Tag: James

3 Principles of Powerful Prayer – James 5

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Prayer has power.

In good times and bad times James instructs us to pray.

“Are any of you suffering hardships? You should pray. Are any of you happy? You should sing praises. Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven.” James 5:13-15

1. Prayer should be our first response, not the last resort. Tweet This

God wants us to come to him first with everything! To often we wait till our situation gets really bad and then throw up a “hail mary” to God.

  • Are you going through a hard time? Pray!
  • Is your life going great? Thank God!
  • Do you have a big need? Get leaders and other people to pray for you.
  • Pray about everything. Nothing is off limits.

2. Confessing sin to one another brings added potency to prayer.

“Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results.” James 5:16

Sharing struggles with others is a necessary part of following Jesus. The prayers of a brother or sister in Christ who is striving to live right before God has great power. If you know someone like that, get them to pray for you.

3. Earnest prayers of ordinary people can accomplish extraordinary things! Tweet This

“Elijah was as human as we are, and yet when he prayed earnestly that no rain would fall, none fell for three and a half years! Then, when he prayed again, the sky sent down rain and the earth began to yield its crops.” James 5:18-18

Elijah was a prophet chosen by God, but James emphasizes that he was just as human as we are! The same power that was available to him to stop the rain for 3 1/2 years  is available to us! Ordinary Christians can see God do amazing things through prayer.

Post in the comments section your answer to this question… Why don’t most Christians experience this type of power in their prayer lives?

Share on Facebook or Twitter. Get daily updates by subscribing by email. From my reading in  James 5 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Prayer Works! There are things that God will do if we pray that He won’t if we don’t. (James 4)

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Prayer actually changes things!

Let that sink in. Your prayers (some how) change what really happens here on earth! If that’s not a motivation to pray I don’t know what is! This simple phrase has rocked my world.

There are things that God will do if we pray that He won’t if we don’t.

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Sometimes God withholds blessings from our lives, simply because we don’t ask for them. James tells us,

“Yet you don’t have what you want because you don’t ask God for it.”  James 4:2b

Sometimes it’s that simple. You might not have something you want because you haven’t been praying for it! Ask yourself this question…

“If I could pray for anything, and knew the answer was yes, what would I pray for? What is stopping me from praying for that right now?” Tweet This

Maybe it is for a family member to come to Christ. Maybe it is to get a reliable car for your family. Maybe you want your ministry to reach more people. Why not pray right now?

Ask God to what you can’t yourself. You may see a miracle happen. Prayer only works if we actually pray! Our father loves to answer the prayer of his children.

James is quick to tell us that this is not a “genie in the bottle” type deal. Sometimes the answer is no because we are asking for things with the wrong motives.

“And even when you ask, you don’t get it because your motives are all wrong—you want only what will give you pleasure.” James 4:3

It’s not wrong to ask for things you want, but it is important to check your motives.

Are you motivated by God’s glory and the benefit of others? Or are you motivated by selfish desires? Sometimes God says no to selfish requests the same way a parent says no to a child when he wants to eat his 8th piece of candy on Halloween.

God knows what we need far more than we do. More often than not, God is waiting to bless us in crazy ways if only we would pray. In his classic book “Too Busy Not To Pray” Bill Hybles said,

“Prayerless people cut themselves off from God’s peace and his prevailing power… It’s suprising to me how many are willing to settle for lives like that. Don’t be one of them! Nobody has to live that way. Prayer is the key to unlocking God’s consistent and prevailing power in your life.” – Bill Hybles Tweet This

Don’t just read this article. Take a moment to pray RIGHT NOW!  Also, post a prayer request in the comments section. I would love to pray for you!

Share on Facebook or Twitter. Get daily updates by subscribing by email. From  James 4 in the One Year Bible New Testament.

Your Words Matter More Than You Know! James 3

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Your tongue is one of the most powerful weapons on earth.

It has the power to destroy and it has the power to bring life.  James tells that our words have great influence on our lives and the lives of the people around us.

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According to James the tongue is like…

  • A bit is what is used to guide horse.
  • A small rudder steering a huge ship.
  • A tiny spark that sets a forest on fire.
  • A wild animal that can’t be tamed.
  • A spring that produces fresh and salty water.
  • A tree that produces two types of fruit.

Words set the direction for our lives. Words can cause destruction. Words can bless. Words can curse.

Your words matter more than you know!

Post a comment answering this question…

Which of these truths motivates you to use your words more wisely?

 Share on Facebook or Twitter. Get daily updates by subscribing by email.

From my reading in James 3 in the One Year Bible New Testament.