The Priority And Power Of Prayer

What matters Most When We Pray:

1. Our Relationships Matter!

“Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours.  And when you stand praying, if you hold anything against anyone, forgive them, so that your Father in heaven may forgive you your sins.” Mark 11:24-25

“In the same way, you husbands must give honor to your wives. Treat your wife with understanding as you live together. She may be weaker than you are, but she is your equal partner in God’s gift of new life. Treat her as you should so your prayers will not be hindered.” I Peter 3:7

Our horizontal relationships with each other affect our vertical relationship with Him!

Reflection Question:
Are there any relationships in my life that I need to make right?

2. Our Motives Matter!

“You do not have because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures.” James 4:3

Reflection Question:
Are my motives in prayer self-seeking or God- honoring?

3. Our Obedience Matters!

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective.” James 5:16

“The Lord is far from the wicked, but he hears the prayers of the righteous.” Proverbs 15:29

Reflection Question:
Is there sin in my life that I need to turn from and confess before God?

4. Our Faith Matter!

“If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.  But when you ask, you must believe and not doubt, because the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind.  That person should not expect to receive anything from the Lord.” James 1:5-7     

Reflection Question:
Is my faith big enough to believe that God is Big Enough to do it no matter the outcome?

5. God’s Will Matters!

“This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.”  I John 5:14-15

“Father, if you are willing, please take this cup of suffering away from me. Yet not my will, but your will be done.”       Luke 22:42

Reflection Question:
Do I honestly value and desire God’s will over my will?