War Room

B. PRAYER’S POWER TO CHANGE THINGS

1. “God shapes the world by prayer. The more prayer there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil …” E.M. Bounds

2. "Our prayers lay the track down upon which God’s power can come. Like a mighty locomotive, his power is irresistible, but it cannot reach us without rails." Watchman Nee

3. "The reason why we obtain no more in prayer is because we expect no more. God usually answers us according to our own hearts." Richard Alleine

C. THE ONLY WAY TO EFFECT CHANGE

1. “ONLY A PRAYING CHURCH…

a. Can change the world!

b. Controls the destinies of nations!

2. They who wield prayer, wield the greatest force in the Universe. (Atomic power is not as powerful!)

3. Is prayer important? Yes! Even the Son of God prayed fervently. [Thompson Chain # 2834-35; 4141]

4. “Intercession” in Isa. 53:12 & 59:16 means to “impinge” which means to “drive in, as with a wedge.” Things will go on naturally unless we drive in the wedge of the supernatural by intercession.

5. God has ordained prayer as the means of summoning His intervention!

D. ILLUSTRATION: ANSWERED PRAYER

1. "In the summer of 1876, grasshoppers nearly destroyed the crops in Minnesota. So in the spring of 1877, farmers were worried. They believed that the dreadful plague would once again visit them and again destroy the rich wheat crop, bringing ruin to thousands of people.

2. The situation was so serious that Governor John S. Pillsbury proclaimed April 26 as a day of prayer and fasting. He urged every man, woman and child to ask God to prevent the terrible scourge.

3. On that April day all schools, shops, stores and offices were closed. The next day temperatures soared to a very high temp. for April.

4. Minnesotans were devastated as they discovered billions of grasshopper larvae wiggling to life. For 3 days the unusual heat persisted, and the larvae hatched. It appeared that the wheat crop would be wiped out.

5. On the fourth day, however the temperature suddenly dropped, and that night frost covered the entire state. Result? It killed every one of the pests as surely as if poison

or fire had been used.

6. It went down in the history of Minnesota as the day “God answered the prayers of the people." [John Maxwell, Partners in Prayer.]

III. CONFIDENCE IN THE WAR ROOM

1. “But when you pray, go into your room (KJV “closet”), close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matt. 6:6

2. SOME DON’T KNOW WHAT CLOSET IS FOR! [HUMOR]

a. At a grandma was keeping/ babysitting her grandson Dirk. Dirk followed her into the bedroom as she puts up things away in the closet.

b. "Grandma," he said, "what room is this?" "This is a closet, Dirk," she explained. "We don't have a room like this in our house," he said. "Of course you do," she said, "You have lots of closets in your home."

c. When he again denied having closets in his house, she tried another tack. "Where do you keep all your clothes?" she asked.