Do you know what God did for Peter during the precious days in Joppa when he tarried on the potter’s wheel?
He delivered him of some racial and ethnic prejudices.
Peter didn’t even realize he had those prejudices. He didn’t see those flaws in himself, so he didn’t know he even needed to address them. But as he spent time on the rooftop praying, God opened his eyes. He gave Peter a vision and said, “What God has cleansed you must not call common” (Acts 10:15).
Suddenly, Peter understood something about God he had never known before. He realized God is no respecter of persons but receives all men who call upon His name, regardless of their nationality. As a result, this already transformed disciple was further transformed and a whole new ministry was brought forth in the earth—the ministry to the Gentiles!
Notice Peter wasn’t changed by his own willpower. He was changed by revelation that came to him in the presence of God.
That’s the only way lasting changes in us can ever be made.
If we try to work them up on our own, although we might appear to have some temporary success, eventually our old faults and flaws will flare up again. The anger and bitterness we’ve suppressed will inevitably resurface. The selfishness we’ve shoved underground will, in our unguarded moments, begin seeping back out.
At such times, we would despair if it weren’t for the good news in Romans 5:17. There, God assures us that it is not by our works but by receiving the abundance of His grace and the gift of righteousness that we “will reign in life through the one, Jesus Christ.”
It is His divine power, not our human willpower that saves and transforms us. We, like Peter, are perfected by the working of His Spirit and the washing of His Word.
Scripture Reading: Romans 5:6 – 17
On the chilly March night in 1972 when Lynne Hammond took her first step into a life of Spirit-led prayer, she had no idea what was about to happen. All she knew was the hunger in her heart for God wouldn’t let her sleep. In the few short months she’d been born again, her desire to fellowship with Him had grown so strong she could hardly contain it. “Help me, God!” she cried. “I want to know you. I want to be able to talk to you. Please, teach me to pray!”
Suddenly, a heavenly presence flooded the room. Lynne sensed waves of spiritual fire sweeping over her and a beautiful language began to flow like a river from within her. Although she’d never heard of the baptism of the Holy Spirit, she knew instantly, without a doubt—this was God!
What began that night soon blossomed into a life of prayer that ultimately became a ministry of prayer when, in 1980, Lynne and her husband, Mac, founded Living Word Christian Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Under Lynne’s leadership, the prayer ministry at Living Word has become an internationally recognized model for developing effective pray-ers in the local church.
A teacher and an author, Lynne publishes a newsletter called Prayer Notes, has written numerous books, and currently serves as the national prayer director for Daughters for Zion. Her passion for inspiring and leading others into the life of Spirit-led prayer continues to take her around the world to minister to believers whose heart cry, like hers, is “Lord, teach me to pray!”