The Importance and Power of Prayer

Brethren, Ephesians 6 is well known as the Armor of God chapter. Many of us are familiar with the Belt of Truth, the Helmet of Salvation, the Breastplate of Righteousness, the Shield of Faith, and the Sword of the Spirit. But there is another very powerful spiritual weapon that is mentioned in Ephesians 6 that we often read over in this chapter.

What is that other important and very powerful weapon that is also mentioned here? Let's go to Ephesians chapter 6, where of course we'll find the answer. Ephesians chapter 6. We'll begin reading in verse 10. Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord and in the power of his might. So the Apostle Paul is summing things up here. It's always important when they say finally or in conclusion, put on the whole armor of God, Paul says, that you may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against principalities and against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this age, against spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places. So there's a real battle going on. It's not about physical things. It's really about spiritual issues, spiritual matters.

Verse 13, therefore take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day and having done all to stand. Now that day is approaching ever closer. We are going to need to stand against Satan the devil and against the forces of darkness and evil that are upon this earth. Verse 14, stand therefore, having girded your ways with truth.

Truth is important. A love of the truth. We've talked about that recently. We do need to love God's truth. Having put on the breastplate of righteousness, when we walk in righteousness, we are protected in many ways because God looks after us and He looks over us. And having shod your feet with the preparation of the gospel of peace, we know that God wants us to preach the gospel of the kingdom of God.

And that is a kingdom of peace and joy and happiness for everyone. And above all, taking the shield of faith. Faith is essential for each and every one of us, with which you will be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked one and take the helmet of salvation.

God has salvation in store for each and every one of us. He is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to a knowledge of His truth and should come to repentance. So take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. It's this holy Word of God that we all hold so very precious in our lives.

The sword of the Spirit, again, which is the Word of God. And then notice verse 18, a very, very important spiritual weapon that we should all be wielding each and every day of our lives. Praying always, praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, being led by the Spirit of God, being watchful to this end with all perseverance and supplication for all the saints, all those who are called out and chosen of God, and for me, that utterance may be given to me. Paul is asking for the help of the brethren that they would pray for Him and that they would be there for Him, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in chains.

Paul was imprisoned for what he believed and what he taught. He was a chosen vessel of God and he was up to the task that in it I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak.

Brethren, I think we can see the importance and the power of prayer in these words that we've just read today. Prayer is very, very powerful. It's a powerful weapon that God wants us to use and to utilize each and every day of our lives. So have you been considering prayer as an extremely powerful weapon in your spiritual arsenal? Have you been effectively using prayer to wage spiritual warfare, not only for yourself, but especially for others? Just how important and how powerful is prayer in your life? Today we're going to talk about the importance and the power of prayer.

Now, brethren, it seems that the Confederate flag has been in the news quite a bit lately. Do you know why the Confederacy, the South, was so successful in the early years of the Civil War? Perhaps some of you are students of history and you've studied into history of the Civil War. Well, it was primarily because the South had the very best generals, and they were known for their offensive tactics. They were always on the attack. Robert E. Lee, Stonewall Jackson, and Jeb Stuart were all of the same ilk. When Stonewall Jackson lost use of his left arm in battle, General Robert E. Lee wrote to him and said, You lost your left arm, but I've lost my right.

They relied on each other. They worked together. They were of the same ilk. Later, Abraham Lincoln and the North finally put some generals in charge that had the same attack mentality, namely Ulysses S. Grant and William Tecumseh Sherman. Only then did the superior forces of the North finally turn the tide and begin to really win the Civil War. One of the greatest generals, and likely the most brash and egotistical of all World War II generals, was George Patton.

In fact, my wife's father had the dubious honor and privilege to hear George Patton cuss someone out. He had some pretty colorful language, and he was there on the battlefield and heard George Patton get pretty excited. Patton was largely successful because he only seemed to know how to move ahead to attack. Yes, he had a big ego. He had issues, but he was always on the offensive. Brethren, if you're going to be successful in waging spiritual battle, you must not only use defensive weapons, but you must also utilize your offensive weapons. Of course, the sword of God's Word is an offensive weapon. We should be studying the Bible daily. We should be gleaning from God's Word the help that we need to make wise decisions, to give us strength, and to help us each and every day of our lives. So Bible study is very effective also in waging war against Satan and his cohorts. It is the sword of God's Holy Word. But also, regular, consistent, fervent prayer is a very, very powerful offensive weapon that we all need to be utilizing. Turn with me to James 5, where instruction is given to us regarding prayer.

James 5. Jesus' brother instructs us in regard to prayer.

He says in verse 13, Is anyone among you suffering? Is anyone out there suffering? Of course, we all suffer from one degree or another. Let him pray. If you're suffering, then you should be praying. And if someone else is suffering, you should be praying. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing psalms. We like to sing songs, and that's a wonderful thing as we sing praises to God. Is anyone among you sick? Let him call for the elders of the Church and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord, and the prayer of faith will save the sick, and the Lord will raise him up. And if he has committed sins, then those sins will be forgiven. So 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. Let's read that again.

The fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. It doesn't say the lukewarm, half-hearted prayer of a sinner avails much. That's not what it says. It says the effective fervent prayer of a righteous man avails much. So that is what we need to become. If we're not there yet, then we still have time.

Of course, if you're a woman, you should be stay a woman. You don't have to become a man, even though it seems like that's what some people think these days.

But we should be effective. We should all, as men and women, give effective fervent prayers. Because God hears our prayers and it does avail much. It does make a difference. You have to have faith in that. You have to believe that it makes a difference. Even if God doesn't answer right away, even if He doesn't answer in the way that you would want Him to, you still need to have faith and believe that God is on His throne and that God hears your prayers and that God is answering your prayers as He sees fit at any given time. Now, 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 for six months, for three and a half years. And he prayed again, and the heaven gave rain, and the earth produced its fruit. He said he was a man with a nature like ours. He was really no different in that he was flesh and blood.

He prayed earnestly. God heard his prayer. It made a difference. Now, obviously, God works in different ways at different times.

We can't expect God to always answer our prayers in this way. That's not what this means. This means God answers according to His will at any given time. And we have to trust that He knows what He's doing, and that He is hearing our prayers, and that He is answering our prayers.

Pray for one another that you may be healed. Are there trials of others also as much of a test for those looking on as the ones in the trenches who are actually fighting the battles personally? Is God testing the rest of the body as to our attitudes toward service?

As Mr. Pritchard talked about, our perspective. What is your perspective on how you ought to pray for others? Is God testing all of us as to our attitudes toward service, toward love, towards support, and also especially our willingness and our desire to send up heartfelt, fervent prayers for one another? Are we bonding together as God's people? Are we taking this responsibility of praying for one another as seriously as we should? Or are we neglecting to do this? This is something that you have to ask yourself, and I have to ask myself, and you have to be honest, and I have to be honest.

And if we need to repent of not doing so, then we need to repent of it. If you're not following through in regard to the sermon that I'm going to be giving today, then you need to repent. And I need to repent. Because we all need to do the job that God has called us to do to be effective, fervent men and women who love each other, who pray for each other, and who have faith, who believe that God will answer. And when He doesn't, we're still willing to persevere and to wait on the answer or to accept the answer that He is giving us at any given time.

God is, I believe, testing all of us. He's testing those who are having the trial, but He's also testing those of us who should be pulling together for those who are having the trial. We should be praying for one another and praying fervently and effectively for each other. Again, prayer is something that we need to be doing on a daily basis, even a number of times each day. So, have you been praying faithfully every day, a number of times throughout the day? In Psalm 55, verses 16 and 17, in the book of Psalms, David writes, Psalm 55, verses 16 and 17, Psalm 55, verses 16 and 17, David writes, As for me, I will call upon God, and the Lord shall save me. Evening and morning and at noon I will pray. I will cry aloud, and he shall hear my voice.

So, David was a man after God's own heart. David did have faith. David did believe he certainly wasn't perfect, was he? He was a sinner, he fell short, but he was also a righteous man in many, many ways, and he was very wholehearted. So, he gave effective fervent prayers that made a difference. Evening and morning and at noon, the day begins in the evening. That's when God's day begins. It starts in the evening.

Let's start the day with prayer. In the morning and at noon, throughout the day, David says, I will pray, and I will cry aloud. He will be fervent and effectual in his prayers, and he will hear my voice. In Daniel 6, it gives the account of Daniel and the lion's den, and how he was thrown into the lion's den because he prayed. He was tested and tried, and he was up to the test, and he continued to pray. It says in verse 10 of Daniel 6 that Daniel knelt down on his knees three times that day, that day when he knew that he would be in trouble for praying.

So, he knelt down on his knees three times that day, and he prayed, and he gave thanks before his God, as was his custom. It was his custom. This is what he did three times a day, since early days, since he was a very young man.

So, Daniel was a wonderful example of someone who was truly faithful in praying to God, in praising God, in prayer, and having faith in God. I'm sure he prayed for his friends, for Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, who also had great faith and were protected by God. So, prayer was what got Daniel into the lion's den. That's what got him into the lion's den, and that is surely what got him out, because he did have faith, and he did pray to God, and he continued to pray under trial and under testing.

This reminds me of a story I heard some time ago. It was actually written in an article called Kids of the Kingdom by Philip Saunders. He said, The week after our six-year-old daughter, Hilary, learned about Daniel and the power of prayer in Sunday school, my wife had to scold her for misbehaving. Hilary was sent to her room. Minutes later, she appeared with a letter. Dear Mommy, it read, please pray this prayer and mean it. Dear God, help me to be kind to Hilary.

She was listening, and I'm sure it worked, that her mother had to take account of that and be sure that she was kind to Hilary. Not that we shouldn't scold our children if they're misbehaving, because that's surely what they need at the time.

But it is good to have faith that God will hear our prayers.

So we should be praying, certainly, that God will guide us in all aspects of our lives, especially in our child-rearing and bringing up precious children for God.

You know, prayer at set times, like Daniel and David, it's very good to pray, to get into a habit of praying evening, morning, and at noon.

So try to work that into your schedule. Even if you're at work, perhaps you can find some quiet time.

Maybe you can't, depending on the job that you have. You can certainly pray silently, and God hears our prayers. So there are set times for prayer. It's good to be on our knees before God, praying faithfully to Him. But spontaneous prayer is also important, too. And we should be spontaneous in our prayers throughout the day. We're told to pray without ceasing. This reminds me of a businessman who was late for an important meeting. He couldn't find a parking space. He was looking for this parking space, and as he frantically circled the block, he got so desperate that he decided to pray. So, looking up toward heaven, he said, Lord, take pity on me. If you find me a parking space, I'll go to church every Sunday for the rest of my life. And not only that, I'll give up drinking.

Miraculously, a parking space appeared. The guy looked up into heaven and said, never mind, I found one. Yeah, that kind of points out that a lot of us really don't take our prayers. As seriously as we really ought to. God does answer our prayers, and we need to know that and believe that, and certainly not be frivolous in the things that we do. In 1 Thessalonians 5, verses 17 and 18, it talks about a prayerful mindset, the kind of mind that we should have, the mind of Christ. We know we ought to have the mind of Christ. In 1 Thessalonians 5, verse 17, the instruction is to pray without ceasing. Paul says we should pray without ceasing. We should have that kind of mindset that we go throughout our day, and our minds are ever on God's way of life. His way of life is guiding us throughout the day. Pray without ceasing, in everything give thanks. Be grateful, people, and give thanks for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

It is God's will that we humble ourselves before God and allow Him to live in us, to guide and to direct us to actually guide our very thinking. What we think about all day long, we are to put on the mind of Christ. We are to pray without ceasing.

And in everything we should give thanks, because that means so much when we are grateful in our hearts toward God. This kind of mindset will eventually happen if you will pray faithfully every day. If you'll pray three times a day before long, you'll realize that this mindset has become your mindset. It's always on your mind. You're thinking about these things. You're praying throughout the day. In Matthew 26, it gives the account of the Apostle Peter.

It was that fateful night when Jesus Christ was taken and was tried and was later very soon crucified. Matthew 26, if you'll go with me there. Matthew 26, remember Peter, he struck the servant of the high priest. Matthew 26, verse 51. And suddenly, one of those who were with Jesus stressed out his hand and drew his sword and struck the servant of the high priest as they were about to take Christ captive. And he cut off his ear. It was Malchus. We read that in another place. Malchus was the name of this particular person. He cut off his ear and Jesus said to him, put your sword in its place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. And Jesus put that ear back on that man. He healed him instantly, immediately. And he told Peter to put the sword in his place, for all who take the sword will perish by the sword. Or do you think that I cannot now pray to my Father, and that He will provide me with more than twelve legions of angels?

We know that Christ prayed fervently and faithfully that night, while His disciples were falling asleep all around Him a number of times. Christ prayed so faithfully and fervently that He actually sweat drops of blood. Christ had finished very intense prayer sessions in the Garden of Gethsemane. He was spiritually minded when they came upon Him. He was prepared for what was going to be taking place very shortly. He was prepared to lay His life down for us. Christ set an example for us in prayer.

Christ told His disciples that they should watch and pray lest you enter into temptation. That's verse 41 of the same chapter, Matthew 26. Watch and pray lest you enter into temptation, for the Spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. Yes, indeed, the flesh is weak. And I know that I've been neglectful in praying. I will admit that to you. I will confess my sin to you. There have been times in the 40 years I've been in God's church that I've certainly been neglectful. In my prayers.

It's something I had to repent about from, and I've had to repent a number of times on this very issue, because it's not easy to do this. As human beings, the flesh is weak. We don't necessarily want to take precious time out of our busy schedules to pray like we should. But other things are more important, aren't they? That's what we think. We think that other things are more important than our prayers.

But the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man or woman avails much. In fact, it can move mountains, the Scripture tells us. That's how powerful our prayers can be. Just think that if all of us would unitedly repent of this sin of neglecting to pray. And I'll show you in the Bible that it is indeed a sin. It is something that you need to repent of. If you're not faithfully praying, then you are sinning against the Almighty God. The Mind of Christ Again, we need to have the mind of Christ for our prayers to be truly effective. We have to put on the mind of Christ. In 1 Peter 3, let's go there for a moment. 1 Peter 3. 1 Peter 3, verse 7. It gives instruction to husbands to love their wives. It also shows that if a husband isn't loving his wife the way he should, that their prayers would be hindered.

It's important that we as husbands truly do love our wives and are willing to lay our lives down for our wives. It is important that our wives are also working together with their husbands. Otherwise, your prayers are going to be hindered. They're not going to be nearly as effective. You have to patch up the problems, the breaches in your relationships, brethren, starting with your marriages. If your prayers are going to be effective, you need to go to God because you are one person. That's what the Scripture tells us. The two shall become one. It's important that we work these things out together, that our prayers will not be hindered. Verse 8. Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another. Love is brothers and sisters. Be tenderhearted. Be courteous to each other. Not returning evil for evil or reviling for reviling, but on the contrary blessing. Knowing that you were called to this, that you may inherit a blessing, for he who would love life and see good days, let him refrain his tongue from evil, refrain his lips from speaking deceit. Let him turn away from evil and let him do good. Let him seek peace and pursue it earnestly, for the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous. It does make a difference how you live your life. The decisions that you make, whether you'll be righteous or unrighteous, whether you'll do the right thing, or you will eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil and continue to do evil. For the eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers. God's ears are open to the prayers of the righteous. But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil. This is what the Bible says clearly. When we do evil, then God isn't going to be hearing our prayers. We have to be repentant people. We have to go to God having repented of our sins, having our sins cleansed and washed away in the blood of Christ.

And then our prayers will be heard, and they will become effective. Otherwise, they are not effective. They're not going above the wall or the ceiling.

The eyes of the Lord are on the righteous, and his ears are open to their prayers.

In Matthew 4, it is recorded that perhaps the greatest battle of all time, when Satan, the devil, approached Jesus Christ and tried to tempt him to sin. What weapons did Jesus use in waging this battle with Satan?

Undoubtedly, he used all the weapons in his spiritual arsenal. He used truth, righteousness, faith. But remember, he prepared for this battle with 40 days of prayer and fasting. Prayer and Fasting Metaphorically speaking, you might say that Jesus had prayer and fasting in one holster, if you want to use the Western, the Texas analogy. He had prayer and fasting in one holster, and he had the sword of the Spirit, the word of God in the other. He prepared with prayer and with fasting, and he wielded the sword of the Spirit as he quoted Scripture to counter Satan's temptations. Remember, he quoted Scripture to Satan. He quoted the truth of God.

He was prepared for the battle. He had prayed. He had fasted. Christ knew how to win spiritual battles, didn't he? He never lost one. He won every single one. He never sinned. And yet, he was flesh, flesh and blood. Christ is our example. He knew how to win spiritual battles.

His followers at the time, the disciples, when he was living, had not yet learned how to win those battles. They were falling asleep. They were denying Christ three times in one night.

Brethren, have you learned how to win spiritual battles?

Are you a good soldier of Jesus Christ?

In Matthew 17, let's go there together. It shows us that some things just don't happen unless we are praying and fasting. Matthew 17, if you are serious about this walk of life, and I assume that you are, I believe that you are. I don't believe you would be here otherwise.

If we are serious, then we will begin to do a better job of prayer and fasting. Matthew 17, verse 14. And when they had come to the multitude, a man came to him, kneeling down to him, and saying, Lord, have mercy on my son. For he is an epileptic, and he suffers severely, for he often falls into the fire and often into the water. So I brought him to your disciples, but they could not cure him. Jesus answered and said, O faithless and perverse generation, how long shall I be with you? How long shall I bear with you? Bring him here to me. And Jesus rebuked the demon, the evil spirit, and it came out of him. And the child was cured from that very hour. Then the disciples came to Jesus privately and said, Why could we not cast it out? Because they had been doing miraculous things in Christ's name, but they could not cast out this demon. So Jesus said to them, Because of your unbelief, because of your lack of faith, because of your unbelief, for surely I say to you, if you have faith as a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, Move from here to there, and it will move, and nothing will be impossible for you. However, this kind, this evil spirit, this demonic spirit, does not go out except by prayer and fasting. Prayer and fasting are both extremely important, valuable tools. And I plan to talk about fasting probably the next time I get up here. Prayer and fasting are extremely important tools that God gives us to help us win our spiritual battles. Some things don't just happen. It takes prayer and fasting to move mountains, to move things, to make things happen in your life. God wants to see us take things more seriously. He doesn't want us to be distracted by the cares of this world. He doesn't want you to be distracted. He doesn't want me to be distracted by the cares of this world. In Acts 12, Herod rose up and killed James, the brother of John. And then he also seized Peter in Acts 12. He seized Peter. No doubt he was also planning to kill him.

It says that constant prayer by the church, by those who knew Peter, the disciples, the brethren, that constant prayer was offered up for Peter. That's what you'll read in Acts 12. What was Peter doing while everyone was praying for him back at the house? Well, he was sleeping. How could he be sleeping?

Well, he was probably tired. He probably had been praying a lot, for one thing. And certainly he had faith. He had a measure of faith. He was a changed man.

Once the power of God, the Spirit of God, was in Peter, he was able to speak boldly to stand up against those who would have killed him. Those that he denied Christ to three times. He was able to speak boldly before them, and as a result, he was imprisoned.

He was able to sleep because he had faith in God. He trusted God. He believed in God. Now, Peter was well guarded in that prison. He was deep into the prison. Angels appeared, and the chains fell off of those prison doors. Guards were in a deep sleep.

Peter thought he was also asleep when the angel came and let him out, and the gate opened up on its own. It was miraculous. A type of prayer meeting had been going on for Peter. They had joined together. They were praying for Peter. They were banding together as God's people. It's certainly never wrong for people to get together and pray for each other. If you want to get together in your little community with the dozen or 15 or 20 people that live close by and have a prayer meeting, far be it for me to stop you from that. I would not do that. I encourage you to do that. Pray together. Let's come together as God's people. Let's follow the examples in the Bible. Examples of getting together and banding together as God's people fervently and faithfully, praying for one another.

But why were they all astonished when he appeared at the door? Remember what happened? Rhoda was astonished. She came to the door. There he was. She left him at the door. She went back and told him. They didn't believe her because they lacked faith. But they grew in faith, didn't they, when they saw Peter come to that door. When they heard the miraculous story that God had intervened and had saved Peter out of that prison, they knew that God was working mightily in Peter and in the disciples of the time. The church was growing by leaps and bounds. If we want to see this church grow, then we have to step out in faith. We need to become much more fervent in our prayers for one another. We have to learn to love each other more. We have to become like the early church and have faith and believe and trust in God and begin to do things that we haven't done in this church. I'll be frank. We could do better. We can do better. We need to do better.

In Acts 10, Acts 10, Acts 10, verse 30.

So Cornelius, remember Cornelius? Cornelius was a Gentile. He was a centurion. He was what was referred to as a God-fearr. He feared God. He prayed to God. And it says his prayers went up to God as a memorial.

In verse 1 of chapter 10, there was a certain man in Caesarea called Cornelius, a centurion of what was called the Italian regiment. He was a devout man and one who feared God with all his household, who gave alms generously to the people. So he was a good example in so many different ways, not just in prayers, but he was a generous person and he helped the poor. And he prayed to God always. He prayed to God always. And about the ninth hour of that day, he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God coming in and saying to him, Cornelius, now I fully expect God to begin moving in the days ahead before Christ returns within his church. I fully expect that we will see this type of thing happening. I'm looking and longing for that day because I believe that Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever, and I believe that we live in perilous times. I believe that we are drawing ever closer to Christ's return and to the fulfillment of the prophecies of the book of Daniel and of Revelation. Times are going to get very, very difficult upon this earth. We're going to have no choice but to turn to God. But why don't we get a head start as a congregation and start doing it right now? Who knows what impact we could have, this congregation could have, in God's sight.

God is looking for righteous men and women and children as well, who will trust in him and believe in him and be like David against Goliath, trusting that God is far more powerful than any nine or ten or eleven foot giant that would come against us.

Cornelius was fasting when the angel came to him. Look at Acts 10, verse 30. So, Cornelius said, four days ago I was fasting until this hour, and at the ninth hour I prayed in my house, and behold a man stood before me in bright clothing, and said, Cornelius, your prayer has been heard and your alms are remembered in the sight of God. And I think most of you know the rest of the story about how God was going to grant his Holy Spirit to the Gentiles.

Now, we don't always get answers as quickly as Cornelius did in this case. I understand that. I know that. I've been around a long time.

What do you do if your prayers are not answered right away? Do you give up, or do you keep right on asking and believing?

Do you keep praying until you get an answer? A definitive answer? A yay or an aay? Or do you stop praying? God looks on our hearts. He wants to see a heart that perseveres, a heart that is persistent, a heart that keeps going to him and beseeching him.

God is testing us.

So keep praying until you get an answer. In Luke 11, expect an answer and keep praying until you get one. That's not that complicated. Luke 11, verse 5.

Again, God doesn't always answer as quickly, but notice this parable that's given here. Christ said to his disciples, Which of you shall have a friend, and go to him at midnight, and say to him, Friend, lend me three loaves? Give me three loaves of bread. For a friend of mine has come to me on his journey, and I have nothing to set before him. I want to be hospitable. I want to be able to take care of this stranger that came in, or this friend who came in and surprised me. So give me some loaves of bread.

And he will answer from within and say, Do not trouble me. The door is now shut. Don't trouble me, and my children are with me in bread. I can't rise and give it to you, or I cannot rise and give it to you. What do you expect of me?

I say to you, though he will... Christ says, I say to you, though he will not rise and give to him, because he is his friend, yet because of his persistence. Because of his persistence, if you keep asking, then even someone who's in bed will get up and come to the door. Because they'll want to shut you up, eventually. Because if they want any sleep, they can't allow you to keep banging on the door.

It's easier for them to get up and do something. God really does want us to be fervent in our prayers. He wants us to be persistent. He wants us to keep asking.

Yet because of his persistence, he will rise and he will give him as many as he needs. So I think sometimes we give up too easily. We give up too quickly. If you're asking for something important, if it's a prayer worth asking, then keep asking it. Until you get a definitive answer.

I don't think there's any time limit. I don't see any time limit on our prayers.

So again, this persistent prayer was not for himself, by the way. He was doing it to help someone.

And we should be doing it to help others as well. Our prayers are multifaceted, of course.

But a lot of our prayers should be intercessory prayers, where we pray for others.

Do others' suffering serve as much to see... or God allows others to suffer at times, perhaps to see how we're going to respond and to test our level of compassion. Now, you know, I've been impressed with a lot of what I've seen in this congregation. Now, I've seen a congregation that pulls together, and they make a lot of meals for people who are suffering, who need help. You know, I've seen this congregation pull together. I've seen people take initiative.

People are praying for each other. People are helping each other. They are giving to each other.

People really do care for each other in this congregation. I know that. I know that God's love is in you. I know that God is motivating you. He's guiding and directing you. He wants you to step out in faith in greater ways than you've ever done before.

He wants you to step up to the plate and provide a meal for someone. Don't make excuses for why you can't do it. Find a way. Overwhelm those who have taken the initiative to introduce these programs. Overwhelm them with the fact that this congregation does care and they're willing to sacrifice. They're willing to take a little bit of their time to make a meal for someone.

No, I've seen what this congregation is like, and I like what I see. I believe in you. I have faith in you. I do. I believe in you.

I believe that you are called by the Almighty God.

And that God can work a great work in you.

I believe that with all my heart.

Intercessory prayer is powerful.

And we all need to be doing it. And we all need to repent. And trust me, I am one who needs to repent and do better.

Let's notice in 1 Samuel that it indeed is a prayer. It is a sin when we're not praying for each other. Let's go to 1 Samuel 12. You know, the first time I saw this, it was really quite eye-opening to me.

I hadn't seen it. I don't remember exactly how long I was in the church before I realized this. But in 1 Samuel 12, it's talking about when the people wanted a king. You know, God was their king. They had the best king they could ever hope for. And yet the people wanted a human being. They wanted flesh and blood to be their king. God wasn't happy with that. Samuel wasn't happy. God said they haven't rejected you. They rejected me that I should not reign over them. And so this is the context in which we find these words, beginning in 1 Samuel 12. I'm in 2 Samuel. Let me go to 1 Samuel 12. Verse 19.

And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, because God wasn't happy with them. In fact, Samuel had prayed, and God sent thunder and rain. And no doubt it destroyed some of their crops. In verse 17, he says, Today is today not the weed harvest. I will call to the Lord, and he will send thunder and rain, that you may perceive and see that your wickedness is great, which you have done in the sight of the Lord in asking a king for yourselves, because you lacked faith in God. You didn't believe in him. So Samuel called to the Lord, and the Lord sent thunder and rain. Samuel prayed to God, and God sent thunder and rain at harvest time, and their crops were being destroyed.

And all the people said to Samuel, Pray for your servants to the Lord your God, that we may not die, for we have added to all our sins the evil of asking a king for ourselves. Then Samuel said to the people, Do not fear, you have done all this wickedness, yet do not turn aside from following the Eternal, but serve the Lord, serve him with all your heart. And do not turn aside, for then you would go after empty things, which cannot profit or deliver. How often do we do that? We turn aside, and we spend our time in things that are not productive, that don't deliver for us, that don't draw us closer to God, that don't do anything of value for others. We're too intent on indulging ourselves oftentimes, that we allow Satan to distract us from doing something far more important.

So don't turn aside, for then you would go after empty things, which cannot profit or deliver, for they are nothing. Verse 22, For the Lord will not forsake his people, for his great name's sake, because it has pleased the Lord to make you his people. And today, the same thing is true. It has pleased God to call you out of this world, and to make you one of his people, one of his first fruits. I believe judgment has begun at the house of God, and we are being judged, and we are being tested today. And God will not forsake us. Verse 23, Moreover, as for me, Samuel says, Far be it from me that I should sin against the Lord in ceasing to pray for you.

Samuel saw that he had a responsibility to pray for the people.

And to me, this says that it's a sin if we don't pray for one another. If I don't pray for you, I'm sinning. If I don't do my part to hold up holy hands, righteous hands, which means I have to clean up my life, and live faithfully. If I'm not doing my part, then you're going to suffer.

And if you don't do your part, then all of us are going to suffer. Because all of us are in this together, God works through each and every one of us. We are all His called out and chosen ones.

He says, But I will teach you the good and the right way. God wants to teach us His way, only fear the Lord and serve Him in truth, with all your heart. Be wholehearted in all that you do, for consider what great things He has done for you. Yes, we should consider what God does for us and thank Him continually in our prayers.

But if you still do wickedly, you shall be swept away. If you do wickedly, you're going to be swept away. I'm going to be swept away. God doesn't take this lightly, nor should we. If you do wickedly, you shall be swept away, just as those crops were swept away that day. Those crops that were ripe and ready to be harvested, the rain and the hail came down, and it swept it all away. And in the same way, we're going to be swept away if we don't do our part, both you and your King. And that's exactly what happened to Israel. They were swept away. They went into captivity. They suffered greatly. Because they didn't take these things as seriously as they needed to. God has given us His Spirit. We can change. We can be different.

So do not sin by ceasing to pray for one another. We've got a couple surgeries coming up this week. I hope all of you will take it very seriously and pray for those who are going through these surgeries. Pray that God will be merciful, that God will intervene, and that it will make a huge difference in their lives.

In Romans chapter 15, it shows that Paul said we should strive or struggle together in our prayers for each other. Let's see that in Romans chapter 15.

Romans chapter 15.

Romans chapter 15 verse 30. Now I beg you, brethren, through the Lord Jesus Christ and through the love of the Spirit, that you strive together with me in prayers to God for me. Again, Paul is asking for prayers.

He obviously valued the brethren's prayers that I may be delivered from those in Judea who do not believe and that my service for Jerusalem may be acceptable to the saints. So, he really took his job seriously, his responsibilities. He asked the people to pray for him that he would be delivered from those who were trying to kill him and that he would also be able to serve God's people, that I may come to you with joy by the will of God and may be refreshed together with you. The Sabbath to me is a very refreshing day. The Sabbath truly is a delight. When we have an opportunity to meet together each Sabbath, it's a wonderful opportunity to be refreshed, to be rejuvenated both physically, by resting, and also spiritually by fellowshiping and by hearing God's word taught. It is very important to be here. I'm glad to see so many of you here today. That's wonderful. I hope we will continue to be here every Sabbath unless there's something wrong. That prevents us from being here. God is surely working with us. We should strive together in prayer for one another. That's what this Scripture is telling us, that we should strive together, each other praying for one another.

In Hebrew 7, it shows us that Christ's main responsibility is that of our high priest. Christ is our high priest. He is alive. He is well. He is at the very right hand of the Father.

His main responsibility at this time is that of high priest. In Hebrews 7, verse 21, it says, For they have become priests without an oath, but he with an oath by him who said to him, the Lord has sworn and will not relent. You are a priest forever, after according to the order of Melchizedek. By so much more, Jesus has become surety of a better covenant.

A new covenant, a better covenant. Also, there were many priests because they were prevented by death from continuing. Human priests could not continue because they died, but he, Christ, because he continues forever, has an unchangeable priesthood. Therefore, verse 25, therefore he is also able to save to the uttermost those who come to God through him, since he always lives to make intercession for them. Christ is the Messiah. He is our Savior. We go to the Father through Christ. Our sins are forgiven through Christ.

For such a high priest was fitting for us, who is holy and harmless and undefiled, completely pure, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens, who does not need daily as those high priests who offer up sacrifices, first for his own sins, and then for the peoples, for this he did once for all, when he offered up himself. Nearly 2,000 years ago, Christ offered himself up, and he was crucified for us. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son, who has been perfected forever. Christ is perfect. He is at the right hand of God. He intervenes for us because he knows we are weak, and he knows we are frail. I stand before you today, not because of anything, except God's willingness to overlook my weakness and my frailty. He saw how his disciples would fall asleep while he was faithfully praying. He saw how Peter denied him three times. He atoned for our sins by dying for us, and he now intercedes as our high priests on our behalf, and we are indeed forgiven our sins. But he does expect more of his converted disciples who have the Holy Spirit dwelling in them. The disciples were not yet converted when they fell asleep in the garden. Peter had not yet received the gift of the Holy Spirit when he denied Christ. With the power of the Spirit in us, we can overcome our weaknesses. We can overcome our flesh.

Is it possible to be more faithful and more diligent, brethren, in so many aspects of our lives? Certainly in our prayers. Because I know there have been times when you've neglected to pray, because you're just like I am. And I've done it. So I believe that all of us have fallen short, because I know that praying, it takes time, it takes effort.

It has to be a priority, or we will neglect it. So what are some prayer killers that we must do our best to avoid? I'm just going to go through these very quickly. And please be honest, are you allowing these things to kill your prayers? Are they not getting above the ceilings in your home, because you're allowing these things to get in the way? Number one, lack of spiritual focus. Do you lack spiritual focus? Are your minds on other things? Do you have greater priorities? Or are you indeed seeking first the Kingdom of God with all your heart, soul, and might? So a lack of spiritual focus is, one, number two, bad habits. Bad habits of rushing off to work, of watching TV, of falling asleep at night before you've prayed. These are bad habits. Is that what's getting in your way? Number three, too much work. You work too many hours. You need to scale back. Money is perhaps more important to you than it ought to be.

Too much work or maybe too much play. Too much entertainment.

Overindulging yourselves. That's number three. Too much work, too much play. Number four, a lack of faith. Not really believing that your prayers will make a difference. I've been in this thing 40 years. Have my prayers really made that much of a difference? You can get in that kind of an attitude. And you can think your prayers don't really matter that much. But I know that's wrong. I know that's wrong thinking. We shouldn't think that way. We should not allow Satan to get us to think like that. It's when we lack faith, when we don't believe that our prayers will make a difference. The Scripture shows us clearly that your prayers will make a difference. That your prayers are powerful.

Number five, not enough love and concern for each other. You don't really love each other enough to take the time to pray for each other. You're lacking in love. Number six, you've become weary in well-doing. You've been around a long time, and now you're weary.

That could get in the way. It could kill your prayers.

If you're spiritually discouraged and depressed, well, that will certainly affect your prayers, won't it?

If you're spiritually discouraged and depressed, that will hurt your prayers. But you have to keep praying through the depression. You have to keep praying through the distress and know that God is there to raise you up and out of that.

And number eight, a lack of genuine gratitude for God's blessings in your life. Not really taking God's blessings as you should. Not being thankful enough. Not comprehending the very mercy of God. God gives you every breath that you breathe. You're here on this earth today because God gives you life. You owe it all to Him. You can't afford to think otherwise.

So these eight things, and I'm sure others can hinder our prayers. They can get in the way.

You know, I'm quite certain that Satan would prefer that we all stop praying. That's what Satan would love to see, that we all stop praying. He wants you to stop praying. He wants me to stop praying. He wants us to be lackadaisical. He wants us to be laodicean in our prayers. Luke, warm in our prayers.

Now, I wonder if there was a specific reason why Paul did not compare prayer to a particular physical weapon in Ephesians 6. I don't know. You know, he compared many other things. A shield, a helmet, a breastplate, a belt.

If he had compared prayer to a physical weapon, what would he have used? Perhaps he would have compared prayer to canon, or maybe dynamite. But you know, they didn't have cannons or dynamite back then, did they?

They didn't have atomic bombs. They didn't have nuclear bombs or hydrogen bombs.

Maybe he didn't compare prayer to anything because it was so powerful that it spoke on its own merits.

I think we can see from the Bible that prayer is powerful. In places, it says it moves mountains. Effective fervent prayers mean a great deal. So, brethren, expect God to answer your prayers. Expect him to. Trust that he will. He may not answer them exactly the way you want him to, but he will answer them. Are you using the power of prayer today? Is your prayer being accompanied by faith? Are we truly praying for the most important things in life?

Are we praying that we will become more and more like God each day, and that we will become a true vessel in his hands? Truly submissive and surrendered to him and yielded to him, as Paul was and as Peter was. They became that way, though. They still were flesh. They had to fight the good fight. Brethren, we are to put on the armor of God. We are to put on the belt of truth. We are to put on the breastplate of righteousness. We are to put on the helmet of salvation. We are to put on the shield or to wield that shield of faith and the sword of the spirit, God's word. But the armor is not going to fit properly, unless it is accompanied by another very powerful spiritual weapon, and that is prayer. Prayer is very powerful. It is a powerful spiritual tool. It is one of our greatest and most powerful weapons. Prayer. Brethren, use prayer often. Use it well. Use it as God shows in his word that we're supposed to use our prayers. Let's believe that God will hear our prayers, that God will answer, and let us all be more fervent and faithful in our prayers.