Heed the Clarion call ...of Prayer!

Behind every great move of God there is always seasoned men and women of prayer. Charles G. Finney is inarguably one of the greatest and most effective soul winner and revivalist since the apostolic time and he had Father Nash, a seasoned prayer warrior as his partner. The story has been told of how Father Nash will go months ahead of a Finney revival and agonised for hundreds of hours in intercessory prayers. In fact, he groaned so much on one occasion that his landlady ran to Finney in the wee hours of the morning. 'Bro Finney, something is wrong with Father Nash. He is groaning and crying and as I peeped through cracks on the keyhole, I can see he is in intense agony and pain!' Finney smiled at the good-natured sister and replied 'Nash will be just fine. Go back to sleep.' If we ever wondered how Finney got to where he did with God, let us not only examine his sermons, let's try to study the prayers that assailed him. Preaching his sermon verbatim is a pass time that will not yield the results so desired. Continue...

In our days we know of no greater soul winner than Dr. Billy Graham. His sermons are often simple, brief and even tame. The results are unequaled! How manage? Millions of people commit themselves to prayer for Dr. Graham one full year before he ever goes for a crusade. Prayer is Billy Graham's secret!

You may recognise my own role model and foremost mentor Reinhard Bonnke. The fire in my soul for evangelism was ignited in me during a Reinhard Bonnke's fire conference in 2001! Reinhard leads men to Jesus by the millions per crusade. He boasts of 60 million registered conversions in his African crusades as at 2010. Yet Reinhard Bonnke is also a beneficiary of prayers. In addition to global intercessors from all over the world praying months ahead of any crusade he holds, he always travel with dozens of seasoned intercessors who pray all day long in prayer-chains as long as the crusade lasts!

Before Winners Chapel began, seasoned intercessors spent almost three years fasting and praying daily for impact! Today, the impact is there for all to see. RCCG is also founded on prayers both of its founder and its current GO. Both men know the power of prayer. There is power in prayer.

Hear this. God is calling me to go to the world with the unfailing Word. I will go to India, Japan, the Middle East and all over the world. Yet, we can't be foolish. If all that is required for the world to be saved is mere preaching, everyone will be saved already. I have said time and again. All the preaching in the world with no prayers will not make heaven full. All the prayers in the world with no preaching will not make hell empty. Both are required and the latter precedes the former.

As you are reading this blog today may the Precious Holy Spirit touch and inspire you. Pray for me. Pray for all of us who travail both in labour and in prayers to see souls saved. We will not fail. Please join with me. I need intercessors from all over the globe. Hezekiah once lamented, 'The woman's time of delivery is come but the strength to birth the child is not there!' That will not be our lot. Am I counting on your prayers? Sure I am. But I am praying as if it depends on me alone. Evangelism is my supreme task. 600 million souls. May the Spirit inspire thousands to echo it!

Evangelist Eric Katchy

Lagos, Nigeria.