PRAYER
PRAYER WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE By Elder Willie E. Hines, Jr.
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rowing up as a young child at my grandmother’s home, the power and love for prayer was instilled in me at a very early age. My grandmother, the late Julia E. Hines, was a powerful prayer warrior and the epitome of a God-fearing woman. I learned through her Godly examples of how she loved to pray. She took to heart the Scripture, 1 Thessalonians 5:17; “Pray without ceasing.” She embedded this same love and desire in me. I vividly recall lining up alongside her bed from the oldest child to the youngest, as we would kneel in prayer every night reciting the Lord’s Prayer. Matthew 6: 9-13. After we would finish our prayers, we would then express to God our many thanks. As a child our prayers were simplistic and innocent in nature. We would thank God for having a good day at school, or for getting us a gift or toy. We would thank Him for having good grades, or for not getting in trouble that day. Then, we would close and say, in Jesus’ name, Amen. As time would have it, we continued to grow, so did our prayer life. Our prayer life would advance from just the simple things of what God did for us that day. It evolved to a greater level of appreciation. We were not just praying out of obligation because grandmother said to. We began to forge our own relationship with Him as our prayers continued. As time went on, the prayers began to get a little longer. We had so much more to tell God thank you for. We began to recognize that we were not just praying to a man. We were praying to a sovereign God!
We were praying to someone that not only heard our prayer, but to a God that was well-able to hear and answer our prayers. As Isaiah 65:24-25 states: “And it shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.” As I grew to now have my own encounter with an Almighty God, this time in prayer literally changed my life. I learned that through prayer it not only changed me, but it also changed the circumstances around me. With this newfound revelation and knowledge, it allowed me to add content behind my prayers, where I could place a demand on God, to move and then watch Him work. I remember when my son, Elijah, was battling a rare skin disease, psoriasis. Despite the many doctor’s visits and years of intense treatment, nothing seemed to work. But, we kept praying until we saw the manifestation of our prayers. Although, it seemed like God was silent, our prayers were still in full effect. In January of 2019, after eight years, God answered our prayers! My son is healed of psoriasis! In April of 2020, God commissioned me to start a Global Prayer Call to unite believers across the country both nationally and internationally. This clarion call expanded the faith of likeminded believers to thousands around the globe. Through the power of prayer, it changed my life, and that of my son, and now thousands more. All from a small beginning of praying around the bedside to now, a life of prayer. Prayer will truly change your life!
Elder Willie E. Hines, Jr. attends Life With Jesus Ministries in Spartanburg, SC. His Pastor – Suffragan Bishop Lawyer and Lady Sandra Watson. A new author of the book, “From Trauma to Triumph” and a Sales Director for Charter Spectrum. Website: Williehinesjr.com
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THE CHRISTIAN OUTLOOK
“WALKING IN THE PROMISE OF GOD”
MAY/JUNE 2022
