Praying with Power – 2

Praying with Power – 2

Subject – Praying Earnestly 

By Rick Welborne

James 5:13-18 (NLT2)
¹³  Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises.
¹⁴  Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord.
¹⁵  Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.
¹⁶  Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.
¹⁷  Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years!
¹⁸  Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops. 

--Tonight we continue our series on Praying with Power. Please do not try to convince me of your concern for America if you are not willing to pray.

--James points out that whatever your need is, sincere prayer is the answer. Whether it is hardships, sickness, or the ravages of sin. Our prayer has great power and wonderful results.

Charles G. Finney – Revival is no more a miracle than a crop of wheat. Revival comes from heaven when heroic souls enter the conflict determined to win or die—or if need be, to win and die! “The Kingdom of Heaven suffers violence, and the violent take it by force.”

--Ministry in many ways has become this opportunity for many to show-off their gifting and talent and to convince the crowd how they can move them with their coolness and smooth communication. 

--Many today think how awesome it would be to stand before crowds and feel the power of the moment. In contrast, the prophets of old felt the weight (the enormity) and unpopularity of their calling.

--Many tried to escape the burden of their calling. Moses tried to use the excuse that he stuttered and Jeremiah tried to claim he was way too young for such responsibility. 

--My point is this, many in the ministry today want the glamor without the burden. The burden to pray for the lost and the burden of caring for wandering sheep.

--Pastor Manzer Wright in his last days would share with me the burden he carried as a minister of the gospel and it always came with a warning. “Don’t let those people kill you.” The burden was heavy.

--Whenever I interview someone for a pastoral ministry position here at Life Church, I always ask them to share with me their experience with God when He called them. No experience, no position.

--Why would I do that? In the ministry you will need to go back in your mind a 1000 times to your calling especially when you are faced with great difficulty. Hear Paul’s burden.

1 Corinthians 9:16 (NKJV)
¹⁶  For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of, for necessity is laid upon me; yes, woe is me if I do not preach the gospel!

--Woe is me if I do not preach this gospel God has called me to, and to exhort you to prayer like never before.

1. Approaching God in Prayer. 

--In the last century we have found the power (the awesome power) of atomic and nuclear force. The church needs to re-discover the power of prayer with Holy Spirit and holy living. 

Jude 1:20-21 (NKJV)
²⁰  But you, beloved, building yourselves up on your most holy faith, praying in the Holy Spirit,
²¹  keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life.

--Praying in Holy Spirit will build you up, will prepare you for spiritual warfare, and it will help you live a holy life before God (keep yourselves in the love of God).

--We must pray if we want to live a holy life. Also, it will be difficult to pray in sincerity before God if we are not living a holy life. Scripture please.

Psalm 24:3-5 (NIV)
³  Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place?
⁴  He who has clean hands and a pure heart, who does not lift up his soul to an idol or swear by what is false.
⁵  He will receive blessing from the LORD and vindication from God his Savior. 

--You see, how you approach God is so important. Here is something to think about. The secret of praying is praying in secret. What you do in your private life speaks volumes of your desire to approach God.

--Reading books, listening to podcasts, or going to conferences about prayer is good but you still have to learn to pray. I can have the guns and bullets galore but until I go and shoot the game, the freezer is empty.

--From someone who loves you, maybe, just maybe the reason your soul is dry, the reason you are unhappy, the reason you are unfulfilled is because of your lack of time in prayer with the Master. 

--We act like with God similar to the kid who rings the doorbell and runs away before the door is opened. How many undiscovered blessings are forfeited because we do not tarry with God and pray? 

2. Prayer as Vast as God Is.

--There may be those who can estimate the distance from the earth to the sun, those who can tell us the speed of light, predict the rising of the sun every day. You cannot estimate the power of prayer. 

--Prayer is as vast as God. Why? Because He is the One behind it making it happen. Prayer is so mighty because God has committed Himself to answering when we call on Him. Listen to the psalmist praying:

Psalm 34:4-6 (NKJV)
⁴  I sought the LORD, and He heard me, And delivered me from all my fears.
⁵  They looked to Him and were radiant, And their faces were not ashamed.
⁶  This poor man cried out, and the LORD heard him, And saved him out of all his troubles. 

--It has been said that the reason Jesus will have to wipe away tears from our eyes at the Judgment Seat of Christ will be because of our small prayers in light of His greatness.

--How powerful are the prayers of the saints of God? Prayer has nullified the strength of fire, prayer has shut the mouths of lions, prayer has stopped anarchy in the streets…ask Esther.

--If God’s people praying and declaring a fast could stop anarchy for Queen Esther and Mordecai in the streets, couldn’t God do the same for the cities of America if we pray?

--Prayer has reversed the laws of science (ax head floating), prayer has stopped armies (ask Jehoshaphat), prayer has cast out demons, prayer has raised the dead to life (ask Lazarus). 

--Prayer has healed diseases like leprosy (what could God do to Covid 19?), prayer made the sun stand still in the sky so the battle could be won (ask Joshua).

--Prayer is a power, prayer is a privilege, prayer is access to the God Who has no limitations. The Bible says we have not because we do not ask. We have not today because we pray not. We must pray. 

--Make note of this, your time of prayer is not just a place where you hand God your unending list of things you want Him to do for you. Yes, prayer changes things but prayer changes people.

--Prayer changed Hannah by taking away her reproach but also, prayer changed Hannah from a barren woman to a fruitful woman. From a woman of mourning to a woman of dancing. Hannah came to a vast God!

--Many of us are praying that God will cause us to dance but maybe the issue is that we have not learned to mourn first. We want the garment of praise first.

Isaiah 61:3 (NKJV)
³  To console those who mourn in Zion, To give them beauty for ashes, The oil of joy for mourning, The garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; That they may be called trees of righteousness, The planting of the LORD, that He may be glorified." 

--Thank God we are a mission’s church but please never forget the vastness of God. You guys give so much to missions and that is great but what would happen if we added prayer?

Psalm 126:5-6 (NKJV)
⁵  Those who sow in tears Shall reap in joy.
⁶  He who continually goes forth weeping, Bearing seed for sowing, Shall doubtless come again with rejoicing, Bringing his sheaves with him. 

3. Praying with Power Birthed by Love.

Exodus 32:31-32 (NKJV)
³¹  Then Moses returned to the LORD and said, "Oh, these people have committed a great sin, and have made for themselves a god of gold!
³²  Yet now, if You will forgive their sin--but if not, I pray, blot me out of Your book which You have written."

Romans 9:2-4 (NLT2)
²  My heart is filled with bitter sorrow and unending grief
³  for my people, my Jewish brothers and sisters. I would be willing to be forever cursed—cut off from Christ!—if that would save them.
⁴  They are the people of Israel, chosen to be God’s adopted children. 

--If John Knox had prayed, “Give me success.” But he prayed a self-sacrificing prayer.

John Knox – Give me Scotland, or I die!

 --David Livingstone had such a burden for Africa…He prayed, Lord, when will the wound of this world’s sin be healed? He lived in prayer and actually died on his knees in prayer.

--Only prayer motivated by love will change this sin hungry world. We need a prayer hungry church that will stay in God’s presence until things change. 

--Pastor, I only have influence over a few people. What difference can I make? You probably have more influence than you think. It is not the size but the sort.

1 Corinthians 3:11-13 (NKJV)
¹¹  For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.
¹²  Now if anyone builds on this foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw,
¹³  each one's work will become clear; for the Day will declare it, because it will be revealed by fire; and the fire will test each one's work, of what sort it is.