PRAYER ISN'T FOR SISSIES! (15 OF 18)
by Roger Thomas
Scripture: I JOHN 5:14-15
This content is part of a series.
Prayer Isn't for Sissies! (15 of 18)
Series: New Testament Sampler
Roger Thomas
1 John 5:14-15
Prayer isn't for sissies! A lot of people think otherwise, perhaps some in this room Some think it is a cop-out. They say, "praying is an attempt to find an easy way out. It is asking God to do the heavy lifting for you." Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I would insist that praying--really praying, hard and long--is one of the hardest things you will ever do.
Remember Jesus' disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked them to watch and pray with him for one hour. They sleep. Most of us wouldn't fare any better. We can do most anything easier than we could pray for an hour.
Prayer is hard because the devil knows better than we how powerful it is. In C. S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, Screwtape, a demon commander, gives instructions to an underling (Wormwood) who has been assigned to harass a new believer. At one point Screwtape writes, "Interfere at any price in any fashion when people start to pray for real prayer is lethal to our cause."
As pioneer radio evangelist Paul Rader used to say, "If you can beat the devil in the matter of regular daily prayer, you can beat him anywhere. If he can beat you there, he possibly beat you anywhere!"
Prayer matters. Real prayer is worth whatever effort it takes to make it the source of power in our lives. In our text, John reveals the secret of effective praying. Note the three keys that can unlock prayer's power for you.
First, effective prayer requires confidence. The word confidence is sometimes translated boldness. The Greek word literally means "all words." It refers to freedom of speaking, an openness that enables you to say what's on your mind as opposed to fear that you might say the wrong thing or not be accepted. Bold praying is honest praying.
Children are good at praying honestly, maybe too honestly sometimes. A mother invited some people to dinner. At th ...
Series: New Testament Sampler
Roger Thomas
1 John 5:14-15
Prayer isn't for sissies! A lot of people think otherwise, perhaps some in this room Some think it is a cop-out. They say, "praying is an attempt to find an easy way out. It is asking God to do the heavy lifting for you." Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, I would insist that praying--really praying, hard and long--is one of the hardest things you will ever do.
Remember Jesus' disciples in the Garden of Gethsemane. He asked them to watch and pray with him for one hour. They sleep. Most of us wouldn't fare any better. We can do most anything easier than we could pray for an hour.
Prayer is hard because the devil knows better than we how powerful it is. In C. S. Lewis' Screwtape Letters, Screwtape, a demon commander, gives instructions to an underling (Wormwood) who has been assigned to harass a new believer. At one point Screwtape writes, "Interfere at any price in any fashion when people start to pray for real prayer is lethal to our cause."
As pioneer radio evangelist Paul Rader used to say, "If you can beat the devil in the matter of regular daily prayer, you can beat him anywhere. If he can beat you there, he possibly beat you anywhere!"
Prayer matters. Real prayer is worth whatever effort it takes to make it the source of power in our lives. In our text, John reveals the secret of effective praying. Note the three keys that can unlock prayer's power for you.
First, effective prayer requires confidence. The word confidence is sometimes translated boldness. The Greek word literally means "all words." It refers to freedom of speaking, an openness that enables you to say what's on your mind as opposed to fear that you might say the wrong thing or not be accepted. Bold praying is honest praying.
Children are good at praying honestly, maybe too honestly sometimes. A mother invited some people to dinner. At th ...
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