Prayer is stressed again and again in the New Testament as a vital prerequisite for the release and experience of God’s power
Robert Hughes
From the book "First Corinthians (Everyman's Bible Commentary Series) "
Tag: power
Reducing Self
Bill Bright nails it when he says that “fasting reduces the power of self so that the Holy Spirit can do a more intense work within us.”
Jared Brock - American author
From the book "A year of living prayerfully"
Power
The very measure of God’s power in a believer’s life is dependent on how much of his life is ordered by the Holy Ghost.
Mahesh Chavda
From the book "The Hidden Power Of Speaking In Tongues"
Praying in tongues
Praying in the gift of tongues is not the least of the gifts; it is often the entrances into all teh gifts. Strengthen your spirit man. Charge your batteries of faith by praying in the Holy Spirit!
James Goll
From the book "Dream Language"
Peace in the storm
Bill Johnson says “You only have power over the storm that you have peace in.” This statement references the story of Jesus sleeping in the boat during a storm. He wakes up and calms the wind by saying, “Peace, be still.” (Luke 8:23-24). The Lord spoke to me and told me that I was going to “learn the power of peace.” I remembered Paul’s words to the Philippians: “You are in no way alarmed by your opponents— which is a sign of destruction for them, but of salvation for you, and that too, from God” (Phil. 1:28). There is just something about courage that causes the enemy to know that he is already defeated, because courage is immune to his primary weapon, which is fear. Courage is peace in the storm, the inability to be alarmed by the enemy. When we can sleep in the storm, be calm in the face of battle and not panic in the midst of opposition, we have broken the back of the devil!
The night after this word from the Lord about the power of peace, the demon returned. My heart raced, my head was spinning and I wanted to run or scream. Jesus had already given me a strategy for victory. I looked up from my covers and there it stood. It’s huge eyes were glowing red as it stared at me. I looked at it and said, “Oh it’s just you!” Then I rolled over and went back to sleep. That was the end of my visitations. From then on I stopped being afraid and started looking forward to the battle. When the demonized people called, I would pick up the phone and share God’s love and mercy with them. They didn’t know what to do with me after that. They would just hang up. It wasn’t long before all the weirdness ceased. Courage manifested through peace is a powerful weapon of warfare. After all, the God of peace is crushing satan under our feet (see Rom. 16:20)!
Kris Vallotton
From the book "The Supernatural Ways Of Royalty"
Prayer lays the track
‘Our prayers lay the track down which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails,’
Watchman Nee
Standing on your head!
As she left a conference in Atlanta, Georgia, a woman was praying, “Lord, I’ll do anything for You. I’ll do anything. Just tell me what You want me to do, and I’ll do it.” In that moment she sensed something and realized, I’m supposed to turn left. It almost felt like a whim, but desperately wanting to obey God’s voice, the woman turned left. After driving for a little while, she felt as though she was supposed to turn right, so she did. Filled with anticipation, she wondered, Is God actually directing me to go do something right now? This is so exciting!
Before she knew it the woman ended up right in front of a little convenience store, which she sensed was the place the Lord was bringing her. Once inside, she couldn’t wait to see how the Lord would direct her, but the only thing that kept coming to her mind was, Go over in front of the clerk and stand on your head. Pretty weird, right? How many of us would reach that point and say, “Okay, no, that’s not God,” and get in our car and drive home? The direction this woman was sensing seemed odd enough that she could have easily discounted it, although it wasn’t something immoral or unbiblical. She prayed, “Lord, are You sure?” Then she felt nothing, no confirmation. So many times, that’s the gentleness of the Holy Spirit. He doesn’t force us to do anything. He’s not a bully, and He won’t shove us into doing what we’re unwilling to do. In that moment, this woman had a real choice to make. She said, “Okay.” It took her a little bit to build up the courage, and she hung around reading chip packages until everybody cleared out of the store. Then she ran up to the register and said, “Hey! Look what I can do!” There happened to be a pole right in front of the clerk, so she did a handstand against it. From her upside-down position, she saw him drop his head and shake it. She swung her legs down and thought, Man, he thinks I’m crazy—a real freak! But she walked up to the register and saw that the clerk was actually crying, so she asked, “What’s the matter?” He told her, “About half an hour ago, I was sitting here working, and I prayed, ‘God, if You’re real, have somebody come in here and stand on their head.’” The clerk ended up giving his life to Christ as a result of this woman’s obedience to God’s voice, and he has attended the same church as she does ever since.
Robby Dawkins
From the book "Do What Jesus Did"
More than a nibble of peace and joy!
Your heavenly Father is so eager to care for you, that while you are timidly asking for a nibble of peace and joy, He is longing for you to open your mouth wide so He can fill it. The more often you ask, the better; and the more you ask for, the more He welcomes you.
Go quickly now. Search your heart from one end to the other, and gather up all your weaknesses. Set them before the Almighty, as the widow placed her empty vessels before the prophet. Expect a miracle of deliverance from the limitless resources of God. If you had more vessels to bring, you could have them all filled.
William Gurnall
From the book "The Christian In Complete Armour"
Source of power
How does the believer tap into his source of power? To be strong in the Lord’s might requires two acts of faith. First you must have a settled, firm persuasion that the Lord is almighty in power. This is a foundational truth. Secondly you must not only believe that God is almighty, but also that this almighty power of God is engaged for your defense. God expects you to meet every trial, every temptation, leaning on His arm.
William Gurnall
From the book "The Christian In Complete Armour"
Source of power
What was the source of his power? ‘At daybreak, Jesus went out to a solitary place’ (4:42). ‘Jesus often withdrew to lonely places and prayed’ (5:16). You will never cope with the demands of life in the kingdom of God unless you are being recharged through your hotline to God.
Nicky Gumbel - UK Vicar, Alpha Course (1955- )