James 4: 16b-17 The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.17 Elijah was a human being, even as we are. He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
Elijah’s prayers could control the climatic conditions. At his word, like a switch turned off, the skies dried up and when he prayed again after three and a half years, the storm clouds gathered and flooded the land. His prayer was the “prayer of the righteous”. Righteous are those who have a right standing with God and man. Righteous are those who have their eyes fixed on Jesus and do not waiver, falter or defer or doubt His promises. Righteous are the same inside out. When Jesus condemned the double standards of the Pharisees, He said, on the outside you appear to people as righteous but on the inside you are full of hypocrisy and wickedness (Matthew 23:28). Soulish prayers will not be answered, only prayer in the spirit will be heard and answered.
Praying in the spirit is understanding the will of God and synchronizing with the plan of God. The life of Elijah teaches us the difference between a spirit filled prayer and a soulish prayer. Elijah lived when the most wicked king of Israel, Ahab and his Phoenicians wife Jezebel were on the throne. To bring the king and the people to a shocking realisation of their hypocrisy, Elijah was led by the Spirit of God to declare a severe drought for 3 ½ years. After the great miracle on Mount Carmel, where Elijah not only put the prophets of Baal to shame but also slaughtered them, he was confronted by Queen Jezebel with death threats. Elijah, intimidated by the lurking danger, escaped to Horeb, curled-up under a broom tree and prayed that he might die! God who heard and answered his “prayer of faith in the spirit” on Mount Carmel, ignored his soulish prayer of fear and frustration under the broom tree.
Three tests to validate that our prayers are not dismissed as soulish prayers:
1. Fear: Prayers made out of a fearful heart are soulish prayers. Fear of facing the future, fear of the unknown, fear of the enemy, fear of challenges, fear of changes or imaginary fear will cloud, corrupt and contaminate our heart. Fear is like rust, the longer you ignore, the bigger it will grow. Drive out fear for your prayer to become effective.
2. Frustration: Prayers out of frustration are angry emotional, irrational and ignorant soulish prayers. Elijah’s expectation of a great revival in Israel was crushed by the threats from Jezebel which pushed him into frustration but frustrated, upset and irritated prayers bounced back on his lap. Repeated disappointments, long periods of waiting or oppositions can push us into frustration. Frustration is only a silly soulish emotion that has no footing in God’s presence. Channel the frustration to Godly intuitions and pray fruitful prayers.
3. Faith: Faith laughs at the adversity and at the adversary. Faith challenges doubt, disappointment and derailment and moves forward. A heart overflowing with faith will remain joyful even when things don’t go as planned. Faith will speak the impossible, believes the unattainable and walks into impassable. Faith fuels the fire of spirit filled prayer.
Test check the thoughts and the words to ascertain that prayers are not from the soul but from the spirit. Spirit filled prayers are like loaded bullets that permeate from the natural into the supernatural and avails much.
James 5:16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed.
Prayer: Dear Lord Jesus, break me from the soulish realm of fear and frustration and move me into the spiritual realm of faith. Teach me to pray in the spirit and pray without ceasing. Amen
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