THE POWER OF PRAYER
Acts 4:23-35
It has been estimated that the average church member in America prays less than 20 minutes a week. Even pastors make the mistake of trying to get along with a minimum amount of prayer instead of maximizing their ministry with prayer.
prayer is the breath and depth of a Christian life. dynamic churches have in common the fact that prayer has a central place in their ministry. No church can begin to accomplish what God is calling them to do without a power center of prayer. You cannot do God's work without God.
Miracles Really Begin to Happen When We Pray.
We cannot stand against opposition and do the great work of ministry without tapping into God's power through prayer.
When they prayed, their spirits touching God's Spirit - seven things happened:
The place was shaken.
They were all filled with the Holy Spirit.
The spoke the Word of God with boldness.
There was a oneness of heart shared by all those who had prayed together.
There was a sense of stewardship that everything belonged to God and should be used for helping each other.
They became winsome, attractive Christians.
They ministered with great power.
Multiple Benefits Come into Our Lives from Prayer
Prayer connects us to the power of God (John 15).
Jesus said, "apart from me you can do nothing.... If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you" (John 15:5, 7).
Being connected to the power of God through prayer your life will be fruitful.
Benefits we can expect if we will make prayer the top priority of our lives:
ASSURANCE that our vision and goals are exactly what God wants at this time.
STRENGTH and AWARENESS that He is helping me to live victoriously to overcome the attacks of Satan.
CONFIDENCE the promises we read in the Word are God are for us.
WISDOM: Anyone who lives in a family and raises children needs wisdom beyond their own.
CORRECTION: When our behavior is not what it should be, then in prayer our spirit becomes humble and accepting of the Lord's correction. This permits our continual growth.
ATTITUDE: As we fellowship with the Lord, the negative is eliminated and my mind becomes clearly focused on the positive. The renewing of my mind and spirit (Rom 12:2) is so important for me to be at my best.
CLEANSING: Confession of wrong leads to forgiveness and fellowship with the Lord and fellow Christians.
PEACE: No matter what goes wrong, there is an inner peace that comes from knowing Jesus is with us.
LOVE: There is no greater feeling in all the world than knowing that we are loved by God. This frees me so that I can really share this forgiving love with others.
JOY: The joy of the Lord is our strength.
Make prayer a top priority.
Prayer will not characterize your life until you get so hungry for God that you start setting aside an hour each day to spend with God in prayer.
The greatest lesson you will ever learn: ""I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing" (John 15:5).
"Abiding" means meeting God in divine appointment every morning and spending with Him.
This is the only way to become "more than conquerors through Him who love us" (Rom. 8:37).
The priority of prayer in our Church: