Effective Prayer

EFFECTIVE PRAYER

(ESV)

INTRODUCTION:

IN 2005, THE BARNA RESEARCH GROUP RECENTLY DID A NATION-WIDE SURVEY OF THE PRAYER HABITS OF AMERICANS.

WHAT THEY CONCLUDED IS RATHER INTERESTING.

NOTE THESE STATISTICS:

- SIX IN TEN AMERICANS PRAY ONE OR MORE TIMES PER DAY;

- PRAYER IS A REGULAR PART OF THE LIFE OF 82% OF AMERICANS (INCLUDING 63% OF THE UNCHURCHED);

- WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY TO PRAY THAN MEN (95% TO 85%);

- WOMEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN MEN TO BE CERTAIN THAT PRAYER MAKES A DIFFERENCE IN THEIR LIVES (64% TO 56%);

- MEN ARE MORE LIKELY THAN WOMEN TO BE HOPEFUL THAT PRAYER MAKES A DIFFERENCE, BUT ARE UNSURE IT DOES (23% TO 15%);

- BABY BOOMERS ARE LESS LIKELY THAN THE AVERAGE AMERICAN TO CONSIDER PRAYER A REGULAR PART OF THEIR LIVES;

- 1 IN 4 UNCHURCHED AMERICANS PRAY ONLY AS A "LAST RESORT," WHILE OVERALL 1 IN 10 ADULTS DO SO;

- ALMOST ALL PEOPLE WHO CONSIDER THEMSELVES BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS PRAY (99%);

- OF BORN AGAIN CHRISTIANS, 75% ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN PRAYER MAKES A DIFFERENCE, WHILE ONLY 43% OF OTHERS IN THE POPULATION FEEL THAT CERTAIN;

- PEOPLE WHO PRAY THE MOST ARE THE ONES MOST CERTAIN THAT PRAYER MAKES A DIFFERENCE;

- OF THOSE WHO PRAY, 95% THANK GOD FOR WHAT HE HAS DONE FOR THEM, 76% ASK FORGIVENESS FOR SPECIFIC SINS, 61% MAKE SPECIFIC REQUESTS, AND 46% LISTEN SILENTLY FOR GOD'S RESPONSE TO THEM IN PRAYER (OLDER ADULTS DO THIS MORE THAN YOUNG ADULTS).

TAKE YOUR BIBLE AND TURN TO THE BOOK OF JAMES, CHAPTER 5…

I WANT US TO READ VERSES 13 THROUGH 18, BUT WE’LL TAKE AS OUR TEXT VERSE 16 ONLY…

LET’S STAND TOGETHER IN HONOR OF THE READING OF GOD’S WORD…

STAND – READ – PRAY

IF YOU GO TO THE ORIGINAL LANGUAGE IN , YOU’LL FIND THAT VERSE 16 ACTUALLY ONLY CONTAINS FIVE GREEK WORDS…FOUR THOUGHTS, BUT FIVE WORDS…

AND IT READS SOMETHING LIKE THIS…

DEESIS DIKAIOS POLY ISCHUO ENERGEO

BUT BECAUSE WE DON’T UNDERSTAND LANGUAGE THE SAME WAY AS THOSE WHO SPOKE THESE ORIGINAL LANGUAGES, OUR SENTENCES TEND TO BE LONGER, BECAUSE WE HAVE TO ADD WORDS TO MAKE THEM MORE CLEAR.

BUT WHAT I WANT US TO DO THIS MORNING IS LOOK AT THESE FOUR THOUGHTS, AND TRY TO UNDERSTAND HOW TO HAVE A MORE EFFECTIVE PRAYER LIFE…

LAST WEEK, WE LOOKED AT THE PRIORITY OF PRAYER…

THIS WEEK, WE LOOK AT THE POWER OF PRAYER…

SO HERE’S WHAT I WANT YOU TO NOTICE…

1. EFFECTIVE PRAYER HAS GOD AS IT’S OBJECT…

a. DEESIS – DIVINE PETITION…

b. THIS HELPS US UNDERSTAND WHAT PRAYER ACTUALLY IS…

c. IT IS A CALL TO THE DIVINE…

d. IT IS THE CREATURE SPEAKING WITH AND HEARING FROM THE CREATOR…

2. EFFECTIVE PRAYER IS OFFERED BY A PERSON WHO IS TRYING TO LIVE A RIGHTEOUS LIFE…

a. DIKAIOS – EQUITABLE IN CHARACTER…

b. THE ESSENCE OF BIBLICAL RIGHTEOUSNESS IS DEPENDENCE UPON GOD IN ALL ONE’S DEALINGS.

c. TO BE RIGHTEOUS IS TO LIVE A LIFE CENTERED UPON THE WORD OF GOD…

d. I NEED TO REFER YOU TO JAMES’ STATEMENT IN VERSE 17 AS WE THINK ABOUT THIS IDEA OF RIGHTEOUSNESS…

e. JAMES SAYS THERE THAT ELIJAH – WHO WAS A SPIRITUAL GIANT – PRAYED, AND IT DID NOT RAIN FOR THE SPACE OF THREE AND A HALF YEARS…

i. THAT IS POWERFUL PRAYER!

f. BUT WANT I WANT TO CALL YOUR ATTENTION TO IS JAMES’ STATEMENT ABOUT ELIJAH’S NATURE…

g. ELIJAH WAS A MAN WITH A NATURE LIKE OURS, AND HE PRAYED FERVENTLY THAT IT MIGHT NOT RAIN, AND FOR THREE YEARS AND SIX MONTHS IT DID NOT RAIN ON THE EARTH. 18 THEN HE PRAYED AGAIN, AND HEAVEN GAVE RAIN, AND THE EARTH BORE ITS FRUIT.

i. HE SAYS THAT ELIJAH HAD THE SAME NATURE THAT WE HAVE…

ii. SO TWO THINGS I WOULD POINT OUT TO YOU…

1. FIRST, WHEN JAMES TALKS ABOUT A RIGHT PERSON, HE IS NOT TALKING ABOUT A PERFECT PERSON…

a. ELIJAH SUFFERED WITH DEPRESSION AND DOUBT, YET GOD USED HIM IN AMAZING WAYS…

b. SO GOD DOES NOT EXPECT PERFECTION…

2. BUT HERE’S THE SECOND THING YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THIS REFERENCE TO ELIJAH…

a. GOD DOES EXPECT EFFORT TOWARD RIGHTEOUSNESS…

b. IN OTHER WORDS, FOR A PERSON TO SAY THAT HE OR SHE IS SINFUL AND THEREFORE CANNOT OVERCOME THE TEMPTATIONS OF THE WORLD IS UNACCEPTABLE TO GOD…

h. ELIJAH HAD THE SAME SINFUL NATURE THAT WE ALL HAVE, YET HE WAS A SPIRITUAL GIANT AND AN EFFECTIVE SERVANT OF THE LORD…

i. SO EFFECTIVE PRAYER IS TO BE OFFERED BY SOMEONE WHO IS WORKING HARD AT RIGHTEOUSNESS…

3. EFFECTIVE PRAYER HAS GREAT POWER…

a. POLY ISCHUO – ABLE TO DO MUCH…

b. THE PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS HAVE THE CAPACITY TO MOVE THE HEART OF GOD TO ACT…

c. ADRIAN ROGERS – THE CHURCH ADVANCES ON ITS KNEES. FEW THINGS ARE TALKED ABOUT MORE IN CHURCH THAN PRAYER, YET RELATIVELY FEW SAINTS KNOW AND EXPERIENCE THE MARVELS OF INTERCESSION. THE CHIEF WEAPON AGAINST SATAN IS PRAYER. SATAN HAS MANY STRONGHOLDS, MANY BASTIONS OF STRENGTH IN AMERICA TODAY. TO TRY TO BREAK THEM DOWN WITH MADISON AVENUE TECHNIQUES WOULD BE AS WORTHLESS AS TRYING TO REMOVE THE ROCK OF GIBRALTAR BY THROWING SMOWBALLS AT IT. SATAN SNEERS AT OUR SCHEMES, MOCKS OUR METHODS, LAUGHS AT OUR LEARNING, BUT IS PARALYZED BY OUR PRAYING…

d. THE PRAYER OF THE RIGHTEOUS HAS GREAT POWER…

4. EFFECTIVE PRAYER TAKES EFFORT…

a. PRAYER IS TO BE A POINT OF EFFORT IN THE LIFE OF EVERY BELIEVER…

b. ENERGEO – TO BE ACTIVE…

c. PRAYER IS TO BE AN ACTIVE PART OF THE LIFE OF A BELIEVER…

d. MY DAILY PRAYER LIST…

i. FOR FORGIVENESS OF MY PERSONAL SIN…

ii. FOR PROTECTION FOR MY FAMILY…

iii. FOR GOD TO PUT PEOPLE IN THE PATH OF MY CHILDREN AND GRANDCHILDREN WHO WILL MODEL FAITH TO THEM AND LEAD THEM TO CHRIST…

iv. FOR WISDOM TO LEAD THIS CHURCH…

v. FOR CLARITY AND GOOD TIME MANAGEMENT PRACTICES AS I STUDY AND PREPARE MESSAGES…

vi. FOR THE PEOPLE I SERVE AND LEAD TO BE CAPTURED BY THE HOLY SPIRIT…

vii. FOR THE EFFORTS OF THOSE WHO OPPOSE ME TO BE FRUSTRATED…

viii. FOR OPPORTUNITIES TO BE A GOSPEL WITNESS IN THE COMMUNITY…

ix. AND FOR A GREAT MOVE OF GOD TO START RIGTH HERE AT FBC BETHEL SPRINGS…

CONCLUSION:

IS THERE POWER IN PRAYER…YES THERE IS…

THINGS TO PRAY FOR THIS WEEK…

- THE MUSIC AND YOUTH SEARCH TEAM…

- TEAMKID – 110 CHILDREN AND YOUTH LAST WEEK!!!

BUT AGAIN, THE MOST IMPORTANT PRAYER YOU WILL EVER PRAY IS THE PRAYER OF SALVATION…

THIS HAPPENS WHEN A PERSON REALIZES HIS OR HER SINFULNESS, AND THAT THE ONLY WAY TO HAVE ETERNAL LIFE IS TO RECEIVE GOD’S GIFT OF SALVATION…

A GIFT THAT WAS MADE POSSIBLE BY THE SACRIFICE OF JESUS ON THE CROSS…

HE WENT TO THE CROSS, BECAME SIIN FOR US, TOOK OUR SINS UPON HIMSELF, AND PAID OUR PENALTY SO THAT WE COULD HAVE ETERNAL LIFE…

AND GOD OFFERS SALVATION TO ANYONE WHO WOULD ADMIT HIS SINFULNESS, REPENT OF HIS SINS, AND RECEIVE THIS GIFT BY FAITH…

MAYBE TODAY, YOU NEED TO DO THIS…