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Are You Looking For A Prayer That Works? Part 1
Contributed by Ed Pruitt on Jun 29, 2007 (message contributor)
Summary: Prayer is a subject that never grows old and it is also something that we need to do everyday and every hour that we live.
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Pastor Ed Pruitt
Are you looking for a Prayer that works? Part 1
Sunday July 01, 2007
The effectual fervent prayer of
A righteous man availeth much.
Two thousand years have passed since that Scripture was written, and during
that time much has been said about prayer.
Countless sermons have been preached about it.
Multitudes of books have been written about it.
Yet with all we have learned about prayer,
the bottom line still remains the same.
It’s the prayer that brings the intended result that
makes the difference.
In other words, the best kind of prayer is the prayer
that gets an answer.
Religion has tried to confuse the issue by saying things such as, “God always answers prayer,
but sometimes the answer is No.”
The Bible, however, doesn’t say anything like that.
According to the Bible, if you pray right you will receive what you ask for¬¬—every single time.
God’s answer to scriptural prayer is always Yes.
No doubt, that statement would upset some people.
“Well, I don’t think you can just expect God to do what you want Him to do every time you pray,”
they might say.
“After all, He is a sovereign God and He does what He chooses.”
Sure enough, He is a sovereign God.
He does do what He chooses.
And He has chosen to give us whatever we ask
in Jesus’ name.
Jesus Himself said if those who believe Him would
“ask anything” in His name, He would do it.
John 14:14 (NLT)
14 Yes, ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it!
He said in verse 13, Whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.
Answered prayer isn’t man’s idea; it’s God’s idea.
Thus, when prayers aren’t answered, it’s not God’s fault, it’s ours.
We have not done something right!
James 4:3 NKJV says, You ask and do not receive, because you ask amiss.
When we don’t receive what we pray for, either our motives or our methods are wrong.
God’s desire is for us to keep changing and keep learning until we grow to the place where we get everything we ask Him for.
How do I know that’s possible?
Because Jesus received everything He asked for.
And the Bible says we’re destined to be just like Him. (Rom. 8:29.)
When Jesus prayed over the loaves and fishes, God answered and multiplied them to feed the thousands.
When Jesus prayed for Lazarus to be raised from the dead, that’s exactly what happened.
When Jesus said to His disciples that He would pray the Father to send the Holy Ghost,
God poured out His Spirit on the Day of Pentecost with the sound of a rushing mighty wind and
tongues of fire.
Actually, every miracle in Jesus’ life was born out of the time He spent in effectual prayer.
The same will be true for us.
As we learn to pray as He prayed, we’ll do the works that He did—and even greater works. (John 14:12.)
Not Just an Opportunity, but a Responsibility Truly, God has given us a wonderful part to play in His divine plan.
By promising to answer our prayers, He has made it possible for us to become agents of His will on the earth.
He’s given us the privilege of making supernatural changes in natural circumstances.
From our perspective, it is an amazing opportunity.
But God sees it as more than an opportunity; He considers it our responsibility.
