Taking A Walk With God

Prayer is Power 2

There is nothing that cant be accomplished with the power of prayer. With it the dead has been brought back to life, the cripple have been healed, and people thought to be insane; are made mentally whole again. But I'd like to take you to Act 4:31. The apostles prayed to God for boldness to speak the word that Christ gave them and they were swiftly answered,

"And they had prayed the place was shaken where they were assembled together. And they were filled with the Holy Ghost, and they spake the word of God with Boldness.."

Do you see the power of prayer? But it doesn't end there it was only beginning, before they preached they were met with opposition even threatened...v 16,17 saying ..

"What shall we do to these men? For that indeed a notable miracle have been done by them is manifest to all them that dwell in Jerusalem: and we Cannot deny it. But that it spread no further among the people, let us straightly threaten them, that they speak henceforth to no man in this name".

Already they were healing and speaking in Jesus name.v33 "and with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all."

How do we know when Gods grace is upon us? From my experience our heart tells us. When I was saved I was in a bad place in my life, I was angry, I felt God had taken some things from me because of the people in my life that died. Before that I came from an unfair back round inside and outside of my home; and I very much felt it, and was aware of it. My bad attitude was because of it but eventually my behavior eventually landed me in jail for possession, my previous assault made it easy to stick me with a two year state sentence, so the at age 18, a judge did just that, and sent me to Rock view state penitentiary! Going into the prison already a somewhat practicing Muslim was an advantage, or so I thought!

No matter where I went, because I was quiet I was targeted, but my temper was quick! After being stolen from and getting in a few jailhouse brawls I came out of Islam, but it wasn't the fact that I often bumped heads with other Muslim brothers, wasn't what brought me out of Islam, it was a profound conversation with my Imam. I came to him concerned because I was praying five times a day, and I had a personal question about prayer.

"Imam Do you believe we can speak to God?"

Imam:

"What do you mean exactly? Are you asking can we pray to him and make our requests known? Yes! Does he talk back? No! But he does answers prayers with blessings for the faithful"

Me:

"I have a hard time believing that He doesn't talk back". I didn't reveal that I heard a voice talking back to me, not when in salat but when in deep meditation alone. Alone time is something you get a lot of in prison.

Imam:

"Well you must believe this as it is in alignment with our Quran. You must believe all of the Quran, or else you're not a true Muslim." He showed me corresponding surah in his Quran and sent me on my way

Me:

"I understand" Little did he know... I returned to my cell without a religion, without a home for my beliefs to rely upon. After already reading the Quran I found many (unspoken of) things that I just did not agree with already! While I found much more that I did agree with I believed that a spiritual truth should come pure and total, and be in line with what my heart is telling me. That is "there has got to be more to life's end than you weigh the good and the bad and go up or down accordingly".

So I went on for months, just praying to God, not to Allah, no kneeling with my head to the floor, but on my knees to him in private the way I did as a child, I was asking God to lead me to the truth about HIM.

The answer to the prayer had already been planted in my life I just didn't know it yet. God is always ahead of you.

Meanwhile I was becoming friendly with a man James Bones who was teaching me patience and discipline, but also when we met he told me he was a trainer when he was on the streets.

One day he saw me in a brawl with an ex-boxer, he was heavier than I and taller than and I guess I impressed James, because right after he took me under his wing and told me I had potential to be a champ. I had no idea but it turns out he was the trainer for Bernard Hopkins the Executioner, and would have still been his trainer had it not been for his recent fall out with the law, the one that landed him in prison next me.

So we bunked up, and he taught me the ropes, I trained vigorously as I was going to fight the championship fight, I figure if I get my mind and body in top shape, when I get out of this scrape, ill somehow be better off, but I had no idea. One day I went to church with him out of sheer boredom, James, who was never forceful about what I did with my time outside of training, had suggested it. "Sure why not?".

That was the day I was born again, I don't remember the minister, I don't remember why I went. But all I knew is when I felt Gods grace for the first time, I became weak and I cried like a little baby. And somehow I felt His warm loving arms around me, it wasn't in any particular person, it was in the air all around me, and coming from the mouths of the prison men as they sang praises loudly to their lord. When I looked up somehow I was in the front of the Church on my knees, and only six words came to mind...."Jesus Christ I invite you in"..!!!

So you see when I prayed for truth it was already there just waiting, with an open invitation, through James Bones who I believe was sent, not to make me a champion in the ring; but to make me a High priest in Gods church and there where I went on the be the Christian coordinator of the prison-church. But now as a free man, with a big family I am a high priest in my home. And if you are reading this and you have a family of your own, so are you!

Always stay in prayer because prayer is power, no prayer, no power; as prayer is your lifeline to the source of our power, God the heavenly father! As you see in this part of my younger life prayer changed it long before I became a Christian, simply being discreet and sincere he rewarded me publicly. The bibles promises always prove themselves true long before I ever picked up a Holy bible on my own and started reading! Reading was only confirmation of what I already felt in my heart, but it all started with a confused and lost 18 year old boy's prayer.