16 “The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. 17 Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! 18 Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.”
James 5:16-18 NLT
Today I want to talk about an earnest prayer that has great power and produces wonderful results. Extraordinary things really happen when the church prays!
The earlier church started with much prayer but today many churches have no prayer meetings or just one or two hours weekly prayers.
I believe that God will visit us in a powerful way and we are going to experience revival but all revival starts with prayer! All revival in history started with hungry and thirsty people and people who were dedicated to prayer.
I want to start off with some questions that some people always ask me:
If God knows all things and even what he himself is going to do, why should we take the time to pray? To change His mind? To try to convince Him of what we want?
Why do we pray and ask God for specific things if God is sovereign and he is in control?
Why do we pray the same request over and over again?
Is prayer really necessary? If so, why? Is God not sovereign? If he’s all powerful doesn’t that mean He accomplishes what He wants, when He wants it? If so, why do we pray?
Is God’s will for a Christian automatically guaranteed? or is it linked to prayer and other factors?
Why does it often take so long to get a prayer answered?
Why is persistence required?
Isn’t God’s will to save people? Why do I need to pray for the lost? Why doesn’t he do it if it is His will?
What about spiritual warfare? If Satan is defeated and Christ has all authority, should we just forget about the devil? Does God bind the devil or do we have to bind him?
Unfortunately some Christians say:
I’m a child of God and I’m protected. My family belongs to Jesus and they are protected. God is in control ! The church belongs to Jesus and He is going to protect His church! God will do His will in my life and there is nothing I can do!
No, you are wrong! This is not what the bible says!
God’s will for Christians is not automatically guaranteed.
“My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”
Hosea 4:6
Now I want to show you a principle in the bible I’ve learned 20 years ago.
God has principles and He walks by principles.
“Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”” Genesis 1:26
The king James version says: Let man have dominion over the earth – God gave authority to man and he was the ruler , the manager , the governor of the Earth.
“Heaven belongs to the Lord, but he gave the earth to people.”
Psalms 115:16
The heavens belong to the Lord, but he has given the earth to all humanity.
The earth belongs to humanity, God created earth and gave authority over the earth to man and God still obeys this principle.
In order to save humanity He did not send an angel , he did not send a “God” but He sent a man, called Jesus !
He came as a man to defeat Satan and also because God works and moves on this earth only through men.
“The LORD God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it.” Genesis 2:15
Take care means – to watch over it and to protect it. Adam was the watchman, the guard, the keeper of the earth.
Unfortunately Adam didn’t do what God said to him, he allowed Satan to enter the garden and as a consequence of his sin he gave the “authority” to Satan.
At the cross something very powerful happened.
“Then Jesus came and told His disciples : “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”
Matthew 28:18
Jesus took back from Satan the authority that man gave to him in the garden. Jesus gave back to man what man had lost, the authority that man gave to Satan, Jesus took it back and now you have that authority again.
“Behold, I give you the authority to trample on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy, and nothing shall by any means hurt you.”
Luke 10:19
Now you as child of God has authority by the Name of Jesus against all power of Satan to protect your garden , your family , your children , your church , town and nation.
You are the watchman, the guard, the keeper of the our church and our town.
Things really happen when we as God’s church pray !
“I looked for someone among them who would build up the wall and stand before me in the gap on behalf of the land so I would not have to destroy it, but I found no one.” Ezekiel 22:30
God is looking for watchmen who will build up the wall (make disciples, preach the Gospel) but also who will stand before Me in the Gap on behalf of the land!
Who will stand before Me on behalf of the land ?
Things really happen when churches pray !
God is looking for watchmen, prayer warriors but He said: I found no one!
Have you seen how difficult to have people praying in church .Even God tried, searched for someone but didn’t find no one !
Life is crazy! School, sports, homework, church, friends , we have so many things going on that most of christians say : I’m too busy I have no time to pray and I can’t take part in prayer meetings !
When we are jobless, we pray for a job and later when God blesses us with a job we get too busy to set apart some time for Him.
When we pray on behalf of someone else we are standing in the gap before that person and God. You are also engaging in spiritual warfare.
Watchmen are Wanted
The first example of a failed watchman is recorded in the Bible and affects each one of us every day.
The watchman’s name was Adam. God told him in Genesis 2:15 to “keep” the garden.
The word “keep” is the Hebrew word “shamar”, which is the word used for a watchman. One of the main concepts of the word involves protection and preservation.
Adam was told to protect the garden, watching for attacks from the evil one, the serpent. What else could there have been before the Fall to guard, keep or protect themselves from in the garden? Only the serpent.
The first responsibility of watchmen is to keep the serpent out of their God-given gardens. Our precious gardens (cities, homes, families) are full of demons – we need some watchmen! Tragedies such as these can and must be eliminated. I challenge you to make a difference !
To get nations back on their feet, we must first get down on our knees.” –
Billy Graham
God needs our prayers!
The Lord says, `Without me, you cannot. But without you, I will not.’
Prayer is essentially a partnership of the redeemed child of God working hand in hand with God toward the realisation of His redemptive purposes on earth.
“This, then, is how you should pray: “ ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.” Matthew 6:9-10
Prayer is not getting God prepared to do your will,
Prayer is getting you prepared to do God’s will
Why pray? Because God answers prayers! God cannot answer your prayers until you pray
The bible says what you bind on earth will be bound in heaven. God has given us the authority !
Ask for things that are impossible because With God nothing is impossible
“To be a Christian without prayer is no more possible than to be alive without breathing.” – Martin Luther
James says that we don’t receive things because we don’t ask for them.
“You do not have because you do not ask God.”
James 4:2
Prayer is the only way to release the supernatural power of God in your marriage, wife, husband, daughter, son, business, our services…
If your marriage is under attack, pray!
If your children are being tormented by darkness, pray!
If you are fighting a deadly disease, pray!
Pray because God answers prayers!
He also tells us that the prayer of a righteous man accomplishes a lot!
16 “The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective. Elijah was a human being, even as we are.
17 He prayed earnestly that it would not rain, and it did not rain on the land for three and a half years.
18 Again he prayed, and the heavens gave rain, and the earth produced its crops.”
James 5:16-18
Prayer is the key to unlock the gates of heaven and close the gates of hell
Prayer has the power to cure sickness and disease.
Prayer does not need proof, prayer needs practice.
My hope is that prayer becomes the lifestyle of our Church.
Our history and Shalom’s history is yet to be written. Much is waiting for us: Testimonies are waiting to be created; a generation of youth is waiting to be born again; homes are waiting to be healed; addictions are waiting to be overcome; thousands are waiting to hear the gospel for the first time and receive salvation.
We must take back what Satan has seized in our nation, towns and around the world.
Let’s become spiritually militant and aggressive as we deal with the serpent and his stealing, killing and destroying.
Let’s expose and STOP HIM! Let’s get him out of our gardens!
“Jesus said to them, “ ‘My house will be called a house of prayer ”
Matthew 21:13
A Prayer-less Christian is a week and miserable Christian. They are Christians who always live in defeat or Ups and downs.
A prayer less church is a week church. A prayer less nation is a defeated nation. A prayer less family will be a divided family.
I believe that God will visit us in a powerful way and we are going to experience revival but all revival starts with prayer!
Extraordinary and powerful things really happen when the church prays !
Please join us in our weekly prayers and let’s bring God’s kingdom to our houses , our church , our Town and our Nation!
God will visit us! Revival is coming!