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:
Also seen in the Lords prayer
Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as [it is] in heaven.
Jesus himself prayed this in the Garden of Gethesemane
Matthew 26:42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done.
Mainly they must be based upon the word of God
Elijah when he prayed in 1 Kings 18 he knew the will of the father and he knew that the father would overcome all the other gods so he prayed this way.
This is how we should pray.
I think this is one point that many people leave off in their prayer life and that is the Lords will. We assume many times that we know the will of the Lord so we pray believing and having faith but it seems that there is no answer to it. God has a will and that will must be fulfilled before our prayers can be answered.
IV. Pray in his will
Matthew 6:33 But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you.
1 John 3:22 And whatsoever we ask, we receive of him, because we keep his commandments, and do those things that are pleasing in his sight.
James 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. 17 Elias was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain: and it rained not on the earth by the space of three years and six months. 18 And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth
her fruit.
If we have sin in our lives the Lord will not hear our prayers. Our hearts must be clean and pure. Why?
1. If God answers the prayer of a person in sin then the person does not change and it seems that they are justified in their sin.
2. 2. Also prayer is also praise and how can a sinner praise God.
Psalms 66:18 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]:
James 4:3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts.
2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.
V. We must be consistent
Many people give up on prayer. They pray once or twice then they are discouraged.
So how is your prayer life. Are your prayers being answered? Why not? I want to encourage you to have a consistent prayer life with the Lord. It is important that you understand priority in prayer. What it does for us when we come in contact with the Lord. Things change. There is a saying that says," Prayer changes things." It is simple but true.
The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Let us begin to pray right now. Then after we pray I want us to take time and pray for one another.
