Praying Effectively Series

Title: How to pray effectively

Theme: To help people to understand how to pray effectively.

Text: James 1:6

James 1:6 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.

As I read this verse I began to think about prayer. The importance of it. How that it is something that seems to be lacking in the lives of people today. And even when people pray there seems to be no effect. I am reminded of this just by reading this verse. Let him ask in faith nothing wavering.

Many of times we pray and our prayers are wavering. They are not being answered like we think they should so we begin to pray questionably and doubtfully wondering if God truly will answer our prayer.

6b For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed.

7 For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord.

8 A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.

One who wavers or doubts is like being tossed on the sea. Back and forth. Unpredictable. With all the equipment’s that we have with all the navigation that has been done all over the world the sea is still unpredictable.

A person cannot pray and get the prayer answered if he is unpredictable. Here we see also the word double minded used. The Greek word for this is: dipsuchos which literally means one who has two souls.

Jesus told us in Matthew 6:24 “No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.”

This is why a person cannot pray with wavering

We wind up being as the illustration the James use as a wave. Tossed from one side to the other. We are as I mentioned about Reuben this past Wednesday night we are unstable in our prayers. This is the reason that God does not answer.

So as I pondered this I began to wonder, what does it take to have an effective prayer life. I want to preach on this tonight. Some thoughts that I have gathered from sources with scripture.

God answers our prayers with single-mindedness and we should ask with the same manner.

“the just shall live by faith”

I. We must have sincere true faith

One the first things and most important ideas is as we have already mentioned. There must be sincere true faith when asking something from the Lord. We must believe and have faith that God can do it.

Mark 11:24 Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive [them], and ye shall have [them].

In Mark 9:23 Jesus (speaking to the father of the demon possessed boy) said unto him, If thou canst believe, all things [are] possible to him that believeth.

Whatsoever it is that we desire we must believe by faith in Jesus and they shall be ours. We must first believe. God does not want someone who doubts or even wonders but he wants faith. Faith in him. Faith is believing in something that has not yet happened. It is sometimes just accepting that it will happen.

This is why sometimes it is good to just praise the Lord for what he is going to do.

Hebrews 10:22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.

This is the faith of a true heart. A true heart means there are no false motivations. No ulterior motives behind the scenes. The only one that would benefit and get the glory must be the Lord.

James 1:6 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.

II. Prayer must be done in the name of Jesus

John 14:13 And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may

be glorified in the Son. 14 If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it].

Jesus name has power. When you pray in the name of Jesus you pray in harmony with him. You come in contact with his nature and his mercy. You are identifying with him. You are also showing your faith in him. You are not embarrassed or ashamed but you truly believe that Jesus can heal.

III. It must be according to the perfect will of God

1 John 5:14. And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us: