The Power of Praying for One Another

James 5:13-17
“Is any among you afflicted? let him pray. Is any merry? let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you? 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 shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him. Confess your faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Elias 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 by the space of three years and six months.”

Introduction: Is there really POWER in prayer? Have you prayed for anybody today? Finish this statement: When we pray for one another there is ____? James, the half-brother of Jesus, gives us (believers), (3) instructions for praying for each other:

1. When should we PRAY? (James 5:13, 14)
” Is there any among you afflicted? Let him pray. Is any merry? Let him sing psalms. Is any sick among you: 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.”
• When we face Adversity
“Afflicted” – kak-op-ath-eh-o, which means to suffer – endure – evils (hardships, troubles)
• When we are sick
“Sick” – as-then-eh-o, which means to be weak, feeble, to be without strength.

2. How should we PRAY? (James 5:15, 16)
” And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he hath committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.”
• God answers PRAYER
• The PRAYER of faith

3. Whose PRAYERS have GREAT strength? (James 5:16)
“Confess your faults one to another, that ye may be healed: The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.”
• “Effectual fervent” – en-erg-eh-o, which means to be operative, be at work, put forth power
• “Availeth” – is-khoo-o, which means to be strong, to have power, strength to overcome

Conclusion: Would you agree? The PRAYER of faith brings both mental and physical healing….according to the WORD of God and the WILL of God. Faith is cultivated by a need, planted by a promise, and harvested by the Lord of the Harvest- Jesus Christ. Do you know anybody that needs PRAYER?

Let’s PRAY.
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese


Teach Us to Pray

Luke 11:1
“One of his disciples said Lord, teach us to pray.”
Introduction: How is your prayer life? Occasionally, it does me good to take inventory on my prayer life? Do you need to? Let’s face it, the purpose of prayer is to have a relationship with the God of the Bible….by talking and listening. This starts as we turn from our sin and trust in Jesus’ precious, cleansing blood and receive Him as our Lord and Saviour. Instead of “SWEET HOUR of PRAYER” our culture has changed it to “SWEET MINUTE of PRAYER”! (guess that’s better than nothing). Is that the way to really build a meaningful LOVE RELATIONSHIP? So Why and How should we pray?
 
1. Why should we PRAY?
(“Lord, Teach us to pray”)
• Why? Because we have not because we ask not (James 4:2)
• Why pray? To keep us from falling into temptation (Matt 26:41 – “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing but the flesh is weak”)
• Why? Because we have an enemy (“Deliver us from evil…” Matt 6:13)
 
2. How should we PRAY?
(“Lord, teach us to pray”)
• Pray in Jesus’ name (John 14:13, 14)
• Pray according to the will of God (1 John 5:14, 15)
• Pray in Faith ( Matt 11:22-24)
• Pray for God’s glory (John 17:1f)
 
Conclusion: Quantity and Quality go hand in hand when it comes to praying. Do you want just 30 seconds a day/week with those you love? Or more like 30 minutes to an hour or more? How does our Heavenly Father feel….. when we just go to him when we’ve got a “flat tire” – or when we want Him to heal us or get us out of trouble, which is ok as long as we have a RELATIONSHIP with Him? But as a parent or a friend, we want to spend time with those we love. We’ve all enrolled in this SCHOOL of PRAYER…. graduation is when we get to heaven!
 
So…”Lord teach us to pray.”
Love y’all,
Dr. Randy Reese