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Acts 13:2 ‘As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them.’
DAILY READING; Romans 3:9-31; 1 Samuel 12; Psalm 57
The decathlon is the most exhaustive game in the Olympics. It consists of ten track and field events and the winner is often hailed as the World’s Greatest Athlete.
At the 2008 Olympics, Bryan Clay was crowned the World’s Greatest Athlete after he won the decathlon, by scoring one of the highest marks in its history.
But Bryan Clay is an unlikely hero because he was the smallest among the other competitors. In fact his small stature of 5 feet 11 and 185 pounds makes him the smallest decathlete in the history of the Olympic Games.
Yet, Bryan beat other competitors by a margin of 240 points, which is the largest margin in decathlon since 1972.
Bryan’s amazing feat is a testimony of the power of prayer.
While growing up, Bryan became full of anger and resentment because of his parents divorce. He was violent, used drug and was kicked out of school several times for beating up students and even a teacher.
Bryan’s life seemed to be headed for self-destruction but everything changed when his mother became a born-again Christian. She was a prayer warrior who continuously prayed for Brian and never lost hope. She was especially inspired because of a vision where God showed her that Bryan would one day become an Olympic champion and win a gold medal.
Though this vision appeared impossible as Bryan remained rebellious and self-destructive, she trusted God’s Word and kept praying.
To help curb his violent habits, she involved Bryan in sports. Soon Bryan developed a love for running and got registered into Azuza Pacific, a small Christian school with a great track program. But even there, he kept getting into trouble for partying in school, falling behind in classes and not doing well in his sports.
His mother’s prayers were answered when, one day Bryan suddenly got tired of his self-destructive tendencies and surrendered his life to Christ.
As he began to put God first, great doors began to open up in his athletic career. In 2004, he made the Olympic team, and won a silver medal. Then in 2008, despite all the odds against him as the smallest competitor, yet he amazed the world by clinching a gold medal in the decathlon to become the world’s greatest Athlete. This was a realization and fulfillment of his mother’s vision and answer to her years of prayers.
His autobiography titled “Redemption”, captures the story of his amazing turnaround through his mother’s unfailing prayers.
Hearing from God was what gave Bryan Clay’s mother the confidence to press on in her prayers, despite how contrary things appeared in her son’s life.
Anytime it seems you are confronted by overwhelming difficulties and insurmountable problems, the best thing to do is to seek to hear the Lord’s counsel. Don’t be intimidated by what may be happening outwardly, wait upon the Lord and hope in His Word. Certainly, God is able to do exceedingly, abundantly above what you could ever ask, think or imagine.
Hearing God’s voice is what makes you to ignore the noise of the enemy and press forward with spiritual precision.
Therefore, instead of wondering or pondering over how to handle problems in the lives of our children, in our family, relationships, business, career, etc, let us seek rather to hear what God is saying. Isaiah 30:31-32 says that ‘through the voice of the LORD shall the Assyrian be beaten down, which smote with a rod.’
The voice of the Lord will silence the roar of the enemy and give you peace and confidence in the midst of any storm.
To hear God’s voice, we must engage in a lifestyle of prayer and fasting. In Acts 13:2 While Paul, Barnabas, and those with them ‘ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them’.
We also hear Gods voice by engaging in a lifestyle of praise.
Isaiah 30:29-31 says ‘Ye shall have a song, as in the night when a holy solemnity is kept; and gladness of heart, as when one goeth with a pipe to come into the mountain of the Lord, to the mighty One of Israel. And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice to be heard..’
To hear God, it is important also that we diligently study the Scriptures, because many times God speaks to us through the pages of the Bible.
When we hear God’s voice and follow His divine direction, we will live in constant victory, because every issue of life answers to the authority of God’s Word.
PRAYER; Lord, Please grant me the grace to patiently wait upon You to hear Your voice on every major issue of my life. As I obey Your voice, I thank You for the mighty manifestations of Your miracles, signs and wonders in Jesus Name.
QUOTE;
Faith is more than just believing, it is acting upon The Word that you believe. WORDBITE 222.
Shalom!
@GOODHEART- EKWUEME .
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