Living By Faith (Lesson 33) The Purpose and Power of Prayer (Part 2) Ricardo Rick Pina Victory Gospel Experience (VGE), Camp Victory, Iraq Monday Night, 7:00pm (September14 th, 2009) Introduction: Tonight we continue our new series on the Purpose and Power of Prayer. I trust you were blessed by the lesson last week and tonight we go a little further in establishing the foundation for this series. The question we seek to answer tonight is: Does prayer really work? Does Prayer Really Work? Prayer is one of the most misunderstood arts of the human experience yet it is meant to be one of the most exciting aspects of the life of faith. Some of the most powerful times in my life and in my walk with Christ have come as a result of prayer. Story of my wife s selection to become a nurse and the infamous letter. Then her experiences in school. Some believers have come to the conclusion consciously or subconsciously that prayer isn t very important to every day life; that it doesn t apply to the real world. They look primarily to themselves or others to meet their needs; to get by every day. I believe their lack of prayer might be connected to a failed understanding of prayer. There was a time in my life where I did not like to pray. I was intimidated by it. In general, there is a lack of teaching, interest, and understanding about prayer in the church. This lack of understanding has caused many to THINK that their prayers have been unanswered. Perceived unanswered prayer can cause spiritual and emotional pain that can be deep and devastating. It can lead to sorrow, despair, bitterness, and rebellion. It can undermine the foundation of our faith and lead to these resulst: 1. We feel abandoned and isolated from God, imagining that He doesn t care about our problems. We begin to doubt His love for us. We view God as someone who is either against us or one who is indifferent towards us; instead of a loving, caring and sharing heavenly Father. 2. We come to premature conclusions about ourselves and our prayers. We try to make sense out of why our prayers are not effective and we say things like: I must not have enough faith. God doesn t hear my prayers. Why can t I pray like so and so? 1
3. We doubt our calling as intercessors. We begin to think: Well, answered prayer must be for an elite group of super-spiritual Christians. Before you realize it, you stop praying. Example: My experience with a Street Outreach team in 1997. Many Christians today are experiencing powerlessness, lack of direction, little victory over sin, poor spiritual progress, a weak witness, unfruitful ministry, poverty, and other similar problems. Is there any connection between underdeveloped, defeated, or directionless lives and confusion over prayer? Dr. Myles Munroe believers a strong connection exists. How do we start down the Road to a Fulfilling Prayer Life? 1. We must be convinced that God is a Prayer Answering God. Prayer was God s idea something He instituted! We must be convinced of this fact. We must have NO DOUBTABOUT IT! (John 16:23,24 NLT) At that time you won't need to ask Me for anything. I tell you the truth, you will ask the Father directly, and He will grant your request because you use My name. You haven't done this before. Ask, using My name, and you will receive, and you will have abundant joy. Who are we supposed to ask? Jesus or the Father? It is an awesome experience to receive answers to prayers. Example: Story of my nose bleeds. Throughout the Old and New Testaments we have examples of prayers offered and answered! When prayers are NOT answered, the Word of God generally provides an indication of why; giving insight into the kind of prayers God responds to, and it points out what can hinder our prayers. Hindrances to prayer (Blessing Blockers): Doubt: (James 1:6,7 KJV) But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. (James 1:6,7 MSG) Ask boldly, believingly, without a second thought. People who "worry their prayers" are like wind-whipped waves. Don't think you're going to get anything from the Master that way. Doubt can and will definitely rob us of the confidence (faith) the Father expects us to operate in. This is not to say that our prayers will always immediately be manifested, but it does mean that when we pray, what God wants us to pray, and how He wants us to pray it, it is only a matter of time until we see the manifestation of it. This is why Jesus said that men should always to pray and not give up (Luke 18:1). 2
Unforgiveness: (Mark 11:25,26 NASB) "Whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you your transgressions. [But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father who is in heaven forgive your transgressions."] Note: Many translations DO NOT list verse 26 (parenthetical text). Unforgiveness, bitterness, holding grudges, etc. are part of what I call, Blessing Blockers. They can definitely HINDER your prayer life. (Mat 6:12 KJV) And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. This is part of the Model Prayer ( Our Father ). What is the insinuation? That IF we DO NOT forgive, we shall NOT be forgiven and it WILL affect out prayer life. 2. We must be convinced that the Father expects us to pray in faith and confidence: The Bible gives us the assurance that the Father does hear our prayers, when we line up our prayers with His purpose, so He expects us to align ourselves with His purpose and THEN pray with complete and total confidence. Prayer is NOT convincing God to do your will, but rather doing His will through your will; aligning your will with His. Everything you need is available to fulfill your purpose! We cannot manipulate God, but we can (and are expected to) participate in His purposes! If He provides the Vision, He is obligated to release the Provision. If it s His will, then it s His Bill! Some people say, I m not entirely sure what I am supposed to pray for. And the answer is found in their purpose! (James 4:3 NIV) When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. We cannot force God to perform our selfish desires, but we can align ourselves (unselfishly) with His Purposes, so that His will can be done through us! ***One of the longest recorded prayers in found in John 17. We will take a closer look at this prayer later, but for now, let s see how this applies to prayer and purpose. Jesus basically said, (Paraphrase) Father, before I ame to the earth, You gave me people to redeem. I have protected them, I have kept them safe for that purpose, and now I am going to effect that redemption through my death and resurrection. I have fulfilled and I am about to fulfill Your purpose for me (see John 17). Earlier in John Jesus said, My food is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work (John 4:34). 3
(1 st John 5:14,15 AMP) And this is the confidence (the assurance, the privilege of boldness) which we have in Him: [we are sure] that if we ask anything (make any request) according to His will (in agreement with His own plan), He listens to and hears us. And if (since) we [positively] know that He listens to us in whatever we ask, we also know [with settled and absolute knowledge] that we have [granted us as our present possessions] the requests made of Him. When we know God s will, when we are obedient to it, and when we ask Him to fulfill it, God will grant what we ask of Him. But this takes time, energy, and effort on our part. Oftentimes this means that we must PREPARE to pray. Kenneth Copeland said, I am not prepared to pray about something until I know what God s Word says about it. 3. We must seek understanding about prayer: Whether you think it is right or not, prayer does work. However, it first must be understood. Jesus understood how prayer works, therefore He always prayed with complete confidence. (Mark 11:22-24 NIV) "Have faith in God," Jesus answered. "I tell you the truth, if anyone says to this mountain, 'Go, throw yourself into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart but believes that what he says will happen, it will be done for him. Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. But what if we don t say? What if we don t believe? Isn t the power of death and life in our tongue? (Prov 18:21) Or what if we doubt? But then again, what if we SAY, BELIEVE, and DO NOT DOUBT, but what we are asking for is contrary to the Word. In this case we WILL NOT receive, because just like we are NOT puppets that are manipulated by God, neither is God our servant, that we can manipulate Him. He is our Lord, He is our King, He is our Creator, He is our God. It is He that has made us and not the other way around, but when we align ourselves with the Father like Jesus did, so that His will can be done on the earth! (John 11:41,42 NIV) So they took away the stone. Then Jesus looked up and said, "Father, I thank you that you have heard me. I knew that you always hear me, but I said this for the benefit of the people standing here, that they may believe that you sent me." Jesus did not pray without expecting to be heard. We need to know how to approach God and learn the kind of prayers God responds to. We need to pray as Jesus prayed. 4
Closing thoughts: 1. Praying without understanding is ineffective and it can cause frustration. 2. True prayer builds intimacy with God, honors His nature and character, respects His integrity, believes His Word, trusts in His love, affirms His purposes and will, and appropriates His promises. 3. Prayer is the expression of man s relationship with God and the participation in His purposes! 4. Prayer is an expression of mankind s unity and relationship of love with God; an expression of mankind s affirmation of and participation in God s purposes for the earth. Last Scripture: (2 nd Cor 6:1 KJV) We then, as workers together with him, beseech you also that ye receive not the grace of God in vain. When you seek His purpose and pray His will, you become a fellow worker (with Him) to bring to pass His will in the earth! Conclusion: Prayer does work and we must be convinced of it. Just like anything else, we cannot maximize what we do not understand. The more we understand prayer, the more confidence we have in the Father and in our prayers, as we develop our prayer lives. Closing Confession: Father, I am convinced that prayer really does work. You have instituted it and therefore, I will practice it. I will pray to You, directly, in the name of Your Son and my redeemer, Jesus, in accordance with Your Word, and with complete and total confidence that You will manifest Your will through Your children. I know that You care for me, therefore I resist every temptation to blame You for what may seem like unanswered prayer. I will always seek Your wisdom and seek to pray in accordance with Your Word, so that I know I can expect to see Your will manifested in my life, no matter how long it takes. You are a prayer answering God. I am a prayer making believer. As I am led of Your Spirit to develop prayers and to bring them before You, I know that You will work in the earth, through me. I ask in faith, nothing wavering, and fully trusting You to honor Your Word and to manifest Your will. I respect Your integrity, I believe Your Word, I trust in Your love, I affirm Your purposes, and I appropriate Your promises in my life! The more I understand prayer, the more effective I will be in my prayer life, and the more intimate I will be with You and You with me! In Jesus name. Amen! 5