how do we pray in God's power?

[FreeinChrist]

And so it was, that as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray; as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:1

 

 

17)  Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months.

18)  And he prayed again: and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit,

James 5:17-18

 

My prayer life is not dead, but in all honestly it does seem to be on life support, as I try to pray I can here the adversary say God doesn't care, and how he would answer my needs.  I know that nothing is impossible for God, so I know God is able, but I can hear the devil whispering God doesn't care.  I know our feelings can lie to us, but I just find it so difficult to tell my selfish delusion from God promises.  My pray life just seems so meaningless.

 

How can we prayer as Elijah did, with so much power?

 

 

 

 

 

[Guest]

Because Of Him

 

And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Galatians 4:6

 

We Can

[OneLight]

This is not an easy question to answer.  When we are in one accord with His will, having a confirmation in the spirit with His Spirit, our prayers will be in accordance to what He wants.  We will know in our hearts what to ask for.  This is done by the faith Jesus spoke of in Mark 11:24 "Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them."

 

Ever notice when praying that you really do not have the faith that anything will happen?  This is because we are not in His will with what we are praying for, while hoping something happens inline with our request.  When we are in His will, He confirms this and lets us know in our spirit.

 

So many people do not fully understand Matthew 21:22 "And whatever things you ask in prayer, believing, you will receive.". Faith comes from God, and if we ask according to His will, we will believe because He will confirm.  If we are not in His will, He will not give the faith or confirmation and we will have doubt.

[Guest]

 

Say What!

 

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain:

 

ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

 

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,

 

that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:2-3

 

God Bless Brother James

 

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,

 

Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

 

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low:

 

and the crooked shall be made straight,

 

and the rough places plain: Isaiah 40:3-4

 

He's Another One Of Those God Sent Bulldozers

[Willa]

When I pray for the things God wants, as stated in His Word, I am given the assurance He will answer them. But it may take years before He brings His promises to pass. I just keep on asking till I see it answered.

He has promised to take care of our daily needs in the sermon on the Mount. It may not be a million dollar house--it may be a room at the Y. It may not be steak and lobster, but it may be venison, green beans and jello in a soup kitchen.

But to pray for mighty miracles I think we sometimes have to pray the way God is telling us to pray in His still small voice. It is a step of obedience at risk of being made a fool.

Or it may spring from a heart of compassion with very little faith. Our pastor had preached through and interpreter at an outdoor meeting in India. Afterward he gave an invitation for those who wanted prayer to come forward. Several thousand came forward. He was at loss as what to do because there is no way that each could be spoken to and prayed for specificly. So he just asked God to meet all their needs. He later learned that all kinds of miracles had taken place, as reported by the local pastors who had transported the people to the site. Marriages were heal, people stopped abusing alcohol, the blind received their sight, people were saved, they were healed of diseases. He was awed and humbled.

Sometimes, to be delivered from sin takes more than a firm desire not to do it anymore. It also takes a firm desire to obey whatever Jesus wants you to do, and focusing on that. It is to take His yoke, for His burden is light, possibly to witness to others about our Savior. It takes avoiding situations that might tempt you or friends that get you into trouble. You can use parental controls on TV and even get them for internet. I hate getting into a good drama on TV only to find it full of blatent sex and vile language and torture sceens.. So I use parental controls for myself and screan out that stuff. They are not a temptation--they just fill my mind with garbage and stuff I hate and don't want to dwell on. Also don't set yourself for failure. I used to leave loopholes when I went on a diet--to stick to it UNLESS hubby brings me home brownies. So he did. We are told to let our yes be yes and our no be no. We can't leave loopholes.

When we are praying for someone else, God must also take into account their will. It may take a long time to answer those prayers.

Without knowing what mountains you speak of, it is hard to answer you or even know how to pray for you. Sometimes God gives us a gift of faith. When I prayed for the salvation of my husband and my daughter in law's mother, I somehow knew God would do it. He had not only given me promises in His word, He had given me encouraging signs and verses along the way. I found myself like Caleb, praying " give me this mountain", where the Anikim (giants) live.

[Willa]

 

Say What!

 

Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain:

 

ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

 

Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss,

 

that ye may consume it upon your lusts. James 4:2-3

 

God Bless Brother James

 

The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness,

 

Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. 

 

Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low:

 

and the crooked shall be made straight,

 

and the rough places plain: Isaiah 40:3-4

 

He's Another One Of Those God Sent Bulldozers

Yes, I remember them well. They were the ones with a fork rake on the back side that first leveled me and the tilled me so that the word of God could take deep root.

[gdemoss]

I pray for the knowledge of Gods will for me and the power to carry it out.

I have oftentimes got caught up in thw drive to be equally great as some of my biblical heroes such as Elijah. I wanted a dramatic role in Gods plan. I wanted to see my prayers impact whole nations and peolples. I prayed fervently for revival for a certain city. I prayed the local sex shops would close for lack of business. I prayed earnestly for the people who were lost to be found. I prayed daily and sometimes various times all throughout the day. I fasted on Tuesdays and spent the entire day focused on understanding and praying for the perceived needs of others around me. And I prayed more...

The city's crime rate still climbs. The sex shops are thriving. The people are seemingly no better off.

I stopped praying after this manner.

I simply ask to know Gods will for me. I ask that I be given the ability to love him and others while I am yet in this evil world. I simply want to be the person he created me to be. I am no Noah, Job or Daniel. I am just a guy who believes in Jesus and wants to love like he loves.

I had to come to a place where I understood that when the pride of life runs my prayer life I am ineffective at best.

Thy will not mine be done...

[JohnD]

And so it was, that as He was praying in a certain place, when He ceased, one of His disciples said unto Him, Lord, teach us to pray; as John also taught his disciples.

Luke 11:1

 

 

17)  Elijah was a man subject to like passions as we are, and he prayed earnestly that it might not rain, and it rained not on the earth for three years and six months.

18)  And he prayed again: and the heaven gave rain, and the earth brought forth her fruit,

James 5:17-18

 

My prayer life is not dead, but in all honestly it does seem to be on life support, as I try to pray I can here the adversary say God doesn't care, and how he would answer my needs.  I know that nothing is impossible for God, so I know God is able, but I can hear the devil whispering God doesn't care.  I know our feelings can lie to us, but I just find it so difficult to tell my selfish delusion from God promises.  My pray life just seems so meaningless.

 

How can we prayer as Elijah did, with so much power?

 

As I mentioned in a topic Tiger started about forgiving and forgetting, the disciples of Jesus (some of which were disciples of John the Baptist) asked the Lord to teach them to pray as John taught his disciples to pray. This was in an Old Covenant setting under Old Testament Law. The New Covenant did not begin until the death of the testator (Jesus) on the cross (Hebrews 9:16-17). What has come to be called the Lord's prayer (by the Church organization / Traditions of Man Inc.) is actually the disciples' prayer. The true Lord's prayer is John 17 (Jesus' High Priestly prayer).

 

The prophet Eliyahu was at the crossroads of destiny for his life and ministry when his prayers were so powerful. He faithfully served his purpose at that point in the face of the 400 false prophets. Followed by a rather cowardly retreat from Y'ezba'al.

 

While the effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much (James 5:16) the focal point and indeed the power thereof is God.

 

Even if we want to do what we deem a mighty deed for Christ (which God may actually do) if it is what WE deem might or what WE want to transpire... it is just another way of spending it on our lusts...

 

James 4:1-3 (KJV)

1 From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence, even of your lusts that war in your members?

2 Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.

3 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts.

 

Elijah had submissive motives and was very courageous in his prayer / outwitting the false prophets of Baal. Yet he at times thought no one was left and the Lord told him about the remnant.

 

What I am driving at is it's all about God.

 

1 John 5:14-15 (KJV)

14 And this is the confidence that we have in him, that, if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us:

15 And if we know that he hear us, whatsoever we ask, we know that we have the petitions that we desired of him.

 

It  may not be his will what you are asking to be powerfully done. It may be like most (not necessarily you) an ego trip... much like those who post on message boards only to show what they know...

 

It's all about God. And when we see this and breathe this in our own lives and stop trying to get our will done or make ourselves look good etc... then the Lord can use humble vessels to do mighty things if it is his will to do so.

[JohnD]

God's greatest power is accomplished in each one of us by our submission to his will for our lives. We are all priests of God in Christ Jesus and have ministries to discover (according to our calling and spiritual gifts) and put into practice. The Church organization / Traditions of Man Inc. will tell you (the Church organism) to be silent laity sit there shut up pay your tithes and leave the spiritual lifting to the professional clergy.

 

Bourgeois!

 

You do and become and be what God saved you and left you in this life to do and be and your whole life will be powerful in Christ.

[Atwood]

I think it would help if a Christian gets some other people to pray the intercessory prayer of Ephesians 3 for the Christian. Notice the words about the Holy Spirit, strength, and power there. It is interesting to note on James 5:17 that literally the word "earnestly" or "fervently" does not literally occur; that is not to say that the translation is wrong. But what it literally says is that Elijah prayed WITH PRAYER! So I ask if we are praying "with prayer"?