Travailing is all about intercession, standing in a gap for people, seeing that the possibilities of God come to pass.
Isaiah 66:7-8 NKJV “Before she was in labor, she gave birth; Before her pain came, She delivered a male child. Who has heard such a thing? Who has seen such things? Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day? Or shall a nation be born at once? For as soon as Zion was in labor, She gave birth to her children.”
Zion is a place of fortress. Zion is not a place of mourning even though people mourn in Zion. Zion is a place of triumph.
Isaiah 61:1-3
Believers are not meant to mourn, we are to travail in the place of prayer. We are to hold onto God’s word and run with it in the place of prayer, giving birth to his possibilities and purposes as we pray. And the purpose of God was mentioned in 1 Timothy 2:4, that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of truth.
That is the purpose of God for all believers. The desire of the father is also the purpose of the father. Any gathering that is not driven towards this purpose of God has not started ministry. John 10:7-8
We need to understand the purpose of God before we can travail. The purpose and possibilities of God are not far fetched.
Matthew 9:35-38 this scripture explains how Jesus was moved with compassion, it shows that he had a burden for the people. Jesus had seen ahead how the harvest is plenty but few labourers are available so he told the disciples to prevail in the place of prayer that God should send labourers. The people were scattered like sheep with no shepherd. A sheep without a shepherd will be scattered.
Numbers 27:17, 34:4-6. It is not the prayer points that keeps people long in prayer, it is the burden, the compassion. Jesus saw potential saints bewildered and helpless, moving about like sheep without shepherd and he said pray, travail. No life is worth going to hell because Jesus has paid for all. In Acts 7 we find that Paul was once a notorious man who supervised the killing of Stephen. He had the mindset of a killer. When Stephen was about to die, he didn’t wish his killers death or anything bad. If Stephen had prayed for bad things to happen to his persecutors, what would have become of Saul who was one of his persecutors. There would have been no Epistles.
So that is why we should not write off people based on their present condition or behavior because there is a possibility of them turning a new leaf. We serve a God who is merciful and full of compassion, so believers should have compassion, if there is no compassion, believers will not see the need to go out and witness.
Every man out there is a potential tool in the hand of God. The price for their salvation has been paid and they have a place in destiny and in the agenda of God. So we need to call upon the God of possibilities and bring them into the purpose and the possibilities in God. Which comes by travailing. The onus lies on us to see people as potential tools in the hand of God that should be useful. Our calling is to see souls come to salvation. We groan, we go and we give. As children of God we should tend to see potentials and possibilities in the life of unbelievers; for those of us going into ministry this should be our calling.
From Mathew 27 vs 57; God needs all of us to have enough potential to push the gospel. It shouldn’t be that God has blessed us and we then become too busy for Him.
See how God can help you bring people into God’s agenda. Always labour fervently in prayer. Our responsibility as a church folks is to teach unbelievers and stand in the place of prayer for them to come into all perfection in all the will and counsel of God.
We should help them grow in Christ. They are those who keep malice in the church and they greet people and leave immediately. It lies on us that we should pray for them.
Hebrews 6:1 Therefore leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection; not laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God (KJV).
Hebrews instructed us not to remain being spoon-fed. In Hebrews 6:9 it means we are persuaded that things can be better. That life can be all that God has made the life be.
If we are not travailing we are not seeing the possibility. That we are seeing people playing truancy in church, we should pray that they align, and see that they comprehend with other saints. Paul prayed that they see and comprehend the will of God and they stand perfect in the will of God. They act on it and not only hear. One can be hearing such words for six years yet they are not transformed. We pray we do not put them aside. We are meant to pray for them. We do not excommunicate believers. We must pray for them because the excommunication will not help them.
Galatians 6:1 Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted (KJV).
If you send them away from the church they would go back to the world. We must restore them in the spirit of meekness. Some of us that are spiritual should restore. We must not add salt to their injury. In a world where people use words to kill a man especially the pastors, we must pray for our pastors.
We need to help some believers in faith and unbelief. This is because a leader will give account of people under him.The possibility and will of God is not far fetched that all men be saved and come to the knowledge of the truth. Any church that does not tend to this direction is not a church but a business centre and such is a missed call. Such set man must need to hear the call again.
When we come to church our statures increase. Any ministry that depletes our growth is not to be attended. We are meant to grow progressively in Christ.
In church meetings we should ensure that the teaching glorifies God. Local church gatherings should emphasize on revealing Christ. That was what Jesus did, he went about teaching and preaching from city to city and from synagogue to synagogue. Whatever doesn’t expatiate the finished work of God in our lives is not in alignment with what God would want. The agenda and purpose of God is not far fetched. The sole aim is for all men to be saved.We are majorly expected to labour in ministry seeking his kingdom first. We should leave out the tokens, the benefits that come with doing the father’s will and focus on the main assignment. We find many praying for those things whereas it’s ours when we align with his will.
We shouldn’t write any one off. We should travail till Christ is fully formed in them. We should allow God’s life be evident in our lives.You shouldn’t be a believer in age only but also in fruits. Let the life of Christ beat an outward expression in you., in conversation, conduct, faith, love and so on. A soul not responding to growth should not be sidelined. We should train men till they mature and can no longer be tossed to and fro. We should also see that all that we are learning reflect.
We have the responsibility to train these believers till they become like Christ. We need to continuously travail. Even when we don’t see results and changes, we should continue to pray. Prayer has no limits or duration till the fruit is in our hands we don’t stop.
Every soul is a potential in the hands of God. God’s plan is that all men be saved. As they stay long in the local church, they should grow. No life is to be rejected or cast away. There are potentials