One of the most important tools a Christian has in his spiritual arsenal is prayer. It is not utilized properly
by most. Prayer by Christians will change situations when God answers them.
Here are some consequences in people’s lives when little or no prayer is offered in their behalf:
No salvation. Since prayer is talking to God, no salvation can be obtained, by anyone, unless they pray.
Acts 2:21 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved.” Calling unto God for salvation is one of the first prayers God will answer.
Romans 10:13 “For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved.” – No asking; no salvation.
Joel 2:32 “And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the LORD shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be deliverance, as the LORD hath said, and in the remnant whom the LORD shall call.”
No healing. One’s cancer, infirmity, or health problem may not be changed if there is no prayer offered. Death and continued sickness will result if a Christian does not seek God’s intervention in the situation. What an awesome responsibility we have to prayer for others and ourselves.
James 5:14 “Is any sick among you? 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 5:15 “And the prayer of faith shall save the sick, and the Lord shall raise him up; and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him.
James 5:16 “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.”
No Godly control. There is no hope for supernatural assistance if prayers are not offered about the situation. One is on their own, without God’s help, and taking their chances on how the matter will turn out.
Luke 11:2 “And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth.” – His will and way may not be performed unless He is asked.
No protection. Jesus knew His prayer could change the circumstances he was in:
Matthew 26:53 “ Thinkest thou that I cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?”
Matthew 26:41 “Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak.” – Temptation to sin can be avoided with prayer.
No needs being met. No blessing.
Philippians 4:6 “Be careful for nothing; but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” – All things can be asked for.
Matthew 21:22 “And all things, whatsoever ye shall ask in prayer, believing, ye shall receive.”
Matthew 6:11 “ Give us this day our daily bread” – from the Lord’s model prayer. Daily needs may not be met if they are not asked for.
No change.
Ephesians 6:18 “Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;” – Watch and see how prayer changes situations.
Matthew 5:44 “But I say unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which despitefully use you, and persecute you;” — The best cure for bullies, health issues, and other troubles that threaten you is prayer. Not praying will not change anything!
God often talks to us through His Word — the Bible. We talk to Him via prayer. Oh, how many more of our needs and concerns would be met if we would only pray!
James 4:2 “Ye lust, and have not: ye kill, and desire to have, and cannot obtain: ye fight and war, yet ye have not, because ye ask not.”
Yes, David I agree. Because when trials, disappointments, discouragement come, the bible says to pray and not faint. In other words, if you don’t pray, you might faint or give up. Others can pray for you but it is nothing like you have the power with you at all times. Sometimes you so beat up that you can only mumble a few words and that is ok, he hears that. Also, communication is giving you an outlet to express and release the built-up strain and stress on your heart and mind. God is good, all the time.
That’s good.
Recently, our Pastor just challenged the church to pray 7 minutes per day, listen to God 7 minutes, and read the word 7 minutes. Doesn’t sound like much of a challenge, but to a man that is not doing any of the 3, it is life changing and Church changing…and ultimately kingdom changing.
A prayerless man is a powerless man. A man not listening to God is a directionless man, A man not reading the word is for all the world, an ignorant man.
You would think in a Holiness Pentecostal conservative Bible believing church that my Pastor’s challenge would fall on incredulous ears, but he had the temperature of the congregation. He later told me how many 10’s of people had come to him to confess that they were not doing just this bare minimum of time with God every day.
We wonder at the accounts in the Old Testament of the coldness of Israel, but people are people and we are essentially no different in that regard today. Despite knowing the cost of prayerlessness, most, yes most people who profess to be Christian will not pray today unless their world circles the drain.
Excellent, though provoking work Bro Brinkworth, thank you.
Our pastor challenged our church to make a 7-7-7 covenant with God for 2018: 7 minutes of prayer daily, 7 minutes of quiet listening to God daily, and 7 minutes of reading God’s Word daily. The covenant is with God not with the pastor. The pastor’s challenge is to spend that 21 uninterrupted minutes each day with the Lord and see what a profound impact it will have on your life and the life of your church this year. One cannot spend time with God and not be changed, for He is holy and His presence creates holiness in our lives.
I think it would be a good covenant for each of us to make. Give God 21 minutes a day out of the 1,440 total minutes He gives you of life each day. See what God will do in your life!
I read a book on prayer in which the author said, “No one will ever rise above his/her prayer life! Simply put: Little prayer, little power! Big prayer, big power!”
one thing I have observed in my own life is that prayer is most effective when you have practiced a lot. I heard the analogy of being a frequent customer once. We need to be talking to God often and regularly and intently. I would say the failure to have a prayer life is the single biggest contributor to people failing as Christians. Anyone agree?
We can pray and ask for anything but if God does not see it in our life according to his will then we do not get it . Be it to be healed , or anything .