MEMORIZE: “And he spake a parable unto themto this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint” (Lk. 18:1). 

READ: Luke 22:31-34 

To succeed in your heavenly assigned task on earth, you would be required to undergo training from both human agents and God Himself. With such training, God's work becomes a lot easier. Are you trained for ministry? Are you trained by man, God or both? However, as invaluable as training is to success in ministry, it is not exclusive. Training is good but not enough. Hence, we still see our Lord Jesus Christ praying specifically for those He had trained (John 17:1, 9-10). 

If the leaders He raised still needed prayers, then the leaders that are raised by today's human trainers need more prayers. The trend we notice today is that most efforts are channeled towards establishing training institutions, as well as in training men. Nothing more! 

Unfortunately, no matter how equipped the training institutions are, and no matter how well trained the students are, they may not be able to go too far without solid, concerted and sustained prayers. The place of prayer in effective ministry can never be over emphasized. 

Have you been through several Bible colleges and seminaries? Have you gone through various theological degrees up to doctorates? Have you been trained by the Gamaliels of our time? If you say yes to any of these, you still need prayer support. Or do you say that you have been personally trained by the Holy Spirit? Congratulations! 

The disciples were personally trained by the Lord Himself yet, there was still need for prayer support. Your past experiences and training in your secular or professional background are great but none of these can dispense with prayer, if you must succeed in ministry. 

If you are an orator, but deficient in prayer, you will not be able to make a success of the office into which the Holy Spirit has called you. You might end up as a motivational speaker. Just imagine where Peter would have been, in spite of being trained for three and a half years by our Lord Jesus Christ, without the Lord's prayers. He might never have recovered from his denial of Jesus. 

In fact, he could have been the one to have betrayed the Master in spite of his call and training. Put all your experiences and education aside and put on the mantle of prayer. It is prayer that releases oil on your wheel of ministry. How often is this machinery oiled? 

KEY POINT Training without prayer negates your entire faith in Christ. Pray without ceasing.