EFFECTUAL PRAYER (Part 2)

1 Kings 18:42 (NKJV) So Ahab went up to eat and drink. And Elijah went up to the top of Carmel; then he bowed down on the ground, and put his face between his knees.”

Sometimes we wonder why some people get their prayers answered and others do not.  I wonder this at times, but then I look at a verse like this and I say, “Ok, I get it.”

You see, Elijah had a word from God, just like many of us do.  The word was that it would not rain for three and a half years, and then it would rain again.  So here in this verse, we see that Elijah did not take it for granted.  He got down on the ground, put his face between his knees, and would not move until he got the answer.  Once he knew that God had heard his request, He went into action.  Look at the rest of the story:

1 Kings 18:43-46, “…and said to his servant, ‘Go up now, look toward the sea.’ So he went up and looked, and said, ‘There is nothing.’ And seven times he said, ‘Go again.’ 44 Then it came to pass the seventh time, that he said, ‘There is a cloud, as small as a man's hand, rising out of the sea!’ So he said, ‘Go up, say to Ahab, “Prepare your chariot, and go down before the rain stops you.”’ 45 Now it happened in the meantime that the sky became black with clouds and wind, and there was a heavy rain. So Ahab rode away and went to Jezreel. 46 Then the hand of the LORD came upon Elijah; and he girded up his loins and ran ahead of Ahab to the entrance of Jezreel.”

Elijah, in faith, told his servant seven times, “Keep going back and keep checking.  I know God's Word works, and I am going to keep working the Word.”  So, his servant obeyed him each time, and on the seventh time, he saw a cloud the size of a man's hand, and Elijah said, “Here it comes!”

Many times, we do not get serious in our praying, and we do not hold on no matter what.  In this great story, we see that to get our prayers answered, we have to hold on, and if it takes seven times or one hundred times, God will answer our prayers.

Confession:  Today, I put my face down on the ground and I will not let go of this petition I am praying.  I will hold onto my confession, and I will see God, my Father, do amazing things!

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EFFECTUAL PRAYER (Part 1)

James 5:16-18 (AMP )16 Confess to one another therefore your faults (your slips, your false steps, your offenses, your sins) and pray [also] for one another, that you may be healed and restored [to a spiritual tone of mind and heart]. The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]. 17 Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months.  18 And [then] he prayed again and the heavens supplied rain and the land produced its crops [as usual].

I want us, for the next few days, to look at effectual prayer.  I like the way the Amplified version of the Bible translates this verse.  It says, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working].”  That is talking about us!  We are the righteous ones, because of what Jesus has done for us.  So in prayer, we can see tremendous power available.

When we get fervent in our prayers, we will see mighty things happen.  Many times in prayer we just do it, but when we make a heart connection and give it our all, we will see the results that the Bible talks about.  In the next couple of days, we are going to look at Elijah and Daniel, and see how their prayers changed nations. 

But the point I want us to see today is that it is not about being a Daniel or Elijah.  The point is about being righteous, which we are because of Jesus, and then being fervent in our prayers.  We should not just pray and daydream.  We should hook up with the Holy Spirit, our Helper, and get things done in the spirit realm.

Confession: I am the righteousness of God, in Christ Jesus.  Because of that, my prayer life is effectual.  I will continue to grow, and let the Holy Spirit pray through me, as I yield myself to His leading.

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RUN TO WIN

1 Corinthians 9:24-27 (NLT) 24 Don’t you realize that in a race everyone runs, but only one person gets the prize? So run to win! 25 All athletes are disciplined in their training. They do it to win a prize that will fade away, but we do it for an eternal prize. 26 So I run with purpose in every step. I am not just shadowboxing. 27 I discipline my body like an athlete, training it to do what it should. Otherwise, I fear that after preaching to others I myself might be disqualified.

When we watch the Olympics, we see the amazing discipline that these athletes show to win a gold, silver, or bronze medal.  It is truly amazing!  In today’s passage, I can see that the Apostle Paul must have taken some time out to watch the games in Greece, and what he saw reminded him of the parallel between these athletes, and believers in Jesus.

We, as believers, are in a race, and in this race we need to discipline ourselves.  We cannot get so full of this world that it makes us lazy and unreceptive to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Paul also says that he disciplines his body and keeps it under, and we, as Christians, have to do the same thing.  I do not want to be disqualified, and if I have to keep this flesh under to do that, then I have to do it.  I believe that throughout all eternity, we will be shouting His praises!  Those that went the extra mile and gave it all that they had will be so glad that they did, because we will be rewarded for all that we gave to the Lord.

A prophecy that was once spoken said that God sees us, even when no one else does.  He sees you writing that check.  He sees you praying when everyone else is out playing.  Do not stop!  Payday is on the way!

Confession: I see, today, that I am in a race, and since I am in this race, I am going for the gold!  I want to do this so that on the day I stand before my Jesus, I can take my crown and place it at His feet, and give Him all the glory.

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THE RACE OF FAITH

Hebrews 12:1-2 (NKJV) Therefore we also, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which so easily ensnares us, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, 2 looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

Have you ever gone for a jog?  If so, have you ever gone for a run with weights on your ankles?  There is a big difference!  I remember when I was young, I used to put ankle weights on, and then go for a run or shoot some hoops.  When I took the weights off, I felt like I could run forever!  That is what this verse is saying to us.  We need to lay aside every weight, or hindrance, and run our race fully for God.

You might ask what these weights are that this verse calls sin.  Well, I believe that it is different things for different people.  For some, it might be wasting time, for others it might be telling lies. It can be so many different things, so we need the help of the Holy Spirit to see them, and then break them.

You might ask, “What do I do to break them?”  I like what verse 2 says: “Looking unto Jesus…”  When we put our eyes on Him and let Him lead us and help us, we see a lot of these sins lose their power over us.  Jesus said that we would know the truth, and the truth would set us free.  He also said that His Word is truth.

So today, put your eyes on Jesus. Tell Him that you want to get rid of any sin that would slow you down, so that you can be all that He would want you to be.  Tell Him that you want to run your race, and finish your race, and win the prize that He has for you.

Confession: Today, I make a decision to look within my own heart and work on the areas that need to be worked on.  Today, it is not about anyone else.  It is about me. 

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FIGHT THE GOOD FIGHT

1 Timothy 6:12 (NKJV) Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, to which you were also called and have confessed the good confession in the presence of many witnesses.

How much easier it would have been if God had said for us to take it easy, get a few extra hours of sleep, lay back, and that all will be just fine.  But God knows that we have an enemy, satan, who would look for a time just like that, and take what we have worked so hard for.

The Bible tells us to fight the fight of faith.  I have found that there is so much doubt and unbelief out there.  We need to watch what we read, hear, and see.  This fight of faith comes against us on every side. 

Here you are, standing on the Word of God for your healing, and faith is rising up in your heart, and then someone comes along and says, "Well, you know, it might be God who put this on you to teach you something."  Then all that faith that you worked so hard to get in your heart gets watered down.  That is why Paul states here that we need to fight for our faith.  We need to lay hold of eternal life.

When I lay hold of something good or important, I have to hold onto it for dear life.  I have to be like a pit bull with a bone in my mouth.  I need to be single minded, believing that what God said is true.  I am not going to let go of it, no matter what.   I am not going to let go of it, no matter what anyone says.  I really do not care how many books someone wrote, or how big his or her church is.  IF GOD SAID IT, THAT IS WHAT I AM GOING TO BELIEVE.  How about you?

Confession: Today, I choose to fight the good fight of faith.  Today, I choose to lay hold of eternal life.  I am like a pit bull with a bone.  If God said it, I am going to believe it until I see the manifestation of it.

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THE TREE BRINGS HEALING

Exodus 15:23-26 (NKJV) 23 Now when they came to Marah, they could not drink the waters of Marah, for they were bitter. Therefore the name of it was called Marah. 24 And the people complained against Moses, saying, "What shall we drink?" 25 So he cried out to the LORD, and the LORD showed him a tree. When he cast it into the waters, the waters were made sweet. There He made a statute and an ordinance for them. And there He tested them, 26 and said, "If you diligently heed the voice of the LORD your God and do what is right in His sight, give ear to His commandments and keep all His statutes, I will put none of the diseases on you which I have brought on the Egyptians. For I am the LORD who heals you."

In the Old Testament, Jesus had not come as a human yet, but His Word had come.  We know from the Word of God that, on the cross, Jesus not only took our sins, but He also took our sicknesses and diseases. 

1 Peter 2:24 talks about this tree.  Look at it: “Who Himself bore our sins in His own body on the tree, that we, having died to sins, might live for righteousness--by whose stripes you were healed.”

When God showed Moses a tree, he cast it into the water, and the water was made sweet.  This is a type of our Jesus.  He hung on the tree for you and for me, and when we cast ourselves on Him, we are made whole.  I believe this is total wholeness: spirit, soul and body.

So today, look at the tree, and let your sins be cast on it, and your sicknesses thrown on Him.  It is through the blood that Jesus spilled on the tree, the cross, that we are made well.  What a great God we serve!

Confession:  The cross of Jesus, and His blood that He spilled, are for me.  The work of Calvary was a complete work; a work that was completely done in me.  Thank You, Jesus, for dying on the tree, and bearing all of my shortcomings so that I can be whole.

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THE CROSS

1 Corinthians 2:2 (NKJV) For I determined not to know anything among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.

The mighty Apostle Paul states here that he did not want to know anything except the cross of Jesus Christ.  Think about it.  It is through the cross that we receive our salvation.  It is through the cross that we receive our healing.  It is through the cross that we receive our peace.  It is through the cross that we receive all of the goodness of God.

When Jesus was separated from God at the cross, He restored you and me back into fellowship with the Father.  We were lost and we had no hope of eternal life, but then Jesus, at the right moment in time, went to the cross and became the spotless Lamb of God who took away our sins.

Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross, and when He hung there, in God’s eyes, anyone who would believe in the gift that God has given the world, hung there also.  In God’s eyes, we are one with His Son, Jesus Christ!

Oh, what a great redemption we have because of Jesus’ willingness to go to the cross.  On the cross, He became my sin, so that I can receive His righteousness (2 Corinthians 5:21).  On the cross, He became my sickness, so that I can receive His health (1 Peter 2:24).  On the cross, He became my guilt, so that I can go through life with no condemnation (Romans 8:1).

The wonders of the cross will astound us throughout all eternity, as we shout the praises of Him who bore it all for us.  So today, see yourself forgiven, restored, healed, and whole, all because of what our Jesus did on the cross.

Confession:  My Jesus did it all for me on the cross.  He bore all of my bad, so I could have all of His good.  He became the perfect sacrifice on the cross for my total redemption, and my total forgiveness of sin.  What a Savior I have in Jesus!

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