. In the midst of taking time for our family, school, work, and recreation, it is often difficult to find the time to pray.  

A great secret to a life spent in prayer can be found in the example of Smith Wigglesworth. This famous preacher regularly saw amazing miracles occur in his services and many people were raised from the dead under his ministry. Someone once asked him how much time he prayed each day. This man wanted to know the secret to Wigglesworth’s success and probably wanted to discover the magic number of hours Wigglesworth spent in prayer each day. Wigglesworth surprised the man by saying, “I never pray for more than fifteen minutes at a time, but I never go more than fifteen minutes without praying.” In other words, Wigglesworth had a continual relationship with God.

Someone once pointed out, “It is better to pray a little bit a lot than it is to pray a lot a little bit.” Is it better to take a girl out on one big date, or is it better to spend every waking moment with her? God wants us to be aware of Him all the time and to consult Him about the little details of our lives.

This does not mean you should forsake setting aside a specific time to pray. It may be helpful to make an appointment with God and to write it down in your day timer. But even if you spend a set amount of time praying each day, do not forget about God the rest of the time. 

Since I heard the story about Smith Wigglesworth, I have tried to mentally remind myself of God’s presence every fifteen minutes. All of us have a lot of time that can be used for prayer. We can pray on the way to work or while waiting in line at the post office or while we take a shower in the morning. Our day is constantly filled with little opportunities to pray.

Instead of beating yourself up trying to set aside time to spend with God, allow Him to come and spend time with you while you do your everyday activities. I exhort you to “pray continually.”  This is what it means to make God the center of your life!

“Daniel, will you pray for me?” I am frequently asked. My typical response is to grab the hand of the person who is asking and immediately begin to pray. If I wait until later, I might forget. Rather than promising to pray and then breaking my promise, I usually try to immediately spend a moment in prayer.

Prayer is often talked about and rarely done. A true prayer warrior is a treasure to be appreciated. I greatly value the people in my life who regularly pray for me.

Recently, we were doing a Gospel Festival in the Muslim nation of Pakistan. While we were there, a pastor’s wife back home in the United States had a sense of urgency to pray for our protection. So she began to pray for us. When we returned home, we shared how we were shot at while we were in Pakistan. She compared the difference in time zones and figured out that she was stirred to pray at the same time we were in danger. Her prayers saved our lives!

When we pray for others, we can have a big impact in their lives. Do you know someone who needs prayer? Help? Salvation or healing? A touch from God? Begin to pray for them right now.

Your prayer releases the angels of heaven. Your prayer moves the hand of God. Your prayer destroys spiritual blinders. Your prayer brings supernatural provision, healing, protection, and salvation. Your prayer is a mighty wall, a strong shield, a tall hedge between the enemy and the person you are praying for.

Your prayer goes where you cannot go. Your prayer impacts people you never met. Your prayer changes lives throughout the earth. Your prayer reaches into the future and impacts generations that are not even born. Your prayer reaches across oceans, over mountains, around barriers, and across borders.

No law can block a prayer. No religious belief is immune to the power of prayer. No political ideology can halt the results of prayer. No country is closed to the supremacy of prayer.

If you know someone who needs prayer, begin to pray right now. Lift your voice to the Lord and pray on their behalf. Your prayers will change his or her life! When a terrorist attack occurs, instead of being considered a failure of prayer, it should be an invitation to pray even more.

About Daniel King

Daniel King (www.kingministries.com) is a missionary evangelist who has preached the Gospel in over sixty nations. He has led over one million people to Jesus in the past ten years. Daniel and his wife Jessica live in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Daniel King’s latest book, The Power of Prayer: 31 Days to Radically Change Your Prayer Life is available on Amazon. It is an easy-to-read book that reveals the secrets of powerful prayer. It will enhance your prayer life and make your time with God more meaningful.

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God Moves in Ethiopia

Jesus promised we would be witnesses to the ends of the earth. One of these far away places is Lalo Kile in Ethiopia. I recently landed in Addis Ababa, the capital city, and drove fourteen hours to the location of our Gospel Festival. On the journey, often over bumpy dirt roads, we had a miracle encounter.

We were passing through Nekemte and stopped for a coffee (everyone in Ethiopia drinks coffee). At the roadside table next to us we heard some men talking about a Bible school. I greeted them and met the director of an International Victory Bible Institute, a Bible school planted by my home church, Victory Christian Center. It is amazing the impact that Victory has had around the world. I had the opportunity to visit the school and minister to the 198 students. They eagerly study the Word, despite lack of desks and sitting on wooden benches.

The conditions on this mission trip were quite primitive. There was no bathroom near my room so I had to walk up a little hill to a smelly public outhouse. Each morning, I was brought a plastic bucket of cold water to wash in and I had to scoop water out of the bucket and pour it over my head.

When we finally arrived in Lalo Kile, a delegation of pastors met us at the entrance of the town with a warm welcome.

On the first night of the Gospel Festival, about 15,000 people came. There was a man who had an infected foot. The doctor told him the foot would have to be amputated. Jesus miraculously healed his foot and the man started to march and dance. When he shared his testimony, all the people rejoiced with him. 

On the second night, 18,000 people came and I spoke on the paralyzed man in the Bible who was let down through the roof. A man blind in his right eye was healed. He brought a document from the hospital that proved he was blind.

Each morning we held a Fire Conference at a local church for all the leaders. On the first day every seat was filled; the next day people were leaning in through the windows and lined up outside to listen. On the third day, there were so many people that the church was not able to hold them and we were forced to move outdoors.

On the third day of the Festival, 35,000 people came and there were many more miracles. 

There was a mosque right next to our grounds. Five times a day, an imam called Muslims to prayer. His sound system was loud, but ours was louder. As we drove by the mosque on Friday, there were only about ten pairs of shoes outside. On Saturday night as we drove by, a large rock flew from inside the mosque compound and hit the side of our car, leaving a large dent. The rock made a loud bang. If it had hit our window, it definitely would have shattered glass all over our car. We told the police, and they posted a guard next to the mosque to make sure they did not throw any more stones at the people walking by.

On the fourth day, 45,000 people were in attendance and I preached on the Four Greatest Miracles in the Bible. We put a large wooden cross right in the middle of the platform and did a drama about the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. Those who raised their hand to accept Jesus, received a booklet and a counselor wrote down their names for the local churches to follow up on the new believers.

On Sunday morning, the fifth and final day of the Festival, approximately 55,000 people gathered together. The field was not big enough to hold everyone. I preached on the three greatest events in the Bible: Creation, Calvary, and Pentecost. We prayed with the whole crowd to receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit and thousands spoke in their personal prayer language for the first time.

In Ethiopia, people were saved, healed and filled with the Holy Spirit. This Gospel Festival is another great success. Thank you for helping us to preach the Gospel of Jesus to the people living near the “ends of the earth.”

Can you help with the expenses of our next Gospel Festival? Click HERE to give today! 

Ethiopia Gospel Festival

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Miracles in Madagascar

When I landed in the capital of Madagascar, I received a report from our Festival director. He said,

“Please pray, all of the posters for our event have been torn down by Muslims.”

Madagascar is the fourth largest island in the world, but our Festival was on a small island just off the northern coast of Madagascar. It was in the city of Nosy-be, a city that is fifty percent Muslim. There are many places we could go to preach the Gospel, but Nosy-be is the type of city I like to visit. There are a few small churches in the city but the majority of the population does not believe in Jesus.

As I flew into the city, I prayed, “God, help us to lift Jesus up in this city. I pray that everyone in the city; Muslims, animists, and Christians have an encounter with the living God this week.”

Our festival director still had a stack of posters that he had saved. At 5am in the morning a team of young people from the local churches marched out into the neighborhoods and put up new posters in order to replace the ones that had been torn down. Our persistence in the midst of persecution would produce results.

Despite the difficulty with the posters, the first night’s attendance was strong. Everyone loved the upbeat music. When I started to speak, I announced, “I welcome our Muslim friends and I welcome our Christian friends. This festival is for everyone. Jesus will perform miracles for anyone who trusts Him, regardless of your religion.” About one dozen people were healed on the first night. The outstanding miracle was a man who was deaf in one year who was suddenly able to hear perfectly. As I tested his hearing, the crowd started to celebrate.

The next morning, about two hundred pastors and leaders attended our Fire Conference. I taught on the importance of evangelism and challenged the believers to go out into their neighborhoods and invite people to the Festival. In the afternoon, I had some free time so I visited the local food market to talk with the locals and invite them to come to the Festival. In the market there were dozens of food stands full of carrots, tomatoes, spices, eggs, meat, live chickens, fish, and open bags of rice. As I walked around, I asked the shop owners, “Did you go to the Festival last night?” Many of them had attended. One shop owner said, “I am a Muslim but I went last night.” I asked him, “What did you think?” He replied, “I saw many miracles. My wife is very sick. Tonight I will bring her for prayer.” Right there in the public market place, this Muslim shopkeeper allowed me to lay hands on him and pray for him and his wife.  

That night, the crowd size increased. Word had spread about the miracles that Jesus was performing. We announced, “Jesus is more than a prophet. He is also Lord and Savior. Jesus came from heaven and gave His life by dying on the cross to pay the price for sin. Everyone who calls on the name of Jesus will be saved.” When the altar call was given, I noticed Muslim people throughout the crowd that were praying with us for salvation.

On the final night, the crowd increased again. Four thousands decision cards were passed out by our councilors to people who prayed for salvation. Many of the people who decided to follow Christ came from Muslim families. The local churches will be meeting with these people and they will start the long process of discipleship.

The Bible tells us there will be great rejoicing in heaven when a single sinner repents. I also rejoice when people decide to give their lives to Jesus Christ. This is why we do what we do. Tears of joy fill my eyes every time I have the privilege of introducing people to Jesus. There is no greater feeling then knowing that a person has turned from darkness to light, from sin to holiness, from a false religion to a true relationship with a living God.

Thank you for helping me to preach the Gospel. Because of you, the Muslims of Nosy-be, Madagascar had an opportunity to hear the good news about Jesus Christ. Because of you, many sick people received miracles. Because of you, heaven will be a little bit fuller and hell will be a little bit emptier.

Making Jesus famous,

P.S. At the end of this month, I am headed to the Central American nation of Belize. This is the only nation in Central America that I have never ministered in. I will be preaching in several churches and meeting with a group of pastors who want to invite us to do a crusade in this country. Your gift this month will help with the expenses of this trip. To give a financial gift, CLICK HERE

New York, NY with Evangelist Luis Palau

This month, I was invited to observe and participate in a massive evangelistic effort by Evangelist Luis Palau in New York City. Luis Palau is originally from Argentina and is a well-known evangelist in Latin America. God has also given him great fruit here in America. I am a member of the Next Generation Alliance, a group founded by Palau to train and encourage young evangelists.

For the past six months, Palau’s organization has been preparing for City Fest: New York City. They have conducted mini-fests all over New York City and it culminated with a two-day massive outreach. On Friday night, there was an evangelistic gathering in Times Square and on Saturday night there was a Festival in Central Park. Thousands of people made decisions to follow Jesus.

I volunteered to serve as a counselor. At my Gospel Festivals, I ask local church members to serve as counselors, so I figured I should sow a seed by serving as a counselor at another evangelist’s event. When Luis Palau gave the altar call, I saw a woman near me raise her hand to respond to the invitation. Her name was Sofia. She is 45-years-old and was born in a Christian home but had wandered far away from God. She heard the music as she was walking through Times Square and paused to listen. The message captivated her and she decided to rededicate her life to Jesus. As I led her in a salvation prayer, her eyes glistened with tears of joy. She was really impacted by the Gospel.

In Times Square there was a group of performers dressed up in costumes. They make money by taking pictures with tourists. I approached a man dressed in a Super Mario Brothers costume. I found out that his name is David and he is Hispanic. He has been in the United States illegally for thirteen years. In Spanish, I explained the Gospel to him and he decided to make Jesus the Lord of his life.

At the event in Central Park, I prayed with a Chinese family. Two sisters, a husband, and a son all made commitments to follow Christ. The family heard about the Festival through a radio advertisement and they managed to get tickets at the last moment. They asked me to pray for their family members who live in Mainland China to be saved.

Here are some of my thoughts after participating in this evangelistic event:

* I am inspired to dream big dreams. Luis Palau said he has dreamed of doing an evangelistic event in New York City for over fifty years. There is no dream too big for God to bring to pass.

* I am inspired to reach America with the Gospel. This nation needs God just as much as the villages of Africa and Asia. Far too many churches in North America have become anemic in the area of evangelism. It is time for us to do more to preach the Gospel here in America.

* I am inspired to reach big cities with the Gospel. Every two seconds, five more people enter the world than leave it; this adds 3,600 people to the population daily. With this rapid population growth, there is a migration from the village to the metropolis. We need to reach the small towns, but millions of people live in big cities and we need to have a strategy for reaching them.

* I am inspired to believe God for more resources. The total budget for Palau’s outreach in New York City was twelve million dollars. To me, this sum appears to be enormous. Most of our events cost between $10,000-$30,000 and sometimes, despite the generosity of people like you, it is difficult for me to raise even this smaller amount. I am believing God for more resources so I can reach more people for Jesus.

* I am inspired to build a team for evangelism. Palau does not work alone; he has a large team around him that works together for people to be saved. In our ministry, we have seen amazing fruit, but our staff basically consists of me and my wife, and my wife is busy raising our two children. My biggest prayer request is that God would bring several staff members alongside our ministry to help us reach more people for Jesus.