Through Prayer Pt 7 Series

Video Transition: Kwale’s Answered Prayer - Operation Christmas Child

Series: Find Joy in The Journey Through Prayer

Thesis: Jesus was filled with joy and this inner joy came from His relationship with God the Father through prayer. Prayer and inner joy are linked together because prayer opens a door to the presence and guidance of the Lord. Prayer is connected with joy!

Scripture: Romans 12:12 “Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Summary:

Sermon 1: We observed some of the prayers of Jesus – to show us how He prayed.

Sermon 2: We studied the prayer Jesus gave us on - How to Pray called, “The Lord’s Prayer.”

Sermon 3: We studied “Why Pray?”

Sermon 4: We learned “Where should we pray?” The answer was Anywhere at any time!

Sermon 5: What happens when we pray? Answer: Miracles happen!

Sermon 6: P.R.A.Y. - When we PRAY we will experience 4 things. PRAY – P = Presence of God – R = Reminder of the race we are in – A = Awareness of the spiritual realm – Y = Yeshua in Hebrew means to rescue or deliver and is rooted in the name of Jesus.

Sermon 7: Finding Joy in the journey through prayer – Hinderances to prayer!

Thesis: The Bible makes it clear that there are hinderances to our prayers – things that will cripple our prayers. So we must make sure to avoid these actions, mindsets and sin to have our prayers answered.

Scripture Text: 1 Peter 3:7-12:

7Husbands, in the same way be considerate as you live with your wives, and treat them with respect as the weaker partner and as heirs with you of the gracious gift of life, so that nothing will hinder your prayers. 8Finally, all of you, live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble. 9Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing, because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing. 10For, “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep his tongue from evil and his lips from deceitful speech. 11He must turn from evil and do good; he must seek peace and pursue it. 12For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their prayer, but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.”

Introduction:

The following thoughts and quotes are from https://godencounters.com/prayer-always-precedes-revival/ unless otherwise noted.

Prayer always precedes Revival! Here are some Biblical examples:

Exodus 2:24-25 — “God heard their groaning and he remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac and with Jacob, so God looked on the Israelites and was concerned about them.”

Psalm 22:4-5 — “In you our fathers put their trust; they trusted and you delivered them. They cried to you and were saved; in you they trusted and were not disappointed.”

1 Samuel 7:9 — “Then Samuel took a suckling lamb and offered it up as a whole burnt offering to the Lord. He cried out to the Lord on Israel’s behalf, and the Lord answered him.“

1 Chronicles 5:20 — “They were helped in fighting them, and God handed the Hagrites and all their allies over to them, because they cried out to him during the battle. He answered their prayers because they trusted in Him.”

2 Chronicles 7:1-2 — “When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the Lord filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the Lord because the glory of the Lord filled it.”

Joel 1:13-14 — “Put on sackcloth, O priests, and mourn; wail, you who minister before the altar. Come; spend the night in sackcloth, you who minister before my God. Declare a holy fast; call a sacred assembly. Summon the elders and all who live in the land to the house of the Lord your God, and cry out to the Lord.”

Acts 1:14 & 2:1-4 — “They all joined together constantly in prayer, along with the women and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brothers…When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.”

Here are some quotes from theologians of revival about the importance of prayer:

Charles 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—and if need be, to win and die.“