TOPIC: CONTINUALLY OFFER PRAYERS
“Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice.” – Psalms 141:2
As God’s temple we carry out our priestly duties by offering up spiritual sacrifices that are acceptable to God through Christ Jesus. You must be intentional about the spiritual sacrifices that you offer because that is how you can affect your world with the kingdom that you represent. (“…for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” – 2 Corinthians 6:16.
David as a king and prophet had profound insight into the work and ministry of priesthood. In his days there were several watches of the day, and several events took place within those watches. Sacrifices were offered every morning at about 9am then again, at 3 pm which is the evening sacrifice – Jesus was sacrificed at the time of the evening sacrifice.King David wrote today’s text at a time when he was separated and on the run. Though he was cut off from the place of worship and could not participate in the daily sacrifices, King David did not allow himself to feel cut off from the Lord. He understood that His prayers could be set before God like incense and that the lifting of his hands was like the evening sacrifice. David was portraying a perfect picture of the New Testament priest.
As God’s bodily temple, you don’t have to be restricted to a physical building in order to offer your spiritual sacrifices unto God. While in that office or on that task, as a priest, create a routine to offer up the sacrifice of praise because of what Jesus has done for you and make declarations that fill your space with spiritual incense. The Bible says to the believer in Hebrews 13:15, “Therefore by Him let us CONTINUALLY offer the SACRIFICE OF PRAISE TO GOD, that is, the fruit of our lips, giving thanks to His name.” When you create routines like these and pray with thanksgiving the Bible says it is collected in heaven as incense of sweet fragrance. There is no way anything around you can die because heaven collects the prayers of thanksgiving offered by saints as incense in golden bowls! (Revelation 5:8) As a priest who performs his/her duties, you should continually burn your incense through your prayers and the lifting up of your hands in victory. This way you cannot lose in Jesus’ Name.
DECLARATION: As a priest, I lift up my sacrifice of praise because of all that Jesus has done for me. Everywhere I go and in all that I do through my prayers in Jesus’ Name.
Pastor Alfred Samuel