THE ABSOLUTE POWER OF PRAYER

June 16    The Absolute Power Of Prayer   James 5:13-20

 “Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months.  And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Brethren, if anyone among you wanders from the truth, and someone turns him back, let him know that he who turns a sinner from the error of his way will save a soul from death and cover a multitude of sins.” (James 5:13-20)                                                                                                              Prayer is our intimate communion with God.Top of Form Today, we’ll learn how to properly use our tongue and that is to pray! When it comes to trials and difficult times, we often tend to throw in the towel before we throw up our prayers. Prayer is intimate communication with God. For many Christians, the extent of their prayer life is at the dinner table.(“Good food, Good meat, Good God, let’s eat.”)

The devil doesn’t mind those types of prayers, because they go nowhere. You may have heard this phrase time and time again, but I hope that today, it takes on a new meaning. Prayer Changes Things. If we want to be effective-if we want to experience something powerful…it comes through prayer. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availed much. Prayer is not measured by its length—it is measured by its depth. It has been said that faith moves mountains, but prayer moves God. Isn’t it amazing that our prayers can move the heart of God who created the universe?  1)Prayer Changes our Character. What kind of man has an effective prayer?                 A RIGHTEOUS MAN. If I desire my prayer to be effective, I must first be a righteous man. Effective Prayer changes my character. I know longer desire to do the things I used to do. When the tough times come, our character or personality is what is revealed. If you feel discouraged, take it to the Lord in prayer. If you feel stressed out, take it to the Lord in prayer. Character: (Moral Strength) If you feel alone, take it to the Lord in prayer. Prayer changes things!!!  2)A second thing prayer changes is our Faith. When we put our trust in the Lord and not in ourselves, we are redirecting our faith. Elijah believed that God would answer his prayer. Prayer changes faith, it makes it stronger. We don’t usually worry about the little things, but sometimes we worry about the big stuff. 1 Peter 5:7. “Casting all your cares upon him; for he cares for you”. God tells us, present your needs to me. Tell me what’s on your heart-and I’ll take care of it.God says, “Let me take your worries away” Phil. 4:6. “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication With thanksgiving let Your request be made known unto God”. Phil. 4:19. “But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus.” What do we do? We turn our cares into prayer! Through prayer we:  1-Glorify God.  2-Give God control.  3-Acknowledge his Lordship.  4-Receive his blessings.  What does prayer do? Prayer activates our faith. “Faith without works is dead.” Prayer changes things. There must be fervency in our prayers. Charles Spurgeon once said, “He who prays without fervency does not pray at all We cannot commune with God, who is a consuming fire, if there is no fire in our prayers.”  3)Prayer changes our vision. Our understanding is limited to our own vision. But when our understanding becomes God’s under-standing, our vision is expanded. We see things differently; we see things, as God wants us to see them. Prayer changes our vision. When we don’t pray, our vision stays narrow, and we stay in our own limited perspective. The best vision we could have is when we close our eyes…and pray. When we sincerely pray, we can see clearly what God wants us to see.                                                                             Prayer changes our Character…                                                        Prayer changes our Faith…                                                                          Prayer changes our Vision.

The Christian who wages war against the Devil fights best on his knees! (Author unknown)

Stay Strong, Stay Focused…THE BEST IS YET TO BE!