Breath of Power - Week 26/04

Week 26: 21 - 27, 2004

The Great Power of Prayer Part I

Key Passage: James 5: 16 - 18

Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit.

Prayer is one of the greatest forces that man can release on the earth. It creates a powerful link between the mortal man and the immortal God and brings to bear the power of the Almighty on the earth. True men and women of prayer recognize that they are part of God’s creative activity – they can make things happen when they pray.

There are two main factors that can make your prayer produce results: the first is your relationship with God, and the second is the quality of your prayer. If you do not have a good relationship with God, you should not expect your prayer to be answered. The Scripture is clear that God does not listen to sinners (Ps 66:18; Jn 9:3). Indeed, their prayers are offensive to Him (Pro 28:9). What He requires from sinners is that they repent and receive forgiveness of sin and atonement through the blood of Jesus Christ. God is holy. There is no unrighteousness with Him (Lev 11:45; 1 Pet 1:15-16). It is only those who accept His standard of righteousness that are approved by Him (2 Tim 2:19).

The quality of your prayer is also very important in receiving your desired result. Our text speaks of, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man ….” (Jam 5:16). That reveals that a man’s righteousness is not enough to guarantee him answered prayer. His prayer needs to be “effective” and “fervent”. The Amplified Bible paraphrases that verse in these words, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]”. That means that the prayer that makes marvelous impact is the one that is “earnest”, which means, “heartfelt” and “continued”. A heartfelt prayer is one that is deep, sincere, passionate and fervent; and a continued prayer is one that is unrelenting, sustained, persistent, insistent and outlasting. It does not give up. It holds on until it obtains the desired result.

Many people are moved by the story of the exploits of Prophet Elijah: how he shut the heavens, how he brought fire from heaven, and how he brought abundance of rain. The Scriptures says, “Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have” (Jam 5:17 AMP). What made him remarkable and produced the great results he received was the kind of prayers he made. He prayed the quality of prayers that it demands for the forces of the heavens to respond, and the heavens could not hold back.

Pray, Lord, draw me into an intimate personal relationship with you; teach me to pray the prayer that produces miraculous results.

Written by – Evangelist Oguazi Onyemobi



Home Table of Contents 2003 2004 2005 2006 January '04 Week 1 Week 2 Week 3 Week 4 Week 5 February '04 Week 6 Week 7 Week 8 Week 9 March '04 Week 10 Week 11 Week 12 Week 13 April '04 Week 14 Week 15 Week 16 Week 17 Week 18 May '04 Week 19 Week 20 Week 21 Week 22 June '04 Week 23 Week 24 Week 25 Week 26 July '04 Week 27 Week 28 Week 29 Week 30 Week 31 August Week 32 Week 33 Week 34 Week 35 September '04 Week 36 Week 37 Week 38 Week 39 Week 40 October '04 Week 41 Week 42 Week 43 Week 44 November '04 Week 45 Week 46 Week 47 Week 48 December '04 Week 49 Week 50 Week 51 Week 52 Week 53	Breath of Power A Weekly Devotional of Jesus Power Outreach Ministries
	Week 26: 21 - 27, 2004 The Great Power of Prayer Part I Key Passage: James 5: 16 - 18 Confess your trespasses to one another, and pray for one another, that you may be healed. The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. Elijah was a man with a nature like ours, and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain; and it did not rain on the land for three years and six months. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. Prayer is one of the greatest forces that man can release on the earth. It creates a powerful link between the mortal man and the immortal God and brings to bear the power of the Almighty on the earth. True men and women of prayer recognize that they are part of God’s creative activity – they can make things happen when they pray. There are two main factors that can make your prayer produce results: the first is your relationship with God, and the second is the quality of your prayer. If you do not have a good relationship with God, you should not expect your prayer to be answered. The Scripture is clear that God does not listen to sinners (Ps 66:18; Jn 9:3). Indeed, their prayers are offensive to Him (Pro 28:9). What He requires from sinners is that they repent and receive forgiveness of sin and atonement through the blood of Jesus Christ. God is holy. There is no unrighteousness with Him (Lev 11:45; 1 Pet 1:15-16). It is only those who accept His standard of righteousness that are approved by Him (2 Tim 2:19). The quality of your prayer is also very important in receiving your desired result. Our text speaks of, “The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man ….” (Jam 5:16). That reveals that a man’s righteousness is not enough to guarantee him answered prayer. His prayer needs to be “effective” and “fervent”. The Amplified Bible paraphrases that verse in these words, “The earnest (heartfelt, continued) prayer of a righteous man makes tremendous power available [dynamic in its working]”. That means that the prayer that makes marvelous impact is the one that is “earnest”, which means, “heartfelt” and “continued”. A heartfelt prayer is one that is deep, sincere, passionate and fervent; and a continued prayer is one that is unrelenting, sustained, persistent, insistent and outlasting. It does not give up. It holds on until it obtains the desired result. Many people are moved by the story of the exploits of Prophet Elijah: how he shut the heavens, how he brought fire from heaven, and how he brought abundance of rain. The Scriptures says, “Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have” (Jam 5:17 AMP). What made him remarkable and produced the great results he received was the kind of prayers he made. He prayed the quality of prayers that it demands for the forces of the heavens to respond, and the heavens could not hold back. Pray, Lord, draw me into an intimate personal relationship with you; teach me to pray the prayer that produces miraculous results. Written by – Evangelist Oguazi Onyemobi

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