HOW TO PRAY WITH POWERFUL RESULTS

HOW TO PRAY WITH POWERFUL RESULTS
-Paraphrased from a Message by Charles Spurgeon-

James 5:16 (KJV)
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.

James 4:6-10 (KJV)
But he giveth more grace. Wherefore he saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
{7} Submit yourselves therefore to God.
Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
{8} Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you.
8Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.
{9} Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep:
let your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
{10} Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and he shall lift you up.
--------------------Do you often lament that your prayers aren't answered? Have you given up going to God with your every concern because you aren't seeing results of your prayer time? Do you think God may be ignoring you?Include these attitudes in your prayer life:PRAY CONFIDENTLY
If you begin by doubting, your prayer will falter. God tells us:

(Mat 9:27-30a KJV)
And when Jesus departed thence, two blind men followed him, crying, and saying,
Thou son of David, have mercy on us.
{28} And when he was come into the house, the blind men came to him:
and Jesus saith unto them, Believe ye that I am able to do this?
They said unto him, Yea, Lord.
{29} Then touched he their eyes, saying, According to your faith be it unto you.
{30} And their eyes were opened;

When you are in a time of trouble, ask God for help, believing that He is able to give it. Ask, expecting that He will give it.

John 16:23b-24 (KJV)
Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name,
He will give it to you.
{24} Until now, have ye asked nothing in my name:
ask, and ye shall receive,
that your joy may be full.

REMEMBER GOD'S FAITHFULNESS
Seek out God, appealing to His promises and remembering what He has done for you.

Psa 77:10-14 (KJV)
And I said, This is my infirmity:
but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High.
{11} I will remember the works of the LORD:
surely I will remember thy wonders of old.
{12} I will meditate also on all thy work, and talk of thy doings.
{13} Thy way, O God, is in the sanctuary:
who is so great a God as our God?
{14} Thou art the God that doest wonders:
thou hast declared thy strength among the people.

Then remember the constancy of Jesus Christ
(Heb 13:8 KJV)
Jesus Christ the same yesterday, and to day, and for ever.


Remember the Majestic Nature of Jesus Christ

Heb 1:8-12 (KJV)
But unto the Son he saith, Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever:
a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of thy kingdom.
{9} Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity;
therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee
with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.

{10} And, Thou, Lord,
in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth;
and the heavens are the works of thine hands:
{11} They shall perish; but thou remainest;
and they all shall become old as doth a garment;
{12} And as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed:
but thou art the same,
and thy years shall not fail.

RELY ON HIS PROMISES
First, read Scriptures so that you know what those promises are, then grasp the mighty faithfulness of God with a grip of determination.

Deu 26:17-19 (KJV)
Thou hast avouched {Heb=confessed, affirmed} the LORD this day to be thy God,
and to walk in his ways, and to keep his statutes,
and his commandments, and his judgments,
and to hearken unto his voice:
{18} And the LORD hath avouched (H=declared, certified) thee this day to be his peculiar people,
as he hath promised thee,
and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments;
{19} And to make thee high above all nations which he hath made,
in praise, and in name, and in honour;
and that thou mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God,
as he hath spoken.

2 Sam 7:28-29 (KJV)
And now, O Lord GOD,
thou art that God, and thy words be true,
and thou hast promised this goodness unto thy servant:
{29} Therefore now let it please thee to bless the house of thy servant,
that it may continue for ever before thee:
for thou, O Lord GOD, hast spoken it:
and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever.
ADMIT YOUR WEAKNESSES TO THE LORD
Set your case before God, laying bare all your sorrow and all your needs, then say, "Lord, there it is." Share your soul with Him. He is not moved by eloquence of words or oratory of tongue, but is swift to answer the true oratory, the true eloquence of real distress, and is asable to detect false misery as to relieve real sorrow. He loves for us to state the difficulty we are in. Then, when He gets us out of it, we may remember the sorry condition we were in, with gratitude and rejoicing.

Psa 6:2-9 (KJV)
Have mercy upon me, O LORD; for I am weak:
O LORD, heal me; for my bones are vexed.
{3} My soul is also sore vexed: but thou, O LORD, how long?
{4} Return, O LORD, deliver my soul: oh save me for thy mercies' sake.
{5} For in death there is no remembrance of thee:
in the grave who shall give thee thanks?
{6} I am weary with my groaning;
all the night make I my bed to swim; I water my couch with my tears.
{7} Mine eye is consumed because of grief;
it waxeth old because of all mine enemies.
{8} Depart from me, all ye workers of iniquity;
for the LORD hath heard the voice of my weeping.
{9} The LORD hath heard my supplication;
the LORD will receive my prayer.

Declare your trust.
Express your confidence in God. Look to Him for your rescue, knowing that it will come. Your eyes may be filled with tears, but keep looking toward Him. As you look, your eyes will get stronger, and you will become enlightened with His wisdom and direction.

Psa 123:1-2 (KJV)
Unto thee lift I up mine eyes, O thou that dwellest in the heavens.
{2} Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters,
and as the eyes of a maiden unto the hand of her mistress;
so our eyes wait upon the LORD our God,
until that he have mercy upon us.

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Bible Verses about Prayer to Contemplate

1 Th 5:16-19 (KJV)
Rejoice evermore.
{17} Pray without ceasing.
{18} In every thing give thanks:
for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.
{19} Quench not the Spirit.

Psa 86 (TLB)
Bend down and hear my prayer, O Lord,
and answer me, for I am deep in trouble.

{2} Protect me from death, for I try to follow all your laws.
Save me, for I am serving you and trusting you.
{3} Be merciful, O Lord, for I am looking up to you in constant hope.
{4} Give me happiness, O Lord, for I worship only you.

{5} O Lord, you are so good and kind, so ready to forgive,
so full of mercy for all who ask your aid.
{6} Listen closely to my prayer, O God. Hear my urgent cry.
{7} I will call to you whenever trouble strikes,
and you will help me.

{8} Where among the heathen gods is there a god like you?
Where are their miracles?
{9} All the nations--and you made each one--
will come and bow before you, Lord,
and praise your great and holy name.

{10} For you are great and do great miracles.
You alone are God.
{11} Tell me where you want me to go and I will go there.
May every fiber of my being unite in reverence to your name.

{12} With all my heart I will praise you.
I will give glory to your name forever,
{13} for you love me so much! You are constantly so kind!
You have rescued me from deepest hell.

{14} O God, proud and insolent men defy me;
violent, godless men are trying to kill me.
{15} But you are merciful and gentle, Lord, slow in getting angry,
full of constant loving-kindness and of truth;

{16} so look down in pity
and grant strength to your servant and save me.
{17} Send me a sign of your favor.
When those who hate me see it,
they will lose face because you help and comfort me.
For further study, Check out these archives of past devotionals:
(Note: the devotionals may be under the headings of "discussions" "files" or "pages" )
http://www.groups.google.com/group/ixtheus-devotionals-archive-part-2?msg=new&lnk=gcis&hl=en
http://www.groups.google.com/group/ixtheus-devotionals-archive/web?hl=en
http://www.groups.google.com/group/ixtheus-devotionals-archive/web
http://www.groups.google.com/group/ixtheus-archives-part-3/
http://www.groups.google.com/group/ixtheus-devotionals-archive-4
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