But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord…James 1:6-7 Besides relationships, motives and living a God-honoring life, another thing that matters to God when we pray is our faith. What is…

…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16 Part 1 of this week we saw that our relationships matter. In part 2, I said that our motives matter. Some might have taken that to mean that we shouldn’t pray for the desires of our hearts. Let me try to explain. The verse that I used was from James.…

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 Yesterday we saw that the Bible says our relationships with one another matter to God when we pray. We need to forgive others so that God is free to forgive us. Another big thing that matters when…

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.”  Mark11:24-25 We live in an “on demand” culture. We zip through commercials, complain about how slow fast-food…

Continue steadfastly in prayer, being watchful in it with thanksgiving.” Colossians 4:2 I have never been accused of being overly persistent. In fact, I’m pretty inconsistent. Oh, there were times when I was a young child, I would persistently hound my parents for some game or toy or instrument until they gave in or I would give up, but I am talking…

Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit, says the Lord of hosts. Zechariah 4:6 In our sermon from Sunday, we discussed a third reason for the power of prayer. It is because of what God does – how He gets the glory. By praying, we give more of the spotlight in our lives to God. When we come to…

Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for “God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.” Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. 1 Peter 5:5b-7 Yesterday we said that prayer was powerful because…

Is anyone among you suffering? Let him pray. Is anyone cheerful? Let him sing praise. Is anyone among you sick? 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. James 5:13-14 In the sermon this week, we saw one way prayer is powerful because of what…

This Sunday, we looked at the Forgotten Power of Prayer. To become better Christ followers and experience the power we receive through this relationship, we need to know Him intimately and that happens when we spend time with Him in prayer and meditation.  What comes to mind when you think of prayer? How do you define prayer? What are some barriers people…

When you pray, you are not to be like the hypocrites; for they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and on the street corners so that they may be seen by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But you, when you pray, go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your…