The Time Factor

God does not care about the things we do not have: He is interested in what we have. We need to understand that what we are today is because of what we sowed yesterday. What we will become is because of what we sow today.

If as believers, we do not know how to sow, then we have no future. Our harvest tomorrow depends on what we sow today. If we are not willing to sow, we will never see a harvest. The future of our loved ones who are not born again depend on our sowing, what we are sowing today. Many of us, having received prophecies, relax and wait for the prophecies to come to pass.

Not so Elijah. When God told Elijah that He would send rain, he went up to the mountain, after the showdown at Mount Carmel, came before God and went into warfare. He then called his servant to find out if he could see what Elijah had heard. What we must understand is what when we hear from God, we must go into warfare until we see what we hear. Many of us heard many things but have yet to see them.

When a word is released over us, it is like a seed. This seed must be sown. We sow the seed of God's word into our womb of intercessory prayer. Elijah instructed his servants to check for rain, seven times, before the rain came.

Why did not Elijah do the checking himself? The answer is that when we engage ourselves in intercessory prayers, we do not look a what others are seeing because it will affect our faith. When we look at the doubts of others, we see doubts, when we look at fear, we see fear.

The Bible says that after each negative report of his servant, Elijah prayed again. I want to encourage you to pray again, for the many things you have prayed for but have yet to see results. What God has said will come to pass. 

Pray again. You may say that you have prayed and fasted last year, last month or even yesterday - it is time to pray again. Do not live by the prayers of yesterday.

It is only when we persist in our prayers, relentlessly pounding on heaven's door that answers come. It is a fallacy that once we have prayed for something, we do not have to pray any more but just worship, bless and thank God.

Jesus himself showed us we have to be persistent in our prayers. He spent a long time in the Garden of Gethsemane praying "Take this cup away from Me; nevertheless, not what I will, but what You will." (Mark 14:36,39) The Bible says that Jesus spent the whole night praying.

Persistent prayers exert pressure on the enemy and put demands on the promises of God. God told the children of Israel to go round the walls of Jericho seven times. Why seven times? It is because God was teaching them the principle of persistent prayers.

This is the principle believers have to understand and apply. Non believers are very persistent in their pursuit of whatever they desire. Believers unfortunately do not appear to possess this tenacity or staying power. Provers 24:16 says that "For a righteous man may fall seven times. And rise again." This is the principle of persistence.

When we remain and persist in prayers, the anointing of the Holy Spirit comes upon us and we will begin to move, we will overtake those who had overtaken us and gone ahead of us in life, just as Elijah overtook Ahad, on their way to Jezreel.

The nation of Israel was only healed after Elijah spent time in the presence of God. Our nation, our families, our children will only be healed and receive a touch from God after we have spent time in God's presence. Nothing happens when we do not pray.

So what time is it? It is time to pray!

- Ps Johnson Tsakpornu