Episode 24 with James Aladiran

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Elim MPower

Religion & Spirituality


We are chatting in this episode with James Aladiran who leads Prayer Storm, a charity that aims to “gather people together around divine encounters and equip them to be increasingly fervent and strategic in prayer.” James opens by telling us about his family and explaining the background to his journey towards Prayer Storm. He confesses that to begin with he never had an ambition for Christian ministry as such, and on top of that hated public speaking! He likens how he felt about his speaking ability to one of those really bad X-Factor candidates who can’t sing! He then shares about a turning point in around the year 2000 in a meeting where the Holy Spirit really took hold of him in an unusual way, however, delivering him from holding back and birthing a fire in him to speak about God, describing it as a personality transplant! He also shares openly and honestly about how marriage is like a crucible or an amplifier, where lots of things in our lives suddenly get a much bigger focus for change from God. Becoming a dad also then takes this process to the next level, requiring us to dig deep and hard into our maturing process, making us want to be the kind of person that our kids aspire to become. James speaks candidly about four main issues that he sees are facing blokes in 2021: purity, identity, security and spirituality. If there is one thing that really stands out for him as ‘charged’ in our society right now, that is a huge challenge for men, it is the area of sexual purity – in thought and action. He feels that the church needs to be spiritual hospital where people feel they can go and get wholeness and healing, rather than being shamed about it, although sadly this is not always the case. (Note from MPower: visit https://mailchi.mp/m/destroying-the-stronghold-of-sexual-impurity for a sexual impurity stronghold buster you can pray through daily for 40 days) James identifies strongly with both Moses and Elijah from the bible. He wants the same connection with God that Moses had – that he can walk with God as a friend. He also prizes how Moses interceded for the undeserving nation of Israel. He is also really stirred by the prophecy of Joel that the Holy Spirit will be poured out on all people. We press into the issue of unanswered prayer. James believes there is a mystery connected with prayer that has not yet been answered: just as Elijah kept on praying for rain, we need to keep being persistent in prayer, and stand on what God has told us. Sometimes though we also need to check our motivation about the unanswered prayer: is it coming from a place of taking offence at God, or is it coming ultimately from a place of trust in God’s character? If we are trusting in the middle of the mystery, then we are being positioned for greater revelation. James also reminds us that we must not let our unanswered prayers become the definition of our prayer life. Whether our prayer needs are met or not, we still have a relationship with Him. If God were not going to answer any further prayers, He has already done enough! James shares a great testimony from a time when a missing cartilage in someone’s knee got formed from nothing during some worship; and some of the recent Prayer Storm livestreams have also seen great turnarounds in people’s situations in response to worship and prayer. He also reports that there have also been some stunning answers to personal financial needs – sometimes to the exact amounts of finance requested! He encourages us all as men to keep on contending strongly for the breakthroughs we seek. James admits to a liking for Jaguar cars, and shares about a wonderful holiday in Spain at a villa with an infinity pool. He closes in prayer for all the guys listening. A great conversation, James, thanks so much from all of us in Elim and in the men’s MPower ministry! --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/elim-mpower/message