Praying Effectively

The Prophet Elijah was a human being – not a superman. He faced temptations that you and I face, yet he prayed earnestly. The scripture declares in James 5:16, “The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much.” You are no different than Elijah. You can pray with the same effectiveness that he experienced. Your prayer life reveals how much you depend on God and how much you depend on yourself. Your prayer life is an indicator of where your trust lies.

Prayer can be compared to the “breakfast of champions,” a “feast” where you have communion with God as you speak to Him, listen to Him, and hear from Him. Pastor Billy Joe Daugherty said, “It is possible for a person to be born again and know Jesus personally, yet fail to have a disciplined, consistent life of prayer and fail to experience daily victory.” But God can work miracles if someone will pray. God can turn situations around if someone will pray. God can touch the nations of the world if someone will pray. During His time on earth, Jesus, the Son of God was a man of prayer. He knew that His personal victory was dependent upon communion with the Father. He would wake up before the morning light and depart into a solitary place to pray. Many people jump out of bed, eat breakfast, go to work and think about God in the middle of the day. It is also possible to go through your entire day and not think about God until you open your Bible and have a quick word of prayer before going to bed. If you start your day communing with the Lord, you will very likely be in communion with Him throughout the day. You need to “stir yourself up” to pray. As you pray God’s Word, pray in the Spirit and pray the prayer of thanksgiving and praise, your prayers will be effective. By doing these things, you will experience breakthroughs in prayer because “God is not slack concerning His promise,” (2 Peter 3:9). Constant fervent prayer will stop the enemy, produce the will of God in your life, and will bring you through trials and tribulations into continued victories. It’s time to pray!