It is God who begins the journey of all praying generals. A praying general is a Christian whose prayer altar burns high on behalf of his generation. For we know that no army general is employed by the State to fight his own battle. Kingdom generals make use of their God given office to serve God’s plan for their generation.
How God brings us into the secret place is through the process of quickening. Quickening means to bring to life what was dormant or dead; it signifies causing something to begin to happen. For instance, consider a child’s toy car that must be quickened by first compressing the spring. After doing so, you can set it down and watch it roll on its own. Sometimes, it may just need a little push. Similarly, older generators often require a person to start the rotor until it can operate independently.
It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life. (John 6:63)
So will not we go back from thee: quicken us, and we will call upon thy name. Psalm 80:18
The passage in John 6:63 emphasizes that only the Spirit of God can give life to people. A person may be spiritually dead in areas like prayer, but it is only the Spirit that can bring him to life. Additionally, Psalm 80:18 highlights our need for quickening in order to call upon the name of the Lord.
According to human nature, it is rare to find individuals who pray purely out of love for prayer itself. Instead, God provides reasons for people to pray, often in the form of harsh situations, difficult times, troubles, illnesses, and various needs. These challenges typically persist until the person being drawn to prayer comes to understand its significance and practice it effectively.
- The Quickening of Anna the prophetess (Luke 2:36-38)
The Bible tells us about Anna, a widow who was married for only seven years. After her husband’s passing, she dedicated the rest of her life to praying and seeking God’s presence in the temple. How did God cultivate this willingness in her? First, He allowed her to experience loss—the loss of her beloved husband. If her husband had been alive, she might not have devoted such time to God. It was God’s guiding hand that initiated her journey as a church worker and a prayer warrior.
- The Quickening of Hannah
It was God’s choice to block Hannah’s womb, not because Elkanah loved his co-wife more, but as part of God’s unfolding plan. God was trying to bring forth a woman who would be dedicated to nurturing a reformative servant. What God sought was Hannah’s attention, drawing her into prayer. He achieved this by giving her a reason to seek Him with all her heart. Hannah was transformed by this divine prompting from God.
- The Quickening of Apostle Arome Osayi
Apostle Arome was born a strong stammerer. The only way he could communicate effectively was through long prayers to God. This was how he found relief and loosened his tongue. However, this was just the beginning of his journey to praying without ceasing.
When he was around 17 or 18 years old, his two siblings fell victim to witchcraft. One sibling went mad during that time, while the other was brought home from school suffering from an affliction. It became clear to him that he had to either begin praying earnestly or succumb to the dark forces threatening his family. He turned to God and committed himself to prayer, becoming a fervent prayer warrior until both his mind and spirit were trained to pray diligently.
- The Quickening of Ogba Victor
My journey to prayer began with my praying mother, but what truly drew me into the prayer chambers of God were the incessant satanic attacks I faced. I was young when I started to see demons and became embroiled in many battles against dark forces. Even the powers of darkness sought desperately to initiate me into their kingdom. I had to choose between praying or submitting to darkness, and I chose the path of prayer. The battles of my childhood gave me the push I needed to fully commit to the channels of prayer offered by God.
Conclusion
It is important for believers to pay close attention to the battles around them and to pray through these challenges, as they may be the guiding thread drawing them into the secret place. These battles could be sicknesses, childlessness, spiritual warfare, etc. It is worth noting that no amount of prayer can compel God to act, nor can cries of anguish cause Him to withdraw His Spirit, which has been sent to lead us into that secret place.
