Transcription
We're sharing this morning on a powerful key for effective prayers. I read from the Living Bible, James chapter 5, verse 16: "Admit your faults to one another and pray for each other so that you may be healed."
Elijah was as completely human as we are. And yet, when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for the next three and a half years. Then he prayed again, this time that it would rain. Down it fell, and the grass turned green, and the gardens began to grow.
In our journey in life, we must consistently carry out reflections, especially at the close of the year and the beginning of another year. We must carry out reflections on how well the approach and method we are using is effective for the purpose and the goals for which we are using them. And this, of course, includes spiritual keys, spiritual steps that we take.
Prayer, we have confirmed, is one of those very powerful spiritual keys that influences what happens in eventually every area of life, including the spiritual realm. But today, we want to throw light on one very key aspect in the analysis of effective prayers that produces outstanding results.
In James chapter 5, verse 16b, it says, God's Word Translation says, "Prayers by those who have God's approval are effective."
James chapter 5, verses 17-18, Living Bible: "He said, 'Elijah was as completely human as we are. And yet, when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall...' One man, one man, the prayer of one man moved God to do something that affected the entire nation." Not just for a day, because we all pray that it should not rain for a day. We do that every year. There's a big occasion, there's a big event coming up, and one of our prayer points is, "Our Lord, bless us with good weather. Let it not rain on this wedding day, on this day of this special event, on this day of the Crusade, on this day of the outreach." We could even ask God to do that for three days, seven days, as long as the event would last, but certainly not for a whole year.
And the Bible tells us that this went on, not just for a year, two years, three years, three and a half years. No rain in the entire life. Not no rain in the South, no rain in the East, no rain in the whole of the West. No rain, the entire nation, no rain, three and a half years. For those who may have refused to believe that what was happening was as a result of the effect of prayer, they have to change their mind because it now took the prayer of this same man, this same person, for the heavens to be opened once again and rain.
And the rains would fall. In verse 18, the Bible says, "Then he prayed. He prayed again, this time that it would rain." So that means Elijah had specific prayer points. That was his focus before God. In verse 17, he had a prayer point asking God to close the heavens and stop the rains, and God answered that prayer for as long as three and a half years. Verse 18, he prayed another prayer point, this time that God should reopen the heavens, and God also answered that prayer.
I declare to someone listening right now that this year, this year, from this month, the heavens are reopened unto you. That area of your life where there has been prolonged barrenness is reopened this month, in the name of Jesus.
He said, "Then he prayed again, this time that it would rain." And down it poured, and the grass turned green, and the gardens began to grow again. There will be healing this year. There will be restoration this year. Good things, things that left your life will return, and they will return for good, in the name of Jesus.
May the Lord raise your faith to be able to pray uncommon prayer points. Let the Lord hear your amen. Uncommon prayer points. You have to be a man of faith to pray this kind of prayer. There are times you could pray ceremonially because it has been raised generally, it has been listed among prayer points. You may believe that God will answer prayer point number one, two, three, but number four, ah, you feel it can't happen, and even if it's going to happen, not this year. But you will just, you will just read it out, voice it out. And when it comes to that kind of prayer, especially when you are praying privately, you will not pray with intensity because for that particular prayer point, you don't really believe God will do it this year.
Elijah prayed with great intensity, showing that he believed that if he could prevail with God, God would answer, and the prayer would be made manifest. The answer to the prayer will be made manifest.
Three things will quickly be taken out from these scriptural tests. And the first one has to do with the impact. The impact of prayer. How effective is the impact of prayer? How effective? In James chapter 5, verse 16, James 5:16 Amplified Bible Classic Edition: "It says, 'The earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available, dynamic in its working.'"
Contemporary English Version, James 5:16: "It says, 'The prayer of an innocent person is powerful and it can help a lot. It can help a lot.'" It's a factor. What can we do? Prayer is one of them. What is a way out? Prayer is one of them. What is a way forward? Prayer is one of them. So, prayer is very, very powerful.
That is dynamic. Impacts. The effect cuts across everything you can think of in life. And the second major lesson you take away this morning is that when it comes to the realm of effective prayer, when we are doing looking, when you are looking at effective prayers that produce wonderful results, the person that is praying is a major factor. The person that is praying.
So, at every point in time, there are goals to be achieved, there are challenges to be overcome, and it is concluded that effective prayer, serious prayers will be required to make these things happen, along with some of those steps to be taken. The person that is praying is a factor, and indeed, a major factor.
From that same scripture, James chapter 5, verse 16, Amplified Bible Classic Edition says, "The earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man, a righteous man makes tremendous power available." There are ways of prayer. There are different types of effective prayer points. There are locations that are favorable for different types of prayer. There are strategic timings for different aspects of prayer. But one very important factor when it comes to effective prayer, the spiritual standing of the person that is praying.
And in this context, we are looking at it from this morning. We are not looking at the spiritual office of the person. We're not looking at the spiritual position of the person. The spiritual standing of the person, not with people, but with God. When Elijah was praying, nobody knew his prayer point. Day and night, Elijah was calling on God to intervene in his nation and do something that will affect the nation. Nobody knew what he was praying about. His neighbors would have known he was always praying, but they didn't know what he was praying about. It was between him and God.
Over and over in Proverbs, we'll see the scriptures telling us that the prayer of the wicked is an abomination unto the Lord. Psalm 66, verse 18, will tell us that if I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear. The spiritual standing of a man, the spiritual tunnel of a woman is a major factor. Our Lord Jesus, when he was teaching on prayer, will tell us that when we are praying, forgiveness is key. Now, forgiveness, unforgiveness can actually hinder prayers from being answered. And the advice is that let whatever is the issue be sorted out, even before setting prayers are offered. Is that serious? Serious in the spiritual realm.
The earnest, heartfelt, continued prayer of a righteous man, a righteous woman, makes tremendous power. Not just prayer, who is offering the prayer? Who is offering that prayer? And that is why there are real reasons why when you have a team of prayer warriors, you have a team of intercessors, you don't just pray every time you gather. No. There must be some time to share briefly on sanctification, on purification, on the fruits of the spirit, and having a right heart and a right standing with God. Or else, you may have in the prayer band and in the intercessory team, men and women that are filled with darkness in their hearts. They pray fervently, but they are not standing right with God. They are not standing right with God. So, sanctification is very key for you to be able to pray and have great impact in the spiritual realm.
Leads to God's leadings, to God's instruction is very key. One of the things that gives will give you confidence when you are praying and trying to prevail with God over issues is when your conscience is free. Your conscience is free and clean before God. If God had told you to do something last week and you disobeyed, God had instructed you last month to do something and you ignored it, how can you now roll on the floor? How can you not prostrate? How can you not kneel on the ground and begin to cry, "Lord, Lord, do this"? What gives you confidence to say that an attempt to prevail with God? That confidence comes from sanctification. It also comes from consciousness of obedience. Consciousness of obedience.
We are not talking of self-righteousness now. When you are consciously trying to please God consistently, there is a measure of confidence that will come as you continue in that attitude with God, especially when you are praying, especially when you are praying.
Contemporary English Version, James 5:16 says, "The prayer of an innocent person is powerful." The prayer of an innocent person. So when children pray, God answers the prayer of an innocent person. And it can help a lot.
Easy to Read Version, Easy to Read Version: He says, "Anyone who lives the way God wants a terrible. Anyone who lives, leaves the way God wants can pray and great things." We have who lives the way God wants, not the way, not the way he wants, or the way God wants. When God tells you to go to the village and serve, and there are options for you in town and in the city, and you ignore God's instruction, you are no longer operating in the way God wants because God may want you to be in that rural environment for some time. A missionary with a good heart, living in obedience to God in the territory of God's assignment for him, who will always have answer to his prayers. Will always have answer to his prayer.
"Anyone who lives the way God can pray great things." The way God wants, according to the scripture. As a father, there are some instructions for fathers. Some of those instructions are difficult. When you consistently go out of your way to comply with what God expects from a father, a godly father, then when on him, great things will happen. You do same as a mother, as a husband, as a wife. When you pray, God will answer, and great things will happen. "Anyone who lives the way God wants."
So, what happens in the opposite direction? What happens when someone who refuses to live the way God wants prays? Some prayers will be answered. Some will be answered, but he will not, or she will not attain the optimum potential in the realm of answered prayers. And we can see that one of those things that makes God happy with you, pleased with you, is when you live a godly life.
Good News Translation says, "The prayer of a good person, a good person has a powerful effect." The prayer of a good person. You know, we, we use that description many times. "Oh, she's a good woman." And then sometimes you will hear people say, "The person is a very good woman," emphatically. They use, they add "very." "He's a good man." And if you're observant, you observe that people use that description over and over. People that have never met themselves but have encountered the person they are talking about. When the name comes up, "I know him. I've encountered him. I've encountered with her. She's a good woman. He's a good man. He's a very good man. She's a very good woman." And when people begin to describe someone as a very good man or a very good woman, it's slightly different from the person is a spiritual man or a spiritual woman. And that was why Jesus, for instance, gave the parable of the Good Samaritan. And he intentionally used, brought in illustrations referring to a priest and a Levite in that parable, in that story, to emphasize to us that, you know, a good man may not necessarily be a spiritual person or someone in a spiritual office. It has to do with a state of the heart, the attitude of the person, the disposition of the person, especially to people that he has no obligation to. And that was what we saw from the conduct of the Good Samaritan.
"The prayer of a good person, a good person has a powerful effect." The Message version says, "The prayer of a person living right with God." The prayer of a person living right with God. Not the prayer of an apostle, a prophet, a pastor, an evangelist, no, a worker in the church, a minister of, no, no. The prayer of a person living right with God. Living right. Living right with God is something powerful to be reckoned with. Are you living right with God? Are you living right with God? Are you living right with God?