prayer
James 5:13-18 (New American Standard Bible)
13Is anyone among you suffering?
Then he must pray
Is anyone cheerful?
He is to sing praises.
14Is anyone among you sick?
Then he must call for
the elders of the church and they are to pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15and 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.
16Therefore, confess your sins to one another,
and pray for one another so that you may be healed
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,
and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18Then he prayed again,
and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
Scripture says that "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much" (James 5:16 NKJV). Effective—that is exactly what we want
our prayers to be, especially in a crisis. When we meet God's
requirements, we can be confident that He will release divine energy
into the situation and our prayers will produce results.
Requirement #1—Fervent prayer. Motivated by a deeply burdened heart,
fervent prayers are filled with passion and a strong sense of personal
helplessness. They also have a narrow focus on some specific
difficulty about which we care deeply. Scripture calls this type of
prayer "laboring earnestly" (Colossians 4:12).
Requirement #2—Righteousness. At salvation, we become rightly related
to God as His children. We are permanently sealed with the Holy
Spirit, and we are declared righteous forever because of our position
in Jesus Christ. But the word "righteous" is also used to describe a
believer's conduct. This means that to be called a "righteous person,"
we must be found in Christ (Philippians 3:9) and have an obedient
lifestyle before God. If we willingly and knowingly engage in sin,
then we are not living righteously and our prayers will not be
effective.
When the Lord hears an impassioned prayer, He knows who is praying. If
it is a righteous person whose life reflects God's ways, Scripture
promises the Holy Spirit will begin His divine work.
God responds with great power to the prayers of even one righteous
person. That person can be you!
13Is anyone among you suffering?
Then he must pray
Is anyone cheerful?
He is to sing praises.
14Is anyone among you sick?
Then he must call for
the elders of the church and they are to pray over him,
anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord;
15and 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.
16Therefore, confess your sins to one another,
and pray for one another so that you may be healed
The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much.
17Elijah was a man with a nature like ours,
and he prayed earnestly that it would not rain,
and it did not rain on the earth for three years and six months.
18Then he prayed again,
and the sky poured rain and the earth produced its fruit.
Scripture says that "the effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man
avails much" (James 5:16 NKJV). Effective—that is exactly what we want
our prayers to be, especially in a crisis. When we meet God's
requirements, we can be confident that He will release divine energy
into the situation and our prayers will produce results.
Requirement #1—Fervent prayer. Motivated by a deeply burdened heart,
fervent prayers are filled with passion and a strong sense of personal
helplessness. They also have a narrow focus on some specific
difficulty about which we care deeply. Scripture calls this type of
prayer "laboring earnestly" (Colossians 4:12).
Requirement #2—Righteousness. At salvation, we become rightly related
to God as His children. We are permanently sealed with the Holy
Spirit, and we are declared righteous forever because of our position
in Jesus Christ. But the word "righteous" is also used to describe a
believer's conduct. This means that to be called a "righteous person,"
we must be found in Christ (Philippians 3:9) and have an obedient
lifestyle before God. If we willingly and knowingly engage in sin,
then we are not living righteously and our prayers will not be
effective.
When the Lord hears an impassioned prayer, He knows who is praying. If
it is a righteous person whose life reflects God's ways, Scripture
promises the Holy Spirit will begin His divine work.
God responds with great power to the prayers of even one righteous
person. That person can be you!
posted by ffpaladin @ 6:04 PM
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