DATE
THE BY-PRODUCTS OF PRAYER
James 4:2-3.
Jas 4:2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.
3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts. (KJV)
INTRDUCTION: There are several things that we need to make a priority for the year 2004. I will not deal with all of them, but one main priority is that we all become more proficient in our prayer life. Out text verse tells us that all of our lacking in the power and will of God is due to our failure to pray.
It also tells us that more can be obtained through prayer than can be obtained by killing – by lusting – by fighting – even by going to war.
I have found in my own Christian life that prayer is the most difficult to do. I can do all the Christian things that we are expected to do except pray like I should. I personally believe and Scripture will verify this that if we pray right everything else will fall into place. I have also experienced this in the past years of ministry. Therefore, I hope that each of you will grab a hold of this matter of prayer and make it a real priority this year. I want to challenge each of you to make part of every day a time for prayer.
I have entitled this the By-Products of Prayer. The first and possibly the greatest by-product is:
I. RENEWED STRENGTH IN OUR LIVES. Isa. 40:20-31.
Isa 40:20 He that is so impoverished that he hath no oblation chooseth a tree that will not rot; he seeketh unto him a cunning workman to prepare a graven image, that shall not be moved.
21 Have ye not known? have ye not heard? hath it not been told you from the beginning? have ye not understood from the foundations of the earth?
22 It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth, and the inhabitants thereof are as grasshoppers; that stretcheth out the heavens as a curtain, and spreadeth them out as a tent to dwell in:
23 That bringeth the princes to nothing; he maketh the judges of the earth as vanity.
24 Yea, they shall not be planted; yea, they shall not be sown: yea, their stock shall not take root in the earth: and he shall also blow upon them, and they shall wither, and the whirlwind shall take them away as stubble.
25 To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath created these things, that bringeth out their host by number: he calleth them all by names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one faileth.
27 Why sayest thou, O Jacob, and speakest, O Israel, My way is hid from the LORD, and my judgment is passed over from my God?
28 Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the LORD, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding.
29 He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength.
30 Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utterly fall:
31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint. (KJV)
What a powerful passage this is. It tells us that God gives His people strength for every situation.
How many of you wake up in the morning in need of renewed strength? I sure do! I need His renewing power everyday and all the day.
A. Strength To Face The Day Before Us.
We don’t know what a day holds for us. He does. He can and will give us strength for the unknown. There have been times in my life, and in yours also, that had it not been for the Lord I couldn’t have made it through the day, and neither would you.
1. Satan has his forces set to attack each of us. Eph 6:10 Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.
Eph 6:11 Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. (KJV)
2. His intention is to totally render each of us helpless and useless, and for the most part he has been successful with most.
B. Strength To Help Others.
Don’t forget that “helping others” is our motto for this year. You can’t do that on your own strength. You must have the power of the Lord working in and for you.
Mr 10:44 And whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. (KJV) God wants each member of this church to be a servant to His people. The only way you will accomplish that is to be strong in prayer. The more a person prays the better servant he/she becomes.
C. Strength To Live Our Lives For Him.
Our daily prayer should be “Lord, Help me to live for your this day. Help me to be a willing and a dedicated Christian.” We don’t just decide to live for God and then become successful in doing it. We must devote much time to prayer.
II. OUR NEEDS ARE SUPPLIED. Matt. 7:7.
Mt 7:7 Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you: (KJV)
I said in the beginning of the message that if our prayer life is right then everything else will be right also. When we pray right then we will be in the will of God, and when we are in the will of God everything that happens to us will be according to His will.
What a great way to live each day - in the perfect will of God. Just suppose that everything you had to eat – to wear – your home comfort – heat and coolant was supplied only by prayer – would all your needs be supplied?
Php 4:19 But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus. (KJV)
III. AN INWARD JOY IS GAINED. John 16:23.
Joh 16:23 And in that day ye shall ask me nothing. Verily, verily, I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you.
Joh 16:24 Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name: ask, and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full. (KJV)
Is there any greater joy than to know that anything we ask of God He will give us? I can think of nothing greater than to have that promise by my side every hour of the day. If we have a need He will meet it. How reassuring it is to experience the providing hand of God – daily – in our life.
If we have an emergency He will take care of it.
What a joy that will be to all of us.
How often do you see the working hand of God in your daily life?
IV. SPECIAL GRACE. 2 Cor. 12:9.
2Co 12:9 And he said unto me, My grace is sufficient for thee: for my strength is made perfect in weakness. Most gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. (KJV)
When things are at their worst God will be by our side and His grace will be acting in our behalf. There is nothing that can come upon us that God will not be in charge of. His grace will be sufficient in all things.
If you lose your job – His grace is sufficient.
If your house burns down – His grace is sufficient.
If a loved one dies – His grace is sufficient.
When you need grace – His grace will be there.
V. HEART AND SOUL ARE FORTIFIED. Phil. 4:6.
Php 4:6 Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.
Php 4:7 And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus. (KJV)
The greatest medicine for heart problems is personal prayer. Our heart can be strengthened and made to crave for God and His will in our life through prayer.
A person that makes prayer a constant part of each day will have a heart that is strong and willing to live for God. A healthy and fortified heart.
VI. WE OBTAIN HOLY WISDOM James 1:5.
Jas 1:5 If any of you lack wisdom, let him ask of God, that giveth to all men liberally, and upbraideth not; and it shall be given him. (KJV)
Wisdom does not come from books or education. Intellect is gained through education. I have known men and women who had high intellect yet had no wisdom. Wisdom comes only from the One who is wise – God.
Php 2:5 Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: (KJV) When a person gets the mind of Christ then he has all wisdom. Jesus Christ is all knowing – meaning He knows everything. So when we get the mind of Christ we have gotten His wisdom. The only way anyone can get wisdom is though asking for it from God.
1Ki 3:6 And Solomon said, Thou hast shewed unto thy servant David my father great mercy, according as he walked before thee in truth, and in righteousness, and in uprightness of heart with thee; and thou hast kept for him this great kindness, that thou hast given him a son to sit on his throne, as it is this day.
1Ki 3:7 And now, O LORD my God, thou hast made thy servant king instead of David my father: and I am but a little child: I know not how to go out or come in.
8 And thy servant is in the midst of thy people which thou hast chosen, a great people, that cannot be numbered nor counted for multitude.
9 Give therefore thy servant an understanding heart to judge thy people, that I may discern between good and bad: for who is able to judge this thy so great a people?
10 And the speech pleased the Lord, that Solomon had asked this thing.
11 And God said unto him, Because thou hast asked this thing, and hast not asked for thyself long life; neither hast asked riches for thyself, nor hast asked the life of thine enemies; but hast asked for thyself understanding to discern judgment;
12 Behold, I have done according to thy words: lo, I have given thee a wise and an understanding heart; so that there was none like thee before thee, neither after thee shall any arise like unto thee. (KJV)
When we really seek God’s will in our prayer then we can be assured of having what we ask for.
VII. WE HAVE FELLOWSHIP WITH GOD 1 John 1:7
1Jo 1:7 But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (KJV)
If we are to walk in the light of God we must do it through daily prayer. Prayer that is sincere and non-biased must be prayed for God’s delight and His purpose only. God wants each of us to have the best of the Christian life. He came that we might have life and that we might have it more abundantly. That means He wants to give us the best He has. That comes when we are in total fellowship with Him. That kind of fellowship will not come without much prayer.
To walk in His light will require an active – enriched – dedicated prayer life.
Don’t plan on much from God if your praying is spasmodic and selfish.
VIII. TO PRAY LIKE A CHRISTIAN SHOULD WILL REQUIRE MUCH FROM YOU
A. Discipline.
If you don’t discipline your prayer Satan will lure you away from your schedule.
B. Attention.
You must give your best attention to prayer – if not you will become selfish in your prayer and spend most of your prayer time praying for yourself.
C. Knowledge Of God’s Word.
Knowing God’s word will dictate how and what you pray for. He tells us in His word how to pray and what to pray for. Therefore, we must know what His word says about prayer.
D. Agony.
Lu 22:44 And being in an agony he prayed more earnestly: and his sweat was as it were great drops of blood falling down to the ground. (KJV)
This prayer shows the great agonizing that the Lord did during His prayer. We look to Him for our example in prayer.
I have read of some of the great men of the past in their prayer time they would become ill or in great pain from their great intense and agony.
INVITATION
