Power of Prayer

  We have a power that is greater than anything on this earth. It is greater than Satan and all of his demons combined. A power few of us use to its potential.  It is the power of prayer. We misconstrue it’s purpose. We use it in a way that just about guarantees its power will not be fulfilled. Many of us are begging God for things that are readily available to us in this world. Accumulating wealth is a major topic among those seeking the counsel of God.  You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. James 4:3  NKJV  We tend to pray-worry. There are events in our lives that are not working out the way we planned, and we worry about the outcome. Here again we often pray amiss because we have not prepared our life to the conformity of God.  We generally never pre-plan a prayer but speak for our concerns of the moment. Draw near to God and He will draw near to you.  James 4:8  NKJV When we do these things we are seeking some type of emotional satisfaction, but what we are really doing is insulting God. The only way we can please our heavenly Farther is by faith in Him.

We are a chosen people who have been set aside by God to do His will while we are on this earth. We do not belong to ourselves. We were bought and paid for at a very high price, and unfortunately very few Christians live like they are eternal beings. It is difficult to tell a Christian from a non-Christian in the secular world. We tend to blend in and God wants us to stand out. We are a light on a hill to proclaim Christ to all who will listen.

In Jesus prayer He  stated,“While I was with them in the world, I kept them in Your name. Those whom You gave Me I have kept; and none of them is lost…” John 17:12 NKJV We as Christians are leaders of men and women to Christ. God has entrusted us to minister to others as we journey together on earth. Some have single assignments, while others have many souls to guide on this journey. We may ask, “ How am I supposed to lead others to eternal life if they will not listen to the Word of God?” The answer is prayer.

  The Bible tells us, “If anyone sees his brother committing a sin not leading to death, he shall ask and God will for him give life to those who commit sin not leading to death.” 1 John 5:16  NASB  The sin unto death is disbelief. I have studied this passage very carefully, and  have sought the counsel of  many theologians. I have never seen so much ducking and dodging over a Bible verse in my life. Most say if that person is in sin then this Bible verse does not apply. I disagree wholeheartedly. The words speak for themselves. This verse is preceded by, “These things I have written to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life. 1 John 5:13 NKJV  Salvation is a gift from God. If we call upon the name of the Lord we shall be saved. The calling is prayer and the gift is free. Not all of us are able to understand the Word of God and to adhere to its principles. Everyone has something to overcome in life. For some it may be one thing for others it may be many, and for many others there may be circumstances they can’t overcome, such as mental and physical disease. Each individual is different in the eyes of the Lord. “This is the confidence which we have before Him, that, if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that He hears us in whatever we ask, we know that we have the requests which we have asked from Him.”  1 John 5:14-15  NASB  We have a duty, an obligation to those we have been entrusted to pray for on a daily basis. By doing this we are granting eternal life to those who cannot overcome their daily sins. We accomplish this through our own personal relationship with God and our living in God’s will.   ^“Beloved, if our heart does not condemn us, we have confidence toward God.  And whatever we ask we receive from Him, because we keep His commandments and do those things that are pleasing in His sight.” 1 John 3:21-22 NKJV

One case in point, I have been taking kids to church for many years. There was this young girl who started to come to church with us when she was 8 years old. She had a very difficult childhood. She was born addicted to crack cocaine, and during her years before puberty she was an exemplary Christian. That kid followed me around every where I went. She was always the first to volunteer and she set an excellent example for others to follow. When she reached the age of accountability she started to struggle with worldly desires. She started during drugs and having sex. She even influenced others to do the same and led several of my girls away from Christ. Some of them became involved in drugs and 3 of them became pregnant. I tried several times to get her to repent from her sins, but the power of the addiction was just too strong. It hurt me deeply to see her fall in such despair, however, I have greater confidence in my heavenly Father and the power of prayer. Through my behavior, my faith, and my passion for Bible study, Jesus Christ will make all things right.

This is why the weak in Christ need our help. There are times when we can personally attend to their struggles, at times all we can do is pray. Prayer has the power to change us and to bring us closer to God. Through prayer the Word of God is revealed to us. We are drawn closer to God where we find forgiveness and communion. We are not praying to God about something He does not already know, God knows all things. We pray to make Him part of our life and asking Him for guidance in our daily decisions. We want the Lord to be a part of our lives.

ACTS is an acronym for a way to pray. We start by showing;

Adoration for God – “You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deuteronomy 6:5 KJV  We should follow the Lord our God, love Him, and cling to Him, because he is our Maker, and our Keeper.

Confession to God – “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9 ESV  We should confess our sins on a daily basis. To often we let sin build up, and it separates us from God.

Thanks be to God – “But thanks be to God! He gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” 1 Corinthians 15:57 NIV  We have so much to be thankful for. Even if we are struggling with the basics of life, we have a heavenly Father Who gave us salvation through His Son Jesus Christ.

Supplication to God – “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.”  Philippians 4:6 NIV We are to take the action of asking or begging for something earnestly or humbly. They could be for ourselves, or could be requests for the well-being of others.

  For effectual prayer we must always pray in faith and our faith comes from reading the Bible.  ^“So then faith comes by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.” Romans 10:17 NKJV The only way the Holy Spirit can have a work through us is by daily Bible study. We accept Christ as our Savior, we are filled by the Holy Spirit of God, and as we read our Bible we are filled daily by the Spirit. It is like the energy that charges our batteries. When our batteries grow weak we become weak Christians. We open ourselves up to temptation, and we do not have the energy to lead others to Christ.  We let others get away from us without sharing with them the Gospel. We fail as Christians. Look around and you will see weak Christians everywhere. So now I say to you, “ What if you have family members in sin? What if you have friends in sin? What if because of your weak relationship with God, those closest to you fall into hell?” They are your responsibility, and you are obligated to God for their souls. All souls are the property of God, and it is His intention that none shall be lost. Unfortunately too often we are not fulfilling our obligation through prayer.

We must first desire to live a life that is right with God. The wisest thing I ever did was to surrender my life to God. On November 8,1997 I surrendered my life, my will, my emotions, and my possessions to my blessed Heavenly Father. I was nothing, felt nothing, and had nothing until that wonderful day that the Spirit of Jesus Christ accepted me into His precious body. He has fulfilled my every dream and blessed me beyond my belief. “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.” Romans 12:1-2 NKJV God paid the ultimate price for us, He sacrificed His Son on the cross so that we may have a relationship with Him. It is our reasonable service to live right by God. We are in a transformation period and during this time we are going to be transformed from animals with basic mental instincts to sons and daughters of God. We are the children of light. We are not to indulge in drunkenness and sexual immorality.  We are to be filled with the Spirit. This is a commandment from God.  His promise is, “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you.  For everyone who asks receives, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened.” Matthew 7:7-8 NKJV  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them. Mark 11:24  NKJV  And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.  If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. John 14:13-14 NKJV

One of the greatest preachers who ever lived was Charles H. Spurgeon, and he said, “If sinners be damned, at least let them leap to Hell over our bodies. If they will perish, let them perish with our arms about their knees. Let no one go there unwarned and unprayed for.”  Let us fight for those we love and struggle for those who are hard to love because of their actions. But let us not let a  one single person pass by in our life that we do not pray for their soul. We are on the front lines for Christ. This is a war, my friend, even though we have a hard time seeing who we are fighting. Let the lost drag us to the edge of hell before we let them go.

So Dear Heavenly Father,

  Let us be praying always with all prayer in the Spirit, being watchful to this end with perseverance and supplication for all people.  And Father, let us open our mouths to make known to others, with boldness, the mystery of the gospel for which we are ambassadors that in proclaiming we boldly speak for You in our words and actions. We love and adore You, Father. Please strengthen us, enlighten us, and guide us in Your ways. I submit myself to You and wish to know Your will for me. I desire, Father, that those You have given me will one day be in Your perpetual glory, and that none shall be lost!

In Jesus Christ’s name we pray Amen