These are notes on the sermon, Prayer 2.0—The Key To The Double Portion, preached by Pastor Joseph Prince on Sunday, 13 September 2020, at The Star Performing Arts Centre, Singapore. We hope these sermon notes will be an encouragement to you!


Overview

1) Introduction: Knowing you are loved by your heavenly Father causes you to become more like Him

2) Pray in the Spirit and receive spiritual gifts and blessings

3) Pray in the Spirit and be led by the Lord daily

4) Pray in the Spirit and see the Lord overcome your challenges little by little

5) When you pray in the Spirit, you are possessing your double portion, firstborn inheritance as a child of God

6) Closing prayer

Introduction: Knowing you are loved by your heavenly Father causes you to become more like Him
Pastor Prince reminds us that God loves each of His children dearly. Even before you were His child, He sent His Son to die for you (Rom 5:. How much more now that you are a child of God?

“Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.”
— Ephesians 5:1 NKJV

“Dear children” — In Greek, this means “dearly loved children” or “children who are dear to God’s heart.”

WHEN WE KNOW WE ARE LOVED BY OUR HEAVENLY FATHER, WE NATURALLY IMITATE HIM.
Pastor Prince shares a parenting principle: children who feel loved by their parents will want to be like them.

Pray in the Spirit and receive spiritual gifts and blessings
“The entrance of Your words gives light;”
— Psalm 119:130 NKJV

Sometimes the Word of God might not speak directly to the area or situation you are facing, but it still brings light to that area.

Pastor Prince illustrates how when you misplace something in a dark room, the solution is not to complain about the darkness or wish it away, but to switch on the light. This will reveal not only the misplaced item, but also other items that were in the dark initially.

Similarly, the entrance of God’s Word brings light and is the solution to everything you face.

Just as God’s first words were “light be” ( Gen 1:3–4), so shall light be received in His Word.

Recap of last week’s sermon:

“So shall they fear
The name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”
Says the Lord.”
— Isaiah 59:19–20 NKJV

Pastor Prince shares a revelation he received some years back while preaching in Japan: there will be an end-time revival in the Eastern countries like Japan, South Korea, North Korea, China, and it will travel all the way back to Jerusalem.

That does not mean God is finished with the West. Rather, He is adding to what is happening. And his emphasis in these last days is a worldwide revival as prophesied by the prophet Joel.

“But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel;
And it shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit upon all flesh…”

“...and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams:
And on my servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and they shall prophesy:
And I will shew wonders…”
— Acts 2:17–19 KJV

In these last days, all nationalities around the world will receive the baptism of the Holy Spirit, causing people to see visions, dream dreams, and prophesy.

“they shall prophesy: And I will shew wonders” — It is when believers prophesy that God demonstrates His wonders.

In these last days, the enemy is trying to do things that will imitate God.

For example, God has said that “the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea” (Hab. 2:14 KJV). And just as God’s glory covers the earth as the waters cover the sea, the enemy is trying to cover the earth with darkness (including the current COVID-19 pandemic).

But what happens when the enemy does this?

“So shall they fear
The name of the Lord from the west,
And His glory from the rising of the sun;
When the enemy comes in like a flood,
The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him.
“The Redeemer will come to Zion,
And to those who turn from transgression in Jacob,”
Says the Lord.”
— Isaiah 59:19-20 NKJV

“The Spirit of the Lord will lift up a standard against him” — In Hebrew, this refers to God routing (the enemy) out and causing him to flee.

The key is that we rest in the Lord. It is not we who lift up the standard against the enemy, but the Spirit of the Lord.

“As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.”
— Isaiah 59:21–60:1 NKJV

The Lord has made a covenant with you to fill you and your descendants with the Holy Spirit so that you might speak the heavenly prayer language of the Spirit.

THE KEY TO YOUR CHILDREN AND DESCENDANTS BEING FILLED WITH THE HOLY SPIRIT AND WALKING IN THE WAYS OF THE LORD IS FOR YOU TO KEEP GOD’S WORDS IN YOUR MOUTH. IT STARTS WITH YOU!
Beloved, don’t stop praying in the Spirit! The enemy wants to close your mouth; he wants to cover the “well of grace” in your life.

This is seen in the Old Testament, where one of the first things that Israel’s #1 enemy, the Philistines, did was to cover all the wells that Abraham had dug. Isaac, Abraham’s son, had to uncover them later on.

Today, by the blood of Jesus, God is uncovering all these wells in your life:

The well of grace
The well of healing
The well of prosperity (we are talking about prosperity with a purpose—to be a blessing to others—not prosperity for the sake of materialism). 2 Corinthians 8:9 makes it clear that the Lord supplies us financially so that we can give generously to others.
“For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though He was rich, yet for your sakes He became poor, that you through His poverty might become rich.”
— 2 Corinthians 8:9 NKJV

Pray in the Spirit and be led by the Lord daily
“Follow after love; yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but rather that ye may prophesy.”
— 1 Corinthians 14:1 ASV

If you want to see the gifts of the Spirit operating in your life, follow after love.

Pastor Prince shares an experience he had years ago as he was driving home at around 1:00 AM after a meeting. He came across an elderly man attempting to cross the central divider of the highway. The compassion of Jesus rose in his heart and being concerned for his safety, Pastor Prince stopped to offer the man assistance. He realized the man was hungry and seeking a specific eatery but could not identify it. Pastor Prince brought the man back to his car and after a momentary loss for what to do, began to pray in tongues.

Suddenly, Pastor Prince saw an image of the ‘ABC Brickworks Food Centre’ in his spirit and decided to drive the man there to see if it was the place he had in mind. As they arrived, he began to feel strongly in his spirit that this was the right place.

As they approached the food center, the owner of the stall selling coffee recognized the elderly man and called out his name! The stall-owner then shared with Pastor Prince how the elderly man was often neglected by his son and left at home, alone and hungry. Pastor Prince sensed that the Lord loved this man and recognized that had he not followed the love he felt in his heart, there would be no manifestation of the gifts (i.e. the supernatural leading of the Spirit to the exact place the elderly man wanted to go to).

Many times, we seek the manifestation of the gifts of the Spirit, but we are not following after love. As we take the first step to pursue love, the gifts will flow.

WHEN THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT MANIFEST IN YOUR LIFE, THEY ARE NOT ONLY FOR THE BENEFIT OF OTHER BELIEVERS BUT FOR ANYONE AND EVERYONE YOU MEET.
In fact, the gifts of the Spirit can manifest any time, even in our daily lives and work. The Bible says that the gifts of the Spirit are “given to each one for the profit of all” (1 Cor 12:7).

Beloved, continue praying in the Spirit!

“And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance.”
— Acts 2:4 NKJV

“Utterance” — According to Thayer’s Greek Lexicon, this word “utterance” does not refer to everyday speech but refers to “dignified and elevated discourse.”

This utterance is a unique prayer, ‘Prayer 2.0’, that is specially for us who are people of the new covenant.

As people under the new covenant, we have the Holy Spirit in us (not just on us). People of God in the Old Testament only experienced the Spirit of God on them for a specific purpose and time.

THE MORE YOU PRAY IN THE SPIRIT, THE MORE YOU WILL BE LED BY THE SPIRIT.
“But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under the law.”
— Galatians 5:18 NKJV

How do we be free from the law? We don’t want to be under the law because it immediately puts us under the curse, for no man can keep the law (Gal. 3:10).

But we do not become free from the law by simply ignoring it, and as a result, becoming a slave to the flesh.

No, we are freed from the law to follow the Spirit.

When you follow the Spirit, you will exceed the expectations of the law.

“that the righteous requirement of the law might be fulfilled in us who do not walk according to the flesh but according to the Spirit.”
— Romans 8:4 NKJV

People of the old covenant follow the letter of the law, while people of the new covenant follow the Spirit.

WHEN YOU FOLLOW THE SPIRIT, THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF THE LAW WILL BE FULFILLED IN YOU, NOT BY YOU.
Praying in the Spirit is the seventh item in the armor of God, and it is used to attack. The other items are mostly defensive in nature (Eph. 6):

The helmet of salvation — Refers to the hope of salvation (having a positive expectation of good in your future), which protects your mind from discouragement and depression.
The breastplate of righteousness — Protects your heart from accusations and the condemnation from the enemy.
The belt of truth — Stabilizes your weapons and upholds your sword.
The shoes of the gospel of peace — Causes you to possess God’s promises wherever you go and be a blessing.
The shield of faith — Quenches all the fiery darts of the wicked one.
The sword of the Spirit — Cuts through confusion to discern the thoughts and intents of the heart (Heb. 4:12).
Praying in the Spirit — Used for wielding the sword of the Spirit.
“and the helmet of the salvation receive, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the saying (‘rhēma’) of God, through (‘dia’) all prayer and supplication praying at all times in the Spirit, and in regard to this same, watching in all perseverance and supplication for all the saints—”
— Ephesians 6:17–18 YLT

The way we receive the saying (the rhēma, the word in season) of God is through all prayer and supplication, praying at all times in the Spirit.

This is similar to “the spirit of grace and of supplications” written in Zechariah 12:10, a prophecy for people under the new covenant.

“And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced…”
— Zechariah 12:10 KJV

Praying in the Spirit is not praying with more enthusiasm or being led by the Spirit as we pray in English (or a known tongue). The Bible clearly indicates that praying in the Spirit refers to praying in tongues.

“For if I pray in an unknown tongue, my spirit prayeth…”
— 1 Corinthians 14:14 KJV

“What is it then? I will pray with the spirit, and I will pray with the understanding also: I will sing with the spirit, and I will sing with the understanding also.”
— 1 Corinthians 14:15 KJV

Praying in the Spirit refers to praying in tongues, while praying with understanding refers to praying in a known language.

““As for Me,” says the Lord, “this is My covenant with them: My Spirit who is upon you, and My words which I have put in your mouth, shall not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, nor from the mouth of your descendants’ descendants,” says the Lord, “from this time and forevermore.”
Arise, shine;
For your light has come!
And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.
For behold, the darkness shall cover the earth,
And deep darkness the people;
But the Lord will arise over you,
And His glory will be seen upon you.
The Gentiles shall come to your light,
And kings to the brightness of your rising.”
— Isaiah 59:21–60:3 NKJV

The Bible is clear that when this verse talks about darkness covering the earth, it is not referring to the Millennium. Darkness will not cover the earth as Jesus will be here on earth. Instead, it refers to the end-times, which we are living in right now.

The Bible says as you make sure that God's Spirit is on you and that His words that He put in your mouth do not depart from your mouth, nor from the mouth of your descendants, you will arise and shine.

While we miss having physical gatherings, God has a purpose for such a time as this. It is for souls to be touched, lives transformed, and Jesus glorified, in ways that are not limited by time and space.

Just like the nobleman’s son was healed by Jesus over 20 miles away (John 4:46-54), we also receive from the Lord without being limited by space (distance). During this COVID-19 season, people are predominantly receiving from the Lord not by the physical laying on of hands, but by simply receiving the word of the Lord wherever they are.

This is how the apostle Paul pastored people beyond time and space. He saw their order in the Spirit.

“For though I be absent in the flesh, yet am I with you in the spirit, joying and beholding your order, and the steadfastness of your faith in Christ.”
— Colossians 2:5 KJV

Pastors and leaders, you can behold your people in the spirit and the Lord will put on your heart whichever areas that need attention in the church.

Pray in the Spirit and see the Lord overcome your challenges little by little
“Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges (double mouth)
You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them
And will make the hills like chaff.
“You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,
And the storm will scatter them;
But you will rejoice in the Lord,
You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.”
— Isaiah 41:15–16 NASB

“Mountains” — Refers to huge problems (Mark 11:23). This could be a sickness, depression, or some other challenge in your life.

In Mark 11, Jesus said that when we believe and speak to the mountain, it will be removed and cast into the sea. But what happens when you speak to the mountain and it does not seem to move?

This calls for another weapon, which you will thresh the mountain with and pulverize it, making it like chaff.

What is chaff?


In ancient times, harvested grain such as wheat and barley were piled into a heap and threshed using a threshing sledge.


A portion of the grain from the pile in the centre was spread around the pile and the sledge would ride over it. Children would sit or stand on the sledge to apply pressure on it, separating the chaff from the grain.

Stones were in-laid on the underside of the sledge to grind over the grain and separate the grain from chaff.



It seems like tedious work for the person on the sledge to go round and round the pile of grain.

Pastor Prince likens the sledge threshing grain to himself walking around his study, praying in tongues.

“Behold, I have made you a new, sharp threshing sledge with double edges (double mouth);
You will thresh the mountains and pulverize them,
And will make the hills like chaff.
“You will winnow them, and the wind will carry them away,
And the storm will scatter them;
But you will rejoice in the Lord,
You will glory in the Holy One of Israel.”
— Isaiah 41:15–16 NASB

“double edges” — In Hebrew, the word for “edge” is “peh,” which means “mouth.” This literally means “double mouth.” Wherever this phrase “double mouth” appears, the verse is talking about praying in the Spirit.

As you pray in the Spirit, you are going around our mountain (your problem), making progress as though going up a spiral staircase.

How do you practice this in daily life?

Tell the Lord about your problem today. The Holy Spirit in you knows how to make perfect prayers for your situation. If the doctors just gave you a bad report, say to the Lord, “Lord, I don’t know how to pray about this. But You know, and You pray perfect prayers.” Then start praying in tongues.

Most of the time when we pray in the Spirit, we don’t see the mountain removed instantaneously like in Mark 11:23. Most of the time, the mountain is dealt with over a period of time.

“He that speaketh in an unknown tongue edifieth himself…”
— 1 Corinthians 14:4 KJV

WHEN YOU PRAY IN THE SPIRIT, YOU ARE NOT ONLY EDIFYING AND BUILDING UP YOUR SPIRIT, BUT YOUR WHOLE BEING—SPIRIT, SOUL, AND BODY!
Many times we may not know what to pray but as we pray in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit helps us because He knows what to pray (Rom 8:26).

Don’t give up if you don’t see any change just yet! There is spiritual warfare going on, and that is why sometimes you experience delays. The problem is not with God’s willingness. God is more than willing for you to enjoy the benefits that Jesus has paid for, and He hears you the moment you pray. However, there are powers of darkness coming against you, just like they came against Daniel and resulted in a delay in him receiving an answer from God (Dan. 10:12–14).

How are your prayers answered as you pray in the Spirit?

First, God strengthens you on the inside long before the breakthrough manifests on the outside. This may take some time but there comes a knowing that you are being strengthened from within.

Next, He touches your soul realm, which is where your mind and feelings are. All of a sudden, you begin to see fresh revelations in the Bible. All of a sudden, your mind becomes sharp and there is clarity about the issues you are dealing with. You will also experience a calming effect on your feelings as you come to a place of rest.

Sometimes, because we are stressed out and worried and filled with anxiety, it’s difficult for us to receive healing.

Once you are at rest, the manifestation will take place in your body.

Praying in the Spirit will bless your family relationships too.

If you are facing heartache because of a child or spouse, prayer is more powerful than nagging. To nag is to trust in our own efforts more than God.

Prayer is in the realm of grace.


https://www.josephprince.com/sermon-notes/prayer-2-0-the-key-to-the-double-portion

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