It Is Not a Three-Minute Prayer
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey · 2 min read
Many people want deliverance in a single prayer line. Professor Gary Maxey says this is not how God's deeper dealings work.
What he says
In his book on the Highway of Holiness, Professor Maxey writes that seeking the deeper sanctification of the Spirit is an intensely personal matter. A pastor, a church leader or an anointed evangelist cannot bring it to a close in one powerful prayer or deliverance session. It normally takes significant time. Genuine biblical revival, he adds, almost never happens in hours or a few short days.
Why God does not rush
Professor Maxey says that left to God alone, time would not be a problem. God can cleanse in an instant. But God does not rush us into spiritual dealings that bypass our minds. He asks us to offer ourselves willingly and knowingly as a sacrifice on his altar. That takes both time and serious purpose.
Crucifixion is slow
He points to Galatians 5:24: those who belong to Christ have crucified the flesh with its passions. In the Roman Empire, he reminds us, crucifixion often lasted three to five days. Crucifying the flesh is not normally done in minutes or hours.
What the quick version costs
If the double mind is not crucified, Professor Maxey says, we will almost certainly fall back into humdrum, struggling Christian living. We spend our lives up and down and never amount to a strong witness against sin.
He adds a sharp word about the prosperity message. In his view, it has shut the door for millions of Nigerian Christians to the practical possibility of a sanctified life. It has taught them that God is a genie in a bottle, or a houseboy to be commanded.
His own five hours
He tells of praying five solid hours, sweating, as God revealed things contrary to Christ one at a time. He confessed each one and asked for deliverance. He stresses that this was not emotional release. He says the Highway of Holiness is about purity and power with God and much less about emotion.
Your next step
Block three uninterrupted hours this month. Turn off your phone. Bring a notebook, a Bible and nothing else. Begin with Psalm 139:23-24. Do not hurry to a conclusion.
Drawn from the teaching of Professor Gary S. Maxey.
