The Key To Effective Prayers
Prayer is one thing that every Christian does or should do, but not everybody does correctly.
To make our prayers more effective, we must first have a better understanding about prayer.
What is Prayer? What is is not
1 Prayer is a relationship, not an activity
-Personal communication with God
Understand God will never say anything inconsistent with his character-HOLY
(“God told me to do it”)
When God speaks to you, what you do next reveals the condition of your heart
-Prayer acts as a balance point between you and God/ A fulcrum
-Transfers the weight of our situation to Gods shoulders
(Cast all your cares)
2 A 2 way communication, but not of equal parties
-Communication between a mortal and a infinite all knowing God
-Communication that will change you
Exodus 34:29
29 When Moses came down the mountain carrying the stone tablets inscribed with the terms of the covenant, he wasn’t aware that his face glowed because he had spoken to the Lord face to face.
3 Gods way of adapting us to his plan for us, not us adapting him to our plan
-God answers all prayers, the answer is not always “yes”
-The mark of spiritual growth and maturity is ability and willingness to accept when God says “Not Yet”
-There is a reason why God is waiting(Time not right, not ready yet)
-When God makes us wait, our strength is renewed
4 Gods way of transforming us
-The key to God changing us is not found in what we say but what we hear when we pray and the action we take afterward
-If change hasn’t happened on the outside, it means God still has work to do on the inside
-Gods purpose and plan sometimes involves personal risk(Abraham, Moses, Jesus, Paul & The Apostles)
3 Kinds of Prayers
1 Cry out to God in distress
Psalm 107:6-8
6“Lord, help!” they cried in their trouble, and he rescued them from their distress.
7 He led them straight to safety, to a city where they could live. 8Let them praise the Lord for his great love and for all his wonderful deeds to them.
2 Ask God for wisdom or direction
James 1:5-6
5 If you need wisdom—if you want to know what God wants you to do—ask him, and he will gladly tell you. He will not resent your asking. 6 But when you ask him, be sure that you really expect him to answer, for a doubtful mind is as unsettled as a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind.
3 Ask God to bless you
Psalm 138:8
8The Lord will work out his plans for my life—for your faithful love, O Lord, endures forever. Don’t abandon me, for you made me.
Keys To Effective Prayers
1 Pray To The True God
The God of Abraham, Isaac, & Jacob
The Creator, The Father
The Giver of Every Good Gift
James 1:17,18
17 Whatever is good and perfect comes to us from God above, who created all heaven’s lights. Unlike them, he never changes or casts shifting shadows. 18 In his goodness he chose to make us his own children by giving us his true word. And we, out of all creation, became his choice possession.
2 Study The Bible
-God’s instructions for how we should live
-Read the Book of Matthew
(Paying attention to what Jesus said, Many examples of answered prayers)
-Study People
(King David-obeyed,walked, talked with God regularly through prayer)
3 Repent Of Your Sins
Acts 2:38
38 Peter replied, “Each of you must turn from your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.
-Repenting is part of Salvation
-God can answer your prayers, but he doesn’t have to
Isaiah 59:1-2
59 Listen! The Lord is not too weak to save you, and he is not becoming deaf. He can hear you when you call. 2 But there is a problem—your sins have cut you off from God. Because of your sin, he has turned away and will not listen anymore.
-The Bible tells us to keep The Commandments
1 John 3:24
24 Those who obey God’s commandments live in fellowship with him, and he with them. And we know he lives in us because the Holy Spirit lives in us.
1 John 3:4
4 Those who sin are opposed to the law of God, for all sin opposes the law of God.
-The Holy Spirit will help us in our walk with God
4 Forgive Others
-Bitterness only acts as poison in your Christian life
5 God Hears The Unconverted Unbeliever-Why?
-To show them his glory
-So that they me know him
-God reveals himself slowly
-God hears those who cry out sincerely
-God knows they don’t know any better yet
6 Seek God’s Will
-How do we seek God’s will or know what it is? Bible Study
-As Christ and The Holy Spirit live within us, it replaces your will and affects how you pray. This goes back to repentance.
-Pray for the good of others(Mark of spiritual maturity, Jesus’ first words from the cross “Forgive Them”)
7 Have Faith In God
-Pray for Faith
-Learn to believe what God promises to do he will do
-Believe and Receive
Hebrews 11:6
6 So, you see, it is impossible to please God without faith. Anyone who wants to come to him must believe that there is a God and that he rewards those who sincerely seek him.
8 Be Persistent
-Ask and keep asking. Gods wants to know it is a deep desire
(Story-Child asking for something and not giving up)
-Pray without ceasing (1 Thes 5:17)
-Pray regularly-Time well spent
-Daniel and King David prayed 3x a day
9 Pray Fervently
-Put your heart into it
-Be Passionate
-Go to a private place (Matthew 6)
10 Ask God To Mold You
-Ask God to help you fulfill your purpose
-To do this, you have to fully yield to him (RE: Condition of Your Heart)
-Purpose of Prayer-Focus on God, he will mold you
Isaiah 64:8
8 And yet, Lord, you are our Father. We are the clay, and you are the potter. We are all formed by your hand.
11 Give God Praise
-Rock Stars/Movie Stars, some people have more knowledge or are more passionate about them than God
-Why not worship our Creator, our Father, our High Priest, our Savior?
-Give praise for everything both good and bad
1 Thes 5:16-18
16 Always be joyful. 17 Keep on praying. 18 No matter what happens, always be thankful, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.
12 Pray In Jesus’ Name
(Story-Ancient Israel, High Priest entered the Holy of Holies 1 day a year for atonement.
The Holy of Holies was separated by curtain “Separation from God”. Priest only fear was dying in the presence of God. Specific directions were given to the Priest-How to dress/What to take ’Leviticus 16’.
The day Jesus died, the curtain was torn in 2.
We are no longer separated, No Priest is needed, Jesus is our high Priest
Through Jesus we have direct access without fear to God
Hebrews 4:16
16 So let us come boldly to the throne of our gracious God. There we will receive his mercy, and we will find grace to help us when we need it.
Using The Name of Jesus
-Ask according to Gods will
(Daughter for promotion for Dad, Family member not to die-these things may not be in Gods will or plan)
-Simply adding “In Jesus Name” to a prayer does not make it his will
Matthew 7:21-23
True Disciples
21 “Not all people who sound religious are really godly. They may refer to me as ‘Lord,’ but they still won’t enter the Kingdom of Heaven. The decisive issue is whether they obey my Father in heaven. 22 On judgment day many will tell me, ‘Lord, Lord, we prophesied in your name and cast out demons in your name and performed many miracles in your name.’ 23 But I will reply, ‘I never knew you. Go away; the things you did were unauthorized.’
When you pray “In Jesus Name” what you are saying is you are praying in the same spirit as Jesus
(Love, Kindness, For Gods Will, In Deep Faith ,With A Yielded Heart and Adoration For God)
What if you don’t hear anything when you pray?
-Gods silence sends a message. Is there something in your life that is preventing him from answering or speaking to you?(Unconfessed sin, Arrogance in Prayer?)
Psalm 66:17-20
17For I cried out to him for help, praising him as I spoke. 18If I had not confessed the sin in my heart, my Lord would not have listened. 19But God did listen! He paid attention to my prayer. 20Praise God, who did not ignore my prayer and did not withdraw his unfailing love from me.
Ask yourself questions
Is your prayer for personal gain or for the advancement of The Kingdom?
Is my prayer agenda my own or Gods agenda?
Is this my dream or Gods Plan?
-A fulfilled dream of your own may put your life on cruise control and keep you from reaching your full potential
What you think is the death of a dream may be your rescue from destruction
(Band failure illustration)
Let go of your dream and grab onto Gods plan and dream for you. God has bigger dreams for you than you have for yourself
Ephesians 3:20
20 Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.
