Proverbs24:10 If thou faint in the day of adversity, thy strength is small.KJV
BUILDING STRENGTH IN THE PLACE OF PRAYER
One of the ways to build spiritual strength against adversity is in the place of prayer. Apostle Paul prayed thus for the Ephesian church: "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man;"( Ephesians 3:16 KJV). The Greek word 'Krataioo' was translated as strength. It speaks more of spiritual or divine strength. In the place of prayer, we receive strength to withstand and conquer the vicissitudes of life. It was not easy for Jesus to accept the cross and the humiliation that followed. He was destined to bear our sins and bear the shame of the cross. In the garden of Gethsemane, he prayed: “Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet I want your will to be done, not mine”( Luke22:42). Humanly speaking, the cup of suffering was not easy to bear and I love Jesus for being truthful in prayers.
However, because that cup of suffering was inescapable, the bible said: "Then an angel from heaven appeared and strengthened him"(Luke22:43). One would ask why he needed strength and for what purpose. The answer is not far fetched. He needed divine strength to bear the pain and shame of the cross, to fight the hordes of hell and conquer him who held the keys of death so that we might be saved. Hallelujah!!! Little wonder why he said, "Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me"(Matthew 28:18). He made this statement after resurrection. How did Jesus get to this point? Consistent prayer life. It was said of him in Luke 6:12, "One of those days Jesus went out to a mountainside to pray, and spent the night praying to God." His prayer life didn't end with the forty days fasting and prayer. He prayed to the extent that angels ministered strength unto him.
Divine strength is injected into your inner man in the place of prayer. Jude1:20 says, "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Ghost,"(Jude 1:20 KJV). The strength to withstand and conquer adversity is made available in the place of prayer. We may not be able to pray away certain challenges because Jesus said, "I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world”(John 16:33 NLT). However, we can pray for strength to withstand and conquer it. Don't joke with prayer time. The more you stay in the place of heart-felt and word-based prayer, the stronger your inner man becomes. If you skip prayer time, you lose the opportunity to be strengthened.
Father, I receive a fresh baptism of prayer in Jesus name.