Powerful and Effective

We believe in the power of prayer. We have seen God move powerfully through prayer and we know that we are living in a season that requires for all of God’s people to pray.

Every season should be a season of prayer. But some seasons require a bit more. And I truly believe we find ourselves in one of those seasons right now.

This evening, we are going to get in the altars and we are going to believe God to do what God can only do. We are going to believe for the Lord to move in powerful and effective ways.

And no… those are NOT two words I just pulled out of thin air. They are two words that come from our text this evening that describe what prayer is - powerful and effective.

James 5:13–16 NIV

13 Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. 15 And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. 16 Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

We read two of these verses every single Sunday Morning without skipping a beat. Why? Because I want our congregation to know where to go… or rather who to go to… in times of need. God answers prayer! But God cannot answer… if we do not ask.

His answer will be in accordance with His will and plan for our lives… but He ALWAYS answers.

Sometimes He says yes, and sometimes He says no. Sometimes He opens doors, other times He closes them, and then other times He leads us in a completely different direction.

When we pray, it is NOT a matter of whether or not God hears and answers… the question is will we trust and follow His answer?

Now, as we look at prayer tonight, we are going to look at what it is that makes prayer powerful and effective. Scripture makes clear a rather important point regarding the power and effectiveness of prayer. That key point is righteousness. The prayer of a RIGHTEOUS person is powerful and effective.

What makes a person righteous? How does a person achieve righteousness?

This might shock you a bit but it really has nothing to do with the person at all. For if righteousness could be obtained on our own, then what Jesus did on the cross was meaningless.

Galatians 2:20–21 NIV

20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

Philippians 1:9–11 NIV

9 And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight, 10 so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ, 11 filled with the fruit of righteousness that comes through Jesus Christ—to the glory and praise of God.

Our righteousness comes through Christ alone through what is know as justification. He took on our sins as He gave His life on the cross, and we take on His righteousness as we repent and come into relationship with Him.

It truly is an amazing act of love and grace! But it is an act that is not to be misused or abused. grace is not given so that believers can continue in sin. Grace is given to set us free from sin… to break the shackles that once bound us. Sin should not be a part of the believer’s life.

Therefore, powerful and effective prayers come from the hearts of those who are crucified in Christ and washed by His blood.

Our text gives us two things we need to consider when we pray. These two items are listed in the main text and are essential for the righteousness that is required that makes prayer powerful and effective.

Element One: Faith

Our prayer MUST be offered in faith. Our prayer must be immersed in our belief and trust in God.

Faith is confidence in what is not seen. Faith moves us beyond what we know in and of this world, to the One who literally spoke this world into motion.

Hebrews 11 is where we find a definition of faith and a list of amazing things that were accomplished because of faith.

We know the stories of the Bible… and none of them would be possible if faith did not exist. These stories serve as an example of what God can do when faith is present.

Jesus told us in Matthew 17:20 that mustard seed sized faith is strong enough to move mountains. He ended that verse by saying, “Nothing will be impossible for you.” Those are some powerful and encouraging words!

Yet so often we feel overwhelmed by the impossible… we feel limited by our limitations. Could it be… that in place of what God can do we place at the forefront our inability and limited resources? Church… that’s not faith. That’s not believing in what God can do!

Faith is taking our eyes off what we can see and placing our confidence in the One we cannot see.

Although we cannot physically see God… We have certainly seen Him move!

So what mountains do you need God to move in your life tonight? What obstacles may be in your way that you need His help with? It’s time to lift those needs up to the Lord… in faith. Offer up your prayers in faith - believe God for the miracle.

Element Two: Confession

The second element our text gives to us is confession. This is specifically regarding the confession of our sins. And… this can be a tough one. Why? Because we do not like to admit when we mess up! However, confession is a powerful thing in and of itself.

Confession helps us realize our need for help. Every person in this room tonight needs help when it comes to living a righteous life.

As I mentioned already before, our righteousness is secured through the Jesus’ substitutionary work on the cross. WE CANNOT BE MADE RIGHTEOUS WITHOUT JESUS.

Secondly, our righteousness is maintained as we help each other in our daily walk with the Lord.

As a body of believers, we need to hold each other up through our struggles and temptations.

This means we make ourselves available to hear one another. We are not here to condone sinful activity, but we are here to help brothers and sisters who may be engaged in activity that goes against the Word.

We need to encourage those who might be struggling to get back on the right path with Jesus. This might mean having some tough conversations… AND those conversations MUST be covered by the love of Christ.

Secondly, as a body of believers, we need to be accountable to one another.

Accountability is NOT a point of weakness, but rather is a point of strength. Accountability is something we ALL need. It is the opportunity to talk with others about our struggles and to receive from them instruction from the Lord.

Accountability is NOT a time of glorifying sin, it is a time of confession, a time of vulnerability that is not to be abused or misused. Accountability is an opportunity to lift someone up, not tear them down.

Confession helps to us on the right track. Confession helps to keep our lives above reproach. Confession helps to not allow sin to go unchecked. Therefore, for the sake of living a righteous life, we need to make a habit of confessing our sins to one another and to God.

Find someone you know and trust to be that confession partner in your life. Make sure that person is full of the Spirit and grounded in the Word. Allow the Spirit of God to move in you as you confess your sins.

Although sin cannot separate you from the love of God… it can absolutely separate you from a move of God in your life. SIN SEPARATES US FROM HIS PRESENCE.

If you desire for God to move in you… you need to remove the obstacles that may prevent Him from moving in your life!

Conclusion

Prayer is powerful and effective - so long as it is offered in faith by a righteous believer.

And look what prayer can do… it can heal the sick, it can ease your troubles, it can turn impossible situations around. We believe in the power of prayer!

God desires to move POWERFULLY in your life. Do you believe that today?

Here’s the proof of His desire… He gave His Son Jesus to turn our most dire situation around. Church… what more could we ask for than eternal life? What more could we hope for than to not perish? Jesus took care of our greatest need when He gave His life on the cross!

And… He continues to take care of our other needs when we take them to the Lord in prayer. But tonight, we need to not forget these two important elements when it comes to prayer.

Our prayers MUST be offered in faith.

Our prayers must come from a heart that is righteous.

Our faith leads us to believe and receive Jesus. Our reception of Jesus as Lord and Savior moves us from a place of sin to a place of righteousness. We come into alignment with God as we pray in faith and righteousness.

THAT is why such prayers are powerful and effective.

So what areas in your life could use some powerful and effective prayer?

Evening Prayer Points

One: Before taking it to the Lord in prayer, take time to evaluate your faith and your walk with the Lord. If you find a need to confess any sin to another or to God, take time to do that, first. Get rid of ANYTHING that might hinder God from moving in your life.

Two: Take your needs and the need of others to God in prayer. Believe for POWERFUL and EFFECTIVE answers from the Lord.

Three: Pray for our upcoming outreach and season of regrouping to be powerful and effective. Pray for God to accomplish all that needs to be done as we believe the best days are yet to come!