RCCG Canaan Land Digging Deep September 19, 2017 Cultivating your prayer life Text; James 5:16b The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results. (NLT)

Cultivating your prayer life Text; James 5:16b  Why Pray? ‘A prayer-less Christian is a powerless Christian’ – Anonymous Learning how to pray effectively and understanding what happens when we pray is amongst the most important things a believer can ever do in his Christian walk. 1 Thes. 5:17, James 5:16b A believer cannot be a success in fulfilling God’s purpose for his life if he does not know how to pray according to biblical principles. Jn. 15:4-5 Our effectiveness and strength as Christians is dependent on the depth of our relationship with God which can only be cultivated in the place of prayer One of the things the devil fears most is a knowledgeable Christian with open and effective communication lines with the Father. 2Cor. 2:11 The devil is therefore advantaged when our pray lives are weak or non existent. He will therefore go to any length to attack and undermine your prayer life

Cultivating your prayer life Text; James 5:16b What happens when we Pray? We build the bridge that connects the physical to the spiritual. Jn. 4:24 Man is essentially a spirit being inhabiting a body. Gen. 2:7 the spiritual controls the physical. Jn. 3:8,31 Not praying locks you out of the control room Prayer releases God to act on our behalf in our lives and situations. 2 Kings 19:14-20,32-35 When God created man, he ceded control of the earth to man . Gen 1:26-28, God acts on the earth primarily through the agency of man. Mtt. 18:18-19, 16:19 When we refuse to pray God becomes as it were incapacitated. Isa. 59:14-16, 2Chro. 7:14

Cultivating your prayer life Text; James 5:16b What happens when we Pray? God shares with us heavenly mysteries; Dan:2:16-19, Amos 3:7 his plans for our lives, families, generation and even the future. Gen. 18:16-17, 1 Sam30:8, 18-19 The plans of the enemy against us and strategies to overcome in life. 2 King 6:8-12, 1 Chro.14:9-16 Special assignments to intercede for people and nations even unknown to us

Cultivating your prayer life Text; James 5:16b What to do to get your prayers answered Pray the word of God Ps. 138;2 - know what he word of God says Josh. 1:8 - pray according to the word 1Jn 5:14 - be bold and assertive Heb. 4:16 Don’t be ambiguous, be specific - Ask for what you want Mk. 5:25-29, Mtt. 15: 22-28, 7:7-11, Mk. 10:47-52 Believe that your prayers are answered - let your every thought and action affirm that you have what you have prayed about. James 1:6-8 - your prayers are answered not because you feel so but because the word of says so. Mark 11:24 - form a mental picture of what you have prayed about and continue to confess what your mind sees. Faith confessions birth reality Rom. 4:17, Gen. 13:14-15

Cultivating your prayer life Text; James 5:16b What to do to get your prayers answered Guard your mind -reject anything that contradicts the word. 2 Cor. 10:3-5 -stand against every thought that comes to make you doubt. James 4:7 -Thoughts are governed by observation, association, teaching and meditation. So stay away from people, places and things that do not support your affirmation of God’s word. 1 Cor 15:33 Meditate on God’s word -think and reflect constantly on the portion of scripture upon which you base the answers to your prayers Phil 4:8, prov. 4:20-22 Be consistent and persistent until you a manifestation of your prayers. -stand your ground and refuse to be defeated. Dan.10:12-13 Be thankful Phil 4:6-7

Profitable Stewards Text; Matthew 25:14-23 Conclusion: The key to miraculous breakthrough and supernatural living is effective prayers – James 5:16-18 The key to effective prayer is to pray according to God’s will – 1 John 5:14-15