HAVING AN EFFECTIVE PRAYER LIFE


"The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much." (James 5:16).


Many of God's children do not seem to get answers to prayer. Although prayer is not a formula, there are conditions in God's Word that must be fille in order to have success in prayer.


I. Know The WILL OF GOD Before You Pray.

"And this is the confidence that we have in Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He heareth us." (1 John 5:14-15).


    1. Many people pray, and when their prayers are not answered they say, "Well maybe it wasn't God's will for me to have that." This type of praying is a waste of time.

    2. How to know God's will.

      1. God's Word is His will. Get the Word into you (John 15:7).

      2. The voice of the Holy Spirit in our inner man reveals God's will. (Romans 8:14-16).

      3. Many times God's will is confirmed through prophecy, word of knowledge, or word of wisdom (Acts 13:1-3)


II. Remember That Before God Can Answer Your Prayer, You Must Ask.

"...Yet ye have not, because ye ask not." (James 4:2).


    1. God cannot answer a prayer that is not prayed. God promises that when we ASK, we shall receive (Matt. 7:7-11).

    2. The Bible teaches the ways we should ask in prayer:

      1. Ask in Jesus name (John 14:13, 14; 16:23-27).

      2. Ask in FAITH (Matt. 21:22).

III. Be Specific

"But let him ask in faith, NOTHING WAVRING. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed." (James 1:6-8).


    1. We should be specific when we ask. Do not pray just to be praying (Matt. 6:7-8).

    2. In Luke 10:35-43 we see that Jesus does not want us just crying for mercy but he wants to know exactly what we want.


IV. Pray The Answer And Not The Problem.

"Then said the Lord unto me, Thou hast well seen: for I will hasten my word to perform it." (Jer. 1:12).


    1. God performs His Word, not our problems. God wants us to remind Him of His Word and stand on it (Isa. 43:25-26).

    2. There are approximately 7,487 promises in the Bible. Find the one that fits your need and bring it before God (1 Peter 1:4).


V. We Should Not Forget To Thank God And Praise Him For The Answer.

"Pray without ceasing. In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." (1 Thess. 5:17-18).


    1. We should thank God for the answer at the same time the prayers are are rendered. This is a true demonstration of faith (Phil. 4:6).

    2. Praise always releases faith. Praise brings us the victory in every situation before we physically see the answer.


E-mail: victoryword@yahoo.com

Back to Home

Back to Sermons Index

Go to the Links page

(c) Copyright 2001 by Troy J. Edwards and Victory through the Word Ministries