Power of Prayer
"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus." Philippians 4:6
I think as Christians we underestimate the power that prayer has. Prayer is something that must be a daily part of a Christian's daily walk with our Lord. So many times we use it as a request list to get want we want. Many times, we come with a fake attitude. So I want to look at prayer. I want to see what it really is and why we need it.
Prayer- a humble and sincere request to God. (Websters)
Prayer becomes our form of communication with God. It is not a form of emotional relief or religious exercise. Prayer is putting your faith to work in your relationship to God. Let's say your married but moved far away from each other and never communicate. Now your still married right? Yet, you are not communicating, you don't know each other. Your God's child if you are saved, but to really receive blessings and really know Him you must communicate to Him. Tell him everything. What you want. What you feel. Ask Him questions.
"Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective."
James 5:16
When you pray, expect results immediately! Praying by faith sets into motion a chain reaction that brings results. Now, remember God will not always give you want you want despite your faith. God doesn't give us what we always want, He give us what is right in His eyes. Now that may be confusing, but think about it. What if you really wanted a new house and asked God for it.
So things start to go in motion, but because we can't see God's big perspective of our own lives, we don't know how that will affect us. Something we ask for might be something that could very well destroy our relationship with Him. So God will answer your prayers, but in the right way. Expect great things to happen when you pray.
So, don't just pray for yourself and your needs. Pray for others. Pray with others. Pray for salvation to come to the unbelievers in America. Put a prayer covering over President Bush each day, so he can make the right descisions. Pray for your family, friends neighbors. Pray continually for your brothers and sisters in Christ. Things will begin to change. Once we release our tongue in faith then God can really work in your life. It's all about faith in prayer.
Read this story:
When Jesus had finished saying all this in the hearing of the people, he entered Capernaum. There a centurion's servant, whom his master valued highly, was sick and about to die. The centurion heard of Jesus and sent some elders of the Jews to him, asking him to come and heal his servant. When they came to Jesus, they pleaded earnestly with him, "This man deserves to have you do this, because he loves our nation and has built our synagogue." So Jesus went with them.
He was not far from the house when the centurion sent friends to say to him: "Lord, don't trouble yourself, for I do not deserve to have you come under my roof. That is why I did not even consider myself worthy to come to you. But say the word, and my servant will be healed. For I myself am a man under authority, with soldiers under me. I tell this one, `Go,' and he goes; and that one,`Come,' and he comes. I say to my servant, `Do this,' and he does it."
When Jesus heard this, he was amazed at him, and turning to the crowd following him, he said, "I tell you, I have not found such great faith even in Israel."
This soldier was a man that knew faith. He came to Jesus, asking Him to heal His servant. The soldier's faith through prayer caused the servant to live. Your prayers may decide on who lives or who dies. Prayer is important. It must become part of our daily routines. Come to Him just because you want to know more about Jesus! Prayer is powerful.
"For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against spiritual forces of evil in heavenly realms." Ephesians 6:12
Every Christian is in a battle. The problems and trials we face daily are brought on by the power of evil. Satan wants nothing more than for you to crumble. He wants to devour you, turning you from God. I believe we are in a spiritual warfare. Angels and Demons exist, battling over our souls. How do we get involved? Prayer. Prayer not only is a way to talk with God, it is a way of tearing down our enemies strongholds. Through prayer we can heal, we can cast out demons and we can bring unbelievers to the church. Prayer is our weapon against Satan. When we pray it gives strength and a stronghold to God. The angels can't act unless we pray. Why? Because we have free will. God will not interfere with people's lives unless we truly want Him to. Well how does he know that? Through prayer. Prayer is what will gain the foothold in the battle for souls.
Today too many people have sold themselves to the world. The world of course is owned by Satan. Why do we keep seeing so many bad things happen and not enough good? First of all, we are not praying nearly enough. Second, unbelievers out match believers. This new generation refuses to believe in God and have given their souls to this world. The only way to win our neighborhoods and families back is to pray. Pray HARD! Expect results! Read the Word and pray with the truth in hand. Bring Satan to His knees. We must release His hold on the youth and other people who are lost. Just pray.
"And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all saints."
Ephesians 6:18
