And Elijah said to Ahab, ‘Go up, eat and drink, for there is the sound of abundance of rain.’“ (1 Kings 18:41).

I have seen people receive anointed Words like the one above but fail to do what Elijah did. When the prophecy they received didn’t come to pass, they wondered what went wrong. Well, it didn’t happen because they didn’t follow through!

Notice that Elijah didn’t stop at the prophecy of abundant rain; he did more. He prayed! When King Ahab went up to eat and drink, Elijah didn’t join him in feasting. Instead, he went to the top of Mount Carmel to pray. Even though the prophetic Word he received assured him of abundant rain, Elijah still prayed.

Remember, it wasn’t God who had closed the heavens, so He wasn’t obligated to decide when to open them. It was Elijah who had prayed to close the heavens. Now, he had to pray with the same intensity for the heavens to open.

Many Christians often make the mistake of stopping at the prophecy instead of using those prophetic Words as a basis to press forward in prayer. Too often, people have their desires within reach, but somehow, they don’t obtain them. This is why someone might secure a contract they are supposed to finalize, yet never receive the approval letter. Then they start wondering what went wrong. Yes, they heard the sound of abundant rain, which is a good thing, but they didn’t follow it up with prayer. This is where many stop, and their dream ends up aborted…

This text is an excerpt from the book “HOW TO PRAY EFFECTIVELY VOLUME 1” written by Chris OYAKHILOME.

We invite you to read the next article, “The Prerequisites for the Prayer of Agreement.”

Don’t Stop at the Prophecy! Don’t Stop at the Prophecy!