04/21/2026
Gaining Victory Through Prayer
By Bishop A. Collins
“And He went a little further, and fell on His face, and prayed, saying, O Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as You will.” - Matthew 26:39
Prayer is one of the most powerful. yet often underutilized, weapons in the Christian’s arsenal. God has given us His plan for prayer: heaven touching earth, the temporal being transformed by the eternal. He has given us His pattern for prayer: upward, outward, and inward. He has revealed His purpose for prayer: to draw us closer to Him, to reveal His character, and to increase our faith. He has shown us the proper posture of prayer: contrite, confident, and constant. He has given us His promise in prayer: that He hears, helps, and heals. And He has demonstrated the power of prayer, it stirs the very throne of heaven.
Today, we want to focus on three truths that will make our prayer lives richer and more rewarding.
First, our prayers must be open, honest, and transparent. If we are going to experience victory over our enemy, we must come before God with complete sincerity. We see this modeled perfectly by Jesus Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane. In Matthew 26:39, Jesus prays, in essence, “Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from Me; nevertheless, not as I will, but as You will.” He holds nothing back. He is fully honest, fully transparent.
God is not intimidated by our emotions or discouraged by our honesty. He already knows what is in our hearts. What He desires is that we bring all of ourselves to Him. True prayer is not polished performance. It is surrendered transparency.
William Booth, the founder of the Salvation Army, once revealed the secret of his spiritual power. With tears in his eyes, he said, “God has had all there is of me.” He went on to explain that while others may have had greater intellect or opportunity, he had determined that God would have everything, every ambition, every desire, every part of his life. That is the kind of honesty and surrender that fuels powerful prayer.
Second, we must practice submission in prayer. In that same moment in Gethsemane, Jesus not only prayed honestly, He prayed submissively. He knew the suffering that lay before Him: the pain, the shame, and the unimaginable reality of bearing the sins of the world. The spotless Lamb of God would become sin for us and endure the full weight of the Father’s wrath.
And yet, He prayed, “Not My will, but Yours be done.”
Submission is not weakness. It is strength under authority. It is trusting that God’s will is better than our own, even when it is painful or difficult. True prayer is not about bending God to our will, but aligning our hearts with His.
If Jesus, the Son of God, prayed with submission, how much more should we?
Finally, we must be persistent in prayer. We live in a culture that demands immediacy. We want quick answers, instant results, and immediate solutions. But God does not operate on our timeline. Scripture reminds us that with the Lord, a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like a day.
God is not rushed, and His delays are not denials.
When our prayers are grounded in God’s Word, offered in faith, and aimed at His glory, do not grow weary if the answer does not come quickly. Keep praying. Keep believing. Keep trusting. Prayer moves heaven, even when it seems nothing is moving on earth.
Persistence in prayer is an act of faith. It declares that we trust God not only for the answer, but also for His timing. So, remain steadfast. Keep praying. Keep standing on His promises. And in His perfect time, you will see His victory in every situation, all for His glory.
HOWICP
