Effective Prayer - Men's Breakfast
Notes
Transcript
Intro
Intro
16 Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.
I want to focus on the second part of this verse...
If we are going to accomplish anything in our families, in our jobs, in our ministries or in our churches, it begins with effective prayer...
Effective prayer meaning:
Actually making connection with God
Actively praying in God’s will
Being right with God so He will hear our prayers
Getting our prayers answered
**There should be a confidence with us men in each other...
That when we have a need, we can have confidence in the men of this room to actively pray for us and to KNOW God will hear and answer their prayer...
Our wives and children deserve the same confidence in us as men to know that we are men of prayer… not just prayer, but effective prayer...
God gives us the recipe for an answered prayer here:
1. Effectual
1. Effectual
...The effectual...”
Defined: Producing an effect, or the effect desired or intended
We should pray with a desired effect or result
Otherwise, we’re just praying to pray
We see some examples of this:
a.) Abraham’s prayer
23 And Abraham drew near, and said, Wilt thou also destroy the righteous with the wicked? 24 Peradventure there be fifty righteous within the city: wilt thou also destroy and not spare the place for the fifty righteous that are therein? 25 That be far from thee to do after this manner, to slay the righteous with the wicked: and that the righteous should be as the wicked, that be far from thee: Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right? 26 And the Lord said, If I find in Sodom fifty righteous within the city, then I will spare all the place for their sakes. 27 And Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes: 28 Peradventure there shall lack five of the fifty righteous: wilt thou destroy all the city for lack of five? And he said, If I find there forty and five, I will not destroy it. 29 And he spake unto him yet again, and said, Peradventure there shall be forty found there. And he said, I will not do it for forty’s sake. 30 And he said unto him, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak: Peradventure there shall thirty be found there. And he said, I will not do it, if I find thirty there. 31 And he said, Behold now, I have taken upon me to speak unto the Lord: Peradventure there shall be twenty found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for twenty’s sake. 32 And he said, Oh let not the Lord be angry, and I will speak yet but this once: Peradventure ten shall be found there. And he said, I will not destroy it for ten’s sake.
Desired result of the prayer was God not destroying the city (intercessory prayer)
b.) Asa’s prayer
11 And Asa cried unto the Lord his God, and said, Lord, it is nothing with thee to help, whether with many, or with them that have no power: help us, O Lord our God; for we rest on thee, and in thy name we go against this multitude. O Lord, thou art our God; let not man prevail against thee.
Desired result of the prayer was that God would uphold them
c.) Hezekiah’s prayer
20 And for this cause Hezekiah the king, and the prophet Isaiah the son of Amoz, prayed and cried to heaven.
“And for this cause...”
The cause was Hezekiah the king and Isaiah the prophet crying to God asking for help with Sennacherib (Assyria) besieging Judah and mocking God…
There was a cause… a desired effect that was being prayed for...
2. Fervent
2. Fervent
“...The effectual fervent prayer...”
The greek word here is: energeo
Where we get our word: energy
Defined: active, efficient, to work in
Sometimes to have the effective prayer, we need to be active in the prayer, work in the prayer...
3. Righteous Man
3. Righteous Man
“...The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
It is required that if we are going to be effective in prayer and have our prayers answered, we need to be righteous men...
Strongs definition: a state of being right, or right conduct, right living
If we’re not living right, we cannot expect God to answer our prayers...
7 Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel, and as being heirs together of the grace of life; that your prayers be not hindered.
23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift.
18 If I regard iniquity in my heart,
The Lord will not hear me:
1 Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save;
Neither his ear heavy, that it cannot hear:
2 But your iniquities have separated between you and your God,
And your sins have hid his face from you, that he will not hear.
29 The Lord is far from the wicked:
But he heareth the prayer of the righteous.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.
31 Now we know that God heareth not sinners: but if any man be a worshipper of God, and doeth his will, him he heareth.
These truths should motivate us to be right with everyone around us...
If it’s not a big deal to you, than your hard hearted and are rejecting the power of God through prayer in your life...
Let’s me effective in prayer:
Effectual
Fervent
Righteous men
“...availeth much.”
