August 10, 2026
Beloved children of God in Christ, I greet and bless you all in the name of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. I am delighted to meet you all this August 10th through this Auspicious word. May God bless you.
What is the Auspicious word the Lord has for us today? Let us read James 5:16: “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.”
When does a person’s prayer become strong and powerful? It is when a righteous person prays with faith and fervency. The fervent prayer of a righteous person is very effective and avails much.
Many of you may have a question in your heart: “Why have my prayers not yet been answered? When others pray, things happen immediately. When they pray, their prayers are answered. When Brother Stephen prays, the answer comes immediately. Why is it not happening for me? Why is it not happening when I pray?”
If you are asking this question, listen carefully. The Bible teaches us that before we pray, we must examine ourselves and make ourselves holy before the Lord.
Today, say, “Lord, there is a weakness in me. I have a habit of drinking. I have a habit of smoking cigarettes. I have a habit of using bad words. I have a habit of finding fault with others. I have a habit of becoming jealous of others. I have a habit of using drugs or weed. I have a habit of hurting other people’s hearts.”
Whatever your weakness or wrong habit may be, tell it to the Lord today. Ask Him, “Lord, forgive me. From today onward, I will not continue in this sin. Help me and make me holy.” When you submit yourself to the Lord and turn away from sin, you become righteous before Him. Then, when you pray, the effective and fervent prayer of a righteous person will avail much. The Lord will hear your prayer and help you see His wonders.
Know this secret and practise it from today. Whenever you prepare to pray, first say, “Lord, make me holy today.” In the presence of God, say, “Lord, if there are any sins I have committed knowingly or unknowingly, forgive me today and make me holy.”
Even when I go for ministry, no matter how carefully I walk with the Lord, there may be weaknesses within me that I am unaware of. Therefore, whenever I come for recording Mangala Vaarthai, I pray, “Lord, this Mangala Vaarthai should perform miracles in the lives of the people. It should be effective and useful to them. Let me not become a hindrance to what You want to do. If there is any sin or iniquity within me, forgive me and help me fulfil this holy ministry.”
The cameraman is also a witness to this. I pray this every time before recording so that the Mangala Vaarthai I share with you will not become ineffective or unfulfilled because of anything in my life.
I know that I am walking faithfully with the Lord and that I am not knowingly doing anything wrong. Still, there may be something within me that I do not recognise, or something that may be right in my own eyes but wrong according to the Word of God. Therefore, I humble myself before the Lord and ask Him to make me holy.
I am sharing this from my own experience. Whenever I pray, I do this. Wherever I go for a meeting, or whenever I visit someone’s home to pray, I first ask the Lord to make me worthy to preach His Word and to bless those people. When I humble myself and pray in this manner, I have seen the Lord perform many miracles. So, children of God, know this secret. Before you pray, first prepare yourself before the Lord.
Testimony
“My mother’s name is mercy. She is 57 years old. She had undergone two major surgeries consecutively. In June 2025, my mother became very weak. She was unable to eat and was extremely tired. We took her to the doctor, and after examining her, the doctor said that there was protein leakage of 19.50 in her urine. They told us that she would have to take medication continuously for three months.
My mother made a vow that she should be completely healed without further medical expenses and that she would give an offering at the APO meeting for the ministry. She also received an opportunity to speak with Brother Stephen over the telephone. When Brother Stephen prayed, he said, ‘In the name of Jesus, let divine miracles flow into every organ and let divine healing take place.’ He prayed for her, and our entire family prayed together with Brother Stephen while the phone was on speaker.
After that prayer, the protein leakage in my mother’s urine reduced to normal levels. Now she is healthy. The Lord will do the same for you.”
Prayer
Loving Lord, we thank You. In the name of Jesus, I bless my children. You have said, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much.” Lord, make every child righteous before You. Help them turn away from every sin and weakness and live a holy life.
As they pray along with me, may Your eyes be open to their prayers, and may Your ears be attentive to their requests. Thank You, Lord, because Your hands are going to perform miracles.
May the miracles they are expecting happen today. May they receive healing. May their marriage matters be fulfilled. May they receive good jobs. May new doors open for them to build or receive their own homes. May the debts they are struggling with be cleared. May their home loans be paid off.
Lord, whatever has slipped from the hands of Your children, whatever they have lost or whatever has been taken away from them, restore it all and honour Your children. May the effective and fervent prayers of Your children bring forth mighty answers and testimonies. May this Auspicious word be fulfilled in their lives from this very moment. Amen.
