Why Pray? ( 3

"Our fight is not against any physical enemy: it is against organizations and powers that are spiritual.  We are up against the unseen power that controls this dark world, and spiritual agents from the very headquarters of evil" (Eph. 6:12).  The only power that is effective in this realm is the power of the Holy Spirit and by His own choice, that power is liberated and released only by the prayer and faith of praying people....

You may learn much in the classroom.  You may learn much by diligent study....by listening to sermons and lectures and teaching tapes, but God's deepest secrets are reserved for those who take time to wait upon the Lord, who take time to be alone with Him.  He has many secrets, many spiritual vision, many hidden revelations and insights which will be shared only in long hours of waiting upon God in the secret place of prayer....

Activism has its place, but the place is after prayer...."You can do more than prayer after you have prayed, but you cannot do more than pray until you have prayed" (Gordon).  Few of us really believe in our hearts that prayer is where the action is.  Many of us are convinced that a brilliant, polished intellect is where the action is; that scholarship, faultless logic and reasoning is where the action is; that psychology is where the action is; that fluency of thought and speech is where the action is....Others believe that a magnetic personality or that organizational ability, administrative and managerial expertise, business acumen, social service and community leadership---all of these are really where the action is.

I make no effort to discredit any of these; all may be profitable and contribute to the success of a ministry.....if God cannot use our wisdom, He can use our ignorance less.  But in the warfare against evil spirit personalities with whom we are engaged, one thing and one alone is effective--the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit that is put into practice only by prayer....."Prayer is striking the winning blow.  Service is gathering up the results" (Gordon). -- from The Technique of Spiritual Warfare by Paul E. Billheimer.