There is power in prayer, says Evangelist Martin
Published:Thursday | November 17, 2016 | 12:00 AMShanique Samuels
Through prayer, the children of God can conquer all things. That is a proven fact.
According to Evangelist John F. K. Martin of the Seventh-day Adventist Central Jamaica Conference, prayer is very sacred because it is you and God communicating.
"As a child of God, when you pray, the aim is to get answers - so you're looking for results. We must let the burden go and look for the result because praying and holding on to the burden makes no sense," he said.
He added that even as we are praying, the enemy will always try to prevent us from praying, but prayer has power, especially if you are a believer. However, he noted that without prayer, the enemy has victory.
"Matthew 6:9-13 tells us when we pray, we must do so in secret to our Father who is unseen, and He, who sees in private will reward you. And it lists an example of how we should pray when we seek to reverence God."
Having found himself in what was a 'tight' situation, Martin shared how he prayed about a particular situation and his deliverance came immediately.
PRAYER IS POWER
"Prayer is power, so when we pray, we must be mindful of what we are praying for and we must guard against what many people call a 'bad prayer'. But is there is such a thing as a bad prayer?" Martin referenced the story of Samson when he had a moment of prayer talking to God while he was in a desperate situation.
"In Judges 16:28, Samson prayed for God to give him strength to destroy the enemy and God answered his prayer by giving back Samson his strength to destroy his enemy. So God does answer prayer, but it depends on the situation you are praying about and whether it suits Him. The Bible says the prayer of a righteous man availeth much and, in this case, He answered Samson's prayer because he was a righteous man. We just need to have faith when we pray," he explained.
Prayer is like the food we eat. We need it to stay up, to keep up with this life, and we must feel a sense of relief when we pray.
"The scripture also tells us to pray one for another. Prayer for one another is very important because, when we pray, sometimes things happen immediately. The weakest Christian on his knee praying makes the devil tremble, so imagine what could happen with all the weak Christians praying at once. Brothers and sisters there is power in prayer. You just need to believe when you pray" he concluded.