1. James
5:13-16
Borrowing one of ours?
English pg. 1210
Espanol pg. 1586

2. “Somebody Help Me Do the Right Thing!” Mary Southerland

3. “The very pulse of the spiritual life.” Andrew Murray
What is Prayer?
“The very pulse of the spiritual life.”
Andrew Murray

4. Communication with God
God speaks in His Word
We hear and respond through prayer

5. “Prayer is NOT made so that God can find out what we need
“Prayer is NOT made so that God can find out what we need. God wants us to pray because prayer expresses our trust in God and is a means whereby our trust in Him can increase.” Wayne Grudem, Systematic Theology

6. “Prayer acknowledges that our need is not just for a little boost from God, and then we can handle it on our own. Prayer admits: MY NEED IS TOTAL! Steven J. Cole

7. Three Truths About Prayer
1. Commanded to pray.
“Pray without ceasing” (1 Thes. 5.17)
“We should begin to pray before we kneel down, and we should not cease when we rise up.” C. Spurgeon
“Devote yourselves to prayer keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.” (Col. 4.2)

8. Three Truths About Prayer
2. Expected to pray.
“when you pray” (Mat )
“With all prayer and petition pray at all times in the Spirit, and with this in view, be on the alert with all perseverance and petition for all the saints.” (Eph. 6.18)

9. Three Truths About Prayer
3. God values & desires our prayer.
3 An angel came and stood at the altar, holding a golden censer; and much incense was given to him, so that he might add it to the prayers of all the saints on the golden altar which was before the throne. 4 And the smoke of the incense, with the prayers of the saints, went up before God out of the angel’s hand. (Rev )

10. Prayer is NOT an option! The Practice of prayer . . .
Prayerlessness is sin against God (1 Sam )
Act of arrogance: “I have no need for You”

11. The Practice of prayer . . .
“Many Christians have the same attitude toward
prayer that they do toward spinach; both are good
for you, but must be endured, not enjoyed.”
(Foundation Book 6)

12. A. doration C. onfession T. hanksgiving S. upplication
Philippians
“Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God.”

13. Intercession
“God’s method for involving His followers more completely in the totality of His plan.” D. Eastman, The Hour of Powerful Prayer
Prayer offered on behalf of another
Mediation: stand between a lost being and an Almighty God, praying that a person will come to know about God and His salvation

14. Intercession Rom
26 In the same way the Spirit also helps our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we should, but the Spirit Himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words; 27 and He who searches the hearts knows what the mind of the Spirit is, because He intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

15. True intercessory prayer seeks God’s glory, not our own.”
Intercession Rom. 8.34
34 Christ Jesus is He who died, yes, rather who was raised, who is at the right hand of God, who also intercedes for us.
“True intercessory prayer seeks not only to know God’s will and see it fulfilled, but to see it fulfilled whether or not it benefits us and regardless of what it costs us.
True intercessory prayer seeks God’s glory, not our own.”

16. WHAT HINDERS OUR PRAYERS?

17. What HINDERS our prayers?
1. Selfish MOTIVES (Jms. 4.3)
You ask and do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, so that you may spend it on your pleasures.

18. What HINDERS our prayers?
2. Unconfessed Sin
Behold, the Lord’s hand is not so short that it cannot save; Nor is His ear so dull that it cannot hear. 2 But your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, And your sins have hidden His face from you so that He does not hear. (Is. 59.2)
If I regard wickedness in my heart, The Lord will not hear; (Ps )

19. What HINDERS our prayers?
3. Life lived to the FLESH (Rom )
7 the mind set on the flesh is hostile toward God; for it does not subject itself to the law of God, for it is not even able to do so, 8 and those who are in the flesh cannot please God.

20. What HINDERS our prayers?
4. Disunity in the home (1 Pet. 3.7) 5. Hard Heart toward others (Phil , 1 Jn ) 6. Anxious spirit (Phil. 4.6, Matt ) 7. Unforgiveness (Matt , Matt )

21. What HINDERS our prayers?
8. Doubt / Unbelief (Jms )
5 But if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who gives to all generously and without reproach, and it will be given to him. 6 But he must ask in faith without any doubting, for the one who doubts is like the surf of the sea, driven and tossed by the wind. 7 For that man ought not to expect that he will receive anything from the Lord,

22. What HINDERS our prayers?
9. NO Love for Christ
“If you love Me,
keep My commandments.”

23. What HINDERS our prayers?
10. NO REGENERATION / Lost (Ps )
15 The eyes of the LORD are on the RIGHTEOUS, and his ears are attentive to their cry; 16 but the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to blot out their name from the earth. 17 The RIGHTEOUS cry out, and the LORD hears them; he delivers them from all their troubles. 18 The LORD is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.