When we face hardship, prayer not only reminds us of God’s rightful place in our life but also sustains us.
For more messages from Charles Stanley, including this week’s broadcast, go to intouch.org/tv.
with a message from God’s Word here’s
Charles Stanley
in a moment of crisis the three words
most frequently heard are oh my god
well that is the right thing to do in a
crisis and that is to pray to call out
to God to cry out to him and in these
days of crisis more people are praying
more people are attending church more
people and talking to God and probably
have talked to them in a long time all
of a sudden that confronted with
separation they’re confronted with this
overwhelming group of decisions that
they have not had to make in all of
their life
this fear uncertainty the threat of
death the overwhelming responsibilities
that they are not faced before what do
you do in time of a crisis well you
surely pray but how do you pray in such
a way that God hears and answers that
prayer well that’s what I want to talk
about in today’s message in title
praying in a crisis and I want you to
turn if you will to James chapter 5 and
at the end of this crisis mentioned here
there’s a simple principle that usually
gets lost because we get hung up on what
happens before James chapter 5 and you
recall this is the chapter in which God
has given to the church the way you deal
with sickness in the church and how you
go about seeing that those people
experienced healing and so he says in
verse 13 is anyone among you suffering
let him pray
is anyone cheerful let him sing praises
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 and the
prayer offered in faith will restore the
one who is sick and the Lord will raise
him up and if he has committed sins they
will be forgiven him
therefore confess your sins to one
another and pray for one another so that
you may be healed that’s the next phrase
the effective prayer of a righteous man
or woman can accomplish much Elijah was
a man with a nature like ours
and he prayed earnestly that it might
not rain and it did not rain on the
earth for three years and six months and
he prayed again and the sky poured rain
and the earth produced its fruit it is
the last part of the sixteenth verse
that I want us to look at because herein
lies a principle that I think is a good
guide for us in praying in time of a
crisis
he says the effective prayer of a
righteous man and you and I know that is
a righteous man or a woman can
accomplish much the two things that I
want us to see in this passage that is
always true in a crisis first of all
that is the desire and secondly the
demands that is when you and I face a
crises we usually face some specific
event or some specific thing that has
happened that has grabbed their
attention and that is the focus of our
prayer
now if you’ll think for just a moment as
you and I think about crises and
different kinds of crises a crisis is a
time that you and I are concern but that
concern is a narrowed focus that is when
we pray
normally when things are sought at least
partially normal whatever that is we
pray for many things when we suddenly
hear news or a crisis is created our
prayer becomes very narrowly focused to
that one issue and there’s nothing wrong
with that and we begin to pray
specifically for that particular area of
concern and the Bible says that God will
indeed become involved in those things
that concern us or those crises we face
because God knows exactly why that
crisis has come and he certainly is not
oblivious to the things that are going
on no crisis can occur without God’s
permissive will he does not initiate
many crises that takes place I’m sure he
does initiate some of them but no matter
how it comes God always takes advantage
of every crisis to do something and that
is to get our attention focused to him
for example how many people are praying
the
who were not praying two months ago or
three months ago was six months ago or a
year ago how many people in church who
weren’t in church then they weren’t
concerned about Church they weren’t
concerned about God they weren’t reading
the Bible and if they prayed many of
them just prayed you know just in
passing Lord bless this that in the
other many of them had little concern or
interest in the things of God
they were rebellious late living their
life indifferent to the things of God
selfishly going on about their business
pursuing the things that primarily
interest to them and all of a sudden
they’re shocked with a reality that
husband and wife are going to be
separated there’s the possibility of war
losing one’s loved one this avalanche of
responsibility that suddenly comes down
upon the wife the separation of children
from their dads or from their mother in
this war and all the things that take
place besides all the crises that come
just natural and normal life God’s
interested in all of them he sees them
every single one he’s not oblivious to
them and the teaching of this verse is
simply this God is willing to become
personally involved in those things that
are crises in our life now you and I
know that he desires to be personally
involved in every single area of our
life every day of our life whether
there’s a crisis or not but for many
people it takes a crisis for God to get
their attention and so when he allows a
crisis one of God’s primary objectives
is to get our focus change from me
myself and my plans and my schedule my
this and my that my heart aches and my
troubled own to God where they should
where it should have been all along and
when you and I face something that we
feel helpless about and absolutely tilde
overwhelmed about isn’t it interesting
how easily God gets our focus from
ourselves on to him and we begin to cry
out to God to do something in our life
to make a difference and my primary
purpose for this message is to simply
give a little warning and a word of
encouragement to many of you who’ve
begun to pray that
not parade in years and years and I want
to say this now and I want to say it
again if you think that you can just go
from indifference apathy no interest no
church no Bible no God no Christ no
anything spiritual and all of a sudden
you hit a crises and God suddenly comes
like a bellhop and stands at your door
and says what would you have me to do
terribly mistaken if you think God is
like a puppet that you can dangle on the
strings and you can manipulate him to do
anything you want him to do you’re gonna
be disappointed
God is nobody’s puppet God is not going
to be manipulated by my crises or
anything else God is this sovereign of
this universe and whether we like to
think it or not everything revolves
around him not us and so we can’t live a
life that is indifferent and casual and
totally self-centered and all of a
sudden God gets really excited about
helping us out of our crisis that is not
the way God operates and I think in this
passage of Scripture we can understand
how God does and what does motivate God
to become involved in those things that
are concern to us I want you to look at
this word in this phrase and we’re going
to primarily just stay with the last
part of verse 16 he says the effective
prayer of a righteous man can accomplish
much the word therefore accomplish is a
word that if you saw it in the Greek it
would look like the first part of it
would look like en ERG wah energy and it
is the word from which we get our word
energy and what he’s saying in this
passage is this that the spective prayer
of a righteous man brings about the
release of God’s supernatural God’s
divine energy into our crisis to make a
difference that’s really what he’s
saying that when we have effective
prayer about righteous men and women God
begins to release his divine
supernatural on
listen unlimited energy and Rex ‘add
toward the target which is the crises
that you and I may face at any given
moment and so you who are facing a
crisis today the issue is not whether
God desires to or whether he’s promised
or not the issue is are you in a
position where God is able not that he’s
not able to do anything but are you in a
position where God is free to become
involved and to release his divine
energy in your particular crisis and I
want to say again he’s not to be
manipulated you can’t have some
particular prayer formula whereby you
can pray and God always does anything
and if you look for a moment back in
Ephesians chapter 1 the use of this word
here’s a good example he says in
Ephesians chapter 1 verse 19 what is the
surpassing greatness of his power toward
us who believe these are in accordance
with the working of the strength of his
might again the same word the working
the release of God’s divine strength and
energy and power in our life he is more
than willing to do that in the third
chapter if you’ll notice the 20th verse
of Revelation now to him who is able to
do exceeding abundantly beyond all that
we ask or think think about that we’re
talking about a God who is able to do
exceeding abundantly beyond all we ask a
thing according to the power that works
the energy of God released within us God
is willing to release his supernatural
power in your crisis no matter what it
is if the situation is correct and
that’s what we want to clarify in this
message to be sure that it is correct so
what we have to ask is when we cry out
to God is God gonna hear us just because
we’re Christian know is he gonna get
involved in everybody’s crisis no he
doesn’t promise to do that but he does
promise in this passage he says the
effective prayer of righteous men and
women will you can look for the divine
personal intervention of God in that
crisis no matter what it is now think
about this
today we face a crisis of war that
engulfs the whole nation and a greater
part of the world there are many crises
today and their individual crises in
this man’s life and this woman’s life in
this family in this business in this
relationship but here’s the promise God
says I’m ready I’m willing and we’re
talking about supernatural we’re talking
about the unlimited omnipotence of God
he’s willing to release if certain
things are true and if certain things
are right and so that’s what he’s
referring here into this particular
passage now the comforting thing that
you and I can be assured of in any
crisis is this that God knows all about
the crisis he knows every detail he
knows why it is there he knows how it
came about and he knows exactly how to
saw to settle to heal to deliver to
provide to protect whatever in that
crisis in such a way it is to our best
interest it may not always be what I
want and so I want to say up front just
because you’re not face of crises no
matter how righteous you and I may be
that doesn’t mean that God is going to
always do exactly what I ask him to do
because what I want God to do sometimes
is not the will of God what I want him
to do sometimes may seem and appear to
be right and good and scriptural to me
but on the other hand if God’s purpose
is higher than my purpose he says my
ways are higher than your ways and my
ways are greater than your ways he knows
and he has ways that I cannot touch than
I can understand so some things he’s
going to do in a crisis no matter what I
do but here’s what happens when we
respond rightly to that crisis and
asking for God’s divine intervention we
don’t have to walk away shaking our
hands and thinking God why didn’t you do
it why didn’t you answer my prayer if
you keep your promise why did it turn
out this way god this is a mess because
when we see in just a moment what has to
be made right our whole attitude about
the crises and the outcome will be
different so what he’s saying in this
passage here he’s interested in getting
involved he wants to get involved
you can lick all through the scriptures
in the Old Testament how oftentimes for
example just look in the Psalms David
cried at oh my god he cried out to God
in one crisis after another in this life
and how God so beautifully intervened to
deliver him and protect him and provide
for him and to take him through
difficult and hardship and I mean he
went through some very very difficult
trying persecuting times they were not
easy but God did divinely intervene
every single time even in the midst of
his failure so that’s what he’s saying
first of all in this passage that you
and I can expect and look for listen
when he says accomplish much the word is
the release of God’s divine energy in
your crisis now we say well this is our
desire God hears the crisis we face he
says there two demands number one if
you’ll notice in this passage what he
says he says number one first the first
requirement is effective prayer now it’s
interesting in this passage that the
word prayer is used about four other
times this is the only place where this
particular word for prayers use and it
implies a specific request not just
general praying and I mean by that not
to discredit or to belittle that but for
example let’s say that in your private
devotions in the morning or in the
evening whenever you have them you pray
for a lot of things you pray about your
life and your family and your plans and
other people and other concerns and the
war and all the things that are going on
but we’re talking about a specific
prayer that is narrowed down to
something he says he’s speaking here of
effective prayer where you see he put
this on the end of a crisis that is
we’re talking about the healing of sick
and we probably not talking about a bad
code we’re talking about a sickness
where there’s a sense of helplessness
and godness worked some miraculous work
of healing he says it is effective
prayer and so the word prayer here is
specific it implies need God I’m asking
you to deliver me in this and Lord
provide this so Lord I’m asking you to
protect him it is specific now what does
he mean here when he’s talking about
effective prayer
well the word for effective here is the
word translated strong we’re talking
about strong prey we’re not talking
about now I’ll lay me down to sleep pray
the Lord my soul to keep and if I die
before I wake I pray the Lord my soul to
take
amen and we learned that as a child and
after a while we just sort of quoted
that by rote memory didn’t mean a whole
lot and I’m afraid a lot of people today
before they go to bed at night they
round off something to God that you
could almost say ditto to probably every
once in a while be the same word saying
the same thing we’re talking about
praying that’s got heart in it he said
strong pray the very word means powerful
and strong so we’re talking about prayer
that is motivated by a burden of the
heart we’re talking about prayer that
has much more power and strength and
feeling and emotion the word fervent see
look if you will in Colossians chapter 4
for a moment and if you’ll notice in
this passage that Paul is referring to
one of his cohorts in the ministry most
of this last part of this fourth chapter
is about that and he names one of them
here and in naming him he describes how
he prayed up of the Colossians verse 12
of cautions 4 he says it Pat for us who
is one of your number a bond slave of
Jesus Christ sends you his greetings
always laboring listen to this
laboring earnestly for you and his
prayers that you may stand perfect and
fully assured in all the will of God
laboring earnestly that very phrase
implies that he not only is just saying
words but this man has his heart in it
there’s strengthless power something has
burdened his heart he was burdened for
these Colossians Christians
again the same idea is used in 2nd
Corinthians chapter 5 when he talks
about begging God so when he says here
the effective prayer we’re talking about
strong prayer that has heart in it now
when you think about prayer you think
about your own prayer life I wonder
when is the last time you played with a
heavy strong burden oh god that is
something on the inside of you would not
let you just get out on your knees and
just say that Lord I want you to do so
and so and so and so but somehow in your
heart you were struggling well
somebody says you shouldn’t have to
struggle with God I mean after all
should you just be able just to save on
the Lord here’s what I want here’s what
I’m asking you to do and I want to thank
you in Jesus name that you’re gonna do
it not always because prayers not always
that way look if you will in the 32nd
chapter of Genesis and if you’ll notice
in this particular passage if you’ll
turn there for a moment that Jacob all
of a sudden found himself facing a
crisis and the crisis was that his
brother whose birthright he had taken he
had discovered that he’s on his way and
so all he knows that a battle is going
to ensue and more than likely he’s going
to be defeated he may be killed by his
brother he’s separating his family
trying to protect them and all the
things that are going on and if you’ll
notice in verse 24 of Genesis 32 then
Jacob was left alone and a man wrestled
with him until daybreak which was or who
was probably the pre-incarnate christ
and when he saw that he had not
prevailed against him he touched the
socket of his thigh so the socket of
Jacob’s thigh was dislocated while he
wrestled with him then he said this is
the one with whom he’s wrestling let me
go for the dawn is breaking but Jacob
said I will not let you go until you
bless me here’s the man wrestling with
the Lord about what is concerning him at
the moment struggling having a difficult
time with what he’s facing there is
nothing wrong with getting on your knees
and wrestling it out that is sometimes
that wrestling is a result of fear old
God suppose this happens what am I going
to do and I’m sure that is the question
that many wives may be asking God today
about their husbands and about their
teenagers whose fathers gone or some
people are asking about their finances
or their marriage relationship or
whatever it might be
God what’s going to happen and so it
isn’t a simple prayer it is a prayer
that is evoked by burden by heaviness it
is a crisis god I need you I desperately
need you God if you don’t get involved
in this I’m sunk
I don’t know what to do I feel
overwhelmed I’m scared I don’t know
which way to turn I don’t know who to
talk to God do something you say well
now a person should be more calmed about
that pray my friend it depends on how
much you hurt it depends on how scared
you are and it depends on where you are
in your life and what you’re facing and
what he’s saying in this passage knowing
how we are and knowing what we are
looking verse 17 of this passage he says
Elijah was a man with a nature like ours
that is Elijah was not perfect he was
weak he suffered his disappointments and
you recall he got depressed in life he
became fearful his the prophet of God
did God used in the most miraculous way
the next thing you see he’s scared to
death and I think the reason he put that
here is in order for us to understand
and to be encouraged for the fact that
God understands their fears and he
understands we face certain crises that
we don’t know what to do and we don’t
know where to turn and we don’t know how
to handle some things and so what do we
do we cry out to God and so we’re not
talking about general praying we’re
talking about crisis praying God what do
I do in this particular situation now
part of the problem is we sometimes a
little too sophisticated and dignified
in there praying and you know if we were
to decide right now look let’s all of us
begin to pray suppose we heard some real
real bad news about the war and somebody
came in said here’s a crises and the
guff write that I believe we need to
pray and let’s say it was something
horribly dramatic I guarantee you none
of us would care what anybody else
thought about why we prayed with each
other when my heart is overwhelmed I
could care less what anybody thinks says
it does when I’m talking to God and the
kind of prayer that gets God holy God in
heaven releasing his supernatural
unlimited omnipotence in my life is when
I am
and crying out to him and believing that
he and he alone and expressing my sense
of helplessness isn’t that another
principle of scripture in our most
helpless desperate moments in those
moments the Spirit of God is able to
release his greatest power when we
express our greatest sense of
helplessness and I believe they’re
people praying you haven’t prayed in a
long long time and they don’t know how
to pray and they think God’s just gonna
hop whenever they pray and what I want
us to see is not to discourage you from
praying but simply saying that if we
want to get God in on what’s going on in
crises moments we need to learn to cry
out to God with a burden listen not
something we fabricate for ourselves you
know when your heart is heavy you know
when you’re scared you know when you
feel helpless and overwhelming you don’t
know what to do next
Oh God I need you to do something and
sometimes we don’t know what to ask you
so that’s not very intelligent praying
that’s exactly why he says in Romans
eight he gave us the Holy Spirit he said
sometimes you won’t even know how to
pray but the Spirit of God within you
will intercede before the Father so what
does he do he burdens our heart for the
crisis oh we become burden automatically
by the burned nature of it and something
inside of us cries out oh God do
something he says it is strong praying
this gets God’s power in on what’s
happening you say well is that the only
time God gets his power in what’s
happening no you see the truth is God is
willing to release his supernatural
power every single day in your life in
my life in simple little things and the
truth is he does but we’re talking about
crisis praying and we’re talking about
those things that that cause us to feel
overwhelmed here it may be a sickness
unto death and the doctors have given up
James says this is what you do
remembering that the strong prayers the
strong prayers about that sickness about
that healing from righteous men and
women bring about great results that is
God releases His divine energy in
response to strong praying if we start
praying for God to do specific things I
believe God will respond
when we praise strong prayers from
righteous hearts crying out to God to do
whatever is necessary the whole history
of the Bible that’s what God’s been
doing from Genesis 1 all the way through
that’s what he’s been doing in history
that’s what he’s been doing in your life
in so many ways but we’re afraid to take
on something as big as a war you say
well me and the whole Middle East
situation yes you yes let me ask you a
question how many men and women does it
take because God to Elise his divine
super natural power one and I’m gonna
show you that in a minute one just one
but the question is am I even burdened
enough that I even feel like crying out
to God now think about this I hope
you’ll get convicted a little bit amen
you think about what absolutely
saturates your mind every day and have a
little time most people are giving the
prayer and they sit and watch the
television watch all these things that
says so healing the corner on the right
lower side or alive and you see these
Jets taking off men going off on their
missions listen every time I see that I
just cry out to God God protect that man
be his shield bring him back help him to
concentrate and help him to be
successful and I believe God is
answering my prayer just like he answers
yours
don’t sit then watch the television and
just be sort of amused at what’s
happening listen that is your living
opportunity to get involved in
somebody’s life at that right moment at
that very moment we underestimate God’s
personal desire to get involved on what
concerns us and part of the problem is
we’re so concerned with so many things
that concern us and us alone that God
can’t even get up enough conviction
and burden and hunger and thirst and
yearning and weeping over the condition
of this world to even intervene and God
has got America’s attention with a war
now you think about it
Vietnam war was over with some 15 to 16
years ago America had a chance to thank
God get back to God turn toward God that
terrible war was over 50 some thousand
American boys lost their lives and some
women you’d have thought somehow we’d
learn a lesson Korean War not too many
years before that what do we do
we’ve got more abortions more
pornography more wickedness more
violence more crime more everything evil
and less and less of things that are
good we don’t learn very well God’s got
our attention and you mark this down
before this war is over he is really
going to get our attention because we’re
not listening we still not listening let
me ask a question when he says strong
prayers when is the last time you got on
your knees a set in the chair and I mean
wept over anything besides your own
personal condition anybody besides
yourself
well let me ask you when’s the last time
you wept about anything have we become
so calloused and hardened and selfish
that the only thing that moves us is
what taps our pocketbook God knows how
to get America’s attention touch the
pocketbook of an American and God you
become the most popular one suppose some
hand I don’t know how this could ever
work suppose God send a message to this
nation
you want this war stopped close up the
bars shut down the houses of
prostitution burn up all the pornography
stop all the abortions and right down
the line I wonder if we’d even do it to
stop a war here’s what we’d say well we
thank you very much God we think somehow
we gonna get this done and you mark this
down
God is getting America’s attention and
when Hussein said that he had some
surprises he and the devil probably have
a lot of them and our only shield is
Jehovah that’s there on the shield is
Jehovah God but let me give you a word
of encouragement because listen to what
he says in this passage you say well
it’s about time it’s getting a little
scary but I’m telling you the truth amen
I’m telling you the truth and the truth
sometimes is upsetting listen to what he
says in this passage the effective
prayer that is the strong prayer of
righteous men can accomplish much we
said the first requirement is strong
praying this haphazard slipshod counter
praying that won’t work
the second requirement is found in these
two words three words a righteous man
now you now know that’s righteous men
and women so that’s taken for granted
we’re not denying anybody their
particular right in that area now what
does he mean when he says a righteous
man that is he says you want to get
God’s supernatural omnipotence in on
what is a crisis in your life or in this
nation then strong praying praying with
a heart abdi genuine concern and
secondly and this is where the rub comes
because a lot of folks who’ve started
praying all of a sudden when they face
the crisis hadn’t talked to God hadn’t
read the Bible hadn’t gone to church
weren’t even interesting the things of
God all of a sudden they started praying
I want to tell you I’m sorry God’s not
listening you said the Bible says ask
anything and it should be done unto you
the two great truths in these three
words
a righteous man a woman righteousness in
the Bible two ways to look at this first
of all every single one of us who is a
Christian positionally we’re righteous
that is when you and I became a child of
God the Bible says in Romans chapter 5
verse 17 that you and I you and I have
been clothed in the righteousness of
Christ that is he sees us as righteous
that is we are right knit related to him
as sons and daughters of God once we are
saved with the grace of God that’s my
position
just for example when you were saved you
became a child of God that’s your
position the family you’re a child of
God no longer than any man no longer
separated you’re a child of God that’s
your position has nothing new to conduct
that’s the position a righteous person
by position is the person who’s been
clothed in the righteousness of Christ
made righteousness of God washed in the
blood of Jesus Christ a child of God
forever the second way that word is used
is by lifestyle of conduct that is
righteous living he says not by works of
righteousness which we’ve done did he
save us but according to his mercy and
that is it is a good conduct that saved
us it’s about the grace of God so now
when he says in this passage here the
effectives prayers of a righteous man
and woman can accomplish much he’s
talking about two things not only must
that person be a child of God righteous
but that person’s conduct their
lifestyle must be right the conduct must
be right
look if you will in psalm 66 for a
moment and let me explain something yeah
and you know this verse by heart I’m
sure psalm 66 and verse 18 and there are
many many others here psalm 66 and verse
18
he says if I regard wickedness in my
heart the Lord will not hear that’s real
simple listen better if I regard
iniquity in my heart the Lord will not
hear what does he mean by regard
iniquity in our heart he means if I
willingly and knowingly choose to sin
against God and keep on sinning against
him and do not deal with it God is not
going to hear my prayer if he did he
would be contributing to my disobedience
contributing to my rebellion and
contributing to my waywardness he says
if i regard iniquity in my heart that
doesn’t mean if i sin against god and
deal with it and you see one of the
reasons he placed this illustration here
of elijah he was a man with a nature
like ours and he prayed earnestly that
it might not rain and you know the story
elijah wasn’t the perfect man elijah
disobey god he got depressed he was full
of fear one time in his life running
from old Jezebel we’re not talking about
perfect we talk about righteous we’re
talking about this that the kind of
strong list and the kind of strong
praying that God gets involved with is
the kind of strong praying that comes
from many women who are living
righteously before God by their conduct
and when they sin they deal with it
right there and keep moving which means
that prayer begins with repentance if
I’m right with God God is going to hear
me and he’s going to get involved but
this is why I say that folks who have
been careless and then different have
been to church and prayed on the talk to
God in case of an emergency manipulate
God answer my prayer provide my need
protect me in my family and then ignore
God in other areas of their life you
said well I’m not regarding iniquity in
my heart if I choose to do my will in
rebellion to God’s will whether this
sophisticated rebellion or outright
wicked rebellion isn’t making a
difference God says I’m not going to
hear it the greatest need in this nation
today listen
for we started all this praying we
needed to get on our knees and cry out
to God not God save us from a dictator
but God save us from our sins God
forgive us of our sins repentance over
sin in this nation then we be ready to
pray for God to do something else we’ve
got it backwards
Oh God do this and do that and do the
other God’s waiting for me to do
something about me if I regard iniquity
in my heart he’s not going to hear me
listen I didn’t say he didn’t want to
get involved I didn’t say he wasn’t
sitting in heaven just ready to release
his omnipotent power in our life in any
crisis and he’s willing to do it when we
are in a position so that he can that
he’s no longer contributing to my sin
and my waviness and my rebellious Ness
and my product of living but he’s now
contributing to my holy life my
obedience to him and my willingness to
seek and to do the will of God listen
that’s what gives the prayer team he
said it avails much in the eyes of God
it carries weight with God in the throne
room of God when those prayers come from
strong listen there’s strong prayers
from burdened hearts out of righteous
lives he says otherwise I’m not gonna
listen now here’s a very encouraging
word to me and it’s a simple thing look
at that verse again he says the
effective prayer of a righteous man can
accomplish much now listen carefully
because here’s why I want you to see how
absolutely valuable you as an individual
are what did he say he says the strong
prayers of what’s the next word
the strong prayers of what a listen to
that a not a whole church not the whole
kingdom of God a the effective prayer or
strong prayer of a righteous man a woman
gets God’s supernatural power released
in their crisis guess what that says you
say well I’m just one person
what can my prayer do about the Middle
East situation that’s not the question
ask God what your prayer can do because
here’s what God promises the strong
prayer of a single righteous man a woman
gets God’s attention and gets God’s
power release in that crisis no matter
what’s going on you know what the devil
has done he has sold us the biggest job
listen he has said to you over and over
and over again man this is what is a
world war what are you talking about
your prayer do you think your prayer for
Saddam Hussein is gonna do any good your
prayer for the president’s gonna do any
good and your prayer for these men of
those whose names you don’t even know
you think that’s gonna do any good you
wasting your time now if everybody gets
together to pray then then maybe God
hear that but my prayer friend that’s
the devil’s lie What did he say he said
the strong prayer of a single person
gets God’s super natural power released
in that given crisis no matter what it
is that’s why when somebody comes to you
and says
I am desperately desperately in need of
help I desperately need something to
happen in my life don’t react by saying
born we’ll get someone to pray for you
there’s somebody who knows God listen if
you’re saved you know God listen your
single prayer can transform a person’s
condition just like that if you will
believe God now listen to me carefully
this I keep my prayer Ward isn’t even
scriptural unless you’re living in sin
disobeying God and so full of yourself
God can’t even give you a burden for
someone else I love that verse listen to
that listen to that you understand what
he’s saying you your single prayer from
a righteous heart crying out to God
believing God trusting God feeling a
sense of helplessness before God
believing that he will release his
supernatural power God will answer your
petition his of the devil does he says
Lord can have big it is and look at
gigantic it is and look how well
whelming it is look how impossible it is
the devil’s line is always this look
through my eyes
God’s line is always this look at this
through my eyes every mountain becomes a
molehill every crisis begins to shrink
every problem begins to be dissolved
from the eyes of God
I just want to say to many of you who’ve
been praying and you’ve been talking to
God and crying out to him but you’ve
never stopped to think about the past
what about all the sin and indifference
in rebellion in your life that you’ve
not dealt with you see you don’t start
for example it lets say that I owed you
a lot of money let’s add you $100,000
and I came to you and I said turn a new
leaf man it’s a brand new book in my
life I promise you I’m not gonna ever
bar any more money from you it’s a
closed deal never borrow any more money
from you this that settles the whole
deal it may settle the future but I owe
you $100,000 and my big time confession
about not ever barring any more money
from you
hasn’t got anything to do with the past
and if I start all God from now on Lord
if you just save this and if you just
change that and oh god if you’ll do so
and so here’s what I’m gonna do guy says
mm-hmm
what about the past because all this
back here that I’m not dealt with
negates all the promises and all the
things that I want God to do here’s what
I want you to see listen to me God help
you listen his desire is a personal
intimate relationship Jesus Christ wants
you and me and a personal relationship
to him everything we need he’s gonna
provide the crises he’s gonna be there
in that and so that’s why he’s not going
to jump just when we howl a crisis when
we’ve ignored him simply I want to ask
you a question
are you walking with him daily trusting
him loving him obeying him as best you
know how through the power of the Holy
Spirit and when crises comes you don’t
have to straighten up a bunch of stuff
in your life you just begin to cry out
to God what about some of you who’ve
never been saved you’ve been praying
about this war and you’ve rejected
Christ and he says no man comes to the
Father but by me how can you reject the
one whom God sent who makes it possible
for us to pray to him and expect God to
ignore your rejection of his son to
ignore your apathy toward his son to
ignore your indifference toward his son
or your mocking are using his name and
profanity you expect him to ignore all
of that and then just to come clean
answer all of your prayers my friend it
will not happen it cannot happen because
that is not the nature of God his
primary interest is not in my needs but
in my relationship and when I’m in right
relationship with him all these things
holy God has absolutely promised to take
care of God has their attention in this
country and what we need is a big-time
wholesale Holy Ghost revival of
repentance before Almighty God crying
out to him to clean up our life and
clean up our nation and then we’ll see
God’s supernatural pound the most
absolute amazing miraculous ways but the
question is are we willing to pay the
price of a clean heart to get the
supernatural power of God into our
crisis Lord Jesus
Oh God stir our hearts move our hearts
prickers with conviction expose our
hearts to ourselves help us to see
things as they are and all God give us
the wisdom to cry up to you give us the
wisdom to repent of our sin and to
recognize that you want to but you can’t
as long as we hold you off with sin I
pray for those who have lost who need to
be saved this very moment that you would
grant them the courage to cry out to you
and know that that’s one cry you always
hear oh God be merciful to me a sinner
and save me through the death of Jesus
Christ I pray father for those who are
living in sin who are trying to pray and
get you in on their problems and
wondering why they’re not working why
you’re not answering prayer while the
problems are not being solved the crises
is still before them grant them the
wisdom to repent of every single known
sin everything that you bring to their
heart O God give them the courage and
the wisdom to repent of it to turn away
from it but the power of the Holy Spirit
to renounce it to walk away from it and
to trust you to cleanse and to get
involved God give them the wisdom to
make things right in order to make their
life of valuable precious powerful tool
to impact everybody around them we love
you we praise you Lord how we adore you
for your patience and for your wonderful
grace toward us is our prayer in Jesus
name Amen