Sermon Central
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Why Prayer?
Contributed by Chris Mccall on Nov 28, 2017 (message contributor)
Summary: The reason why many fail in battle is because they wait until the hour of battle. The reason why others succeed is because they have gained their victory on their knees long before the battle came . . .
He will even purge your conscience, so that you will no longer have a sense of guilt that you sinned.
That is what it means to be justified by faith. That is why you need to soak yourself in the Word of God; read the letters to the churches and see the wonderful things God has done for us through the cross of Calvary.
If you don’t bother to read the will, you won’t have any idea what has been given to you.
C. How do you pray genuine heartfelt prayers?
Simply by keeping yourself in the love of God. If the love of God is in you, you will never pray hypocritical or selfish prayers.
Just talk to your heavenly Father as candidly and intimately as a young child, nestled on Daddy’s lap, would talk to his earthly father.
How would you feel if every day your child pulled out a pre-written statement to dryly recite to you, rather than pouring out the events and emotions of that day? God wants to hear from your heart. When your prayer-life is pleasing to God, He will reward you openly (Matthew 6:6). There is nothing wrong with praying scripture prayers that have been written out! But even those should eventually be coming out of your spirit.
D. How do you know you’re praying to the God revealed in Scripture?
Study the Word. Don’t accept the image of God portrayed by the world, even though it appeals to the natural mind. A kind, gentle Santa Claus figure, dispensing good things with no sense of justice or truth, appeals to guilty sinners.
Look to the thunderings and lightnings of Mount Sinai.
Gaze at Jesus on the cross of Calvary hanging in unspeakable agony because of the justice of a holy God. Such thoughts tend to banish idolatry.
To inspire you to daily go before the throne of grace, let this description of transforming prayer, by Alvin J.Vander Griend, encourage you:
Prayer can move mountains. It can change human hearts, families,
neighborhoods, cities, and nations. It¡¯s the ultimate source of
power because it is, in reality, the power of Almighty God.
Prayer can do what political action cannot, what education cannot,
what military might cannot, and what planning committees cannot.
All these are powerless by comparison.
By prayer the kingdom of God is built, and by prayer the kingdom of Satan is destroyed.
Where there is no prayer, there are no great works, and there is no building of the kingdom.
Where there is much prayer and fervent prayer, there are great gains for the kingdom: God’s rule is established, His power is directed, His will is done, society is transformed, lost persons are saved, and saints are enabled to stand against the devils schemes (Eph. 6:11).
If that isn’t enough to compel us to devote [ourselves] to prayer and always [wrestle] in prayer (Col. 4:2,12), I don’t know what is!
Tonight between you & God face to face I want each man to come & REPENT of whatever sin or obstacles that have stopped your relationship with God in Prayer!
This is between you & Him; but the change must happen NOW if we are to see God do great things in & through our lives!
