There was a certain man of Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of the band called the Italian band, A devout man, and one that feared God with all his house, which gave much alms to the people, and prayed to God always. He saw in a vision evidently about the ninth hour of the day an angel of God coming in to him, and saying unto him, Cornelius. And when he looked on him, he was afraid, and said, What is it, Lord? And he said unto him, Thy prayers and thine alms are come up for a memorial before God.” Acts 10:1-4. Cornelius was a man that prayed to God always, and because he did, his prayer was heard in heaven. Not only was his prayer heard, but also his alms or “givings” came up before the God of Heaven, who took notice, sending him an angel messenger to talk with him and let him know that help was on its way. What kind of man was Cornelius? First of all, the scripture states that he was a devout man to God and loved the house of the Lord. David wrote in Psalms 26:8, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of thy house, and the place where thine honour dwelleth.” In other words, Cornelius was as David, a man that loved to dwell close to the presence of the Lord and be in His house, making sure that the church was strong financially. He was a “giver of much” to the ministries of that day. The word devoted means that he was loyal and faithful, given to God’s work, a poured out, dependable vessel in his resources and energy – not one day “Yes, I will,” and one day “No, I won’t”; but rather, consistent with his devotion. Secondarily, he also feared God with his entire house. He was a man like Joshua. Joshua 24:15 says, “…as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.” Cornelius, also as Joshua, was a living example before his family and they were expected to follow his example in fearing and serving the Lord. He had a reverential fear of Almighty God and taught his children to do the same! Thirdly, we read, “which gave much alms to the people.” He was a giver, which gave much to the church and those in need; therefore, he was the “blessed of God” and the blessing of God was upon his life.
***THE GIVERS ARE REWARDED***
"Blessed is he that considereth the poor: the Lord will deliver him in time of trouble. The Lord will preserve him, and keep him alive; and he shall be blessed upon the earth: and thou wilt not deliver him unto the will of his enemies. The Lord will strengthen him upon the bed of languishing: thou wilt make all his bed in his sickness.” Psalms 41:1-3. Yes, the promise of “Great Blessedness” was upon Cornelius and his house because of their “much givings.” And last but not least, this was also said about Cornelius: “and prayed to God always.” That prayer of “always” that Cornelius prayed was heard personally by the God of Heaven. What is the prayer of always? It is “the prayer without ceasing”; it is the life of consecrated prayer that doesn’t cease to intercede, supplicate, give financially, and serve; therefore, the “much givings” came up for a memorial and "we're" had in remembrance before God, qualifying him for a supernatural visitation from heaven. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.” Romans 12:1 Yes, the Lord personally answered him by sending a heavenly messenger. “And Cornelius said, Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, And said, Cornelius, thy prayer is heard, and thine alms are had in remembrance in the sight of God.” Acts 10:30-31 Cornelius was in his house fasting and praying “without ceasing” for four days. The word “cease” means to stop, discontinue, and quit. Here, Cornelius was praying without ceasing, which means without stop or pause, incessant, continual, and unceasing!
***THE HOUR OF BREAKTHROUGH***
Cornelius said he was fasting until the ninth hour. The ninth hour is the “hour of breakthrough, blessing and prosperity”—the hour of revival! Look at your time clock – the direction of the 9th hour is the west direction and west wind brings in the hour of breakthrough to those who have waited upon the Lord. For the past ten (10) years, and especially the last two (2) years, we have really zeroed in prayer for the west gate of our state, city and nation. It is very important that we possess the west gate of our homes and cities of America in order for the strong wind of revival to blow upon us. It was on the ninth hour that the prayer was answered and heavenly intervention came! There is a key – a mighty key needed! That key is the key which will open the closed doors of heaven for revival and also open the “shut doors” of impossible situations in our personal lives, breaking the powers of darkness over this nation, our cities and move us into the blessed victory as we pray without ceasing.
***PRAY WITHOUT CEASING***
In Matthew 7:7-8, it reads, “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: For every one that asketh receiveth; and he that seeketh findeth; and to him that knocketh it shall be opened.” Here, the word of God tells us we are to ask and we will receive, we are to seek and we shall find, and we are to KNOCK and it shall be opened. I truly believe that the Holy Spirit has given me a deeper revelation from heaven about the scripture to impart to the church so we can have the victory in a time that many are struggling for a "final day" move. In the past we have prayed asking, then receiving in a measure, experiencing that first portion of Matthew 7:7, “ask.” Also, many of us have sought the Lord and we have found Him, experiencing in a measure the second portion of this scripture, “seek and you shall find,” but we have not experienced the third portion of the “knock, and it shall be opened unto you” prayer in a great measure. The knocking prayer is the one that opens heaven’s door and brings down a supernatural visitation with a message from heaven. The prayer that asks, seeks and then doesn’t stop there, but goes further to the “knock” and keeps knocking is prayer “without ceasing” with fasting. Keep praying; keep rapping, so to speak, until the answer comes. Don’t stop until you see the door of your situation swing open. Your knocking prayer will open the closed door the devil is holding shut.
***PRAYER THAT OPENS CLOSED DOORS***
"…These things saith he that is holy, he that is true, he that hath the key of David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth; I know thy works: behold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name.” Revelations 3:7-8. Oh, Church, we have been missing the mark of answered prayer, not because we haven’t prayed. Yes, we have “asked and received,” yes, we have “sought and found,” but we have not gone far enough! We must do all of Matthew 7:7, which fully instructs us that after he asketh and seeketh, the man of prayer continues to knock which is praying without ceasing until the portals of heaven are opened to our impossible situations and bring in the “supernatural visitation” which is what we need in this hour. We need our Supernatural God with Supernatural strength to move on behalf of our mountain.
***GOD MOVES MOUNTAINS***
All of us need a door of heaven opened and PRAYER WITHOUT CEASING is the key—the prayer that brings the supernatural on the scene from heaven above to our impossible situation! Only God can move mountains and only “prayer without ceasing” can move God! Church, America is in serious trouble; some of our children, some of our marriages, some of our financial situations, some of our churches, some of our businesses, some of our schools are in serious trouble. And when we are in “serious troubles” and facing mountains of difficulty which are the impossible situations, then we must pray without ceasing. Prayer without ceasing will bring in the miracles from the very hand of God.
***PRAYER MOVES GOD***
King Herod had put Peter in prison. “Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the church unto God for him.” Acts 12:5. Yes, the church got together; and together, in the unity of the faith, they began to pray, the prayer without ceasing! A principle of answered prayer was exercised—“if any two of you on earth shall agree as touching any one thing, it shall be done of my father which is in heaven.” In unity together the Church prayed for Peter. “And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison.” Acts 12:6 Yes, Satan had put Peter in an impossible situation, sleeping between two soldiers and bound with two chains—he thought, I have him now—absolutely no earthly way out. It appeared that Peter was doomed for death come the morning. Then, to top all of that, Satan’s keepers were also camped outside at the door of the prison. There was only “One” who could intervene and spring the trap orchestrated by the devil to destroy the Apostle Peter—a miracle was needed to bring him out of that snare. Do you need a miracle to bring you out of the snare of the fowler? Our Jesus is able! "And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying, Arise up quickly” And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him, Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals. And so he did.” Acts 12:7-8 Yes, prayer without ceasing will bring the prisoners out of their own spiritual prison houses. Do you feel like you are in chains, or do you know someone who is in the chains of bondage? Then, prayer warrior, get excited and rejoice, “pray without ceasing,” and you will see the doors begin to swing open by His divine intervention into that impossible situation.
***DIVINE INTERVENTIONS***
This is the hour where many of us need that “breakthrough” from heaven. We’ve tried and done everything we know how to do and things are still blocked, locked up, and held shut by Satan’s forces. “…And he saith unto him, Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me. And he went out, and followed him; and wist not that it was true which was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision.” Acts 12:8-9. Yes, don’t try to figure God out; don’t try to understand. Let us do as Peter’s example – just follow Him and His Holy Spirit. “When they were past the first and the second ward, they came onto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of his own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him.” Acts 12:10 Yes, they came to the first ward, and got through. We’ve come to the first part of Matthew 7:7, “Asketh” and we got through and received, but it was not enough. Then they went to the second ward and got through, and we also went to the second part of Matthew 7:7, “He that seeketh findeth” and got through. But still we haven’t seen the big breakthrough we so need in our lives.
***THE IRON GATES SWING OPEN***
But when Peter got to the third door, it was an IRON GATE, which leadeth unto the city, which openeth to them of his “own accord.” Yes, this was the third gate and it was an iron gate that only opened of his own accord. No church, no man could open it. Only divine help from above could swing open that iron gate. Many of us are facing the “iron gates” in our personal lives, our churches, and our cities. When we are in these types of “helpless situations” we must put our total trust in God to see results and for our breakthrough—a divine intervention is the only thing left.
***JESUS SPRINGS THE TRAP/SNARE***
And when Peter was come to himself, he said, “Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent his angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.” Acts 12:11 The Apostle was hated and his enemies wanted to see him fall, but surely the Lord intervened and his life was spared! “And when he had considered the things, he came to the house of Mary the mother of John, whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together praying. And as Peter knocked at the door of the gate, a damsel came to hearken, named Rhoda. And when she knew Peter’s voice, she opened not the gate for gladness, but ran in, and told how Peter stood before the gate.” Acts 12:12-14. Peter stood before the gate of freedom and refreshing—the gate of God’s house—the Gate of Refuge. Now, when he knocked, deliverance (Rhoda and the church) stood at the door welcoming him. I’m sure all this "goodness of the Lord" was music to Peter’s ears as he beheld the new glory—the church united together praying for him. “And they said unto her, Thou art mad. But she constantly affirmed that it was even so. Then said they, It is his angel. But Peter continued knocking: and when they had opened the door and saw him, they were astonished.” Acts 12:15-16 If we will begin to obey and do “prayer without ceasing,” I truly believe that the Iron Gates will begin to be opened suddenly and of their own accord – as they did for Peter. Man cannot do it – only divine intervention from heaven can do it.
***SUDDENLY GOD SHOWS UP***
We read in Acts 16:24-27 that Paul also had a divine intervention. “Who, having received such a charge, thrust them into the inner prison, and made their feet fast in the stocks. And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one’s bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open…” Surely Paul and Silas were praying and praising God at midnight without ceasing. We read here again about another apostle and an impossible situation and suddenly God shook the area with an earthquake; the doors were swung open and the bands were loosed. If we want to see God do something suddenly, then let us go all the way of Matthew 7:7 and move into the third day of the church—“to him that knocketh, it shall be opened” which is God’s heavenly secret – Prayer without ceasing.
***WHAT IS THE SPIRITUAL TEMPERATURE***
A few months back as I was praying the Holy Spirit revealed to me the spiritual temperature of the “hour of judgment” upon our sinful communities in America. He said, “America is in serious trouble; she is making laws to license sin, thinking that if she makes the law as God would, she can then make them an acceptable lifestyle. My judgment of fire (terrorism) is upon you and things are going to get hot in America. The spiritual temperature of judgment is seventy-seven degrees—a double seven.” As I would look around at everyday happenings and accounts, many of them were being marked or centered around the number seventy-seven, and all of them were judgments, tragedies, etc.—not good things!!! I said, “Lord,the number seventy-seven (77) is twenty-three points or degrees away from 100 degrees – or their will be 100% total destruction because of the leaving Christian values. Twenty-three is the number of death!” He said, “That’s right – There will be much Death to this nation because of her wickedness." I said, “Oh, Lord, this is alarming, what You’re showing me. In the natural I know there is always an antidote to combat certain sickness and disease, poisoning, etc., or the direction of destruction we are headed into! There has to be a spiritual antidote, so to speak, to combat this evil that has blinded the people of this nation to leave the one and only true God and His commandments.” That’s when He gave me the message your are reading on Matthew 7:7, Glory to God!! The Holy Spirit said, “Your God has the answer and solution to every problem! The spiritual temperature of judgment is seventy-seven degrees. Tell my people and sound the alarm of the Silver Trumpet. Declare that the temperature of destruction is seventy-seven degrees and climbing, but I have given them an antidote to victory and breakthrough and this is the words of My Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, Matthew 7:7 – “Prayer without ceasing” is the spiritual antidote to the church, and America’s dilemma – if you do this, I will change the temperature from judgment to open doors of breakthroughs and victories, followed by a cool refreshing west wind of blessings and revival.” To God Be the Glory!
