The Holy Spirit alone has brought “something from heaven” that illumines, awakens and liberates people God loves. There she prayed specifically against the evil of pornography. II Corinthians 2:11 says, "in order that Satan might not outwit us. In the story of Abraham, it took 25 years for Abraham to pray and reflect and live and pray again until he understood what God had known all along. All that God does in this world is through the prayers of His children. There are some who deny the concept of spiritual warfare, but this story and some Scriptures that I will share with you shortly tell us that there is a spiritual battle going on and that our prayers figure into that battle. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. It is not praying for the sake of praying. What Happens When You Pray In Revelation 8, what we have is like a movie that jumps back and forth between two things that are happening at the same time—in heaven and on earth. and he wondered how that was going to happen. First of all, we need to be aware of the battle we are in. Sense of Relief. Our struggle is that we wonder why he does not answer more often. Something powerful happens when we pray. The name “Ai” literally means “the heap” or “the ruin”; it was a small, insignificant city. Matthew 6:5-8. He added, “. It’s a huge task for all of … . Mills Acts 2:42 outlines essential convictions that must be ingrained in the fabric of a man's soul if he is to effectively "guard this man” (1 Kings 20:39). We know what it means to worship. We get a chance to exercise our faith. The concerns of his prayer were the place of God’s people in the work and plans of God. We may need to keep on praying repeatedly until peace comes and God's way is clear. Your prayers and mine. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour." With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints." What we asked for originally may not happen, but we grow to understand that what does happen is God's best for us. Philippians 4:6-7 6 Don’t worry about anything; instead, pray about everything. Things happen when Christians truly pray. I have often wondered, "what happens when we pray asking - whether for others or ourselves?" IV. What was amazing was that the building had been inspected only a short time earlier. 7:11). One of the things we learn from those who are known for following God - like David, Paul and others - is that they were people who had a growing love relationship with God. There is just something so freeing when we gather in prayer, it is necessary to be intentional. We need to learn to say to God and others, “I was wrong, I am sorry, please forgive me.” For we are not unaware of his schemes. A man was sleeping at night in his cabin when suddenly his room filled with bright light and the Savior appeared. In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia, he took time for mourning, fasting and prayer. In each case we read the answer. i.  Prayer asks God into every situation in our lives. 1. 3.  It implies we come to Him on the basis of our fellowship with Him as His children, with requests. b) Paul's prayer for help. The Bible does not tell us very much about it. We listen to His life-giving and sweet voice. Prayer was involved in a spiritual battle against evil. 3.  It is like when Jesus was in the Garden of Gethsemane and proclaimed, âNot My will, but Yours be done.â. We generally don’t know in advance if God intends to heal them quickly or slowly or if he does not intend to heal them. Pray that God will help you and give you the strength you need as you face trials The following is something that we pray will inspire and encourage you on this matter. When Churches Pray Old Time Religion Sunday - … Have you ever begun your day by saying, "Good morning, Lord?" 3 And there was a widow in that town who kept coming to him with the plea, 'Grant me justice against my adversary.' 1 John 5:14-15 couldn’t be clearer. II. 2.  We need to acknowledge this to Him and before others. Permissions: You are permitted and encouraged to reproduce and distribute this material in any format provided that you do not alter the wording in any way and do not charge a fee beyond the cost of reproduction. All He needs is someone’s persistence to ask, seek and knock. 3. It’s a mystery in itself but God says to pray without ceasing, (1 Thess. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all peoples on earth will be blessed through you."(Gen. A. So, please pray. After the second year, we worked in a church for the summer. Hebrews 5:7 tells us something about Jesus' prayer habits. When he healed the 10 lepers, only one came back to give thanks. Often we neglect to give thanks or we forget or we call the answer a coincidence. We cannot live holy / pure apart from God's enabling power at work w/in us. Sermon Title: P.U.S.H – Pray Until Something Happens. It is my desire for each one of us to understand five concepts of powerful, effective prayers. And the outlook for the day ahead like the day before. God may speak that way, but much more often, God's direction comes from His Word, from the direction given by others around us and from the doors He opens and closes. When God does act in a powerful way, we need to learn to give thanks to Him for what He has done. Does God change His mind? ", Jesus Himself gives us the best advice about the prayer of spiritual warfare. how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!” (Matt. Because prayer changes us, we also need to learn to listen to God. Prayer internalizes the burden. 2.  Concepts of Prayer (Matthew 6.9-13). As we pray, we should recognize that we pray from victory, because the power of the enemy is defeated. In Acts 8:4, as a result of Stephen's martyrdom, it says, "Those who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went." Today, my desire is for you to realize the importance and power of prayer in our daily lives. Scene One: The seals are opened in heaven. Our prayer time is … Things really happen when churches pray! We need to pray to our Heavenly Father and not be satisfied with the prayer until it has been answered. One of the very basic things about the Christian life is praying. Prayer forces us to wait P.U.S.H. He has demonstrated his power, his love and his justice repeatedly and especially in salvation. While staying with her, her son become ill and died. What is clear, is that there is a battle. First of all, we need to be aware of the battle we are in. No matter what major prayer requests you have this Christmas, God is able and He is willing. It was a time of severe famine and God sent Elijah to the land of Sidon to the home of a widow for a number of years. Again years went by and Abraham still had no children. Website: www.teach4god.com, Dancing with Broken Bones-A Close Look at Psalm 51, Psalm 51-The Confession of Completion | Sermons. Tell God what you need, and thank Him for all He has done. 4.  It is our trusting and resting on God the Father and our relationship with Him as His children. 2 He said: "In a certain town there was a judge who neither feared God nor cared about men. If we can't, we need to go back to the first kind of prayer - the wrestling until we can accept God's will. This pattern is a good model for us to follow. We prayed before the service, we have prayed in the service, and there are prayer meetings during the week. I do not think it is incidental that the period of struggle and the period of Daniel's praying is both three weeks. 2. Sometimes we are part of a spiritual battle. I admit that this is a topic that contains a lot of controversy. To see people like Ricardo transformed into new creations, the invisible side of outreach—whether it’s the heartfelt cries of a wife in a one-bedroom apartment or the shouts of a congregation in a Tuesday night prayer meeting—is essential. i.  Prayer takes our focus off ourselves and places it upon God. Verse 7 begins, “And when you pray.”. ii. Prayer is trusting God to do what God said He already would do. It took about 10 years before I realized that God had called me to be a pastor. So why can’t we simply ask—and expect to receive positive answers—when we pray about something that is God’s will? 2.  This doesnât mean we merely have a shopping list. We’re going to talk about how to pray right now. We all get weary in our prayers as life happens around us yet there is a greater truth that something happens when we pray. God does not necessarily act, but we move. What Happens When We Pray. 12:2,3), Abraham obeyed God and left for another land. ii. Peter as he was walking on the water. Pray and P.U.S.H. They are as fire, burning, their smoke rising up from the altar before God. Sometimes we are changed. Prayer Almighty God, creator of heaven and earth, receive all the praise and honour you deserve. When we think about God, who He is, the world He has created and acknowledge His grace in our life, it is natural to respond with praise. With all of these things said, perhaps you'd want to pray. 17:20 PRAYER ACHIEVES THE IMPOSSIBLE. That experience taught us that missions was probably not going to be our area of ministry. ". Sometimes God agrees that the time is right to act so that His name will be glorified and a miracle takes place. This should give us confidence when we pray - John 14:13-14; 16:23-24. 2. It is important to add praise to our prayers like Paul and Silas did. There are, of course, many different kinds of prayer. ", We are also encouraged in Matthew 6:7,8, "And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. As we come together in prayer, we are united on multiple levels. I Peter 5:8 says, "Be self-controlled and alert. What happens when we pray? - Pray Until Something Happens! Although the building was opened for a little while again, it failed to meet code and was closed for one year and later put up for sale. We can pray that the blindness of unbelievers will be removed. Sometimes, it is not a matter of understanding, but of accepting God's will. In Ephesians 6:13-20 in response to the recognition of the spiritual battle, we are told to put on the armor so that we will be able to stand. We can also pray for God's protection from the enemy - both for ourselves and for others. WHEN WOMEN PRAY, THE CHURCH IS EMPOWERED TO BE A WITNESS. First of all, I want to say it again, we need to pray! 3.  It is not on the basis of our speaking to the spirit world. The appearance of this call to prayer in response to the recognition of a spiritual battle makes it clear that our prayers are part of gaining victory in the battle. Sarah suggested that he take her maid Hagar and have a child with her and that would probably be the promised offspring. Because we recognize that it is a battle, we should pray diligently and regularly. There is much that can happen when we do. A. Ill. Abraham was busy with his sheep, minding his own business and enjoying his family. Centuries of prayers. . 2.  It is telling God we want His kingdom established in our lives. Faith can’t be based on what is seen. The prayers that I find the most difficult to understand are prayers of intercession and asking. At the end of the chapter, we read, "Then the woman said to Elijah, "Now I know that you are a man of God and that the word of the LORD from your mouth is the truth.". This seems like such a wide-open promise. Then we have the right disposition: “When a person is engaged in true worship the Lord flows into the forms of good and the truths present with the person, raises them toward Himself, and … Even Jesus needed to keep on praying and be diligent in prayer. The very same God who: Download the … Conclusion:  Pray this week not just for food or in front of people, but pray this week, privately and with intensity. What happens when we don't pray? We know what it means to pray prayers of thanksgiving when we recognize what God has done and thank Him for it. It is pleasing because prayer is essential to our worship of and fellowship with God. The situation of the widow's son, in the story I just told, reveals the purpose in that case. After the first year, Carla and I went on a mission assignment. We also read in II Corinthians 10:3-4, "For though we live in the world, we do not wage war as the world does. That is why the prayer of faith is possible - James 4:2-3. We had no problem doing these things because we are comfortable with computers and know quite a bit about them. 7 Then you will experience God’s peace, which exceeds anything we … This story reveals to us one of the things that happens when we pray and that is that we gradually come to understand and accept God's will. Verse 6 begins, “But when you pray.”. But we are supposed to pray about everything so we can have the peace that is better than understanding. As we pray we begin to become aware of how God might us to answer the prayer, how He might involve us in ways we had not theretofore foreseen. The first failure of Joshua occurred before his encounter with the Gibeonites, when he failed to seek the will of God in his campaign against the city of Ai.