The Casuality of Prayer — Joshua Daniel

The Good-Ground Hearers Who Bear Fruit

Mark, and the fourth chapter, please. Verse 20 tells us, These are they which are sown on good ground, the word falling on good ground, such as hear the word and receive it, and bring forth fruit, some thirtyfold, some sixty, and some a hundred.

Prayer Meetings Against the Pressures of Modern Life

You know, friends, to have a prayer meeting is a tough job. In the society in which we live today, to have prayer, there's so many contending forces. You know, if you happen to have children, or even if you're a grandmother, grandchildren, you know they have to go, one fellow has to go to the basketball practice, and the coach will not pardon any failure or delay in turning up.

And one fellow has got to go to the soccer practice, and if you happen to have some piano or violin or some such thing, then of course the father or the mother have to go rushing up, and so on and so forth it goes.

And so, what is the casualty? Prayer meeting. Old Mrs. Prayer Meeting has died. So, in this country we see that getting a few people for a Bible study does not seem to be that difficult. Oh, people say, oh yes, we'll come for the Bible study.

Intellectual Christianity Versus Spiritual Fruit

I don't know. The study never leads to any practical results, though. I... Very often the case that people feel intellectually satisfied, and so I begin to wonder how many of these people are just intellectual Christians.

You know, there's a vast difference between... Naturally, you say, has anybody ever attempted to, you know, race a Porsche with a Mach 2 fighter plane? No comparison. A fighter plane takes off, breaks the sound barrier, and heads off.

What's your poor Porsche doing? Struggling through the traffic. Well, there's a vast difference between a spiritual Christian and a carnal or inter... Christian and an intellectual Christian who may not even be a converted person.

It shows up in the fruit. You know, we can live and go on with this humdrum religion without bringing forth fruit. The kind of ministry in which we are at the present is very varied. For instance, some of you are using Christ is Victor, and the Christ is Victor is going out, and as I heard recently, in an art fair, with a lot of people coming in to the... to view the arts or whatever was presented in that fair, one of our brothers was giving out some Christ is Victor.

Sowing in Faith Through Ministry and Divine Intervention

We do not know the outcome because you're sowing that seed in faith. It is amazing how just one little story of some divine intervention, God's intervention, has turned out to be a lifesaver, you know, and has had tremendous consequences.

You know that one book, Fox's book of Christian martyrs, it was very difficult to write that book. The man had to flee England, finally, because they wanted to get hold of him and burn him up, I suppose.

Such a great book. It influenced so much in history. Fox's book of Christian martyrs. That's a book which you must have handy. Now, go back to the prayer meeting. You know, prayer meeting becomes a talking meeting.

Practical Prayer Meeting Discipline and Fruitfulness

You know, somebody takes over and gives a long account of backache. Headache. Some other ache. And that's the prayer meeting. So finally, when the time is over with this long narration, there's no time for prayer.

See, and also in prayer meetings, your private prayer must be long. Pastoral prayer is different. A pastor or a leader has to pray for various burdens. But at a normal prayer meeting, our prayer should be focused.

Pray for a burden. These are the burdens. Five minutes to tell the burdens. And if there is any short message to be read, another 10, 12 minutes. Get on to prayer. Now, when we started praying as college students in that fashion, no waste of time.

No talking. Things began to happen. All kinds of fellows began to be touched. So our prayer meeting should be more powerful. And 30-fold, 60-fold, and 100-fold. There should be fruit. So if there is one real Christian family, and we soon have a few people meeting there for prayer, the influence and the blessing will spread.

Faithful Prayer and the Spread of Revival

I know some of those that used to join us in these retreats. Wonderful people. They have gone home to heaven now. You know, I do miss them. Wonderful people. But this is our turn now. They used to be so faithful in prayer.

Homer Candle was a store owner. Owner of a store in a tiny place called Berlin. Not very far from here. That was the only store in the village. One day I asked him, Hey, Brother Homer, when you lock up, you leave the fruit and the apples and stuff outside your store and lock up and go home?

Yes, that's how I do it, he said. And then your gas pump? Your gas pump also you leave unlocked? Yes, I do. I only had one fellow who took gas, didn't leave the money, and he sent it back after some time, saying I took gas and left, but here is the money.

You know, not very far from here. Just about an hour and something. There God granted us to see a mighty revival in that area. Now, of course, Brother Homer has gone home, and some of those young fellows who were touched in that revival went as missionaries to various places, and so on and so forth.

But I don't know the whole story. And also, the drinking places in 10 miles radius, kind of drinking places had to shut down. I would tell Brother Homer, Homer, you go and lead the prayer meeting. And oh, to his amazement he would see how the people would be broken, tears, cleansing of conscience, putting things right.

You see, many years have passed since that time I preached in that area. But, you know, unfortunately in the United States, people live in small pockets, communities. And I went in as a total stranger, because I was invited.

And the people found it hard in the beginning to totally accept me. But how they would come, people of all sorts, and how the word of God took hold of people. Now, dear people, so don't lose heart. Don't say, hey, we're not making much headway.

No, when two or three of us started praying together, there didn't seem to be much happening. And today, when I see, you know, the list of all the popular channels on which our television broadcast goes out, I say, who is paying for all this?

I don't know. The Lord is paying for all this. It's simply, I don't ask for money. And they all know it. And getting one television program ready can be quite expensive. The equipment is very expensive.

The tapes are very expensive. And so on, the work that has to be put in takes people night and day. And that in so many parts of the globe, that the little radio broadcast which began in Minnesota and in Indiana, that, and in Sri Lanka, has spread, is just the Lord's doing.

The Choking Power of Worldly Cares and Riches

They shall bring forth 30-fold, 60-fold, 100-fold. But just about that, we are told, 18th and 19th verses, These are they which are sown among thorns, such as hear the word, and the cares of the world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and the lusts of other things, entering in, choke the word, and it becometh unfruitful.

So, the Bible tells us, the deceitfulness of riches. So, we are seeing today that even going to a retreat is becoming very difficult. Very difficult. You know, in one place, the prayer hall fell down.

There was a heavy breeze, and the prayer shed fell down. I found out, I said, were any hurt? They said, no one was hurt, but one woman received some scratches. I said, who is that woman? They told me.

She had been grumbling about going to the prayer meeting, and the prayer shed came down on her. So, well, I didn't quite say serves her right. That would sound very rude. But, you know, you see, folks, even having a retreat is becoming very difficult today.

People can't take that loss of money, loss of this, that, and the other they feel. In other words, what is cheap? Christ is cheap. Eternal things are cheap. And these thorny bushes grow up, and in families, we can see one fellow drags his feet, and the other fellow says, I have no time, and so on and so forth.

Hidden Sin, Bitterness, and Fruitless Faith

Now, just about that, what do we see? These are they likewise, which are sown in stony ground, who, when they have heard the word, immediately receive it with gladness, and have no root in themselves, and so endure.

But for a time afterward, when affliction or persecution ariseth for the word's sake, immediately they are offended. So we see that there is a stony ground. When there is no fruit, it means there are hidden rocks, hidden sins, right there, and we must get them out.

Resentments, you know, hurt feelings. The devil uses these little things, you know, what begin as little things, they grow up into fruit-destroying things. There will be no fruit. Why? You allowed the root of bitterness.

Over what? You know, Brother Jesse told me last night, I said, I cannot understand, Brother Jesse. You talk about people getting hurt or splits. I can't understand. And how does that jibe with holiness?

He said, of course it does not jibe with holiness. It does not go together. But the trivial things over which these splits take place, he said to me last night here, would make the devil himself laugh.

So trivial. The devil tricks people like that. And then they feel some kind of hurt, some kind of resentment. What is the net result? No root. No root and no fruit. Let's pray. Loving Father, we don't want to make the devil laugh, Lord.

A Prayer for Spiritual Freedom, Love, and Effective Ministry

Hey, what madcaps are these fellows? How easily I can fool them. Lord, I pray, I'm not here to make the devil laugh. Hell has to go into mourning and heaven into jubilee while we rejoice in the Lord our God and triumph over all these things.

That reduce and remove our fruitfulness. Oh, my Father, the deceitfulness of riches. How it has taken people by the throat. And how many are the sad people today? At the recession, at the loss of job, at all kinds of sadness and worry.

Oh, my Father, won't you come to such people too, Lord? Do not allow them to commit suicide or things like that. Oh, let not these crooked, wicked people say, Hey, you're not bringing in the money so I don't want you.

I'll divorce you. Lord, we are so saddened by divorce, Lord. Running away from wives, running away from the family, abandoning children. Oh, my Father, we pray and ask you that all these dear people may breathe freely.

Save them from spiritual asthma and tuberculosis. That they may, their lungs, our lungs, may freely cry to the Lord. Come, Lord, help us that we may be effective in our prayer and see your works. Give us thick skins when people speak evil of us.

Let us not bristle. Let us not get back with some hard words. Fill us with love, Lord. Come to us, we beseech you. If you could love us on the cross, if you could say, Father, forgive them, they know not what they do.

Give us love. Give us that kind of love. In Jesus' holy name, Amen.