Taking Your Prayer to the Next Level

Taking Your Prayer to the Next Level

 

• Scriptural Prayer Realities

 

1. Because God is good, keep on asking, seeking and knocking in prayer

 

Matthew 7:7-11

⁷ “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. ⁸ For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. ⁹ “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? ¹⁰ Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? ¹¹ If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him!

1. We are to pray with confidence in God’s goodness
2. We are to pray trusting in Jesus’ promise
3. We are to pray and keep on praying

 

2. Pray in Jesus name for Jesus’ greater works claiming Jesus’ promise

John 14:12-14

Very truly I tell you, whoever believes in me will do the works I have been doing, and they will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father. ¹³ And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. ¹⁴ You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it.

1. Our prayers are to be in the name, authority and promise of Jesus
2. We are to boldly ask for miracles in Jesus name

 

3. Jesus has given us authority to bind and loose in His name for His Kingdom and we exercise that authority in prayer

 

Matthew 16:18-19

¹⁸ And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. ¹⁹ I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven; whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.”

 

Matthew 18:18-20

¹⁸ “Truly I tell you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven.

¹⁹ “Again, truly I tell you that if two of you on earth agree about anything they ask for, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven. ²⁰ For where two or three gather in my name, there am I with them.”

1. Jesus has absolute authority
2. Jesus has delegated His authority to His followers for binding and loosening
3. This authority is exercised in prayer

 

4. God can do miracles in response to faith filled prayer

 

Mark 11:22-24

²² “Have faith in God,” Jesus answered. ²³ “Truly I tell you, if anyone says to this mountain, ‘Go, throw yourself into the sea,’ and does not doubt in their heart but believes that what they say will happen, it will be done for them. ²⁴ Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.

 

1. Prayer is to be based on our faith in God
2. Faith is Biblically valid when in it is rightly placed in a reliable object
3. Faith-based prayer in God can do miracles

 

5. Pray with shameless audacity!

Luke 11:7-9

⁷ And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ ⁸ I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.⁹ “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

1. Jesus teaches that persistent, bold, audacious prayers are answered
2. God is not offended by our persistence or audacity, He welcomes it!

 

 

6. We are to pray when we are in trouble and when we are happy

James 5:13

¹³ Is anyone among you in trouble? Let them pray. Is anyone happy? Let them sing songs of praise.

1. Prayer is to be our natural love language with God
2. Pray on all occasions, in every situation and in every mood

 

7. We are to ask the Elders to pray for us when we are sick. God promises His healing when prayer is offered in faith and confessed sin will be forgiven

James 5:14-16

¹⁴ Is anyone among you sick? Let them call the elders of the church to pray over them and anoint them with oil in the name of the Lord. ¹⁵ And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise them up. If they have sinned, they will be forgiven. ¹⁶ Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed…

1. Sometimes we need others to pray for us
2. Sometimes our sin is root problem
3. Confession and faith-led prayer leads to forgiveness and healing
4. Elders are commissioned by Jesus to care for the Body and to pray for hurting members

 

 

8. The prayer of the righteous is powerful and effective

 

James 5:16-18

…The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.

¹⁷ Elijah was a human being, even as we are. 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.

1. In the context of Elders praying for people
2. Personal righteousness by faith and by character puts us into a powerful prayer position
3. Elijah prayed for miracles and God answered and we are made out of the same stuff

 

9. We are commanded to pray for one another in the Spirit with all kinds of prayers and especially to pray for effective and fearless evangelism

 

Ephesians 6:18-20

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 Lord’s people. ¹⁹ Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel, ²⁰ for which I am an ambassador in chains. Pray that I may declare it fearlessly, as I should.

 

1. We are to pray in the Spirit for all the saints
2. We are to use all the different kinds of prayers in our prayer toolbox
3. We are to pray for one another to be bold in our witness for Christ

 

 

10. Some challenges require a deeper faith that is received by prayer and fasting

 

Mark 9:20-29

²⁰ So they brought him. When the spirit saw Jesus, it immediately threw the boy into a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth.²¹ Jesus asked the boy’s father, “How long has he been like this?”“From childhood,” he answered. ²² “It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us.”²³ “‘If you can’?” said Jesus. “Everything is possible for one who believes.”²⁴ Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed, “I do believe; help me overcome my unbelief!”²⁵ When Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene, he rebuked the impure spirit. “You deaf and mute spirit,” he said, “I command you, come out of him and never enter him again.”²⁶ The spirit shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many said, “He’s dead.” ²⁷ But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him to his feet, and he stood up.²⁸ After Jesus had gone indoors, his disciples asked him privately, “Why couldn’t we drive it out?”²⁹ He replied, “This kind can come out only by prayer and fasting”

1. Some prayer obstacles have a satanic stronghold around them
2. Fasting connects us to God in a deeper way so that we pray in Jesus’ authority and break strongholds
3. Prayer and fasting will take us to a new level in prayer