THE POWER OF PRAYER

By: LaRoyce

EPHESIANS 6:18- And pray in the spirit on all occasions
with all kinds of prayers and requests.
With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the saints. 

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18- Be joyful always; Pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, 
for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.
PRAYER-1. A devout petition to or spiritual communion with God or an object of worship.
PRAY-1. To offer devout petition, praise, thanks, etc. to God or an object of worship
PETITION-2. A respectful or humble request.
COMMUNION-3. Interchange of thoughts or emotions.
WORSHIP-1. Reverence for God, a sacred personage, or a sacred object. 
3. Adoration, reverence, or regard.
John 14:14
Jesus said- You may ask me for anything in My name, and I will do it.
1 John  5:14-15
If we ask anything according to His will, He hears us. And if we know that he hears us - 
whatever we ask -we know that we have what we asked of Him.
In the above definitions and verses, we get a good understanding that prayer can be... 
1. A request
2. An interchange of thoughts and emotions
3. An act of worship
People pray to many different gods....
...not God as in OUR GOD(The Almighty..King of kings and Lord of lords)
...but gods.
gods- 1. Powerless pagan deities; images or idols. 
A god is anything that an individual puts at the forefront of their lives. There are various religious and occultic groups 
whom pray to various idols/gods/demonic figures for various powers; blessing and cursing themselves and others...
but there are also worldly God’s.... Money, Drugs, sex, Power, control, lust...anything can be an idol of respect, or a point of 
worship and indulgence(which is worship).
1. 
As christians, we pray to God not only on behalf of ourselves, but in intercession for the good of others...
and the glorification of our Father in Heaven.
Intercession- The act of pleading someones case.
Our spiritual battles in life, are (often times) the result of generational curses, that have been passed on to us...
or are the result of attitutes and acts of the sinful nature that we have indulged in, which built up strongholds in or minds 
and emotions. Demons don’t fight head on...they attach themselves to things that have happend in our lives 
(to torment us through those horrible experiences). Demons attach themselves to hidden places that we need to find, 
so that we can shine the light on them, exposing their evil deeds. We do this by ASKING Jesus to  help us to find (bring to light) 
those things in our lives that we have not dealt with (He willdo this if we ask Him and believe that he can do this). 
Jesus can heal us only if we choose to give all of our troubles, iniquities, trails of the past to Him. Once we crucify our sinful nature, 
and our past (through the blood of Christ) we can be delivered from demonic oppression or possesion...able to worship God
with our body, soul, and spirit.
2.
 1 peter 3:12
 says that the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and His ears are 
attentive to their prayer. Our Lord and savior  Jesus Christ, always hears our prayers. 
There isn’t a prayer unheard..for He is omnipotent...the Alpha and the Omega. God knows 
all things...and when we ask anything in the name of the Father, the Son, and/or the Holy 
Spirit, He will hear our prayers, for they are one and their purpose is one in the same. 
Isaiah 59:1
Surely the arm of the Lord is not too short to save, nor His ear to dull to hear.
Our Lord is always listening...and He desires to have a deep and loving relationship with us.
3. 
Worship- to express praise and devotion
The act of praise is wide spread in the 21st century. Many praise the actors and actresses,  politicians, models, music stars, etc... 
Praise is devoted to many different things, in many different ways. When it comes to praising God...
there are also many ways to glorify and magnify Him. 
Psalm 96:2 
Sing to the Lord, praise His name; proclaim His salvation day after day. 
Declare His glory among the nations, His marvelous deeds among all peoples.
1 Peter 4:11 
if anyone speaks he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. if anyone serves, 
he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. 
To Him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.
James 3:9-10 
With the tounge we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God’s likeness. 
Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing.

 

From reading these verses, we find that there are many ways to praise God. 
Most of all, we must understand that in everything we do, we should do it unto God so that we give praise to Him.