LIFE EMPOWERMENT TRAINING – PART 2
THE POWER OF
PRAYER
Scripture:
Mark. 1:35 says: “Now in the morning, having risen up a long while before daylight, He went out and departed into a solitary place;
and there He prayed.”
Definition:
The most basic definition of prayer is “talking to God.” It is a spiritual communion with God or an object of worship, as in
supplication, thanksgiving, adoration, or confession.
Introduction:
Everyone who yearns to live in victory needs to learn to depend on God through daily prayer. Prayer is the opportunity God has
given to us to talk to Him – the greatest of all beings, the all-powerful one, for whom nothing is impossible. A consistent prayer life
gives us the power to overcome all things. Prayer is dynamite. Tremendous things can come into the lives of those who pray daily.
That is why we should make it a lifestyle. It should be something that forms part of our way of living, a habit just like eating, sleeping,
or cleaning your teeth. Jesus made prayer habitual. He would find a place where He could be alone with the Father.
Prayer is power.
“Then they cried to the LORD in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress. He made the storm be still, and the waves of
the sea were hushed. Then they were glad that the waters were quiet, and he brought them to their desired haven.” (Psalm 107:28-
30)
Only in prayer can the impossible be possible.
“And he said to them, “This kind cannot be driven out by anything but prayer.” (Mark 9:29)
That’s why in Philippians 4:6-7, Paul said, ”Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with
thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and
your minds in Christ Jesus.”
Prayer is the solution for your anxieties and even for everything you need.
I. THE IMPORTANCE OF PRAYER
As believers in Christ, we should follow in the footsteps of our Teacher. This means setting aside time to be alone with God,
preferably in the morning. We can then hear His directions; receive His protection and support in the different situations that we will
face throughout the rest of the day. To pray effectively, find the most convenient time for you, regardless of whether it is during the
day or at night pray by yourself, so that you can have intimacy with God, freely pouring out your heart without any inhibitions.
Praying in church or with other Christians is enjoyable when you first begin your life with God. But praying by yourself with God also
has advantages and will teach you not to depend on praying with other people.
The Lord teaches us how to pray in Matthew 6:6: “But you, when you pray, go into your room, and when you have shut your door,
pray to your Father who is in the secret place: and your Father who sees in secret will reward you openly.” The advantage of praying
in private is that since no one else is listening, we can tell God everything we feel, want, or are worried about. We can go to Him
with our faults and virtues because He knows us for who we are. He knows our thoughts and intentions even before we tell Him.
God enjoys listening to us; and jealously longs for us. His desire is to help and direct us through prayer and His word. Have a certain
time and place for a ‘daily appointment’ with God to develop your prayer habit If for some reason you do not have your devotions,
don’t fall into legalism or guilt rather, learn your lesson and try even harder to meet with the Lord next time. He never misses an
appointment, and without a doubt He will be waiting for you to give you His love, blessing and to take away your burdens.
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LIFE EMPOWERMENT TRAINING – PART 2
In Matthew 11:28 God expresses His desire to help us: “Come to Me, all you who labor and
are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” The invitation is for those who “labor” that is, those who are in tribulation, in affliction,
physically or emotionally wounded. You can give Him every burden that you have been enduring and suffering.
God knows your situation, and Isaiah 63:9 says, “In all their affliction He was afflicted: He identifies Himself with your pain, which is
why He says to us, “Come with all that you have, family problems emotional needs, come with your studies, or with your work, and I
will give you rest.” Prayer is pouring out your heart, which implies more than mechanically repeating phrases while your mind dwells
on other things. Praying is talking with understanding, conscious that we are talking with an intelligent Being. Even though we do not
see Him, His presence is with every person who decides to look for Him with his or her whole heart.
The Lord says: “...And the one that comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:37
If we look for Him He will be there and will receive us, not ignore us. That is the reason we should not pray lip-service prayers, but
rather heart-prayers, prayers that we can remember so that we recognize the answer when it comes.
Prayer is the portal that brings the power of heaven down to earth. It is kryptonite to the Enemy and to all his ploys against you.
When Paul describes our spiritual armor, he includes the belt of truth, the body armor of God’s righteousness, the shoes of peace,
the shield of faith, the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit—the very Word of God. But he doesn’t stop there. “Pray in
the Spirit at all times and on every occasion. Stay alert and be persistent in your prayers for all believers everywhere,” Paul says in
Ephesians 6:18.
There it is. The fuel that drives everything: PRAYER.
The power of prayer is not the result of the person praying. Rather, the power resides in the God who is being prayed to. 1 John
5:14-15 tells us, "This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if
we know that he hears us - whatever we ask - we know that we have what we asked of him." No matter the person praying, the
passion behind the prayer, or the purpose of the prayer - God answers prayers that are in agreement with His will. His answers are
not always yes, but are always in our best interest. When our desires line up with His will, we will come to understand that in time.
When we pray passionately and purposefully, according to God's will, God responds powerfully!
II. HOW TO BE EFFECTIVE IN PRAYER
a. Start your prayer time realizing you are in the presence of God. Hebrew 11:6 says: “But without faith it is impossible to please
Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him.”
b. Then confess to God whatever sins you have committed with your words, thoughts, or actions, so that your prayers will not be
hindered. Psalm 66: 18 affirms: “If I regard iniquity in my heart The Lord will not hear.”
c. Spend time presenting your specific needs. Jesus included these in the Lord’s Prayer when He said: “Give us this day our daily
bread.” Matthew 6: 11
Therefore, take advantage of the opportunity to make your requests in the name of Jesus. John 16:24 teaches us: “Until now you
have asked nothing in my name. Ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full.”
d. Determine to give God the best of your time, not just what is left over. Be fully convinced that you are making the best investment
of your life. Nothing opens up bigger opportunities than your communion with God. And what’s more, it will also guard you from
temptation. Matthew 26:41 warns: “Watch and pray, lest you enter into temptation. The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is
weak.”
As you become more familiar with talking to God, you will be able to include other people in your prayers, which can accomplish
great things on their behalf. Let God lead you to pray for certain answers, and believe you will see them. End your devotional time by
giving thanks to God for having received His blessings and for all He is doing in your life. You need to realize that God is at your side
throughout the day, and you can talk to Him every time you need to. He delights in you doing so. You will feel that He is part of your
life and it will be a way to show to Him your love.
e. Before going to sleep - examine your life, ask the Lord what things (thoughts, attitudes. words, or actions) have displeased Him.
Then, confess and abandon those things. The Word says in Proverbs 28:13: “He who covers his sins will not prosper. But whoever
confesses and forsakes them shall have mercy.”
Then, ask the Holy Spirit for strength to continue and the ability to live according to His will. End by thanking him for victory. “All
that the Father gives Me will come to Me, and the one that comes to Me I will by no means cast out.” John 6:37
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III. SOME EXAMPLES IN THE BIBLE
a. Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:5-11)
When he saw the situation in Jerusalem, Nehemiah’s first reaction was not political action, organizing a protest, abandoning his job,
or getting drunk. (Nehemiah 1:5-11). He reacted with a prayer.
b. Hezekiah (Isaiah 37:14)
When the brutal Assyrian King Sennacherib was preparing to destroy Jerusalem, he sent a message to King Hezekiah saying that
Judah would be no different from all the other nations he had conquered. Hezekiah took this message to the temple in Jerusalem,
and “spread it out before the Lord” (Isa. 37:14). He then prayed and asked for help from Almighty God. “Because you prayed about
King Sennacherib of Assyria, the Lord has spoken” (Isa. 37:21–22 NLT). Scripture tells us that Hezekiah’s prayer was answered that
very night. Three words in God’s message to Hezekiah—“Because you prayed”—show us the best place to go with our worries.
Because Hezekiah turned to God, He rescued him and his people. When we turn our worries into prayer, we discover that God is
faithful in unexpected ways!
c. David (Psalm 84:10)
“Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere.”
Psalm 42:1 “As a dear panteth for the water so my soul longeth after thee.”
David was named as “man after God’s own heart”. His ultimate desire is just to be in the presence of God every moment of his life.
The secret of his success in his walk is throughout his obscure life, he continued to praise, worship, and thank God. He spent time
with God and David let God penetrate his heart deeply. Through prayer, one can be filled just as how David was satisfied only by the
fullness of the Lord.
d. Jabez - 1 Chronicles 4:10
Jabez was not using prayer as a formula to get something from God, rather He was calling upon God to help him accomplish the
promises of God. With just a simple and straightforward prayer, God was able to give him favour and blessings. Like Jabez, we can
use the power of prayer to claim God’s promises.
e. Jesus (Luke 4:42a)
“Now when it was day, He departed and went into a deserted place.”
Jesus made prayer a priority. The reason He departs from the crowds and goes to deserted places is because His priority was His
relationship with God the Father. Jesus knew that He would be worthless to people if He was not in constant fellowship with God the
Father. Jesus knew that He could not serve the people if He was not filled by God. Prayer has power.
IV. CONSEQUENCE OF PRAYERLESSNESS
“The men of Israel sampled their provisions but did not inquire of the Lord.” (Joshua 9:14)
The ninth chapter of Joshua gives us a clear picture of what happens when God’s people do not pray. When we neglect prayer, we
can be easily deceived and make wrong decisions. And when leaders do not pray, they also fail the people under them. This chapter
speaks about the utter failure of Israel’s leaders—Joshua, the princes of tribes, the priests and the elders-to seek guidance from God
when they were approached by the Gibeonites.
Praying is the last thing Satan wants you to do. He will discourage you from doing it. He will dissuade you from it, and he will disarm
you by putting a distaste for prayer in your mouth. He wants to see you passionless, prayerless, and powerless. Perfectly quiet. And
because prayer is the divinely ordained mechanism that leads you into the power and victory of Christ, Satan knows you’ll remain
defeated and undone without it.
V. LIFE APPLICATION
Paul instructed us on Ephesians 6:18 that “With all prayer and petition, pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the
alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” Perseverance translates to a noun that is related to a verb “be devoted
to”. In Colossians 4:2, Paul writes “Devote yourselves to prayer, keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving” and in 1
Thessalonians 5:17 “Pray without ceasing”. These verses tells us that prayer should not just be a little part of our life like before
meals and before sleeping, but we should pray about anything and everything and in any moment. Our prayers are not in vain even
if we do not perceive any fruit from it because prayer actually draws us near to God. You don't have to be legalistic in prayer.
Legalism and guilt cannot motivate prayer. It is actually God’s mercies and goodness that will drive you to pray.
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In John 15:5, Jesus said, “Apart from me you can do nothing” and an angel of the Lord said to Mary in Luke 1:37, that “Nothing is
impossible with God”. Prayer is a recognition that you cannot do it in your own. It is a way of bringing your helplessness to Jesus and
letting Him help you. That is the power of prayer. In recognition that you are limited, in prayer you can ask anything and do anything
as God cannot be limited. Ask for the impossible and never cease in prayer. Prayer can change your heart and it will show you a deep
need to be conformed to the image of Christ.
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