PRAYER CHANGES THINGS

In 1995 I gave my life to the Lord, and immediatley after my mom gave me the best advice ever. She said whatever I do now make sure that I pray everyday. The second thing she said to me was make sure I pay my tithes! That is exaclty what I did. I made it a point to have time with God constantly and I gave as much as I could beyond my tithes.
I wish I could say that I lived happily ever after but I would be lying. The truth is that I was very blessed, then I became religious and my marriage started to suffer then it fell completely apart. In 2006 I lost everything! I truly believed that I became a religious man. What I mean is that I stopped praying and chasing God. Instead prayer I filled my day with lots of meetings and speaking engagements. The church growing and within two years we went from 15 people to 400! God must be with us! I became soo busy for the Kingdom!
While I was out winning the world I was losing my marriage, my home and then eventually I lost it all. It was a terrible site to see. I eventually ended up so backslidden (7 times worse!) that alot of people wanted nothing to do with me. Especially the religious community (that shouldn't surprise you one less church to have to compete with) I was now on drugs and alcohol completely miserable! I now felt what Adam probably felt when he broke relations with God and was chased out of the Garden. My friend that is the worst feeling the world. The enemy daily would mock me and I was so depressed. I tried to kill myself through drugs and alcohol putting myself intentionally in unsafe situations with dangerous people hoping someone would just kill me.
Then one day I was at my wits end and I remembered. PRAYER CHANGES THINGS! The chase was on! For almost two years I have been praying that God would restore my life, and you know what? He has! My wife and I divorced last year because of all this. And we both began to move on with other people. It seemed like God's hand was too short and that He was not able. Then within a month, my ex wife came back and said "I want to make this work!" I want to marry you again! Knowing that this was the result of prayer and God bringing the answer literally to my doorstep I said yeah!!
Let's make it work! Daily we are getting before the Lord and praying. Sometimes it is so hard and you just want to give up. But I know that prayer changes things! I know for a fact that he is able. See I am just sharing tidbits of info with you. My situation was really really bad! It was public and bad! The moment I repented, surrendered, God began to move. Daily I chase Him. Because as I have known all along, I am the type of person who needs prayer daily as one with a chronic illness needs their daily medicine.
I know prayer is outdated and not cool anymore in the church, because we have technology and gifted people who can grow a church with their methods and step by step books. But the reality of the church today is that it lacks in its prayer life. Families are being picked off by the thousands and the pastors are so busy with the latest gimmicks and 3 steps to getting an offering out of their people, that we have forgotten about prayer!
We are now no different than a corporation. We hire talented people and figure out the best ways to get people to give. Yet our statistics compete with the worlds in every area. We have just as many divorces and out of wedlock pregnancies. Pastors are abandoning churches in hopes of something better. Churches are dying in the communities that their in because they refuse to reach them. My friend let me tell you something. Change will come when you change your attitude towards God and prayer. Chase Him and He will leave the blessings of healing and restoration behind. Follow after Him in prayer and He give you the most innovative ideas to reach your community.
Simply put prayer changes things. I think it was EM Bounds who said "when God gets ready to move he first sets it in the heart of his people to pray."
Throughout scripture the greatest of men and women were the greatest of prayer. Prayer will always change the odds against you. Why? Because PRAYER CHANGES THINGS! It brings God into the equation and changes perception. Once the perception of a person is changed by prayer it automatically changes the odds. Read 2 Kings 6:15-17
It was in prayer that Hannah being barren and unable to bring forth a child, gets her breakthough. Read 1 Sam 1 :10
Through out scripture we see God showing up through the invitation of prayer. Prayer changes things. Whatever your circumstances are today, bring it to God in prayer and let him do what he wills.