Work...

I know a Christian who prayed fervently 
for up to 9 hours a day for about five years. 
On many occasions she turned hunger 
to a fast for lack of food to eat with her 
children
She was living in the boy-quarters of a
dilapidated building in Ikolaba Estate 
Extension, Ibadan
This woman didn't have a job or learn a 
trade. 
She was a full house wife before her 
husband died. 
All she does was sit at home and pray
She was dirt poor and even her children 
despised her
Her main source of sustenance was 
charity
Members of the church she attends
would give her food stuff and used
clothes
The church was responsible for the 
education of her children
She invited me to her home one day 
and asked me why God has not changed 
her story despite all her hours of praying 
and fasting
I said "Why didn't you get a job? 
Start a trade? 
Become an apprentice somewhere? 
Is praying a job? 
Is praying a source of income and 
blessing? No.
The next day, she went to a friend 
who has a pharmacy store and asked if
she could be coming to work for four 
hours every day for a stipend
The friend agreed
Two weeks later, somebody came to 
the shop to get some drugs
The person's baby was convulsing 
and the doctors told her to rush to a 
pharmacy and buy a particular drug
The drug was available but the 
person didn't have enough money
The person begged her to please 
give her the drugs on credit
The person promised to pay up 
as soon as her husband returned
home from the office
She gave the person the drug
Her friend got back to the shop and 
saw that the expensive drug was
missing
She explained what happened
The friend embarrassed her and 
sent her out of her shop
She cried all the way home
The following day, the person and 
her husband showed up at the shop
to thank her
The friend gave them her address 
and told them she was no longer 
with her
When they got to her house they 
saw the true state of things
The man decided to help her and 
her children
He opened a proper supermarket 
with a standard pharmacy for her to
manage
(The man was an importer of drugs 
from India and Korea) 
That was the woman's ticket out of 
poverty
Had she remained at home praying, 
she would have remained poor
The same is applicable to our walk 
with the Holy Spirit
When you look at the manual of a 
product, you use the knowledge in 
the manual to operate the product 
effectively
When you read the Bible, you use 
the knowledge in the Bible to walk 
with the Holy Spirit
Many believers simply read the 
knowledge and expect the knowledge 
to transform their lives by itself
You have to apply what you have 
learned and grow

PS: This is not in a "Do not pray" call
We are to pray without ceasing
We are also to occupy (Do business)
until Jesus comes
Jesus told a lot of parables that had
a lot to do with business, career and
the market place in general
We are not to laze around hoping for
a divine blessing to fall on us
He blesses the works of our hands
and makes our "way" prosperous