11 July 2010 - ENCS

Today we continued the series on praying effectively
Pastor Larry's sermon focused on praying specifically
And of course as always he was wearing a tie
As he spoke on 'aim specific, aim right, aim high'

He started by talking about James 5:16-18
Which mentions Elijah, one of the best pray-ers ever seen
But the point of the passage was that we can pray the same way
Just as Pastor did with the rain on his wedding day
God's reminder shows us that He doth care
Pastor said there are three ways to aim in our prayer

The first is that to God we must make the need known
We must be specific, in other words take time to hone
He asked four questions in this part
'What is a need?' was where he did start
In 1 Kings 15, Elijah confronted the most evil king ever
Without Elijah's word, needed rain would return never
'Why does God allow us to have needs?' was number two
They are humbling and we often don't know what to do
As we read in Matthew chapter seven
Answers can only come from our God in heaven
'Why is expressing a need effective?' was number three
Remember that God was specific in creating both you and me
Pastor then said that as James 4:2 states so clearly
Without asking, we can't get what we want so dearly
Then of course 'why do we sometimes not receive answers to our need?'
One reason per James 4:3 is that instead of a need, we are driven by greed
Another is that God knows the right time
And waiting for God is of course not a crime
But sometimes God wants to keep in check our pride
As in 2 Corinthians 12:7, the thorn in Paul's side

The second way is to involve God's will and aim right
Breaking through the emotions helps us to see the light
Remember that the Word of God is true
It should guide us in what to do
The answer to 'what is God's will?' is found in His Word
So it says in Romans 12:2, from Pastor we heard
And 'how does praying God's will bring confidence?'
Per 1 John 5, He hears our prayers in every circumstance

The third is to ask in faith and to aim high
Believe in what we pray for and God will reply
A prayer of faith is persistent
As well as very consistent
A prayer of faith also believes
Until a result he receives
We must push through doubt
If our faith is truly devout

The other benefit when we pray
Is to tell show other's God's way
For specific prayers can make us bold
And then we can see God's work unfold