By BRO. SUNDAY EYANRIN (EVANGELIST)
E‐mail: eyanrin@yahoo.com
G.S.M: 08037370296
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Prayer can be defined as an act of petition or an earnest request to God.
THE POWER OF PRAYER
JAMES 5:13 – 16
Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. 14 Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, he will be forgiven. 16 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. (NKJV)
My dearly beloved brethren, believe it or not, do you know that there is power in you if you are a righteous Christian?
WHY DO WE PRAY?
Brethren, before we can answer this question, why do we pray, it is necessary that we know to whom do we pray?
TO WHOM DO WE PRAY?
Without controversy, everyone who is called to be a Christian, should know that, there is only one “GOD”, Eph. 4:6, the Creator of the entire world, the Heavens and the Earth, the seen and the unseen, Animate and Inanimate. To Him we pray through His SON “JESUS CHRIST” Our LORD, and saviour.
WHY DO WE PRAY?
The reasons why we pray is obvious,
- We pray to request from God, what we cannot do for ourselves as mortals.
- To appreciate God‐ Phil.4:6. Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; NKJV
God knows our needs, but He wants us to ASK. In John 14:12–14 Jesus declared; “Most assuredly, I say to you, he who believes in Me, the works that I do he will do also; and greater works than these he will do, because I go to My Father. 13 And whatever you ask in My name, that I will do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. 14 If you ask anything in My name, I will do it. NKJV
Matt. 7:7‐13, Jesus said, 7 “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receive, and he who seeks finds, and to him who knocks it will be opened. NKJV
9 Or what man is there among you who, if his son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or
if he asks for a fish, will he give him a serpent? 11 If you then, being evil, know how to give
good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good
things to those who ask Him! 12 Therefore, whatever you want men to do to you, do also to
them, for this is the Law and the Prophets.
WHEN SHOULD WE PRAY?
Prayer is the key to the life of every Christian. The Christian life must be a life of Prayer. We should walk in constant communion with God in Prayer. Hence:
- We must endeavour to Pray without season. 1 Thess. 5:17 In Luke 18:1‐8, Luke declared (the parable of Jesus), for Christians to be persistent in prayer. 1Then He spoke a parable to them that men always ought to pray and not lose heart, 2 saying: “There was in a certain city a judge who did not fear God nor regard man. 3 Now there was a widow in that city; and she came to him, saying, and ‘Get justice for me from my adversary.’ 4 And he would not for a while; but afterward he said within himself, ‘Though I do not fear God nor regard man, 5 yet because this widow troubles
me I will avenge her, lest by her continual coming she weary me.'” 6 Then the Lord said, “Hear what the unjust judge said. 7 And shall God not avenge His own elect who cry out day and night to Him, though He bears long with them? 8 I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of Man comes, will He really find faith on the earth?” NKJV
- We must endeavour to pray in the morning. In Mark 1:35, mark declared. Now in the morning, having risen a long while before daylight, He went out and departed to a solitary place; and there He prayed. NKJV
- We Can Pray In The Noontime – Acts 10:30‐32
30 So Cornelius said, “Four days ago I was fasting until this hour; and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold, a man stood before me in bright clothing, 31 and said, ‘Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. 32 Send therefore to Joppa and call Simon here, whose surname is Peter. He is lodging in the house of Simon, a tanner, by the sea. When he comes, he will speak to you. NKJV
- We Should Learn To Prayer In The Evening/Bed Time
Praying to God, in the evening is a way of appreciating Him for HIS CARE OVER us in all our activities for the day, even unto Evening. In Matt. 14:23. The Scriptures declared. And when He had sent the multitudes away, He went up on the mountain by Himself to pray. Now when evening came, He was alone there. NKJV
- Glorifying God For Our Meals
Brethren, each passing day, we pray God to give us our daily bread, Matt. 6:11, and when our prayers are answered, what do we do? 1 Thess. 5:18 In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. NKJV
DOES GOD ANSWER THE PRAYER OF A SINNER?
In giving answer to this question, it will be absolutely necessary to find out who is a Sinner? A Sinner is defined as one who breaks, or transgressed the commandments of God. Thereby separated from God. Isaiah 59:1‐2, Rom.3:23. Isa. 59:1‐2
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 2 but your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, So that He will not hear. NKJV
In 2 Cor. 6:14, Apostle declared. Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness? NKJV
In John 9:31, Apostle John, by the Inspiration of the Holy Spirit, declared. John 9:31
Now we know that God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshiper of God and does His will, He hears him. NKJV
In 1 Peter 3:12, Peter declared, for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are open to their prayers; but the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” NKJV
WHY DID GOD ANSWER THE PRAYER OF CORNELIUS?
The case of Cornelius, the Gentile, has caused a lot of controversy over the issue of God’s answer to the prayer of a Sinner.
There are several important factors to consider in the case of Cornelius, He is a Gentile with a difference, a devout man and one who feared God with his entire household, who gave alms generously to the people, and prayed to God always. GOD ANSWERED HIS PRAYERS
Acts 10:3‐4 About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and
saying to him, “Cornelius!” 4 And when he observed him, he was afraid, and said, “What is it, lord?” So he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have come up for a memorial before God. NKJV
WHAT ARE THE CAUSES OF HINDRANCE TO PRAYERS
There are several factors that lead to hindrances to prayers, today we are going to alight some of these factors.
- One of the greatest factors that hinder prayer is SIN. What SIN does to hinder prayers, is revealed in Isaiah 59:1‐3.
Isa. 59:1‐3 – Behold, the Lord’s hand is not shortened, that it cannot save; nor His ear heavy, that it cannot hear. 2. but your iniquities have separated you from your God; and your sins have hidden His face from you, so that He will not hear. 3 for your hands are defiled with blood, and your fingers with iniquity; your lips have spoken lies, your
tongue has muttered perversity. NKJV
- Doubt is another factor that hinders our prayers.
Our prayers to God must go with great faith. The Hebrew writer affirmed this in Heb.11:6. But without faith it is impossible to please Him, for he who comes to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. NKJV
Mark 11:23‐24 So Jesus answered and said to them, “Have faith in God. 23 For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, ‘Be removed and be cast into the sea,’ and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says. 24 Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.
WE ASK AMISS IN OUR PRAYERS
Often when we go to God in prayers, we pray with a wrong motive, selfishly giving glory to ourselves instead of God. James 4:3, declared. You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss, that you may spend it on your pleasures. NKJV
SOLUTION TO HINDRANCES TO PRAYERS
The only solution to hindrance to prayer is nothing but absolute Repentance, and Obedience to the Will of God. For Jesus, declared in Lk.13:3. I tell you, no; but unless you repent you will all likewise perish. NKJV
CONCLUSION
1 Cor. 15:58
Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. NKJV
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