"...but the people who know their God will display strength and take action" (

One of the greatest needs in the Christian community is for Christians to discover and experience the privilege and power of effective prayer.  Dr. Bill Bright writes, "History records no significant movement of the Spirit of God that has not been preceded by a very strong prayer emphasis.  And understandably so, because the omnipotent God has chosen to communicate with individuals through prayer as well as through His inspired Word."  He goes on to say, "Our Savior Himself, to whom all authority in heaven and earth was given, spent much time praying while here on earth.  Now seated at the right hand of God the Father, He intercedes on our behalf.  Since He is our example, we can rightly conclude that the ministry of prayer is the highest calling a Christian can have.  A vast reservoir of power, wisdom and grace becomes available to us through prayer."

I invite you to join me in praying that God will continue to use the fasting and prayer gatherings as a spark to help set ablaze the Body of Christ and send revival in this critical moment of history for our beloved nation and for the Church.  I urge you to join others who have committed themselves to fasting and prayer and to teaching these disciplines to other Christians, inspiring believers to trust our sovereign God to send revival to our needy nation and world.

A great force of God's power will be released as we commit ourselves to effective prayer.  In Acts 4 we read how the Christians prayed together with one heart, mind and spirit. Then all the believers were united as they lifted their voices in prayer (Acts 4:24).  The result was a great boldness in sharing God's message.

It is our earnest prayer that you will be directed and enabled by the Holy Spirit to become personally involved in praying for a worldwide revival and spiritual awakening.  Also, that you will be actively involved in boldly sharing God's good news with people in your sphere of influence.

. . . The effective prayer of a righteous man can accomplish much (James 5:16b NASB).

. . . The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and wonderful results (James 5:16b NLT).

. . . The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective (James 5:16b NIV).

. . . The prayer of a righteous man has a powerful effect (James 5:16b Good News).

 

"And the word of the Lord came to him, saying...so he went and did according to the word of the Lord"  (I Kings 17:2,5).

In order for us to be effective in our prayers, we must have these two qualities that were a part of Elijah's lifestyle.  We must be open to God's will and direction for our lives as is revealed through His Word.

As we read and study the scripture, we will learn what the will of God the Father is and as we know His will, we can pray and ask according to His will.  For example, I Peter 3:9 tells me that it is not the will of the Lord that any perish, but His will is for all to come to repentance.  Therefore, when I pray for those around me who do not know Christ, I can be sure that I am praying according to God's will.

The Word of God also tells me that I am the Lord's witness.  " 'You are my witnesses,' declares the Lord"  (Isaiah 43:10).  This means that I do not only pray for the lost, but I also go and tell them what I have seen, heard and experienced of the Lord.  I go and share the Good News of God's love and forgiveness with them.  When the Word of the Lord came to Elijah, he went and did according to the Word of the Lord.

Hearing and knowing God's Word and then going and doing according to His Word will result in many answers to our prayers.

In 1999 John was diagnosed with prostate cancer. It remained contained for a little over three years and then began to spread.  He joyfully went to meet his Master face to face on Sunday, November 24, 2002 .  To read his tribute, click here.