Solutions April 2017 | Page 59

way, He is not pleased that His lead- ers today spend so very little time in prayer. If public power is a result of pri- vate prayer, then we definitely need to pack up some more hours in the closet before we come out! Spend more time with God. I would encourage every church leader to spend at least one to three hours a day in private prayer. A wise man once said (I paraphrase), “The busier the day will be, the more prayer is required.” I generally prefer to spend not less than 3 hours in prayer every day because I am absolutely help- less without the divine hand. When I travel to minister at a conference or crusade, I try to spend the afternoons in prayer, and God never disappoints. If in the natural, a cup cannot contain the amount of water that a tank can, then in our lives we need greater ca- pacity through prayer to be able to deal with life’s big issues! II. A Life of Holiness and Personal Consecration: It is impossible to talk about pre- vailing and effective prayer without talking about holiness and personal consecration. By this I mean more than just morality or abstinence from stealing, fraud, lying, fornication, adul- tery, and all the others. By all means, we are to be free from all of these evils. But I am talking about a life en- tirely yielded and devoted to God through Christ, and one that loves righteousness--a life that is being trans- formed day-by-day into the image of Jesus Christ. Remember, “Who shall ascend unto the hill of the Lord?... He that has clean hands and a pure heart” (Psalms 24:3,4). Therefore, do not forget to “let your garments be al- ways white, and let your head lack no ointment” (Ecclesiastes 9:8) because the unction always goes with the con- secration. III. Encourage church to pray: Additionally, I would encourage leaders to make prayer an integral component of all church activities. There should also be prayer time during church services. It would be also very beneficial to have prayer meetings as part of church programs. If possible, all-night prayer meetings could be introduced in our churches, and these could greatly increase the prayer fire. Finally, leaders could or- ganize frequent prayer retreats with church workers and/or special groups in the church. As we engage in prayer, I strongly believe that we will see the supernat- ural in our churches once again, and the Lord will do more with us than we could ever ask or think! Bishop Charles Agyinasare is the founder of Precious TV and Perez Chapel in Ghana, Africa. He also serves as Chancellor of the Perez Uni- versity College and has authored several books. In 2007, Agyinasare received the MV award by the former President of the Republic of Ghana for his outstanding achievements in champi- oning African excellence as a religious leader. And in 2015 he was awarded The Global Lead- ership Award from Regent University in recog- nition of his efforts in raising leaders worldwide and for the impact he has personally made across the globe. Related Links Facebook: /Bishop.Charles.Agyinasare Ministry: www.agyinasare.org Church: www.perezchapel.org Solutions 59