Prayer Can Break The Chains In Your Life Series

Each of us have some kind of chain in our life that binds us, the chain can be physical, habitual or spiritual.

The question: What chain or chains are their in your life that need to be broken?

Have you prayed about it?

Have you asked other to pray about it?

The key to every chain that can bind us is prayer - but if we refuse to use the key - the chains will continue to bind us.

Our focus this year is Powerful Prayers and throughout the Bible there are many examples of God answering prayers.

Prayers of ordinary people that were Powerful Prayers:

Moses prayed and God spared Israel from judgment.

Joshua prayed and God caused the sun to stand still.

Hannah prayed and God gave her a baby boy.

Solomon prayed and God gave him wisdom.

Elijah prayed and God sent fire down from Heaven.

Jonah prayed and God brought him out of the belly of the whale.

Peter prayed and God raised Dorcas from the dead.

Now I know what your thinking -

those people were Powerful prayERS - I’m not like that -

I’m not like Moses or Joshua or Hannah or Solomon or Elijah or Jonah or Peter - I’m an ordinary person -

I’m not in the same category as the great heroes of the faith.

Yes you are.

You and I are ordinary people - and so were they -

but they believed and trusted in a very extraordinary God.

And you and I are also meant to trust and believe in the same extraordinary God.

The God who is the same, yesterday, today and forever.

The God of the possible and the impossible.

The God who delivers, the God who saves,

The God who heals, the God who sets the captive free,

The God who can and does exceedingly more than we can ever hope or think or imagine.

We need to trust the God who loves us and cares for us and blesses us every moment of every day.

We need to trust the God who answers prayer.

So what chain or chains are their in your life that need to be broken through prayer?

What miracle do you need to pray for?

What miracle do you need the church to pray for?

I believe in the power of prayer.

I believe that when people pray God listens.

Last week my daughter was unwell with the flu, not a nice thing to have and especially bad for her with her M.E. and the demands of her studies at Cambridge.

So I sent out a prayer request via email to our church prayer chain and people prayed and God responded.

Andrea runs our prayer chain, I’m the backup when she’s not around, if you are not already part of the prayer chain, can I encourage you to participate.

Speak to Andrea after the service - your prayers,

yes your prayers, can make a difference in the lives of others.

You see, through Prayer:

There is no problem that cannot be solved.

There is no burden that cannot be lifted.

There is no storm that cannot be calmed.

There is no sorrow that cannot be comforted.

There is no hurt that cannot be mended.

There is no fallen that cannot be lifted.

There is no sin that cannot be forgiven.

There is no thirst that can’t be quenched.

There is no hunger that can’t be filled.

There is no mess that can’t be turned into a miracle!

There is no chain that can not be broken!

Let me draw your attention to Acts chapter 12 as an example of physical chains removed as a result of the church praying together in agreement.

1About that time King Herod Agrippa began to persecute some believers in the church. 2He had the apostle James (John’s brother) killed with a sword. 3When Herod saw how much this pleased the Jewish people, he also arrested Peter. (This took place during the Passover celebration.)

4Then he imprisoned him, placing him under the guard of four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring Peter out for public trial after the Passover. 5But while Peter was in prison, the church prayed very earnestly for him.

6The night before Peter was to be placed on trial, he was asleep, fastened with two chains between two soldiers. Others stood guard at the prison gate. 7Suddenly, there was a bright light in the cell, and an angel of the Lord stood before Peter. The angel struck him on the side to awaken him and said, “Quick! Get up!” And the chains fell off his wrists.

The church, God’s people, prayed and the chains fell off

God set Peter free from prison.

As God’s people we need to pray in the midst of problems.