power of prayer, pt.2

“Elijah was a human being with a nature such as we have [with feelings, affections, and a constitution like ours]; and he prayed earnestly for it not to rain, and no rain fell on the earth for three years and six months” (James 5:17).

Prayer is a powerful weapon in the arsenal of the believer. The tremendous power that prayer produces is the direct result of intimacy, fellowship and communion with the Father. Daniel 11:32 says, “but the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” Knowing God in a personal way gives us access to His ability. Paul prayed that the Ephesian church would ‘know and understand what is the immeasurable and unlimited and surpassing greatness of His power in and for us who believe, as demonstrated in the working of His mighty strength' (Ephesians 1:19). The power of God is immeasurable and unlimited and we have access to His power.
Elijah was an ordinary human being, yet he did extraordinary things. He raised the dead and shut up heaven for three and a half years! How was he able to do these supernatural things? He knew the heart of God through the scriptures and he understood the power of prayer. First, Elijah knew drought was one of the punishments God promised to bring upon the idolatrous and disobedient people of Israel (Read Deuteronomy 11:16-17). Elijah simply prayed the heart of God. To know the heart of God, you must spend time with Him and become intimate with Him. Elijah believed what God said and he declared it prophetically. When it was time, God told Elijah that it would rain. Elijah prayed in line with the will of God and the windows of heaven were opened.
Keys to Elijah’s great exploits were that he knew the heart of God and he came into alignment with God. He had faith to believe what he read and the faith to act and speak it with boldness and authority. Not only that, but he prayed earnestly and fervently until after seven times, his servant finally saw a cloud about the size of a man’s hand. Tremendous power was made available to a mere human because of fervent, effectual prayer.
The same power is accessible to all those who know their God and are willing to pray in faith knowing God will hear and answer their cry.

the power of prayer

“But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)

The power of a life truly committed and dedicated to fellowship and communion with God is unparalleled. II Chronicles 16:9 says, “The eyes of the LORD search the whole earth in order to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.” So, God is looking for those who will pursue Him with all of their hearts through fellowship and obedience to His word. What is the result? Daniel 11:32 says, “but the people that know their God shall be strong, and do exploits.” The saying is true, no prayer, no power; little prayer, little power; much prayer, MUCH POWER! But, what is this power for?
First and foremost, prayer changes the person who is praying! Often times when we pray, we expect God to change our co-worker, spouse, friend, or circumstance. All the while, God has a much bigger objective. He wants to change us so that we can change the situation! Remember, He wants to strengthen the ones that seek Him so that they can do great exploits manifesting His life through them.
The Apostle Paul says when we behold the Lord, or truly fellowship and commune with Him, His spirit transforms us into His very same image. He takes us from one level of glory to another level of glory. What does this mean? It means that our perspective changes. He gives us a God’s eye view and we begin to see the BIG picture. In prayer, we begin to see our responsibility in the situation, how we should respond and see what course of action, if any, should be taken. In prayer, we take the focus off the other person and begin to allow the Spirit of God to work in our own hearts. A husband may see that his wife is responding negatively because he is not dwelling with her according to knowledge. In prayer, a wife may see that her husband doesn’t communicate because she is not truly submitted. You may see your supervisor is overbearing because there is a root of fear and insecurity. This does not excuse or exonerate the other person’s behavior, but it allows God to mature and transform the one praying enabling us to respond righteously according the word of God. This also helps how we pray for the situation or person.
Experience the power of prayer to change YOU from the inside out.