Questions About Prayer

“QUESTIONS ABOUT PRAYER”

Lighthouse Worship Center AM

3/08/09

INTRODUCTION:

It’s been a rather busy week. Our Praise & Worship Team ministered on Monday night and did our church proud. I was so proud as pastor. Let me tell you, you all did a great job!

Many of you, as well as myself, have been attending the Prophecy Seminar at Trinity Church. On top of my work schedule, I had opportunity to spend the morning w/Hilton Sutton on Tuesday & lunch w/him, On Thursday Sis. Flossie had surgery.

During this week, part of what God has been dealing w/me about, along w/all the wonderful teaching we’ve had on the Book of Revelation, is about “PRAYER!”

Folk, please don’t get me wrong in what I’m going to say. There are some real issues we have to face here. Some financial issues that are dogging us but take heart this morning:

GOD IS ON THE THRONE &

HE HAS AN ANSWER!

WE’VE A GOD WHO KNOWS WHO & WHERE WE ARE & HE CARES! I DON’T KNOW OR UNDERSTAND HIS WAYS ALL THE TIME BUT “I KNOW THAT I KNOW” HE IS MY GOD & HE CARES FOR ME & FOR YOU!

BUT WE MUST PUT OUR FOCUS ON WHERE OUR FOCUS BELONGS! OUR FOCUS BELONGS ON GOD! GOD IS OUR “SOURCE & OUR RESOURCE!”

IF WE FOCUS ON THE “PROBLEM” MORE THAN THE “ANSWER” THEN WE’RE DEFEATED BY THE ENEMY OF OUR SOULS & WE DISPLEASE GOD! OUR FOCUS DURING TIMES OF CRISIS MUST BE ON “HIM FIRST & FOREMOST!”

GOD HAS “NEVER” NOR WILL HE “EVER” FORSAKE US! THE SUPERNATURAL “POWER & PRESENCE” OF GOD IS “RELEASED” BY “PRAYER & FAITH!” FAITH IN HIM, HIS WORKS, HIS DESIRES, HIS PROVISION, & MOST OF ALL FAITH IN HIM!

HE SAYS...

“LOW, I WILL BE WITH YOU ALWAYS!”

At our Annual Business Meeting we set a course for a “NEW FOCUS” on “PRAYER & SOUL WINNING!” We’ve been actively working on a “SOUL WINNING PROJECT” for the last 6 weeks and are coming to a place of application. And “PRAYER” is the “FUEL” that “FIRES SOUL WINNING!” & I’m working on “PRAYER TEAMS TO IMPLEMENT THIS WEEK!”

Read with me in Matthew 5:25-34 from Bible.

Our main text vrs #33:

“BUT SEEK FIRST THE KINGDOM OF GOD/HEAVEN,

HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS, & ALL THESE THINGS SHALL

BE ADDED TO YOU.”

I want to pose a few questions to you this morning. To some of you these questions may not apply but to others they may. But even those who might have been saved for a long time might even find these questions applicable as well!

The word “PRAY” or it’s derivatives appear in the Bible no less than #316 times. The word “PRAYER” is a “POWERFUL WORD”, it is a WORD OF POWER, it HOLDS POWER, it RELEASES POWER, it MAINTAINS POWER, it COMMANDS POWER!

THE LAST THING THE ENEMY WANTS FROM “YOU ” IS FOR “YOU TO PRAY!” HE KNOWS WHAT HAPPENS WHEN “GOD’S PEOPLE PRAY!” THE 1ST THING THAT HAPPENS IS THAT “GOD HEARS” THE “PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE!” AND THE 2ND THING THAT HAPPENS IS THAT “GOD ANSWERS THE PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE!”

I. DO YOU PRAY FERVENTLY & CONSISTENTLY?

Proverbs 15:29 says...

“The Lord is far from the wicked but He HEARS

THE PRAYER OF THE RIGHTEOUS!”

THE KEY IS NOT JUST “PRAYER” BUT THE “PRAYER OF THE RIGHTEOUS”, THE INTONATION IS THE “RIGHTEOUS” WOULD BE THE “PEOPLE OF GOD!” NOW, DON’T GET ME WRONG, “PRAYER” IS CRITICALLY IMPORTANT BUT THE “PRAY-ER” IS MORE IMPORTANT!

IF OUR HOPE IS IN AN “ACTION” ALONE THEN WE MISS THE WHOLE “POINT OF PRAYER!” WE BEGIN TO TREAT PRAYER AS A “PLACEBO!” AN “EMOTIONAL & SPIRITUAL” FEEL GOOD!

DO YOU KNOW WHAT A “PLACEBO” IS? A “PLACEBO!” IS A FALSEHOOD! IT’S A SUGAR PILL FOR THE MIND! IT DOES NOTHING FOR THE BODY BUT THE MIND THINKS IT DOES SO THE MIND CONVINCES ITSELF THAT IT IS ALRIGHT WHEN IT’S NOT REALLY!

IF WE TREAT “PRAYER” AS A “PLACEBO”& NOT THE “RELATIONAL ACTION BASED ON OUR FAITH IN HIM” THAT IT’S TRULY MEANT TO BE. THEN WE MISS THE WHOLE POINT!

THE “POINT OF PRAYER” IS NOT TO GET WHAT “YOU WANT” OUT OF GOD BUT TO GET WHAT “GOD WANTS OUT OF YOU” FOR THE WORLD WE LIVE IN!

THE ONE WHO IS DOING THE “PRAYING” HAS A RESPONSIBILITY NOT JUST IN HOW HE “PRAYS” BUT IN HIS “LIFE & HIS PRAYER LIFE!” IF YOU “PRAY FOR SOULS” BUT DO NOTHING ABOUT IT THEN YOUR “PRAYER” DOES LITTLE EXCEPT BE A “PLACEBO!”

FOLK, THE “PRAYERS OF HIS PEOPLE”, THE “PRAYERS OF THE RIGHTEOUS” (MOVE) THE HEART OF GOD! BUT LACKADAISICAL PRAYER DOESN’T MOVE THE HEART OF GOD VERY MUCH!

James 5:16 tells us...